Wisnon, I have owned some great modified transports and compared to my current computer based front end they sounded average......knowing what I hear now. I will never go back to a spinning disc. I would loose so much. I use the Amarra built in EQ to assure a flat room response. I would loose that. This tool is awesome! I would loose the ability to improve the sound by converting files to WAV and WAV 24/88.
My digital front end, based on my experience, is far superior to any spinning CD transport I have yet encountered. The Lampi, Apple Mac mini, Amarra, Offramp/Dynamo combo is just heaven to my ears. Ya, it costs lots more than your example for sure, so it better sound good.
If I ever need a spinner your option sounds like a great, lower cost one. It does sound interesting. |
Sorry for the spelling ......meant lose not loose.
My Lampi dac has Jensen caps and I am close to trying some Duelund CAST caps. Not sure if this is the way to go or not. Has anyone compared both caps in the same Lampi unit?
The Jensen caps are rich, full bodied and so smooth with a touch of warmth. The Duelunds will be more resolving, but I wonder if I will loose the warmth? |
Bruce, the 4 rules and all I will ever need :-) |
Lissnr, I also have CAST in my Dude and have put them in all kinds of gear and know the sound well. I was wondering about specific placement in the Lampi dac as my music is so darn good right now and wonder if the CAST would tilt my system over to the analytic side of things.
Your comments help me for sure. I will say I put the CAST in my past amps, CD player and had them in my Dude and things got too detailed and lean for my liking. So for me too much CAST is possible it seems, thus my hesitancy. My current system is not bright or lean in the slightest way. If anything it may be on the warm and romantic side.
I have Coincident TV III speakers which are pretty neutral and perhaps a tad warm. My Thor TPA el34 amps are warm and have Audio Note copper caps. My Lampi dac with the Jensens sounds exactly like you outlined above. You know how our Dudes sound with the CAST......full of piss and vinegar! Ha! Bold, big, dynamic and real! I would not call the Dude warm, but let's everything through as intended.
Wish I had your amps! You have the finest amps available and are blessed indeed.
I am going to go ahead and try them in my Lampi. |
Steve, I bet your comments on the PIO caps bypassed with Vcaps is accurate. I have to admit I have a place in my heart for Duelund. They can be very, very special in the right gear. The Lampi may well be the right gear! |
Jwm, will do!
Shawbros3, my mini is a 2009 with many mods including an outboard power supply ....... Not using the switching wall wart. My Offramp 4 is loaded with Turbo clocks, Hynes Reg, latest transformer .......
The fact is the Dynamo power supply improved the sound more than the Offramp by itself. The Offramp alone was a nice improvement, but the Dynamo power supply was epic. I have shared that with Steve.
Next on my list will be placing Duelund caps in the Lampi!
I also use EA's spdif cable which is killer and should be used with the Offramp. I also use a USB filter made by UltraFi. It does a great job cleaning things up before the Offramp. Go to the UltraFi page and see it. It is called the Aubisque filter. Others make these sort of small USB filters. A/b testing proved this little device works well.
I am sure other means to sonic bliss abound and share what I have found with my Lampi and computer set up.
I am also sure the music player used....Amarra etc, also plays a big role. I think Amarra is the best option with it's room correction EQ tool. So many things impact the sound of a computer based front end. Some systems are more resolving than others making it easier to hear differences. All the little things in the end make a big difference in computer based audio. Which USB port used on the Mini matters, turning off programs in the Mini matters, software mods on the operating system matter. If these things are not done, then the Mini in question my be a jitter nerd:-). Love that phrase! |
TWb2, you are exposing some of your own ignorance in your comment. The Lampi unit is point to point wired for the most part. The power supply parts are point to point wired. It will not look like a picture of the insides of a Sony or Spectral piece of gear which are not point to point wired, not tubed etc.....
You must like well laid out printed circuit boards and define everything differing from that standard as home brew. There are different approaches to high end gear which dictate different looks and builds. Different is not poor, but different.
Too bad you cannot enjoy the music through a glorious sounding Lampi tubed DAC because you don't like the look of point to point soldering, large film caps, components mounted on wood for improved sound etc...
Just different.....not anything to run from. I suppose you would run from Shindo and Audionote gear also! |
Correct, L makes many choices that sound good. His choice of film caps in the power supply, quality chokes in his point to point wired, Pi filter power supply. Yes, he uses silver wire in the signal path. My unit is neatly wired and well laid out. |
Sorry, I just saw you meant the very latest new dac from Wyred. Don't know. I can say with near assurance the Lampi will be more musical if not quite as resolving. That is my gut or guess and not based on actual experience however. |
Bug, tell me more about those mods? Never heard of them and am not sure what the heck they are? |
I see. I assume you have the Duelund CAST caps in yours? That is a good place to mod. |
Ya, I love them in the Dude! |
Kclone I am very familiar with both caps and just looked at your system. The quick answer is yes to your thoughts. You are correct in general terms.
