Not all linear power supplies are created equally. B_limo makes a good point as to the LSA not requiring a lot of current, and the LSA has it's own regulation, but any power supply can introduce noise into a system. If this Teradac somehow reduces the noise level then it should be quite apparent as Banquo indicates. |
B_limo: several posts ago, I already linked to the wall wart that I own. George speculated that it is an smp. I've searched and searched and there's no published info to confirm or deny. George suggests the AM radio test, but I'm not buying an AM radio just to do this test. To be blunt, I have little motivation, since the differences between my wall wart and the TeraDak are so clear. If, theoretically, there shouldn't (couldn't?) be much difference between linear power supplies, then the conclusion to draw is that I must own a smp wall wart. If someone wants a stronger argument then that, well, they can try it out for themselves--as you have suggested you will with your battery supply.
fyi: for my tests, I used a cheap hospital grade power cord. Whether one could do even better with a better cord, I'll leave that to those with deeper pockets than I to determine. |
Lacee and Banquo,
Come on guys, if you won't tell us, or find out, whether you were using an smp wall wart or linear, maybe you could tell us the brand and model number so we can look it up??
It's funny that I'm on the other side of the upgraded power supply debate on this one, because I upgrade all of my power supplies and power cords, but I just don't see how this teradak would be an upgrade over the battery pack. It just seems logical to me that if it's a linear power supply, and your power supply isn't introducing noise into your system, then you would'nt gain anything here.
George states "A 300mA wall wart will power 6 x Lightspeeds. So it's not a question of power, thicker wires or getting more current to the Lightspeed. ".
I have been thinking about buying a wall wart to back up my battery for those times when I forget to shut off my battery pack, now I'll get a terra dak and compare it to my battery pack. I must say though, I don't like the idea of buying another upgraded power cord for the terra dak but whatever. |
Hi Lacee, I like the Teradac, that's why I posted it up for Lightspeed owners to try, as we are always wanting to try out different things.
An smp wall wart will not give noise that you can hear, but it can be seen on the ocilloscope as very high frequency rubbish, and it gets through every thing in the system. What this does to the sound is anyones guess.
What I want to get down too is if the Teradac power supply was compared to a smp wall wart or linear. So far no one has been able to say without question.
Cheers George |
I can't recall if I said this or not, but the LSA with the TeraDak is like it's been given steroids.
It's performance is enhanced,it's not about noise,I never noticed any noise from the LSA before.
It is about increased sound and clarity however,and more meat on the bones.
As much as George feels that there's not much need for fancy power supplies and power cords,until he tries that combination he is just as sceptical as the folks who don't put any faith in upgraded fuses, power cords or conditioning.
I get it.
Most designers feel they've built the perfect mousetrap and it's as good as it can get, and everything said to make it better is looked upon with a bit of doubt.
I've gotten similar response from amp manufacturers when I stated a fuse swap to a HiFi Supreme made for a richer experience.
It's got to be somewhat irritating when the folks in the cheap seats are making such claims of improved performance,especially when all folks like me can lay claim to are just personal opinions,albeit opinions based on hands on experience rather than speculation.We aren't smart enough to build such devices,and my hat is off to George and all the other talented people who do make all this great stuff,but nothing that I have ever listened to has ever been exempt to improvements somewhere in the chain.
Sometimes it costs the big bucks some times it can be cheap.
The TeraDak falls in the latter category,and I can't say if a linear power supply or a battery pack is as good or better than the TeraDak.
The point some of us are making is that we are so happy with the increased level of performance the TerDak makes that it's just pointless to experiment any further and that there isn't much to be saved in doing so and maybe more to be lost.
George no one is saying the LSA is inferior or defective.
I see I am not alone in stating that I was completely satisfied with the sound with the wallwart I was using.
If it was SMP or linear didn't matter to me,I thought and still think the LSA is the cleanest least coloured volume control I've used.
The TerDak just makes it even more so.
If the TeraDak involved altering the LSA or cost several times more money I never would have given it a second thought and would have listened to the LSA as I have been doing, and enjoying every minute of it.
If this was kept a deep dark secret,and George wasn't a decent fellow,he could have incorporated the TerrDak into his design and sold it for several hundred dollars more as a LSA MK11.
But George isn't like that,he let us know that this looked on paper to be another alternative to a wallwart that should work fine.
Maybe someday George will try one and report back.
As simple as it must be for George to assume that the TeraDak is almost overkill for the demands of the LSA,what I hear is more quality than quantity.
