Lampizator Golden Gate

dminches said:
I never said the topic wasn't important. But, maybe you could show some courtesy to have this discussion in private since this is the manufacturer's forum. To suggest in his forum there is a safety issue without really knowing is unnecessary.
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Agreed and I've had more than a few people PM me about this thread as well. I think we want to welcome all manufacturers with open arms and although this is an important topic to one or two people, I'm not sure a public forum is the place to grill them on things like this. Put yourself in their shoes. A PM is your best bet.

YMMV.
 
FlexibleAudio said:
Hello Lukasz,

it is very cool to have you here. You have demonstrated some incredible ingenuity in your gear. If you have the time I would love to clarify something as well.

So if I read the above post correctly, the only difference is the regular 6db gain and from balanced and some internal common mode noise cancellation. Would it be a reasonable supposition that the stiffer powers supply you reference could be attained through a different isolation scheme in the single-ended dac since the only difference is coming from noise cancellations? Alternatively, I normally think of stiffening my PS by using different rectifiers; do you think it is possible to get to the same spot with the single-ended as the fully balanced by taking that route or is the difference to great?
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LampizatOr said:
Hello,
the cancellation is not about "noises" but about consumption fluctuations. There is one common point where two opposite phases suck energy from. The suck varies according to the music but in opposite phase. So if one phase demands 20% MORE, at the same moment the other phase demands 20% less, hence the supply point remains fixed. Does not need to supply any more during that passage. That's the cool element in it.
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FlexibleAudio said:
Ahh so the reduced fluctuation helps offset the lack of stiffness that might be present in a tube rectified power supply as opposed to say a solid state??? That would make a great deal of sense to me.
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Alpinist said:
Hi Mike,

Thanks so much for your terrific review! It is greatly appreciated. My Soulution 520 preamp's inputs are unbalanced whether they're RCA or XLR. Cyril Hammer said they could hear no difference, so they went unbalanced. However, from preamp to amps is fully balanced (XLR) with no unbalanced (RCA) connections. So with this sort of hybrid system, do you think I would reap the benefits of the balanced GG over the SE GG? I know for instance that my K-01 from its balanced outputs into my 520/501 system sounds better to my ears than into the fully balanced XP-30/XA-100.8 I used to own.

Additionally, how much heat are the 5 tubes producing compared to the 3 tubes of the SE GG?

Great job!! Thanks again!!

Ken
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Ken, That is a great question. I don't want to jump in front of Mikes great first-hand experiences but the above exchange with Lucasz says a lot to me about why you may want to audition the balanced version even with your unbalanced 520. Per Lucasz reduced power fluctuation is responsible for a stiffened power supply. I know this can dramatically improve the performance of a dht design. People often role recti's to make up for perceived PS softness (i.e., matching the PS to the plate impedance of the output tubes) but this approach may be yielding greater returns. The blacker backgrounds Mike refers to may also may reflect some internal cmnr in the unbalanced that balanced is cleaning up.
 
Alpinist said:
Hi Mike,

Thanks so much for your terrific review! It is greatly appreciated. My Soulution 520 preamp's inputs are unbalanced whether they're RCA or XLR. Cyril Hammer said they could hear no difference, so they went unbalanced. However, from preamp to amps is fully balanced (XLR) with no unbalanced (RCA) connections. So with this sort of hybrid system, do you think I would reap the benefits of the balanced GG over the SE GG? I know for instance that my K-01 from its balanced outputs into my 520/501 system sounds better to my ears than into the fully balanced XP-30/XA-100.8 I used to own.

Additionally, how much heat are the 5 tubes producing compared to the 3 tubes of the SE GG?

Great job!! Thanks again!!

Ken
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Thanks Ken. Unless you're running a full single ended system (amp, preamp, cables), go for the balanced. There is no doubt in my mind. To me, single ended systems produce more problems than solutions. Take single ended cables for example. You can have a very thin cable with lots of shielding to lower noise floor, but that has sonic trade offs, namely, no 3D, depth. You can have a thicker cable with less shielding, but then you introduce noise and I mean, typically, hum.

The fully balanced system (Lampi GG balanced and Pass XS) is DEAD quiet and don't discount the benefit of not having to drive the shit out of your preamp either. Example: with the balanced GG Lampi, the Pass preamp at -20 produces the same SPL as it does at -2 on the SE. I'm fussy when it comes to driving the hell out of a preamp. At some point (typically past 0), the preamp introduces much more distortion and noise. -20 is quite comfy for me! [emoji3] - and identical to my other balanced digital sources.

In truly building a great system, achieving the lowest noise floor possible is a goal for all audiophiles. Black backgrounds are addicting.
 
Mike said:
Agreed and I've had more than a few people PM me about this thread as well. I think we want to welcome all manufacturers with open arms and although this is an important topic to one or two people, I'm not sure a public forum is the place to grill them on things like this. Put yourself in their shoes. A PM is your best bet.

YMMV.
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Well let me apologize to Lucasz and the forum. I did not realize I was grilling him. In, fact I thought I was complementary regarding his designs and trying to be polite. I also thought I was asking some very, very straightforward questions that relate directly to his product's unique design and its implication to users.