You have SS amps and an already revealing system based on what I see. Now the only question is what kind of sound do you like? If you think you would like more warmth and body as your system treads on being too " laying bare the good, bad, and ugly" then go for the Jensen. If you are right where you want to be, even on mediocre and poor recordings, then go for the Duelund. The CAST are not as forgiving and do play exactly what they are given. The Jensens tame things a tad and are very easy on the ears. They still provide plenty of detail and dynamics. |
Yes I have and will buy some for the Lampi. When they come out in three weeks! |
Bruce, they do make a difference. Not as much as upgrading to a Dude however:-)
I used them for years under speakers, amps, the Dude, CD players and each time the improvement was quite nice.
I keep watching for used ones as the smaller ones can be had for as little as $150. SP101, 102, and 103's. They are less expensive than the bigger models, but do a very nice job. |
We all understand the importance of the output cap in our Lampi dacs. I see the input cap just behind the RCA input is rather unknown and not a known quality brand like Duelund or Jensen. Ever wonder what a cap upgrade in this position would do? The L4 has a .50 uf cap right behind the input.
I will report back! |
Interesting. Who knows. I am the ultimate modder and have a passion for looking for places to improve. Many folks would stay away from these sorts of changes for obvious reasons. Many changes hurt and don't help. They sometimes just change things and not necessarly for the better.
I leave the top off of my Lampi and have already tried several things. This is one that may or may not yield any real improvement.
The parts quality in my Lampi dac are already very good, but part of my passion for this hobby is fine tuning to the perfect sound for my ears in my system. I love the smell of solder!
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My l4 is far superior through my TRL Dude tubed preamp. |
Jafox, your Lampi will open up so much more after 200 hours. |
The new Jupiter copper caps are out and I have three coming for my Lampizator. Two for output and one for the input cap. These are said to be as good as Duelunds and tad more musical? We will see.
I used the Lampizator direct transport mod on my old Oppo DVD player to see how good the Oppo could be as a CD spinning transport. Wow! What a great mod. You simply go off pin 215 on the main decoder chip and hook a wire directly to the RCA out. Pin 215 is the SPDIF digital out leg. Bypass all those circuit board traces, caps, surface mounted resistors and go direct! Awesome mod!
I also replace a slew of cheap caps with Silmic II and even some large Solen 100 uf caps with bypass also. I added damping throughout the chassis, bypassed the fuse, added a nicer IEC and the sound is stunning. Better then a CEC I owned that cost big money! Not as good as my computer based front end, but the best transport I have owned that spins discs. The cost of the mod was about $75! |
Tbg, I don't think just any active preamp would sound better. But a truly great one will always in my experience. I also think some of this comes down to preference in sound personality.
Love my Lampi! |
Good question. These are caps before the chip in the power supply and the caps for storage of the signal out of the CD reader. |
Mitch2
Call Sonic Craft. 20 percent off sale and they can ship next week. |
Jafox. I would love to hear your system sometime. You move fast!
I used to own Soundlab A1 speakers! Loved them. |
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Those running your Lampi with a computer right into the Lampi using USB are missing out on a significant improvement in sound quality by using the latest Offramp 5 and Dynamo power supply. I have compared both out of a Mac Mini and it is not even close. The improvement is shocking and must be heard to be believed. You will need both the OR5 and Dynamo power supply together for this level of improvement. No, they are not cheap. But if you guys really want to hear what your Lampi is capable of, then this will do it.
I have posted this several times and cannot overstate it's reality. The DAC's quality is very important in the whole digital equation, but dealing with jitter and noise before the DAC is MORE important in computer based audio. That is the simple truth.
If you have not run both the OR5 and Dynamo power supply and used the SPDIF input on your Lampi, you must try this before being rasing a "no way" objection. Way! |
So many Lampi 4/4's for sale over the past months and currently. Is everyone trading up? It is really quite startling how many show up for sale based on how many have been sold here in the states.
Great unit for sure and perhaps most are looking to go up the line!? |
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Bruce, what about a Dude in your future:) |
Ok, coming up with the Dude for a shootout! I need to hear to believe. Lets do it! |
Ok Bruce we will set this up. |
No time, too busy swapping gear:)
We are 2.5 hours apart so it may take some time before I get down there.
Bruce as heard my Dude in his system already and liked it. I loved it in his system! He has a great system for sure. |
Jwm, the one day my Dude was in Bruce's system the Dude really energized the room and music far beyond what the system was doing before the Dude. But, my Dude is totally tricked out beyond Duelund caps etc...and Bruce has TRL Samson amps. Good synergy perhaps. We did not try his former Lampi direct however. Bruce likes his new L5 direct and I have not toted the Dude over for that comparison as yet.
Bruce perhaps has his own throughs on the two preamps in his home that day. For me the Dude just took the sound to another level.
Like most things, personal preference, gear synergy, atmospheric conditions and a whole bunch of other stuff played a role that day:) |
