New Lampizator Level 4/ Version 4 DAC in the house

More CES feedback: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue71/ces20146.htm

So, I heard that the L7 will now be in a single giant box, as will the L5 and 6.

Do you know why Wisnon, I thought the two box approach was to allow for more premium parts?

Thanks

PFO magazine coverage of the Show:

Lampizator Audio, Theorem Imaging Science

Even the lower priced of the two systems exhibited by Lampizator Audio and Theorem Imaging Science stretched the limits of what "not outrageously priced" means, what with Mosaic Lumen speakers ($11,500), the Lampizator Level 7 DAC ($9495) or Lampizator Transport ($2595). But then, they powered the system with nicely affordable Musical Design T-100 Elite Amplifier ($2695) and Chameleon Elite Preamp ($2995). The sound justified the price, and I think I understand why the Lampaizator DACs have received so much positive commentary online. They had a much more expensive system in the next room, using Lampizator tube amplifiers and an $18,000 power line conditioner, but this lower priced system really sounded sweet, yet detailed and powerful. I think we'll be hearing a lot more from both Lampizator and the Mosaic speaker line.

Abruce, I think the box, like the big 6 single chassis, is very large with adequate real estate for gucci parts.

ABruce. The single box will allow for all the space needed and allow for some vital components to be closer than an umbilical cord will allow. I think they will be preconfigured to make assembly faster as well. It seems that the L7 is now all the rage and the poor L4 is being ignored in favour of the higher levels.

Basically, he will move to Big 5, Big 6 and Big 7 exclusively. At least that is my current understanding.

Thanks for the information good news bad news perhaps for L4 owners

Thanks for the information good news bad news perhaps for L4 owners

Just wait another month, it will be BAD news for BIG 26 owners. LOL!

What if L had to buy a bunch/bulk of big boxes for his new amps he now is making/selling and has a stool load in his backyard he needs to unload? Honk Honk!!

I would rather see the newer big box than the Cheeze Wiz containers the Lamp was laid in. :) ( better smile for you? )

Still think the Lamp dacs are special beings and need a lot of Praise for their ability to draw one into the music.

Carry on.

Bruce, the 4 rules and all I will ever need :-)

Not bad news for the 4 at all. The 4 was always sufficient in a single box, based on the parts count.

The L4 is only being ignored for the moment, but it still represents great value, maybe the sweetspot of the range in terms of value.

What if L had to buy a bunch/bulk of big boxes for his new amps he now is making/selling and has a stool load in his backyard he needs to unload? Honk Honk!!

Incorrect. This is a new custom box to accommodate the larger DHTs.

Just wait another month, it will be BAD news for BIG 26 owners. LOL!

Not very original and not funny. Still awaiting a system thread from u....:)

Something we all need to remember:

troll 2 (trōl)
n.
A supernatural creature of Scandinavian folklore, variously portrayed as a friendly or mischievous dwarf or as a giant, that lives in caves, in the hills, or under bridges.

From which we get a newer definition for activity in cyberspace:

TROLL
One who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument (Urban dictionary)

and

Troll (Internet)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people,[1] by posting inflammatory,[2] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a forum, chat room, or blog), either accidentally[3][4] or with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[5] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[6]
This sense of the word troll and its associated verb trolling are associated with Internet discourse, but have been used more widely. Media attention in recent years has equated trolling with online harassment. For example, mass media has used troll to describe "a person who defaces Internet tribute sites with the aim of causing grief to families."[7][8]

and

Have any Lampi fans looked inside the box?? Scared me off! Looks like one step above a high school science project.

Isn't there a big difference in design/theory between the 4 and 5-7 given that the chip in the 5-7 is limited to 16/44.1 processing? I am not saying that is bad, but it has to change things, right?

Gary, I think you know who distributor did a number on you. LoL

The new Box has nothing to do with the amps and is there for production efficiency reasons as well as sonic design reasons. Everything L does is for a purpose and is carefully thought out.

If you ever saw him work you would be amazed.

The amps are selling well BTW, as you would expect from GM70s at this price!

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!

The chip in the 4,5 and 7 definitely do hi-rez as well as PCM so no limitations there. Only the 6 is limited to PCM due to the the vintage of the chip.

The main difference between the 4 and 5 is the fact the latter is dual mono. The 7 is a completely different beast, dual mono as well but employs direct heated triodes.

