I misspoke. You would need the Synchromesh unit |
Bill, ask Rob Reich or Fred. They will know. Gary Glory Anderson may also know |
Tom, Lucas also happens to be an engineer who left engineering to pursue his audio dream. That never hurts.... |
Cal3713, hyperbole yes, but a lot is lost without good mechanical grounding. I have used it on speakers, subs, dacs, pre, amps, covers, and transformers. Need to get Lucas to built my Lampi with those design elements in place.... |
But I have to say the Lampizator is transformative. In the digital domain, that is quite a statement. Congrats to Bill and Howard. I myself will be getting a Lampi when cash is available. |
hifi, your experience was an outlier to say the least. System? Cabling? What generation of Lamp?
PWT? Several people I know have bought and sold those. Lots of press and hype but....
Home demo would be ideal for any of this stuff for sure. Digital is hard to get right imo....very hard. |
The Lampy sounded so darn good last night that I was transfixed before my music..... You typically don't hear that description of digital. It is usually somebody waxing poetic about their new tonearm or cartridge on their megabuck turntable. It is this sort of testimony that is driving me towards getting a Lampizator. |
Charles, i think the discussion centered on the PWD and not transport. The PWT would be fine with any dac and better than a computer imo. There was also some verbiage about the MWT.
hifi's comments about the lamp were unusual and a statistical outlier but to each his own... |
Gopher, I believe Gary has used Stillpoints and Equarack stuff in addition to Sistrum. All fine products.
Who makes this "rack of silence." On a molecular level, an impossibility obviously. Clever marketing name. |
Bill, I was not referring to a plastic spinner from the 80s. Gary Anderson compared MM to the Lampizator transport and it was apparently night and day.
Lucas designed his transport around a wireless receiver similar to what I have had since 2008. Better than any mechanical entity dumping bits into buffered memory IMO. |
Jim, the transport concept is a fabulous idea. I've used a wireless transport since 2007, and it is far better than any mechanical device or computer in my opinion. Yes, the resolution is limited, but the performance is so much better that I think it becomes a moot issue. The only issue that Lucas has is the Duet has been phased out by Logitech. I know he is actively working on an alternative transport mechanism, including Apple airport express and possibly Sonos |
Bill/Grannyring, you are starting to sound like Charlesdad with your victory parade. Stop rubbing it in and leave us to our mediocre sound please. |
Bill, I imagine that your wallet needs a rest for a while.
Charles, I think his wife is the one who needs a rest. Have you seen her blog? |
I would expect the LT to smoke a mini regardless of mods. Glory used to wax poetic about his and how it made his modded mini with linear ps sound broken. Mistake to sell...at least for Redbook duty.... |
Abruce, if you read through the whole thread and understand the context, you would realize that Glory was jesting. That being said, I am glad someone finally called him out for what he is! After reading that line, I laughed for about 5 minutes straight. Funniest thing I have read on Audiogon in some time
What's even funnier is that it somehow made it through the censors....:-) |
The Mini is a rat's nest of noise. Everyone needs to go to the Lessloss site to review this topic. That's why a dedicated transport free of any computer is where people are headed. Duh. |
I'm a friend of Jim Yorkshire and have heard his many times. You should be able to answer that question yourself.... |
During the CD era, I used to hear people say that the transport was as or more important than the dac itself. I think I agree with that statement. The debate as to why is fairly involved.
I have used computers since the late 70s and used Apple products for past 10 years, including mac minis and wireless receivers. The mini is nice since it is small and fanless and not as "audibly noisy" as a chunky pc with a fan. The advantages beyond that are relatively minor. They are both cesspools of electromagnetic radiation. A PC is a hell of a lot easier to mod than a mini. I have broken a few adding RAM and fiddling when I should not have been.
For the utilitarian neophytes (most of the folks on this thread), a mini is not a bad choice as it can do other household duties. For the mini users, this is a good device to pick up (http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2013/04/amr-ifi-announce-ilink-usb-spdif-converter/). Also, believe it or not, the USB cable does make a difference. Rrrr.
Bill, I have done shootouts between my current wifi source and software only tweaked mini and various dacs and it was not close. Not a perfect test though for obvious reasons.
