Lampizator Amber - moving up the range?

You have to specify what unit you are thinking about, as the GG and Pacific are DHT, the TRP is any and all Pentodes and the Atlantic & Golden Atlantic is no-rolling with its 4P1L pentodes (which I actually love for its linearity). Not sure what the Amber II (or is it III?) takes. 
But with that said, I think most with the upper DHT models are going new production and it’s quite an expense ($1500 to $2k) to roll and try things. In contrast you can roll new production and vintage in the TRP for anywhere from $100 to $500 a pair. 

Did you guys roll the valves to improve the sound? I have a ARC Ref 3 preamp that I'd intent to keep running. 

Hey Jbrrp1. I'm PCM only for this. Understood that there's a difference. Any way you could explain what they're like? Thanks

I, too, have found that you get better musical realization as you move up the Lampi range.  For me it has been Big 7 >> GoldenGate >> Pacific, so I cannot comment relative to your Amber DAC.  I liked all three DAC's I have owned - - it just gets down to budget and willingness to suffer the diminishing returns of the financial proposition.  But there is more to be had.....

I agree with jaybe. Moving from my  ol’ Lampi L4G4 to my Atlantic Plus (or “SE” as maxboy calls it) was a totally new and better sound in many areas. Then hearing the new Golden Atlantic “TRP”  was yet another uptic in analog-like presentation with rich, realistic and detailed tone, timbre and harmonics. 

My preferred method to use Lampizator is with vol control straight to amp, as I’m personally a ‘limited tube usage’ kinda guy and don’t like stacking to many tubes in a system, even though I feel they must be somewhere in there to ‘get me there’. That’s why the second arm of my system is ss DAC to DHT tubed preamp. 

With a nice trade-up policy or rebuild/upgrade option, it makes it easy to move up if you’d like.  

OP as you can see here one prominent poster falls into the flat-earther category and would rather attack than answer your question. You’d do best to just ignore.

Lampizators sound better the higher you go in their range.

I have a Lampizator Atlantic SE, it is a very nice addition to my system.  I have no plans to upgrade, I see no point in doing so... plus the high vertical cost to upgrade is a deterrent. As already mentioned,  don't buy into the hype and enjoy what you have.

Sure, I'd be tempted to buy that Lampizator Golden Gate that I saw here on Agon - but the saner half of my brain said NO!

I am familiar with the Lampizator DAC's . They sure are sexy looking - and drool-worthy! But worth those high-prices? That I doubt! Like I said, be content with what you have now and stop this neurotic worrying! 

I like tubes - and own quite a collection (including three Futterman OTL's). I just honestly recognize their inherent limitations!

Be content with your present DAC and don't be fooled by the hype from some of these online sites (Sixmoons.com is particularly egregious with hyping high-priced gear!).

So I assume this is a dislike of valves Rob? I didn't "add" valves to the outputs stage, the unit is designed with them. 

Tubes are most linear on initial turn-on. They only degrade over time. Unlike, say, whiskey, tubes DO NOT improve with use! To believe otherwise is to be delusional. And I own a considerable collection of tube gear!

Adding tubes to the output stage of a DAC is contrary to ACCURATE sound quality! It is stupid to seek a euphoric coloration this way - rather than accepting the linearity of a well-designed SS DAC!