Balanced Lampi Dac - Joe you are famous now

[madfloyd]

The only reason I decided to audition the Lampi was because I was assured by classical music lovers that if I used the 101d I would like it, so when I mentioned this to Fred he said he'd order mine with 101d's but something got messed up along the way. I'm waiting for him to make it right.

is there a good website or resource to go to read all about the various tube attributes?

 

[Mike]

is there a good website or resource to go to read all about the various tube attributes?

yes. http://www.audiotubes.com/bjtubes.htm

101D is a great tube for classical. Excellent.

 

[Gopher]

Hi Ian,

I don't recall telling you the 2a3 could be used in either setting. I think you may be thinking of the 6a3. The voltage drop on the tube in the 2a3 setting is more electrically correct, but many feel that tube sounds better in the 45 setting (I'm one of those people).

Its not so much that I think the 2a3 will brighten up as I do not find it to be a dark tube and I think everything about your brand new unit is burning in--things can sound a little dark and closed in at first, but give it a little time to blossom.

As far as 101Ds, don't worry--just sit back and let the rig mature. I'll happily get a pair of them sent out to you. I believe Lukasz had run out but wanted to get you the DAC without making you wait.

Best,

Fred A.

 

[madfloyd]

Hi Ian,

I don't recall telling you the 2a3 could be used in either setting. I think you may be thinking of the 6a3. The voltage drop on the tube in the 2a3 setting is more electrically correct, but many feel that tube sounds better in the 45 setting (I'm one of those people).

Its not so much that I think the 2a3 will brighten up as I do not find it to be a dark tube and I think everything about your brand new unit is burning in--things can sound a little dark and closed in at first, but give it a little time to blossom.

As far as 101Ds, don't worry--just sit back and let the rig mature. I'll happily get a pair of them sent out to you. I believe Lukasz had run out but wanted to get you the DAC without making you wait.

Best,

Fred A.

I was referring to Norman saying he preferred 2A3's in the 101d setting, not you, Fred.

Thanks. I apologize if I'm sounding impatient.

 

[wisnon]

So much for being able to use 2A3's with either setting.

I was really starting to like the DAC; it brought me the body I was missing. Unfortunately as of this morning all the treble is gone. D-A-R-K. And I have a pretty lean sounding system normally.

It's like all drummers no longer have hi-hats.

Fred tells me the tubes will brighten up as they break in. That's never been my experience but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. In the meantime I'm suffering and sad.

Who said 2A3 could be used in either setting?

Its 6A3 that can be used like that and generally the nicer sounding tube in the Dac. Amp experience and Dac experience are not perfect parallels. 2A3 is 2.5v x2.5 amps, while 6A3 is 6.3x1….very different electrically. 2a3 is also generally leaner than most of the other tubes. I only have 1 pair myself and its not my favorite, but I hear that the Psvane version sounds good….

 

[wisnon]

I was referring to Norman saying he preferred 2A3's in the 101d setting, not you, Fred.

Thanks. I apologize if I'm sounding impatient.

I cant see how I would have made such a mistake except for typos, as I have had months discussing this stuff on 2 other websies. I went thru this thread and my references are in posts 131 and 148 and I clearly spoke about 6A3 being used in either position. This is what we rollers have been doing for months and discussiing whih setting gave better SQ. Justin at theartofsound and AL/Shawn/Fred at Audiocircle. Justin was the first to discover them and TungSol was the first brand tried.

 

[madfloyd]

Sorry, I've been typing 2A3 but I mean 6A3 (which is what I have). If I don't have the switch in the 6A3 position I get a 7db difference in channel output. That is significant enough that it almost sounds like one channel isn't working, yet in the 6A3 position the output seems equal.

 

[wisnon]

Strange, that does not mimic the experience of most. Go to the threads at AudioCircle and you will see the discussions over the months. Most preferred the low setting...I was agnostic ans I didnt hear any appreciable difference when I switched back and forth.

Also, I thought you said that switching the interconnects switched which side was louder?

Perhaps your unit just needs more break in time? let it cook for a few more days.

What brand of 6A3 do you have?

 

[Gopher]

Hi Ian,

I suspected there may be some 2a3/6a3 confusion. Glad we've gotten to the bottom of it. I tracked down a pair of Psvane 101D tubes for you which will ship from New York tomorrow and should arrive to you Thursday. Please use these in the 45/101D setting.

Enjoy!

Fred

 

[madfloyd]

Strange, that does not mimic the experience of most. Go to the threads at AudioCircle and you will see the discussions over the months. Most preferred the low setting...I was agnostic ans I didnt hear any appreciable difference when I switched back and forth.

Also, I thought you said that switch the interconnects switched which side was louder?

Perhaps your unit just needs more break in time? let it cook for a few more days.

What brand of 6A3 do you have?