Mr. Gary "Glory" Anderson used to fill my ears about how his Lampi transport killed his Mini. We need to hear more about that. From memory, he did not ditch the transport due to performance but due to finance another cable purchase.
I find it amusing that philes who spend an enormous about of psychic energy gnashing their teeth and obsessing over certain parts of their systems then settle for less when it comes to transports. Trust me, dedicated digital transports are here and they are the future. The Memory Player seemed like such a goofy entity when it first appeared, and many people ragged on it only to copy them later. With recent release of the new ac wireless standard, streaming any file resolution you could desire is right at our fingertips (http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/537-extending-audio-network-using-802-11ac-wireless/) |
Howard, CAPS is a Windows-based product. My guess is that it will best a mini, modded or not. Against the Lampi transport? Who knows. If you really want to go the whole hog, consider the Sonore transport which is also tossed around on Computer Audiophile. More $$ but Linux based. Another product of some interest to me in the past was the cMP which was a Windows-based DIY attempt at a memory player that you could use with and without a dac. |
Bill, what mods did you incorporate? Steve is a business man first and foremost and very utilitarian. He (and Larry Moore formerly of UltraFi) teach people how to optimize their puters, add a SS drive abd add an external PS. That's the most they do. I have people say SS drives make little difference, and as Gary intonated, the 09 with PS and more recent mini with stock PS is indistinguishable. What does that tell us? The guy who builds my front end also offers mini mods but he actually does surgery on the internals, adds audiophile caps, mu metal shielding, SS drive, etc. I considered that route at one point ( http://www.db-system.fr/bd_system/MacMini_modifications_db.html)
Steve Nugent wrote a great piece on jitter a few years ago: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/manufacture/0509/
I have spoken with him on numerous occasions although it has been many years. His reclockers make sense and are a good way to improve digital audio.
All that being said, when Lucas comes to the us in Oct, they should do a shootout with his transport and a "modded" Mac mini. As Gary Anderson would say, people will piss their pants... |
My Big Six is involving, but to me not at the level of the L4's musicality, at least not yet. I've got about 200+ hrs on the Big Six and it's more of a "grab you by the throat" kind of DAC that has awesome resolution and can delineate images that the L4 left blurred, especially with complex passages. If it can float music out there instead of projecting it then the Big Six will probably be the last DAC I have. I'm hoping it has the 3D gene in its DNA... Interesting observations. Do you have Duelunds in there? Take forever to break in. Old man Glory may be right about the tube selection. Time will tell. Another capacitor alternative to the Duelunds that has appeared recently is the Jupiter Copper Flats. http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=0msk4f3cesm5tc1u0edukpsis3&topic=119876.msg1261678#new |
I agree Bill. Duelund is still king and having a few dudes (with industry insider accommodation) squawking on a thread is not convincing. I just thought it was interesting.... I'd like to hear other Big Six owners comment on the 3D comparison between the two DACs. I know some have Duelands like mine and I'm curious if the Jensens have anything to do with the L4 sweetness and 3D-ness. I'm willing to give up some of the raw resolution if the music can pull me in deeper. When I hear the terms "3D" and "musical" together in a sentence, I don't need to hear any more. Count me in. I am fatigued by in-your-face hifi. There is no shortage of that in the marketplace. It could be the Jensens or the ECC4o or both? The L4 with Duelunds still may be the sweet spot in the lineup? Other than the Dude, I have never heard Bill Grannyring Dion so gaga over a piece of electronics as he has been for that new L4....bravo. |
I think a dual mono L5 chipset in a Big 6 Box with DSD and VC with remote may be the way for you to go. That is the one I will be getting.... What does Gearhead know he is not a Lamp owner? Ironically, neither are you. You are the first and only proud owner of the "Mingzator." |
Anyone have misgivings about spending vast sums of $$$$ with a small company in a foreign country that could close at any time leaving buyers with unserviceable, dead end, unsaleable, equipment? I have zero qualms about engaging. Poland is not going to close anytime soon, although Amerika seems to be flirting with that reality. If a small company can deliver what many US-based manufacturers cannot, I say bring it on.... |