The power demands of anything in this hobby are fickle.
Some low power amps sound great in the right circumstances and sometimes there's a need for the big muscle amps.
But in my experience,everything can be crippled if not given the best power it can handle.
And providing the best power mostly means doing the things that shouldn't make a difference. |
fwiw: after some more hours of testing, I've confirmed to my satisfaction my initial observations.
First, the appearance of a difference in volume persists. The wallwart renders the LSA brighter and moves the stage forward, and I believe this is, in addition to increase in distortions, what I'm interpreting as a difference in loudness. Depending on one's system, I can see how someone could favor the wallwart. It seems livelier. YMMV.
However, with respect to transient response and transparency, the TeraDak is the clear and obvious winner IMO. My wallwart blurs transients and obscures the rhythmic qualities across all genres of music I tested: jazz, rock, folk, and classical. Choral work is more articulate.
Keep in mind that the deficiencies I note are relative to a side by side comparison with the TeraDak. Which is to say, I certainly didn't notice them in the 3 years that I've used the wallwart with LSA. (Or perhaps I noted them, but blamed other parts of my system?)
At any rate, in the end I'm with Lacee: my wallwart days are over. The question whether a linear wallwart is as good as the TeraDak is of theoretic interest to me, but I'll leave those questions for people like George to answer.
For $60 shipped, I see little reason to not hold such theoretical questions in abeyance and see for oneself. |
Lacee hi, first off I'll explain the Lightspeed Attenuator consumes around 50mA max, "you could almost power it by rubbing two sticks together".
A 300mA wall wart will power 6 x Lightspeeds. So it's not a question of power, thicker wires or getting more current to the Lightspeed.
It noise, and smp wall warts are noisy little buggers, go near them with an AM portable radio and it will squeal like a stuffed pig.
If your wall wart is a linear one then it should be a close comparison to the Teradac (without hearing myself) because a battery is the closest to the perfect power for the Lightspeed, and not many people can hear much difference from battery to a linear wall wart.
However a smp wall wart is rubbish for the Lightspeed, I've even seen the difference on the test bench. These smp wall warts will be bettered by a Teradac and or battery by a long way.
Cheers George |
Maybe I missed it,but what are the sonic differences when one goes from an SMP to a linear wallwart?
If my wallwart was an SMP,and if most of the other North American wallwarts are SMP,then it's a no brainer to go for the TeraDak, because the improvement is well worth the little bit of extra pocket money.
If my wallwart was a linear one, then the TeraDak is still an improvement.
Just looking at the very thin and cheap wire that goes from the wall receptacle into the wallwart and the physical small size and most likely cheap construction of walwarts be they SMP or linear,compared to the TeraDak,there is quite a difference in build quality of the two, yet not much difference in price.
In fact some catelogue wallwarts that I researched from N.Am. charged way too much to process and ship.
Shipping charges from HK were 15 bucks.
So not much savings with a linear or SMP .
It would be nice to hear from someone who has compared a SWP, linear, battery and TeraDak so we can put this to rest.
George,you're the master, any of your fellow Aussies tried one of these yet? |
I believe the Teradac power supply (http://www.ab-system.hk/index.php?route=product/product&path=73&product_id=64 ) is a great linear power supply. And at a good price.
But from the Lightspeed owners in the US and Canada that have said it's far better than the wall wart, we really need to know if it was an SMP wall wart, they were comparing to. It is very hard to tell the difference visually between an SMP or Linear wall wart. The portable AM radio trick is the easiest way to tell.
Cheers George |
How is my battery pack comparing to these wal warts? I went with the battery pack because I thought it was better...
I'd prefer not to go to the teradak simply because the battery pack looks cleaner and I don't have to buy another powercord and I only have 2 components plugged into my ps audio quintet in different banks.
If the teradack is going to be an improvement over the battery pack, well of course I'll buy it, but it seems like you guys are comparing the teradack to the worst power supply (smp is the worst one, right?) and not the linear one. I read some comparisons between the linear power supply vs. the battery pack, and the battery pack supposedly sounded better... |
Thanks Wisnon. I emailed you. |
DB, check your PM at the Shark….
I have some news for you. |
Thanks for the tips George, but with the TeraDak my wallwart days are over.
I don't care if my wallwart was linear or smp,What this does is amazing.You need to try one.
It cost me $60.00 Canadian, so yes I am from the Northern half of North America.
