Good to hear, looking forwarding to meeting the crew, will Lukasz be attending |
For any of you out there planning on attending APOXNA in Chicago next month, please be sure to check us out in room 432
We will be partnering with Vapor Audio, Purity Audio Design and Verastarr and plan to bring our game faces!!
We plan on providing our Level 7 statement DAC along with one of our TranspOrts. |
Input caps?
Yeah, small value (0.1uf) Duelunds apparently sound good there (digital input). Makes the bass more Duelund-like. Small Alu jupiters work well there too. The copper jupiters not ready yet, so we can only speculate.
I hear there is a cheap no name cap that works REALLY great for output, but not for digital section. This is nice cheaper alternative for L4 guys who are not capacitor brand conscious and dont want to stretch the budget for the the Duelund upgrade. |
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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Funny you mention this... Lukasz has been experimenting with that cap position and mentioned results have exceeded his expectations of changing that input cap. |
Has anyone managed to squeeze in an ST-shaped rectifier into their L4G4? I have heard of someone using an Osram/Marconi U52 but I don't see how it could possibly fit being ~ 4.5" tall. |
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! |
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. |
Abruce, they are worth a try. I believe they have a return policy. I find the impact of Sistrum correlates with the amount of vibrational energy at hand (subs>Speakers>tube amps). Start with the Apprentice line. It is cheap and you can try it under everything.... |
Gopher you are so correct
Thanks all for the education |
http://www.audiopoints.com/Sistrum.php |
I don't think Bruce has a qualm with the price of the SP-4, multi-shelf component rack. I think he believed the SP-004 was $3k for a single component. |
Abruce, to put it into further perspective, the Mapleshade shelving systems (which you own and are a fine product) are in the same price bracket at least according to their website.... |
Another vote here for the Sistrum stands as they are a serious performance improvement. Robert at Star Sound is a pleasure to deal with and very knowledgeable. While he obviously carries some pricey stands which I have no doubt will be exceptional, I also agree that his Apprentice series is a great way to get immediate and obvious satisfaction in his product line and there's also a very fair and easy upgrade program as well. Once I tried one of his stands, of course I'm sure there are plenty other great products available and many I haven't tried, I felt I was quite obviously 'done' with the world of footers/stands/spikes/supports, etc. .
I use his spikes under my Rel Stadium subwoofer, my 5/8" rod supported DIY rack, and I also use several of his older SP-003 series platforms as well...one under my Dude, one each under my mono blocs and one under my Lampi Big 6... I also have an SP-101 under my BGX A2 dedicated subwoofer amp. Each piece takes noticeable leaps in overall speed, precision, and accuracy but the signature benefit consistent with each one is CLARITY.
And it's cumulative.
Very impressive |
The Sistrum SP-4 is a 4 shelf rack based on the SP 101 Platform.
The Apprentice is a single component plateform that cost 329-429.00 each depending on the size. |
I was thinking of the apprentice stands. |
The Star Sound Apprentice stands are quite effective sonically and are very reasonably priced. |
SP-4 Sistrum Platforms™
Price: $ 2,975.00
Really When you calculate the material and machining costs involved and then compare that to competing isolation products or to the average piece of electronics, really. The fact that they have an actual sonic impact is an added bonus. It is not simply furniture. I find the aesthetics quite appealing. No, they won't necessarily blend in with the average living space like a MDF equipment rack, but they still look kool (at least they do in my listening room). |
Jeff,
I'm so pleased to read your developments. It sounds like you've got a wonderful synergy going.
Sistrum products are fantastic, but they aren't all aesthetically appealing... I recommend an SP-101 if you can deal with it, but otherwise an apprentice stance will be nicely hidden under your DAC and still provide a sonic uptick.
Keep us posted as the hours accumulate! |
SP-4 Sistrum Platforms™
Price: $ 2,975.00
Really |
Jeff,
Your sound today was enchanting and organic bliss. Thanks for having me over.
Charles, |
Jwm, the Sistrum stands are good. Dale and the Lampi gang noted nice improvement when the L5 and USB transport were placed on SP4s at CES. |
My good friend Charles1dad brought over his digital cable that he does not use anymore. The rca cable transformed my system and I'm am now getting the best sound I ever had at my place. It took away a very slight edge and added bass weight and beautiful organic coloring to the instruments on any cd that we played. I kid you not it was like going to any new component that you can think of. My Zadies Lamp connected to the PS Audio transport is amazing. I only have 96 hours on it and I don't kow what I am going to do when 400 comes around. I didn't even roll tubes and the only thing I addressed was to place brass audio points under the DAC and Transport. This opened up the soundstage quite a bit. Cistrum stands are now in the cards. The digital cables I tried were ASI Live Line, Luminous Audio, Wireworld. Of the three I liked the Luminous Audio cable the best. The cable that did the transformation was the Acoustic Revive digital cable. I was going to try the Wywires Gold cable, but now I don't know if I will. I am so happy I could yell it from the rooftops. |
Okay. Thanks for clarifying. |
Glad your enjoying it JWM. The L5 is a monster out of the box, even with stock tubes. You heard my L5 ( At CES) and it only had 150hrs on it. At 500+hrs any hint of edge or glare is now gone. The sound will become sweeter and even more addicting. Enjoy! |
Goopher is right the Big 6 uses the 16 bit phillips chip. I did not want to go with that chip as I wanted to be able to play 24/192 files as well. |
He has a level 5 dac built into the larger "big" chassis which is an option instead of the two box Level 5. I personally prefer the one box look, but not everyone can accommodate the depth of the big chassis. |
Jwan, you said you had a Big 5, was that a typo? Did you you mean Big 6? |
Hi Gopher ( fred),
I believe that Jeff has happily found his long term digital front end. No need for any more angst, he can just relax and enjoy the music, which is the point.
Charles, |
Outstanding, Charles and Jeff!
I'm so glad you guys followed up and heard a Lampi in your own environment!
As Lissnr say, let it burn in for now then drop me a line and I'll give some rectifier tube guidance.
Duelands take forever (400+ hous) to fully mature, but the good news is the break in is rarely rude and you should enjoy the majority of getting there.
Welcome to the Lampi crew! ;) |
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Happy for you JWM! Just wait till you have over 150 or hours on it! |
Welcome to the world of Lampizator.
Make yourself comfortable right here in the center,
and you'll finally realize why they call it the SWEET spot.
As for swapping tubes, let it all break in first and learn the sound, then you can experiment.
Enjoy |
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 |
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, |
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. |
Yes I have and will buy some for the Lampi. When they come out in three weeks! |
Bill, have you heard the rumblings about the new Jupiter caps being better than Duelunds ? (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=119876.0) |
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. |
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. |
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? |
I have them in both the Dude and Lampi. I now have hundreds of hours logged so they are definitely broken in. |
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. |
Ya, I love them in the Dude! |
I have them in both the Dude and Lampi. I now have hundreds of hours logged so they are definitely broken in. |
I see. I assume you have the Duelund CAST caps in yours? That is a good place to mod. |
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. |
Bug, tell me more about those mods? Never heard of them and am not sure what the heck they are? |
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. |