I guess I am confused about what the purpose of having a manufacturer join us here might be if we can't have basic interaction. Is it just for adoration? Before this interaction, a Shark member PM-ed me specifically to tell me he had Lucasz join the forum to "answer my questions."

I would expect a manufacturer to openly embrace this type of dialogue. (At least that has always been my experience.) If this isn't a topic of concern why not just put clear answers on the table? Problem solved.

To answer your question Mike, if I were in his shoes I would answer the questions directly and if the discussion yields an area where my product might be changed to address the point I would acknowledge why that makes sense, or not. If the question is not a legitimate one I would explain in a clear way why it is so and move on. Your product is then legitimized and the party asking the question walks away enlightened.

IMO the only reasonable complaint made was that I should have opened a thread called: "Lampizator 211 Amp" rather than doing this on the GG thread, but Lucasz was present here. Sorry to all about that too.
 
Take your discussion to the newly created tech section. If Lukasz wants to respond there, he will.
 
Thanks Mike, I greatly appreciate you providing that venue for discussion. I truly do not want to make Lukasz feel unwanted here so I will leave this topic alone. He can always pm Steve or me if he desires.
 
I have had more problems with balanced than with single ended over time. Some of it was pseudo balanced. Some was running tubes in a balanced format so that you needed precisely matched tubes. Some was poor design no doubt. Over time, so long as I keep things in short distances, I have found SE is better for me. And yes, I have owned fully balanced gear that was not fake balanced. Just my opinion in my system and my situation.
 
I assume you are referring to noon Lampi gear when you say fake balanced?
 
Non LampizatOr made gear, yes. I have not owned balanced lampi gear. Buying all new equipment would be too much.
 
I had high hopes for this brand but it is still evidently early days and this company has still got some growing up to do from its garage roots. I don't need to be PM'd on the topic of electrical safety compliance certification. I've been PM'd by a few of you in the earlier days before you all jumped on board and we spoke of the product quality track record of the company before generation 5, PCBs didn't we...

If the manufacturer cannot publicly confirm that it has met country specific statutory electrical safety compliance certification on this forum, it's website or elsewhere, then that speaks volumes.

I know many of you have vested interest as customers of Lampizator and everyone wants Lukasz to succeed and contribute here, but your safety, your insurance policy and your product resale value is at stake if the manufacturer/importer does not come good with his legal obligations.
 
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dminches said:
I never said the topic wasn't important. But, maybe you could show some courtesy to have this discussion in private since this is the manufacturer's forum. To suggest in his forum there is a safety issue without really knowing is unnecessary.
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The product either meets statutory regulations and is approved for use in the USA, Australia, EU or it doesn't....It's a relevant question for a manufacturer's forum. This has nothing to do with courtesy. What a ridiculous thing to say. Why beat around the bush about it?

I'm asking the most important question here, and I'm getting a diversion.
 
Steve said:
The product either meets statutory regulations and is approved for use in the USA and Australia or it doesn't....It's a relevant question for a manufacturer's forum. This has nothing to do with courtesy. What a ridiculous thing to say. Why beat around the bush about it.
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Your gunna git a woopin.
 
So be it. It's a very important public question.

Audioshark, unlike the other forums is not manufacturer sponsored, so what's the issue?

Perhaps the product is safe. Perhaps the product has undergone a compliance tick. We need to know.

Does your chassis have a compliance marking on it?
 
Hi Mike and Paul,

Lukasz has confirmed that I should go for the balanced GG with my system. While the preamp will only use 1 set of tubes, the heavier load will cause the PS to be "stiffer" and likely result in SQ gain (lower noise). If I get it with the volume control, I can also experiment with running it direct to the power amps and see what I like better. Consequently, the balanced version will have more flexibility for me and be useful for both balanced and SE purposes.

You guys called it! :)

All the best,
Ken
 
I have had a SE GG for about a week now. The sound is awesome. my only real gripe is why the heaters for the tubes remain on when the DAC is put into standby. I don't understand why that happens. Seems like they should be off.
 
That is because the constant on off of the heaters are what slowly kills tubes (say it lets in one air molecule for each switch on/off...reducing the vacuum). The tubes staying on preserve their useful life and also keeps the Dac ready for optimal playback. You need to shut it down wityhthe rocker switch at the back when you wont use for a while. the tubes take about 90m to stabilize and sound their best.

I guess that is the thinking involved.
 
From the Lampizator manual ...


Power on-off cycle

The tube lifetime, almost like the life of a car engine in polar climate – is determined largely by the on-off cycle. The heat expansion coefficient of the glass is so much different than that of the metal, that the air-tight seal of the metal pins can leak oxygen inside the tube and eventually kill it. Even if it is just one molecule per day. So in other words it is better to keep the DAC always on, than to switch it on and off more than necessary.

The lampizator DAC (level 3 and up) has a slow start feature which brings the high voltage supply gradually up, at the rate of two- to five volts per second. The PSU reaches 300 V DC after 90 seconds. This helps to extend tube life. The DAC is also equipped with voltage down feature (bleeders) which reduce the power voltage upon switch-off at roughly the same rate. On top of that – the tubes are operated always around 25% of full nominal power, which greatly increases their life expectancy. Combining all the factors together, the tube lifetime should be anywhere between 10 and 20 years, assuming the player is switched off only once per day, for the night.
 
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