Great, thank you for the advice. I was wondering if the Isodamp would make the contact between baffle and frame a bit wobbly? So maybe make things go in the wrong direction. I guess if the Isodamp is quite solid, it would work ok.
Frame bracing I can see may also have merits.
I had an idea...
Nice and very interesting mods. I have the Quintet15s incoming. A few questions, can you detail how each mod affected the sound? I am particularly curious on the Isodamp on the frames. Maybe it is possible to add a layer of Isodamp on the back of the baffles as well? Reduce the energy put into...
You won't be disappointed in the Helene, I had that here as well recently. The Helene, even though the most affordable DAC by AC, still has the strengths of their DAC sound, i.e. detail but smooth and natural, weight to the midrange (sadly rare in many DACs), solid soundstage and depth, fatigue...
I owned both the Audio Note Dac 5 Special, and have heard the Dac 5 Signature as well. I later owned the Aries Cerat Kassandra Ref II. I can confirm the AN Dac is way behind. It is syrup, coloured and I guess I would term it 'half asleep' in signature. I have build a few Audio Note kit DACs as...
I suggest you get a decent music server, then try again. I also ran a customised Mac mini wth LPS, then later have tried a Mac Mini M1 and they are way off the sound you can get with a decent music server.
You can get half way there if you use a PS Audio power plant for the Mac mini, big...
Interesting info on those preamps, thank you. Yes I heard the LTA is a transparent preamp for a tube gain stage, probably as it is OTL?
How is your Lampizator direct to your Passlabs? Is it close to the sound you get with the Benchmark, or miles off (worse)? I am kinda hoping I can go direct...
I have the PAP Quintet15 Coax on order, and have the Passlabs XA60.8s to drive them. Preamp is open at the moment, I will drive the Pass direct from the DAVE in preamp mode for a while.
I love the Passlabs amps, and the XA60.8 is a big and beefy set, and handles most any speaker with ease. The...
Wow, what a super system, and a great journey Mike! Thank you for posting it. More folk should look at these high end brands from the EU zones. I remember the room at Munich with the Zellatons, think it was 2019. I also was very impressed by the room.
Not wanting to upset the apple cart - I would check, you may find the Helene sounds best on RCA output. Try it and see, the VTL has single ended inputs.
Chaos, for a few more weeks, till I get the upstairs music room sorted. Then the fun starts! Have some ideas on acoustic panels, the celing is having 3 dropped zones so walls need looking at. 3 tall windows have full height curtains, so that side should be ok. Wall behind the speakers will have...
I booted it up last night. It comes up with a Welcome message, and defaults to -63dB on the readout. The volume knob and the remote both control volume level, and source selection is by the remote, plus switch on / off and mute. There is a discrete on/off button underneath, so in effect I can...
It will be confirmed shortly, Lampizator are to announce the launch of the Poseidon preamplifier in a What's Best Forum Newsletter end of this month. Also pics of the new CNC chassis, so will look different exterior wise to my preamp here, which is build in a Big 7 chassis.
No this is a Beta pre production version. The real chassis is CNC cut and is due to be announced in the next few weeks. My build has used the older Big 7 chassis, which is actually quite big for a preamp, 52cm deep. In the flesh it looks very nice, I'll take live pics shortly in my system. I am...
Interesting.I do like the 211 tubes, and wildly available as well. One thing I notice about these monoblocks, they both have an attenuator. Is that for balancing the input level while using a preamp?
Not as clear cut IMO. It is how it is replayed that we are discussing rather than was it digital at the recording stage. Our ear and brains do seem HYPER sensitive to artefacts in the treble regions I find. Why is that? I imagine our ears are tuned to hear the human voice, and most of that...
It is quite amazing how from December 1982 and the invention of CD format, the start of commercially available (large scale) of digital playback, we are still banging on about this subject. IMO both have come on a LOT since the early day, and both can satisfy. Thinking how much tweaking and...
This reminds me of how top quality film in static photography did, possibly still does, have more resolution than digital backs. Similar subject IMO.
But yes, I can see how 'kind' distortions, artefacts and even tape hiss can do strange things to our auditory system. I have no idea medically...
A got some more details from Lampizator on the Poseidon project and the Preamplifier. As far as I know, the launch will be in August, with the photos of the final product inc CNC chassis.
Here it the text from Lampizator verbatim:
THE POSEIDON PROJECT
As a direct consequence of the...
Now I am manically getting my room sorted to house the Lampizator. I moved house last year, and we have builders 'merging' rooms for us. The house was a small hotel and it has too many ensuite and small bedrooms. So 30 years as an audiophile, I finally get a dedicated music room - excited is an...
The all new Lampizator Poseidon preamplifier
I wanted to start a thread about the new Poseidon Preamplifier. I have been on the market for a while for a tube preamp, and was in contact with Lukasz looking at the original Lampizator Reference Preamplifier, which seemed to fit the bill. I have...
Amazing build quality. I have heard their earlier muscle amps. They have taken the helm for SOTA solid state amplification I feel. I envy those who can afford it. Having said that the more reachable models are still really top notch!
Final Touch Audio Callisto cable is a superbly musical cable that achieves what many others don't IMO. Detail and body, with zero fatigue. I have tried many other USB cables, and they rarely do both, most going for detail over body and weight, reminding the listener it is a digital source..