I'm ordering a Level 5 and Transport right away. Bravo! Did u try it without the Transport? I have heard a stock mini with the background software turned off is the way to go? |
It is just that my personal listening preferences lean toward a touch more midrange/midbass warmth. Lampi appears to be your answer. Digital and"organic" are two words you rarely hear together. It is hard to get right IMO. I have not owned vinyl or tape, but when I hear it, it sounds right. That is the "sound" I am looking for in my digital front end. The Lampi appears to be my answer too. I appreciated your observations on the MUSE vs a dedicated computer. Computers look like a panacea largely due to the convenience factor, but they are very hard to get right. You don't know this until you actually do A+B experiments. |
Rockyboy, I understand that Lucas is very generous with upgrades unlike many other manufacturers I will not name.... |
What it does to Redbook negates any need for hi Rez offerings and People who have one say they dont care about HiRez anymore as its sounds so good on RBCD That is "la raison d'être" for any digital transport IMO. 99% of most music libraries are Redbook. Yes, I am sure "true" DSD128 mastering is better, but after a while that same avant-garde Swedish jazz trio gets old. Regarding DSD and hi rez wireless streaming, I believe that is not far off. We can already stream movies wirelessly, and those files are larger than any audio data (http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/537-extending-audio-network-using-802-11ac-wireless/) Furthermore, people are already hacking squeezeboxes and such to process DSD (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=119364.0) Gopher and Berto are morally obligated to do a Lampi transport versus modded mini shootout during the upcoming rave. It will drive home the point that I have been trying to make since 2007. |
Bill, amongst mini-heads, people argue about whether they even make a difference. One camp says an external supply on an 09 is the way (Empirical Audio). Others say a 2011 or newer mini with no supply is comparable (Tranquility sac). Both camps are headed by engineers who know more than we do and provide convincing arguments for each position.
So....in other words, an external supply is not relevant. Gary Glory Anderson has relevant experience with and without an external supply.
Someone needs to send Granny a transport. Gopher??? |
MM is better!! read ze question. with or without ps? Also, you went from "Redbook being better than or equivalent to hi rez" to "I can only listen do DSD" minus the transport. Very telling. Abruce and Mitch, the primary difference (from what I have been told) is the dual mono ps in the 5. Better separation, etc, etc. |
Talk to Rob Reich Sgr. He had a modded mini and now has a transport. No contest according to him. |
Shawbros3, that's a grand idea. Enough audio blah blah.
For what it's worth, I will be using both a transport and a mini with my L5. A transport for redbook and a mini for hi rez/DSD (out of necessity). I will be looking at a dbsystems mini which is the only one I see out there that is modded internally with mu metal shielding, caps, etc. option 2 would be to use the Ifi stuff. |
The L5 has bigger breasts but they hang and sag where the L4 has smaller athletic breasts made for road running. What level do you want?? I could modify either.... |
Gary, I knew you would appreciate that....yuk, yuk... With audio sound as well as women, I prefer natural to artificial if given the choice. Common male misperception. Its not your "choice" at all. So Charles, if the choice were truly yours, you would go with a national geographic aesthetic? |
It's my choice certainly in regards to what I find appealing, we're talking cosmetics aren't we. Are we still talking boobs here (shame on you Glory)? If we are, a pornographic aesthetic references an object whereas a true aesthetic encompasses the subject and is therefore relational. Regarding the Lampizator, its pretty clear where Lucas falls on this subject: http://www.stereomojo.com/Lampizator%20Level%204%20DAC%20Review.htm/LampizatorLevel4DAC.htm This piece of advertising may well have subconsciously influenced Glory and his choice of analogies. Yuk, yuk, yuk.... |
rave report please. AC is down, and there are some vagaries on Nervosa.... |
Bill, the Thor stuff is awesome to look at as well. Bravo.... |
Bill, that's great news and not surprising. Steve makes great and efficacious stuff. That is one of the reasons why I have argued for the use of a pure, digital transport that includes signal reclocking. A lot of people (including you!) have argued that their modded Mac minis were sufficient. They are not. This is one reason why Mr. Anderson is threatening to leave the fold. He made the mistake of selling his Lampi transport! |
Bill, try streaming wirelessly into Steve's reclocker and then the Lampi. David S found that he preferred feeding his Lampi with a Sonos over his modded Mini + Ifi gadgets.
