Granny, that's terrific information about the offramp and the first report I've seen of a Lampizator user running though a top-notch converter. I have a Lampi 4.5 demo here (waiting for my unit to arrive, thanks Fred!) and running the offramp as you are, only with an offramp 5 via BNC. The sound is something else, far heftier and more solid than the PWD MKII + Offramp (which is no slouch). Eventually I'll be running my Lampi via i2s + Offramp, which from the PWD and Audio GD M7 bettered SPDIF by a margin. I'm also using an Aqvox USB PSU to the offramp, which cuts off the 5V from the USB port. I cannot say for certain that this makes a big difference.
New Lampizator Level 4/ Version 4 DAC in the house
Wonder if any other new owners of this DAC are out there as I find it to be the finest digital playback I have heard to date. This is the first digital front end piece of gear I have owned that has transformed my music.
Ya, other digital gear does this or that better, but this Lampy breaks through to a new level of musical enjoyment. Clear view into the music helping the speakers just disappear. Only 24 hours of break in and the music flows so sweet, intimate and seemingly without boundaries.
Looking under the hood I see an impressive power supply with films caps and several high quality chokes. Point to point silver wired except for the digital and USB boards. This is a three tube player that is tube rectified. One has the option for SS rectification if desired.
Ya, I love this Lampy!
Ya, other digital gear does this or that better, but this Lampy breaks through to a new level of musical enjoyment. Clear view into the music helping the speakers just disappear. Only 24 hours of break in and the music flows so sweet, intimate and seemingly without boundaries.
Looking under the hood I see an impressive power supply with films caps and several high quality chokes. Point to point silver wired except for the digital and USB boards. This is a three tube player that is tube rectified. One has the option for SS rectification if desired.
Ya, I love this Lampy!
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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! |
I am not a patient guy and this computer audio world is difficult for me. So many little nuances make a difference. Part of me wants to just spin discs again due to the imense learning curve for someone like me. I am not computer savy and force myself to learn. What I have been hearing is why I do this as my cd spinning transport is not in the same league, but what a pain!I will say it again...what a pain. I am venting. Love to hire a person to now come in and convert all my aiff to wav files. |
Here is my front end transport.... 2009 Apple Mini (SSD drive,software optimizations, Mojo Audio Joule Linear power supply, expanded memory) - Amarra 2.6 w/EQ activated - Wywires USB cable - Ultra Fi USB filter - Empirical Audio Offramp 4 (Turboclock, Hynes USB) - Empirical Audio BNC cable - Lamizator 4/4 dac Best digital front end I have owned or heard. |
Bill, I have similar. I do have the OR4 which I hardly use due to no Integer Mode support. I normally use the iFi Triple play, ie iUSB-Gem cables-iLink and top off with Aubisque filter. I hope to eventually try an iPurifier. My L4 has no USB .only the Lampi DSD does. 2011 stock Mac Mini though with A+ or JRiver. Pangea USB cable and Swisscables digital coax and interconnects. Generic BNC cables for the Chord Qute HD. I use xACT to convert file formulas. I will test for myself and see. |
Try running just the data leg of a Gemini dual USB cable, or another USB that runs data only, into your ifi; leave the power unplugged from the ifi and then run the Wywires to your Lampizator as usual. The Lampizator works fine without any USB power. I did make a very short data only USB cable but it didn't sound as good as the Gemini with only the data leg connected. |
I have also found that ALAC AIFF and FLAC all color the sound compared to .wav. I find AIFF actually worse than ALAC. I believe there is only one server out there that makes FLAC sound like .wav, the Antipodes. BTW, if you want to make your digital sound more live, like analog, check out the Plasmatron from VHAudio.com. Once I heard this AC regulator, I had to have one. Steve N. Empirical Audio |
I have compared aiff to wav for hours today. Many CDs and each one sounded better in WAV. No doubt about it. A no brainer folks. Each CD file in WAV always sounded more natural and analog if you will. Easy to convert to wav in iTunes. The art stays and the order stays. The sound is better in an obvious and thrilling way. More body More foundation to the music Larger stage Less forces and more natural highs Removes last vestige of digital glare and nasties in the highs I compared aiff and wav played off my SSD drive with Amarra playlist and the result is absolutely conclusive in my system. Anyone hearing would Agee. |
G'ring, it is the ifi USB Power. My mistake, I misread your previous post where you said you had the Ultra Fi USB filterand I thought you had one of these; http://www.ifi-audio.com/en/iUSB.html |
In response to Steve's comment about the Antipodes, I heard one a few weeks ago playing through a Meitner DAC and then through my Lampi L4/G4 at the dealer. Sounded great with both DACs, although I preferred it with the Lampi. But really only had a brief listen, will spend more time with the Antipodes this spring I hope. I certainly value Steve's opinion on the Antipodes. |
Agear, that was going to be my question as to the dependency on which player is being used and whether a difference is heard between AIFF and WAV. I think I am in a minority here with my impressions from last summer and choosing Pure Music as the player I found to sound more musical and display more body, if perhaps a slightly "softer" focus. I wonder if there is a time limit before one can try another free trial of A+ and/or Amara after already trying the trial version once? I would like to get a few more things tweeked and then try them again. Bill, your thoughts on WAV have me curious enough that I plan to take three CDs I am familiar with, rip them in WAV and then compare directly with the same CDs that I already have ripped in AIFF, maybe not today though. Steve, I was encouraged to hear that improvements can be had by installing the $4K or $6K Plasmatron. I will add that to my to-do list! Oh well, pushing the envelope is a good thing, even if that particular improvement is well outside of my current envelope. |