I've done some more listening and any edge that I felt was there has not shown up,but I should revisit the Graceland lp just to check and see if the sibilance is still there.
But my enjoyment with the pairing of the TeraDak/LSA is making me reluctant to go back to what I've just played.All I want to do is move on to the rest of my library and discover the pleasures anew.
The TerDak makes the LSA spring to life,it's like steroids for the LSA.
It's too bad anyone who has used the LSA with a wallwart, linear or not,and moved on didn't know about the TerDak alternative.They missed out on how good the LSA can sound when given a decent source of power.
For those who are thinking about adding a TerDak,don't scrimp on a cheap power cord just because this thing costs 60 bucks.
Perhaps my power cord is making more of what the TeraDak is doing for the lSA than a stock power cord would do.
As I've said I'm perfectly happy with the pairing and not the least bit ashamed using a power cord that cost almost 4 times what the LSA/TeraDak combo costs.
It's all about what works that matters to me,so call me insane, I won't mind because I am insanely happy with the sound improvements I've made to my system.
My old walwart cost about 25 bucks, no shipping, I bought it at a computer store.
Saving a few dollars and foresaking what the Teradak does isn't sane in my book.
Those saved dollars only waste thousands of dollars invested in music and gear when the system is compromised,which I feel any wallwart will be guilty of. |
Lacee: also if in doubt if your wall wart was linear or smp.
Try to find a portable AM radio and with it tuned off station low down on the dial frequency with the volume up go near to your powered up wall wart with it.
You will hear very clearling if it's smp as you get closer to it with the radio.
Cheers George |
@ Wisnon: I had the LSA on my Job 225 for a little while. I thought the input Z of the Job might be borderline but it wasn't the case at all. The LSA sounded lovely with the Job. Complex orchestral passages played at high volumes didn't sound too congested. Moving up to the Bent TAP-X autoformer freed it up even more. If you want to eliminate input/output Z issues all together, consider an AVC or TVC. I will say this, at no time with the LSA did I feel the need to change to another preamp. I happened to come across a Bent TAP-X (again), and loved the first one so much I bought it. In the end, I preferred the TAP-X just on musical tastes alone. Throw in the remote volume/balance control and it was a no-brainer for me. |
Lacee hi, are you in the US also, just wondering if your wall wart was smp or linear?
Cheers George |
I've only listened for about 45mins,and just to my vinyl, but here are my intial impressions-
More slam,more dynamic, increased bass,increased treble(some sybilance on Graceland I never heard before),a no brainer for the money investment.Perhaps the sibilance has always been there on the Graceland LP,but I've just noticed now with the TerDak.
I think this unlocks the real potential of the LSA and anyone who is using a cheap wallwart isn't getting the full measure of their LSA investment.
Granted I use a Shunyata power cord and the unit is plugged into a Hydra 8 on dedicated 20 amp line.
Some may question the sanity of plugging an expensive power cord into the TeraDak,but until you do you'll never know for sure how much you maybe compromising its potential, just as you are compromising the LSA with a cheap wallwart.
I think sometimes the common sense of audiophiles can be a stumbling block.Accepted wisdom is that we should always spend the big bucks on the amps, pre amps etc, and shell out the small change on the stuff that shouldn't make a difference like power cords.
I think many a fine low cost upgrade is compromised by the use of even cheaper ancillaries.
I think the combination of the LSA powered by the TeraDak justifies something better than a generic cheap power cord.
I'll leave it to others to expereiment and post their findings, I'm over the hill with the sound of my set up as it is and have no desire to try somethingelse.
The pieces fit and please me more so than I had expected.
It's almost like I've added a solid state turbo charger to my tube Acoustat servo amps.
In fact I never heard them clip before on the Dafos lp, but clip they did on the big drum crash,eventhough I didn't have the volume any higher than normal, nor did it sound any louder.
I think more of the dynamic slam that is on this recording was unleashed for the first time ,so watch out if you have low powered SS amps that might not clip as harmlessly as my amps did.
If there is any downside so far it's back to that solid state attack that this power supply adds to my sound.
It's very clean,crisp, and fast ,perhaps I'll have less of this when I put the cd player into service and I've run a few days on the unit, so I'll report back then as I said I would.
But I would gladly trade this bit of edge if it doesn't go away for the increase in all the good things this unit has done for my sound.Easily worth the trade off, and perhaps just a sign that I need to fine tune my cartridge a bit more.
Did I mention the TeraDak is more revealing?
