Morning Bill, which leads one to cogitate upon why Lampizator bothers to utilize an DHT in the output stage, thereby "introducing" a degree of additional harmonic distortion, oft mentioned as an integral element to the Lampizator "Analoge" sound
Analog vs Lampizator
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Morning Bill, which leads one to cogitate upon why Lampizator bothers to utilize an DHT in the output stage, thereby "introducing" a degree of additional harmonic distortion, oft mentioned as an integral element to the Lampizator "Analoge" sound
Hi Roger. I see what you are saying - the TT as a device AND critically the software format itself IMHO sounds analog (obviously doh) with ss phono stage - a TT rig does simply not need valve phono although I like them
(one of the greatest ss phono stages is the Pass Labs reference line and it sound very analogue). SS digital ime virtually never sounds like a TT setup even when the TT is using ss electronics and that is a good thing for many folk (such as the super quiet noise floor of digital among other great traits).So that brings us to whether Lukasz uses DHT to try and mimic a TT or because he thinks it sounds more like real music - I would think it is likely the latter as it would be odd if the desideratum were to sound like a TT. But sound like music yes. The additional "pleasant" harmonic distortion perhaps gets a Lampi closer to an analogue rig but perhaps that it from other technical properties of a TT rig such as wow/flutter, rumble, stylus drag (I don't know so we would need to consult with tech guys). Put it this way, if I digitise the output of my Kuzma through my ss phono into double dsd and take a listen, I can assure you the new file sounds very analogue through a ss dac. It is a shame that the files were so massive or I could email you one.
My experience with analog sound is based on Tom Evans phono stages . They are SS designs with special Lithos regulators.
I love their transparency, fluency, micro and macro dynamics nad neutral timbre . Together with SET amp and horns it creates very life like presentation.
To have the best performance of analog rig I have specific settings on bass satelites of Duo Mezzo XD equipped with DSP .
I would say my analog rig sounds even more transparent and selective than Lampi B7 while the latter advantage is very palpable sound with beatiful timbre ,also with different settings on my speakers.
But the most dynamic sound in my system comes from Audio Aero La Fontaine PCM Dac with tube output stage .
I love their transparency, fluency, micro and macro dynamics nad neutral timbre . Together with SET amp and horns it creates very life like presentation.
To have the best performance of analog rig I have specific settings on bass satelites of Duo Mezzo XD equipped with DSP .
I would say my analog rig sounds even more transparent and selective than Lampi B7 while the latter advantage is very palpable sound with beatiful timbre ,also with different settings on my speakers.
But the most dynamic sound in my system comes from Audio Aero La Fontaine PCM Dac with tube output stage .
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Gotta love how these threads morph into familiar dug-in territory.
I have to say I'm a major major fan of tubes having now found the joys/seen the light/heard the truth (pick yr hyperbole) of glowing bottles in amps (SETs and tube preamps), but I've yet to find a tubed phono stage that I really like, and the odd tubed dac I've heard in the past was a pass for me. I'm sure exposure to the GG w/DHTs will change my mind.
Like Marslo, the Tom Evans wanted for nothing and I got a more liquid analog sound thru it when I owned it for 8 yrs (thru standard unit, Plus and SRX Plus itterations) compared to the handful of tube phonos that couldn't stand the heat in comparison.
My ss Eera Tentation rbcd player has the most soulful digital playback I've heard (only matched by a 1989 Marantz CD12/DA12 SE, Ken Kessler's personal favourite), and I will be bowled over if the GG truly outperforms it.
I have to say I'm a major major fan of tubes having now found the joys/seen the light/heard the truth (pick yr hyperbole) of glowing bottles in amps (SETs and tube preamps), but I've yet to find a tubed phono stage that I really like, and the odd tubed dac I've heard in the past was a pass for me. I'm sure exposure to the GG w/DHTs will change my mind.
Like Marslo, the Tom Evans wanted for nothing and I got a more liquid analog sound thru it when I owned it for 8 yrs (thru standard unit, Plus and SRX Plus itterations) compared to the handful of tube phonos that couldn't stand the heat in comparison.