I personally I am looking closely at true digital transports coming down the pike such as the Lumin. No computers for me in the chain.... |
Mitch2, that is good counsel.
Bill, computers are indeed a pain. I have done WAV and AIFF comparisons and did not hear any differences. There should not be. Ask Steve Nugent about that one before converting all your files.... |
Regarding AIFF vs WAV, some folks hear a difference and some don't: http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f8-general-forum/wav-vs-aiff-3239/
It may depend partly on software and relevant settings.... |
If you do blinded A+B testing of non-audiophiles (or audiophiles) in a "revealing" system, the results will be a mosh pit of confusion. Sorry folks, placebo effect here.
Steve, I am open to hearing a technical dissertation or associated measurements explaining why there are perceivable differences between WAV and AIFF.
Bill, you can rerip your CDs. The problem comes with tagging them.... |
Sorry boys, the audio emperor has no clothes at least in this domain. The shear variability in end user response speaks to that.
Steve, your hypothesis is just that. I have read verbiage from computer scientists who say any perceived differences between FLAC, AIFF, WAV, and ALAC are not based in reality. If they were, 98/100 people would agree, and they obviously don't. The patronizing stance regarding system resolution is no trump card here.
Jwm, I agree with you regarding observations regarding XLD and iTunes. iTunes is bit perfect.
Charles, I agree, as always, with your philosophical sentiments. However, toe tapping and visceral responses come and go and don't necessarily track over time with systems changes. The pesky and fickle phile within is constantly changing and fiddling. That seems to be the one constant in this hobby and why I reference the placebo effect as a potential influence.
The take home message from Bill, which is much appreciated by me, is that the Mac Mini, modded or not, is a jittery turd, and needs help. In this case, it came via Empirical audio. I have always believed in Steve's stuff. Just today I recommended an offramp to a friend who discovered that a Sonos into his Lampizator sounded better than his modded, Ifi'd Mini. |
Bill, it should be able to... |
Jwm, I know the Lampizator posse (Lucas, Fred, and Rob) will be showing with Dale Pitcher which is very exciting. Lucas is bringing his L7 Lampi DAC along with his USB transport. Dale will be showing his new speaker line, conditioner, and cabling. Should be stellar. Wish I could go....
Crna39, that is good news. I think the prototype you had did not even have Gucci caps in place. Image that thing with Duelunds....
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Jwm, I won't be there due to my work schedule. The Lampizator crew will be there with three different dacs (L5,6, and 7) along with Lucas's new USB transport. They are joining forces with Dale Pitcher from Intuitive Audio. Should be killer..... |
Jriggy, here is some data: http://lampizator.eu/shop/viewitem.php?productid=145 |
the question per Jriggy regarded the USB device.... |
The Offramp makes the USB input on my Lampizator 4/4 dac sound almost broken. you mean the jittery garbage output of the mini? Bill, knowing what you know about the Lampi, do you think the USB transport would be bad? Its beyond me why anyone would put tubes in totally digital equipment, even just for power regulation. Nothing about tubes is interesting for digital. If you want it to perform like something from 1950, this would be the way. Lucas is every bit as much of an engineer as you are Steve. People make choices, and audio, being like a form of alchemy, hybridizes science and art with the nod going to the art (sound) at the end of the day. Bill, you should try the Ifi product line for USB inputs. Cheap and better "advertised" jitter reduction than an offramp. I also suggest you start another thread on Empirical audio. What you have discovered is what I have harping about for some time: your dac is not deficient. Your bastardized computer "transport" is. The Offramp exposed that. Interestingly, quite a few Aussie philes have traded in their Offramps for highly modded Wadias (http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ddgtl&1327217166&openflup&115&4#115) Audiophiles are like cats. Everyone on his own idiosyncratic and highly independent journey. |
Is your "start another thread" on EA comment a put-down? Why? Why the anger? Are you telling what I can and cannot ask on this thread. Why go sophomoric on me and us here Agear? I am sorry if I angered you with that suggestion Bill. It was a joke or allusion to EA's online propensities including putting down Lampi design principles. Its stealth advertising and business, and there's nothing intrinsically wrong with it. Actually, what you really need is a system thread! |