Well it is, so make sure your system is up to snuff, because you will not have those nasties buried in the muck a wallwart gives you.
That sounds harsh.
I really was quite pleased with the LSA and the wallwart.
Like most things in this hobby, it's only when you go outside the comfort zone of "good enough"that you find how good can go to great, and in this case, how such a small cash outlay($60.00 CDN)can make such a big improvement.
In my system the TeraDak ,cold out of the box,was better than I had anticipated, and I had anticipated an upgrade, but not to this extent.
Anyone with an LSA has not heard what their unit can really do if they are using a cheap wallwart.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention George,I would put this at the top of your list of power supply options for your volume control.
In fact, if I were you I would make it part of the package for North American consumers from you as a low cost option.
If you haven't tried it you should. |
I'll probably get a lot of guffaws over this next revelation, but the power cord I will be using is a Shunyata Annaconda Helix,which was sitting here doing nothing but collecting dust. No guffaws from me, just envy: I wish I had stuff like that just lying around. :) |
I got my TeraDak just a few minutes ago.
No special surprise footers, but the cord they sent to attach to the LSA looks very nice in a retro toatser cord type covering.
I'll probably get a lot of guffaws over this next revelation, but the power cord I will be using is a Shunyata Annaconda Helix,which was sitting here doing nothing but collecting dust.
I'll report back in a few hours with the initial impression, and no I won't be doing any power cord comparisons, just the sound I hear compared to the wallwart.
Getting back to that connecting cord from TeraDak.
This by itself is very reassuring compared to the wallwart. |
oops just noticed, the first Jameco one may not be linear |
Banquo63: I did a quick search, very hard to find linear ones as they never state if it smp.
These are the parameters you should look out for.
1: 9vdc-18vdc linear
2: can be regulated or unregulated as the Lightspeed Attenuator has it's own internal 5v regulator.
3: 200mA or higher
4: plug has to be centre positive and 2.1mm x 5.5mm.
I quickly found these in the US via a Google search.
http://www.jameco.com/1/1/51493-adp2108gt-2-1-9v-dc-unregulated-wall-transformer.html
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10001_null_2192712_-1
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10001_null_2197484_-1
And these from Part Express, but they don't say if they are smp or linear.
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=120-1055
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=120-1100
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=120-1095
Cheers George |
Well, good grief: I didn't know I was flooding my system with grunge all this time. Shows you how good my ears are :).
On the bright side, I look forward to hearing what the LSA can really accomplish. |
Banquo363:
This looks very small, and at 500mA indicates to me it's an smp wall wart.
Cheers George |
I believe I own this wallwart. I don't own a radio, so can't do the test. |
I wonder if this LSA will sond great with a Job225 amp?
:-) |
B_limo hi, the smp high frequency rubbish gets into everything even the grounded chassis, interconnects, input and output, even your amps and source can get it via the wiring or even through the air, especially if it's a bad designed one.
The AM radio trick (above) will really give you a big shock about the run of the mill smp wall warts and why the high frequency rubbish is like a cancer for hiend audio.
Cheers George |
Banquo363, you can tell a smp wall wart a couple of ways.
One is they are half the weight of a linear, but if you don't have a linear to compare it to then that's hard.
The other way is to get an AM radio and go near it tuning up and down the am dial, you will hear it if it's an smp.
Another way is that they have nearly 2 or 3 times the amperage ratings for the same given size of linear wall warts.
Cheers George |
Hmmm, Interesting. I'm a believer in upgraded power cords, power supplies and outlets but I can't see how this could make the lightspeed sound better.
Correct me if I'm wrong, George, but the light in your Lightspeed Attenuator is really only controlling volume, right? I don't see how there could be "dirty" light....
I'm confused, but if Banquo continues to hear a difference I'll give it a try also. |
I'm in the US, George. I have no idea what kind of wallwart I have, nor do I remember how I came to acquire it (or whose advice I sought).
I certainly had no expectations going in, so I myself am surprised by the differences I heard.
But I used it for only a short bit of time; and, who knows what psychological forces are at work when auditioning cables and whatnot. I will be fully prepared to see it as an illusion, albeit a delightful one, if this weekend's scheduled round of testing reveals it to be so.
I'll see.
And thanks for making us aware of the product, George. It's a nifty piece of gear. |
Hi Banquo363, that's great to hear, but I am a bit shocked at the amount of difference you heard. Are you in the US or Canada?
Is it possible the 110v wall wart you have is a SMP (switchmode)?