My ss Eera Tentation rbcd player has the most soulful digital playback I've heard (only matched by a 1989 Marantz CD12/DA12 SE, Ken Kessler's personal favourite), and I will be bowled over if the GG truly outperforms it.
I think there is some distortion happening here. 'Analog' in this case is being used as a proxy for the ultimate sound. The response is that Lampi uses DHT to produce the ultimate sound because it sounds better than SS dacs which haven't progressed over the last 30 years and all sound like the Oppo.
Well Ked, Bill has kindly offered to do a straight shootout btwn my Eera and his GG at his place. I'm sure this will happen at some stage. The easy bit may be the obvious conclusion, the tricky bit will be me having to adjust to ripping cds/streaming/downloading etc if I find I can't live w/out the GG presentation. Easy peasy for those so-minded, I remain cold to the whole idea of non-physical media. But I guess I'm a dying breed.
Hi Marc,
There are servers with a cd / dvd drive that you just pop your disc in and it will fetch the album artwork, catalogue, rip and archive automatically. It is quite easy.
Hi Bill,
You refer to Channel Classics files, that is dsd 64 files, in your (ideal) comparison between digital (files) and analog replay. What about original dxd, dsd 128 and dsd 256 recordings/files: have you listened to those and do you believe they narrow the gap (somewhat) with good vinyl?
You refer to Channel Classics files, that is dsd 64 files, in your (ideal) comparison between digital (files) and analog replay. What about original dxd, dsd 128 and dsd 256 recordings/files: have you listened to those and do you believe they narrow the gap (somewhat) with good vinyl?
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No need to guess. He says it right here in the monandstereo.com interview:
Why tubes in the audio path?
I have no particular attachment to tubes. If the parrot guano gave better results in signal amplification, or transistors - I would use them. Tubes sound good not because they are made of glass, or because they have vacuum inside, but because I can get away with simple amplifier stage without local or global feedback and without high part count. The tube circuit can be as simple as humanly possible - in my case the stage has just one resistor, one triode and one capacitor. Thats why I love tubes. Listening confirms that the signal is pure, uncorrupted, and the musical content comes through, shining in full musical glory.
What would you say, that Lampizator- Lukasz Fikus is doing different and specific to other DAC’s?
Mainly I am very open to listening test and comparisons. I don’t follow so called datasheet and white paper specs - I use the chips the way I want and I make the chips sound the way I want, even if the approach is far from textbook or dogmatic respect for manufacturer’s suggestions. I realized that chips for DAC are not digital devices (like in computers) but they are analog devices, responding really strongly to strange manipulations like power supply filtering, capacitor quality, connection topology, clock frequencies, materials used for wiring and soldering, vibrations, magnetic fields, grounding schemes and so on. Making a chip sound in a specific way is like building violins. Yamaha can’t duplicate what Stradivari did, it is a secret of the trade. It is like cooking, or gardening, or animal training. It is not about zeroes and ones.
Anything special about topology?
There is nothing special really. Anyone can make a circuit equally good just after 2-3 years of every day testing and trying. What is special is my absolutely fanatical approach to testing by ears in thousands of hours of nightime listening. I use circuits insanely simple, if you remove one more part - everything will collapse. So I am testing the absolute limits of simplicity that I can get away with as an engineer. I remove and remove and remove until I can’t remove anything else and then I make the circuit sound best under these circumstances. In sound quality less is more, because the signal gets less chances to be distorted and loosing the natural beauty of the music.
What does state of the art digital audio and ultra high-end means for you?
As a “reverse engineer” person I want to see the concept behind it, the simple genius design that can be read like an open book, and if it takes a lot of money to realize - it is a no compromise high end to me. Any educated idiot can make a very sophisticated , over-engineered product and pack it with premium parts and market as high end. Only real genius can make it simple, beautiful and sounding right. Very very few engineers can do this. Kondo was the first one, the Pope of high end, and frankly nothing much after Kondo made any progress or breakthrough. To make best amps, best DAC, best cables and best cartridge in one lifetime is a truly buddhist achievement. And he was not an electronic engineer, not even an electrician, just an open, renaissance man with huge passion.