The brand is RCA. I tried a completely different set of interconnects into a different preamp and had the same result. Then I swapped the two 6A3's (left for right). This did not change the channel but did make the one channel even louder (or so it seemed - I could be wrong). Perhaps I have something wrong with the unit in the 101d position in which case I'll find out very shortly as Fred was kind enough to ship out some 101d's to me.

 

[madfloyd]

Hi Ian,

I suspected there may be some 2a3/6a3 confusion. Glad we've gotten to the bottom of it. I tracked down a pair of Psvane 101D tubes for you which will ship from New York tomorrow and should arrive to you Thursday. Please use these in the 45/101D setting.

Enjoy!

Fred

Thank you so much, Fred!

 

[KeithR]

Western Electric and Sylvania 274b, U52 from Mullard, Osram 5U4, Mullard 5AR4 (though I have a love hate with this tube), stock 274b, Sylvania VT-244, and then RCA JAN 5U4G (have never seen the RCA JAN labeled VT-244). Best value is the Sylvania 274b. I paid $100 for mine. I am also getting a 5r4g soon.

Tubestore's 274B is a really great tube that many don't know about- and I'm a NOS kind of guy usually. My Quads used a 5U4G tube rectifier, so have experience with several.

 

[MikeCh]

As purely an observer of what you guys are going thru with the Lampizator product I have to say it sure seems confused.

With the many variations like Lampi XYZ can only take 123 tubes vs. Lampi ABC can only take 456 tubes vs. Lampi LMNOP can only take 789 tubes vs. SE vs. Balanced with the same or wholly different tube caveats vs. NOS tubes vs. New Production tubes vs. this cap set in the XYZ vs. that cap set in the ABC vs. DSD only vs. PCM/DSD vs. a wood and aluminum chassis vs. all aluminum chassis vs. all copper chassis vs. et al. (the choices literally seem endless and change every month or so from what I'm seeing) then throw in some typos/misquoting of tube types allowed or in use, sprinkle in what appears to be end user frustration with not understanding what was supposed to have been written or assumed and I think you have a recipe for real confusion.

Even if I could justify the cost of a Lampizator product and also dedicate my life to following their changes, I don't think I'd subject myself to this kind of torture. Yeah, maybe I'd miss out on all the glorious sound of a Lampizator by not working thru this torture but I think I'd be more comfortable walking away with my sanity in check even if I had to settle for a little less sound quality with a different product.

You guys amaze me with your willingness to embrace and unravel complex products!

p.s. I'm not bashing the product, just amazed at how complex it seems.

 

[wisnon]

Tubestore's 274B is a really great tube that many don't know about- and I'm a NOS kind of guy usually. My Quads used a 5U4G tube rectifier, so have experience with several.

Hi Keith, can you paste in a direct link?

 

[wisnon]

As purely an observer of what you guys are going thru with the Lampizator product I have to say it sure seems confused.

With the many variations like Lampi XYZ can only take 123 tubes vs. Lampi ABC can only take 456 tubes vs. Lampi LMNOP can only take 789 tubes vs. SE vs. Balanced with the same or wholly different tube caveats vs. NOS tubes vs. New Production tubes vs. this cap set in the XYZ vs. that cap set in the ABC vs. DSD only vs. PCM/DSD vs. a wood and aluminum chassis vs. all aluminum chassis vs. all copper chassis vs. et al. (the choices literally seem endless and change every month or so from what I'm seeing) then throw in some typos/misquoting of tube types allowed or in use, sprinkle in what appears to be end user frustration with not understanding what was supposed to have been written or assumed and I think you have a recipe for real confusion.

Even if I could justify the cost of a Lampizator product and also dedicate my life to following their changes, I don't think I'd subject myself to this kind of torture. Yeah, maybe I'd miss out on all the glorious sound of a Lampizator by not working thru this torture but I think I'd be more comfortable walking away with my sanity in check even if I had to settle for a little less sound quality with a different product.

You guys amaze me with your willingness to embrace and unravel complex products!

One could happily live with the stock tubes provided but its fun to experiment, and the payoff is definitely worthwhile as many can attest to.

SE and Balanced are completely different Dac constructions in a tube sense and have different requirements. Again, you could just stay with stock or alternatively, wait months before any experimentation. Choice is a good thing, no?

Finally, why conflate conversion engines and SE vs Balanced configs, with Chassis construction that is clearly evolving. Wood was yesterday and is not an option anymore. Copper chassis for GG , Alu for lower level, nothing strange about that…common industry practice.

Lampi is clearly not for you, no biggie.

 

[Gopher]

MikeCh,

With all due respect I think your post makes things sound a lot more confusing than they are, lol.


I can understand how it might appear confusing but its actually quite simple and many of our customers don't roll tubes at all--you decide your own level of involvement.

Tubes:

ALL of our DHT DACs use the same output tubes and there are plenty to chose from. Just line up the pins and flip the switch to the appropriate position and enjoy!