As I cannot supply 110v wall warts to the US.
I only supply my own linear wall warts to 220-240v countries.
If your 110v wall wart is a smp (switch mode) then this would explain the big difference you heard, as they are very dirty, even though regulated, and can radiate their crap right through the system, even via the air.
Cheers George |
I guess I'll go first. I received the TeraDak power supply today and played with it for 3 hours or so. The first thing to note is that it works as it should. That's more than can be said for the battery I ordered for the LSA when I first got it years ago. That died within minutes.
The unit comes well packed and looks decent enough. Mine came with 3 wood isolation cones and corresponding supporting wood disks. That was either a mistake or a surprise New Year's gift, because I didn't order them. The cones are quite nice so I stuck them on the unit with some blu-tac. It doesn't come with a power cord so I used one that was just ready to hand.
The second thing to note is the retina destroying red indicator light on the front panel. Damn that thing is bright! That thing needs to be covered up. I left the unit powered up but unused for about an hour as I acclimated to the sound of the LSA with wallwart. When I switched over there seemed to be a significant attenuation of volume. I checked with my trusty radio shack db meter and, as far as it can detect, there was no change. Puzzled, I continued to a/b the two power supplies for the next two hours. Looking back, I believe the sense of volume attenuation was due to the decrease in distortions caused by the wallwart. The teradak smoothed out distorted peaks and thus gave the appearance of being softer in volume. It gave me the desire to turn up the volume. Another thing I noted was an increase in transparency. This was evidenced by how much more clearly enunciated were the words of songs. There were possibly other changes as well, e.g. in dynamics and soundstaging, but I didn't have a chance to fully explore those.
Obviously, a couple of hours is insufficient to draw any definite conclusions. Nevertheless, I'd be surprised if someone said they couldn't hear the difference between the teradak and the wallwart. Unlike with reports involving battery supply/wallwart comparisons, the differences noted here are not at all subtle. And I am not in any way a power cord guy. My few forays into after market power cords have ended in disappointment.
For $60 this thing is a no brainer in my book, if only to mess around with a new toy. I believe it improves on the already stellar sound I was getting, so it is for me better than just a new toy. YMMV.
Needless to say, I have no affiliation with the Teradak's maker. |
Just wanted to say that I'm still happy with my Lightspeed Attenuator. I plan on never getting rid of mine, and in fact, I'll probably buy another one when I build a second rig.
Thanks again George, you're a trooper to still be active in this thread as I'm sure you've answered every question 3 times! If you quit, I'm sure no one would blame you and I'm sure you'd still be selling Lightspeed Attenuators, as they kind of sell themselves.
Incredible product, ridiculously low priced for what you get! |
I'll post my impressions.
First impressions, and then after a few days of play. |
The LSA arrived a few days ago. I had high hopes, as it appeared that my new DAC (Lampizator L4 with USB and native DSD) sounded strained with my (modified) Cayin A-88T integrated amp. The problem appeared to be the incompatibilty (soundwise) with the its preamp. I found this out by taking a flac file, reducing its volume using Adobe Audition, and playing the low-volume file directly from the DAC to the Cayin power stage. Everything resolved, everything opened up!
Now with the LSA it sounds just like that: open, musical, detailed and non-fatiguing, but with the added benefit of a volume control. It does not only sound good, but also feels good, knowing that the LSA does not mess with the signal...
A wonderful addition to my sound world...
And doing business with George was a pleasure!
Dennis |
Lacee,
Please let us know your impression of the new power supply with the LSA when you receive it. |
$59.00 US dollars to my door.
$15.00 of which is shipping.
I used Paypal so a little extra charge on my final bill.
Isn't this hobby all about improvement?
That's why I ordered the unit,hoping it will improve the sound of the LSA.
I am pretty sure it will do something,comparing this to the wallwart I was using is like comparing a model T to a modern Bugatti.
The power supply improvement is not denoting a flaw in the LSA.
The owner has to provide his own PSU for the LSA unit,and a 10 to 20 dollar walwart will work,like I said.
THis robust little beast hopefully will unlock the full potential of the LSA.
If adding a little salt to the soup makes for a better meal than I am willing to go that route.
Nothing in this hobby is perfect.
Everything can be made to sound better or worse than it is.
Doesn't matter who built it, where it's built or for how much it cost to build it.
Please,just allow me the option to try to make an improvement.