I'm the co-distributor and we just debuted the 7 for the first time at CES in Vegas. It's supremely musical to anything i've heard. The delicacy and soul of music must be heard to believed. Forthcoming pro reviews are already in the works.

Lukasz specifically acknowledges that visually his internal wiring isn't neat,pretty and arranged in orderly bundles with 90 degree angles. He intentionally chose "3 dimensional" point to point wiring layout due to its superior sonic results despite the messier look. Seems a wise decision to me. Did you notice the high quality silver wire and high caliber part selection, or does that matter less than superficial appearances? Just wondering.

Have any Lampi fans looked inside the box?? Scared me off! Looks like one step above a high school science project.

Twb2, Wikepedia is a dynamic and evolving source of information that endusers can edit. Care to review my post above (which I assume you missed) and provide a more nuanced definition of troll? Should it be more or less restrictive?

Lampizator, much like TRL, deliberately employs old school methods of fabrication in the name of SQ. Although it is easy to take a cursory look and throw stones, the grand irony is that it is harder and more time consuming to do it that way. You yourself transitioned from old school and boutique (Wavelength) to new Asian wave (Lumin) with circuit boards galore. Both approaches can work obviously. It would be interesting to compare Lampi (+ transport) to the Luminator.

Twb2, I saw that you are designated as a "commercial user." What does that mean and what if any professional audio affiliations do you have?

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.

Wisnon, I see your posts on Lamp in various websites. Do you have a professional affiliation with Lukaz or just a satisfy customer?

Knghifi.

I am just an extremly happy customer and one of the first commercial ones.

I only met L in person in Dec last. Many of you guys met him before I did. He is more often in the US than in Switzerland.

Its funny though, other people ask me if I work for Goldmund, and yet other will have to ask if I work for Illusonic, Swisscables or Rowen.

I champion what I like, nothing more.

Wisnon,

From Lampizator Transport webpage:

Plays files in untouched form - full resolution. (up to 96/24)

It appears Transport is no longer based on SB Duet. SB Touch? proprietary design? Any ideas?

Has anyone compared the Lampizator Level 4 to the new Wyred4sound DSD SE DAC?

I heard a L5 once and thought it was very natural sounding.

How does the L7 sound different than a L5?

Hey fellas. I see you're hanging out over here.

I'm leaving my L4G4 on 24/7 now. I have an Audio Magic PEA device inside it and turn that on and off from the outside of the unit. Can't say it does a whole lot. I felt the hifi tuning fuse made a much larger improvement.

I also added 2 Maher CBF's inside on the power inlet and transformers.

I finally have my Duelands in the Dude and Lampizator fully broken in and the detail and reality of the music is outstanding. Broken in enough that even CD quality music is tolerable. Only listening to computer audio these days.

My System pages here are outdated as I don't live there anymore. I'm lucky that my new digs are more voluminous and actually sound better.

Any potential Lampizator owners, don't hesitate. Worth every penny.

Hey fellas. I see you're hanging out over here.

I'm leaving my L4G4 on 24/7 now. I have an Audio Magic PEA device inside it and turn that on and off from the outside of the unit. Can't say it does a whole lot. I felt the hifi tuning fuse made a much larger improvement.

I also added 2 Maher CBF's inside on the power inlet and transformers.

I finally have my Duelands in the Dude and Lampizator fully broken in and the detail and reality of the music is outstanding. Broken in enough that even CD quality music is tolerable. Only listening to computer audio these days.

My System pages here are outdated as I don't live there anymore. I'm lucky that my new digs are more voluminous and actually sound better.

Any potential Lampizator owners, don't hesitate. Worth every penny.

Hey fellas. I see you're hanging out over here.

I'm leaving my L4G4 on 24/7 now. I have an Audio Magic PEA device inside it and turn that on and off from the outside of the unit. Can't say it does a whole lot. I felt the hifi tuning fuse made a much larger improvement.

I also added 2 Maher CBF's inside on the power inlet and transformers.

I finally have my Duelands in the Dude and Lampizator fully broken in and the detail and reality of the music is outstanding. Broken in enough that even CD quality music is tolerable. Only listening to computer audio these days.

My System pages here are outdated as I don't live there anymore. I'm lucky that my new digs are more voluminous and actually sound better.

Any potential Lampizator owners, don't hesitate. Worth every penny.