PCM/DSD:

By default you get both. If you decide you don't care about one or the other we will skip the module in your build. Very simple and either can be added at a future date if needs change.

Chassis:

Copper (Gold colored) chassis is for our Golden Gate.
Aluminium will be used on our Lite 7 and Big 7 unless a specific request is made.


Please let me know if I can clarify further.

Fred A.

 

[Mike]

Mike - some of the things, well, many of the things you have brought up, I brought up a few months ago and got absolutely roasted for it. But that's water under the bridge.

As a VERY HAPPY Lampizator owner, I can tell you that it is a little quirky, from the labeling scheme on the front display, to the requirement to always turn the volume up every time you turn it on to having to use the remote to turn up the volume because the front volume knob is a little quirky (if I use the front volume knob, the volume goes down one notch for every two notches you turn it up....so it goes 1..2..3...2....3...4...5....4...5...6...5....and so on. Using the remote control, it works perfectly.

If an individual cannot accept a little bit of quirkiness with the incredible magic they will experience, then the Lampizator isn't for them. If you go into the purchase knowing that there might be one or two SMALL items that seem a little quirky, then its a hell of a lot easier to accept the magic of the Lampizator product - warts and all.

Personally, as the company grows, I would like to see Lampizator work on product consistency. For example, today, on some units the SPDIF is there and active, on others, its there but not active. Without any explanation. What would help Lampizator would be product models rather than so many one off situations. For example, a Big 7 Red could mean you have these features and a Big 7 Blue could mean you have those features in red, plus active SPDIF and so on. Maybe have 4 or 5 different version options of a model to create consistency. Just a thought. I know the Lampizator guys will probably say that that would be too limiting and would remove part of the mystique of Lampizator (the ability to totally customize your own DAC). So, maybe it's not a great idea....the pro's and con's would need to be further explored.

The confusion around tubes that can/cannot be used circles around the new Balanced Lampizator DAC, otherwise, it's pretty straight forward. What Lukasz is doing with his unique approach to DSD and now incorporating that into a fully balanced circuit is quite pioneering.

What I can tell you is that you couldn't ask for better support from Fred, Rob and Lukasz and let's not forget Norman. The Lampi guys are only a phone call or email away and ALWAYS responsive and very helpful.

 

[KeithR]

Hi Keith, can you past in a direct link?

its a shuguang-produced tube, but very good (and inexpensive).

www.thetubestore.com - Preferred Series 274B / 5U4G Rectifier Tubes

 

[wisnon]

Mike - some of the things, well, many of the things you have brought up, I brought up a few months ago and got absolutely roasted for it. But that's water under the bridge.

As a VERY HAPPY Lampizator owner, I can tell you that it is a little quirky, from the labeling scheme on the front display, to the requirement to always turn the volume up every time you turn it on to having to use the remote to turn up the volume because the front volume knob is a little quirky (if I use the front volume knob, the volume goes down one notch for every two notches you turn it up....so it goes 1..2..3...2....3...4...5....4...5...6...5....and so on. Using the remote control, it works perfectly.

If an individual cannot accept a little bit of quirkiness with the incredible magic they will experience, then the Lampizator isn't for them. If you go into the purchase knowing that there might be one or two SMALL items that seem a little quirky, then its a hell of a lot easier to accept the magic of the Lampizator product - warts and all.

Personally, as the company grows, I would like to see Lampizator work on product consistency. For example, today, on some units the SPDIF is there and active, on others, its there but not active. Without any explanation. What would help Lampizator would be product models rather than so many one off situations. For example, a Big 7 Red could mean you have these features and a Big 7 Blue could mean you have those features in red, plus active SPDIF and so on. Maybe have 4 or 5 different version options of a model to create consistency. Just a thought. I know the Lampizator guys will probably say that that would be too limiting and would remove part of the mystique of Lampizator (the ability to totally customize your own DAC). So, maybe it's not a great idea....the pro's and con's would need to be further explored.

The confusion around tubes that can/cannot be used circles around the new Balanced Lampizator DAC, otherwise, it's pretty straight forward. What Lukasz is doing with his unique approach to DSD and now incorporating that into a fully balanced circuit is quite pioneering.

What I can tell you is that you couldn't ask for better support from Fred, Rob and Lukasz and let's not forget Norman. The Lampi guys are only a phone call or email away and ALWAYS responsive and very helpful.

Mike,

Lukasz already did just that. He had to, in order to keep up with demand. See table at the bottom of the link: PRODUCTS

I dont work for Lampi (or anything in audio), I just like the products and try to help with the brands I know about like Lampi, iFi, Job, and Uptone REGEN. Thanks for the shoutout though.

 

[joeinid]

My Lampizator Big 7 balanced w/ volume control is rock solid and sounds GLORIOUS! Holy cow, I've found the holy grail.