Thankfully the LSA allows one to experiement with PSU, and doesn't tie you into what one fellow feels is the only way to go. |
I use a SB Touch digital out to DAC only for internet radio. I could not believe the improvement after replacing the Touch noisy SPS with a LPS. It appears SPS is adding noise even when not in used. Removing it from the system was one of the best inexpensive tweaks. |
Banquo363 that site takes Payapl, so you will also have it's buyer protection. And I believe their postage is reasonable, and you get to order the right voltage for you country as well.
Cheers George |
Apparently, being perfectly content with the LSA and its wall wart isn't incompatible with ordering this new 'fancy' power supply :).
fyi: one can buy it off the bay so as to avoid having to register at yet another website. |
It is nice to hear ones having success with a passive. I think it takes time and patience to adapt it to a system. This might be quite contrary to what one might think but I think I have found that the more neutral and clean sounding cables are(or I should say what I consider a neural and clean cable because I don't pretend to be a cable expert), the more warmth and fullness in a recording comes out(I am supposing that only if it is on the recording because the LSA doesn't add anything right?). At least that is kind of contrary to what I thought. When I say neutral I don't mean lean or edgier or brighter, I mean what I perceive as a cleaner signal. In fact is seams like the cleaner the signal (less distortion?) you have from source to speakers the better the passive's strengths show. I guess I am saying when a signal doesn't get as muddied up? Just my take but I thought I would share, it may help someone else. |
Thank you George,I have just ordered one.
Compared to the walwart I've been using, this looks like a very well made piece for reasonable money.
I have been very pleased with the performance of the LSA as it is,this looks like it should improve things even more, and if so I'll be quite the happy camper. |
No I have not tried it, but I have compared pure battery power to the standard supplied power supply, and the difference is subtle, you can't put your finger on it, that subtle that you forget which is on.
I posted this power supply as it looks impressive for the cost, and looks to be very very well made both in circuit and appearance for the money. And you get a bonus with it, a well regulated linear USB 5v supply.
But no I have not tried it, but you know what audiophiles are like, especially with power supplies and plug in tweaks that don't cost the earth.
http://www.ab-system.hk/index.php?route=product/product&path=73&product_id=64
Cheers George |
Georgelofi,
Have you tried this yourself? Does it improve on the sound over your stock power cable? |
Those who have a Lightspeed Attenuator and wishing to try a different power supply instead of going battery.
I've been shown this quite reasonable priced one which is a nice linear regulated product. And comes with the correct lead, plug and polarity (2.1mm center positive).
This is 9vdc @ 1A which fine for the Lightspeed Attenuator as it converts it down again with it's internal 5vdc regulator.
http://www.ab-system.hk/index.php?route=product/product&path=73&product_id=64
Cheers George |
So I hooked up some ASI LL SC/IC's to my system and it was an ear opener. I will keep them hooked in as they work well with my amps/speakers. I've been using ASI LL SC/ICs for years and no plans to try anything else. Happy to hear LSA is working out for you ... |
How long do I have to wait to see my post showing up when written. 2 days ago? |
UPDATE: New Amplifier in my rig
So on a whim, I decided to try out the Nelson Pass First Watt J2 amplifier at 25 wpc. I was concerned about the volume levels but no problem watt so ever with the J2. Actually, the LSA works smoother than with my Bryston 4b SST amp. It is a great combination and I could not be happier.
Th J2 itself is such a nice amp, so smooth yet detailed and 3D imaging and the sound at low volumes is so much better than with the Bryston. |
King,
The LAS did a way better job of letting me hear my Lamp L5 than the Placette. My goal here is for the VC/pre amp not to alter the sound of this great 3D sounding Dac. I am sure an active pre would give me a more .... Sound and add to the mix but the L5 has enough of all that so there is no need to add any other ingredient to the system.
The LSA is noise free and simply passes the L5 sound to my amps. I have a 3D sound stage if it's recorded as such. Not flat or 2D as that is not what the L5 is about. So the LSA guy is giving me the Lamp sound I know so well that the Placette just couldn't do.
So I hooked up some ASI LL SC/IC's to my system and it was an ear opener. I will keep them hooked in as they work well with my amps/speakers. |
10-05-13: Glory
Well well we have a winner here in the crib. Will report further truth shortly. Well well well, it's been a month now so what's the verdict Gary? I got $$ riding on this so don't let me down. I need the winnings to pay for the Porsche. LOL!!! |
I finally heard a preamp that sounds better in my system. It's a Herron audio preamp that retailed for $4000. I guess that's as big a compliment as there is. |