I compared the Lampi 4/4 to a Eximus DP1 dac which is said and reviewed to be a better dac than the Wyred. No contest at all. The Lampi is so much more musical and real sounding. Far less Hifi sounding than the DP1.

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.

Grannyring, the best Eximus Dac and Transport was their Reference version which they made in the mid 2000's.
It looks like the Jadis and CEC.
Here's a pic of Eximus Reference Dac and Transport.
Scroll down to the middle of the page to see them.

http://www.highendpalace.com/2005%20CES%20show%20in%s%20Vegas.htm

Wrong link above.
Here's the right link. Just paste and copy it.
http://www.highendpalace.com/2005%20CES%20show%20in%20Las%20Vegas.htm

Instead of asking, people need to listen to the Lampi themselves. Many mega buck Dacs would be taken down by even the L4 this is no exaggeration. I can only imagine how good the L7 is. No wonder demand for that one has exploded. Frankly, I think its one of the biggest bargains in audio!

I also mounted my Lampi on a vibration plate and that seemed to add to the clarity as well. It is a homemade steel plate with 6 spikes.

I also mounted my Lampi on a vibration plate and that seemed to add to the clarity as well. It is a homemade steel plate with 6 spikes.

Bug, tell me more about those mods? Never heard of them and am not sure what the heck they are?

One is simple if you have them. Alan maher used to sell these quartz crystal devices for cleaning up AC in small plastic cases. I secured a couple inside my Lampizator at the input and between the small transformers.

I cannot think of anything to do so I am tweaking around the edges. Kinda silly but fun as I polish the apple so to speak.

I placed an Audio Magic small PEA device inside that is supposed to orient the electron flow in one direction but honestly cannot tell if it makes any difference. I drilled a hole in the case bottom for the on off toggle and flashing light to shine through and then velcro'd it to the inside of the faceplate. This way I can save the battery life and see it is "on" with the flashing light shining down and bouncing off the shelf.

I also built my own vibration plate ala Audio Points theory and that did seem to kick it up a small bit (clarity).

Pretty awesome dac.

I see. I assume you have the Duelund CAST caps in yours? That is a good place to mod.

I have them in both the Dude and Lampi. I now have hundreds of hours logged so they are definitely broken in.

Ya, I love them in the Dude!

Me too, in both, love em in both, as per our previous discussion. BTW Bugredmachine, I will "support" (pun intended) your homemade isolation platform (steel plate with points) as improving clarity as I use a sistrum under mine and it is a significant improvement in exactly that: Clarity. Pretty remarkable.

I have them in both the Dude and Lampi. I now have hundreds of hours logged so they are definitely broken in.

Going back to the Jenson vs Duelund. Okay, the Jenson is said to sound sweet, warm, and smooth (relatively speaking) and the Duelunds are said to sound more real. If that is the case, does real mean if you have a bright or harsh recording that will be emphasized with the Duelund with a higher chance of listening fatigue? If one has more pop/rock recordings wouldn't make more sense to go with Jensons?

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.

I have changed my system a little since I put that up. I now have a Herron VTSP 3a (R02 Version) preamp and a Burmester 911 MK3 power amp. Any I appreciate your input Grannyring.

Bill, have you heard the rumblings about the new Jupiter caps being better than Duelunds ? (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=119876.0)

Yes I have and will buy some for the Lampi. When they come out in three weeks!

I look forward to your feedback Bill. It sounds from the reports I have read that the new Jupiters combine the best of both the Jensens and Duelunds and will most likely be my cap of choice for the Lampi.

My friend Jwm received his Lampizator Big 5 today. Very early impression,
Within 20 minutes out of the box it sounds quite good. It's open, very clear and resolved with good dynamics, pace and energy noted right away.
Most important quality I've notice is the pure natural-organic character, this trumps any other sonic aspects for me. Even with less than 2 hours of playing it already betters the Playback Design, Modwright Oppo 105, 95 and also the Auralic Vega DAC I've heard in this same system. The Lampizator gets to the music, pure and simple. I can only assume that it's only scratching the surface and will improve greatly over time.
Charles,

Good Lord I just got my Big 5 with Dueland caps today and after one hour I am getting the best digital sound I ever had. What can I expect with 200 hours or when it is fully broken in. I wonder if I even need to try new old stock tubes for the outputs and the rectifiers. Bye for now