Agear - there are two things that can affect this: 1)if they are using a network streamer, some of these sound identical or very close between FLAC and wav 2) their systems may not be up to the level required to hear the difference Everyones system is at a different level, so one must take all of these posts with a grain of salt. Steve N. Empirical Audio |
Steve I was going to say the same thing. The wav and aiff differences are real and some folks can't hear it or their systems don't reveal it. I posted on CA and received lots of help on how to convert to WAV. Some folks could only ask why as they hear no difference. Well some folks don't hear the difference between cables etc....but they are still there and real. All I can say is just try it. If you don't like it better, then don't do it. I do and am converting as I type! |
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.... |
Ya some don't. Who knows, but I am not crazy as my wife hear the improvement also. Also, wav files play directly from my Mini SSD drive sound a tad better then those played from my outside storage device. Best sound is SSD drive with wav files on my system, with a Mini, in my room......Ha! Nice big improvement. Again, many experience the same thing as it has been written about and reviewed. Many factor perhaps. |
Steve, I blame your Offramp converter as it opened my eyes to working at maximizing the performance of my computer based front end. The improvement it brought really opened my eyes and surprised me. It could be only Apple based front ends reflect the wav file improvement? I don't know and have not done enough testing with different computers, hard wired vs. wireless etc.... Like JWN has done, just try it and if no improvement comes, then no need to deal with the work and hassle involved with file conversion. |
I see JWM. Interesting. Agear, no placebo effect here in my system. Down right easy to hear within 20 seconds of the track playing. The tech explanation has to be this. While the data IS the same the storage or housing is DIFFERENT .....kind of like wire. The data going thru the wire is the same, but the housing or storage is different. Yes, wire sounds different. Bottom line is I don't really care about the technical explanations as my ears and feet tapping know the difference:-) Plenty of engineers say wire and amps should sound the same blah, blah, blah, but my ears now better. Exactly the same! Andrew you know this. You also know what is happening in one system may not be repeated in another. Trust you ears.......yes I did blind listening! |
Bill, Well said, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for measurements to shed any light, just look at amps, wire, speakers etc. What proof? If you don't hear a difference then just leave things as they are (simple solution). If you do hear definite improvement as Bill does then you rejoice and make what ever changes are necessary. Either outcome you'll be happy. Ears trump any measurements I'm aware of. Charles, |
My hypothesis is that AIFF is a different format than wav as is FLAC and ALAC. These require a different CODEC. The real-time behavior of these CODECs may be different than static behavior, as in doing bit compares. Also, there is a lot more than just data in these files. The formats all have lots of tagging and other information in them, including offset. If the offset is not properly decoded, this definitely impacts SQ. I have a number of test tracks that prove this conclusively. BTW, the Off-Ramp 4 that Grannyring has been updated to include the latest OT transformer mods and the OR5 wall-wart, both improvements in SQ. Steve N. Empirical Audio |
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. |
....and that I am crazy hearing the difference between wav and aiff! Ha! I must be hearing things. Me and my wife are nuts....also my local Aphile friend! All crazy.....oh well.. I don't think the Apple is any more a jitter nerd then any other computer. The Empirical Audio Offramp has greatly helped all kinds of computer and dac combinations. The Apple holds no special nerd award Andrew. No, I on the other hand way well! |
agear wrote: "98/100 people would agree, and they obviously don't." 98 out of 10 people do not have a system with low enough noise, compression and distortion (or an optimized acoustic environment) to hear the difference. Makes sense to me. It's time for those 98 percent to realize that their systems are not as good as they think they are. They are at level 5 and some of us are at level 9. The so called "computer scientists" actually have no credentials to make this judgment either IMO. Maybe a EE with 35 years experience. Even then, the experience must include the learning that there is a lot in audio that we don't measure that is still audible. The state of measurements for stereo are a lot like the measurements and specs for TV monitors. Most of the measurements and specs (black levels, color saturation etc..) are done for 2-D viewing of static images. There actually very few specs or measurements for 3-D accuracy or motion accuracy. Whether a given TV monitor is good at 3-D and/or motion is determined mostly by a reviewer watching the monitor. These are really complex effects as is the 3-D imaging of a good stereo system in a good acoustic environment. Steve N. Empirical Audio |
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.... |
Jwm, Lukasz Fikus, Robert Reich and myself will be at CES/THE Show on LampizatOrs behalfas well. Those of you planning on making it out to Vegas next month are invited to come visit us in rooms 4058-4060 at the Flamingo Hotel, January 7-10th. We are excited to be debuting our Level 7 DAC, which we believe to be without peers, along with our GM70 monoblock amplifiers. Our partners for the show will be Dale Pitcher of Mosiac Audio who will be showing his new Speakers, power conditioner and cables and tentatively Tube Research Lab who may be providing us with a DUDE preamplifier. Hope to see some of you guys there! Fred |