What are your views on balanced topology? Is it a must for best sound in audiophile branded products?
Balanced operation has many many crazy misunderstandings and myths. It is merely a simple way of achieving something, at the cost of something else. It has no correlation with sound quality. It can be compared to 4x4 car design, which achieves good tracking at the cost of price, noise, fuel efficiency, reliability and turning radius. It is a tradeoff like anything else. Having said that, most good gear out there is SE and that’s my personal preference. It makes sense for some products like phono stages and DACs but only in the context of really fully balanced rest of the system and at the cost of almost doubled manufacturing cost.
What sets Lampizator audio design above other manufacturers?
It is the end result - the sound at the price. I design my product to be as timeless as possible - a huge engineering and component value that will stand the test of time not in 2 years like modern electronics but in 10, 20 and 30 years from now.
Do you use pure class A in your signal chain and outputs?
Yes, always.
What is your approach to power supply and how important it is in your opinion?
Power supply is everything. Remove the power supply importance and my DAC is like any other 200 dollar DAC from China. Power supply to the tube anodes, tube heaters, and 9 other digital supply points, sets the LampizatOr DAC aside form the crowd and makes it sound as heavenly as it does.
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I need my hand held on all of this.
Interestingly there are still parts of the world where downloading hasn't taken off, Germany still buys shedloads of cds I believe.
Bill, something we'll talk about more offline/face to face.
The Eera does so many things so well, the GG will not just have to be better, but a whole level of emotional engagement better, for me to jump ship.
All I know is that once I heard lifelike dynamics on snare drum like no other digital on the Eera, and piano w/absolutely truthful impact/tone on it, I was sold within moments.
The GG will have to have this kind of paradigm shift experience beyond the Eera for me.
Blue58 didn't quite get it himself on his GG demo, and has settled on the T&A Dac8 to replace his AA La Fontaine.
Interestingly there are still parts of the world where downloading hasn't taken off, Germany still buys shedloads of cds I believe.
Bill, something we'll talk about more offline/face to face.
The Eera does so many things so well, the GG will not just have to be better, but a whole level of emotional engagement better, for me to jump ship.
All I know is that once I heard lifelike dynamics on snare drum like no other digital on the Eera, and piano w/absolutely truthful impact/tone on it, I was sold within moments.
The GG will have to have this kind of paradigm shift experience beyond the Eera for me.
Blue58 didn't quite get it himself on his GG demo, and has settled on the T&A Dac8 to replace his AA La Fontaine.
Well Wisnon, having both kinda makes sense. In my time auditioning my good friend Blue58's system, he's introduced me to the joys of streaming/downloading dsd128, and I really can see the logic of doing this, esp in discovering new music on the fly.
But I remain a luddite/dinosaur/sad case when it comes to making the leap, and STILL find it more natural to load a cd in my Eera and press play...
Audiophile Bill is also progressively archiving vinyl to dsd, and if you told me SQ was on a par w/analog plus w/all the ease of accessing my vinyl collection on an I Pad, l'd STILL crave to play my lps.
Humans are funny, such big brains but possibly the most illogical animals on the planet.
But I remain a luddite/dinosaur/sad case when it comes to making the leap, and STILL find it more natural to load a cd in my Eera and press play...
Audiophile Bill is also progressively archiving vinyl to dsd, and if you told me SQ was on a par w/analog plus w/all the ease of accessing my vinyl collection on an I Pad, l'd STILL crave to play my lps.
Humans are funny, such big brains but possibly the most illogical animals on the planet.
Hi Rudolph,
I own a fair few double dsd files and a couple of quads. I have 2 comments:
1. I think the recording is key and more critical than the format. For instance, I have some red book cd's that are recorded beautifully and competently dispatch many dsd64 recordings and dsd128 recordings.
2. The availability of my kind of music is seldom available with the artists I am interested in in double or quad dsd.
That said, I do think that the double and quad files are stunning and offer tremendous gains over standard PCM files for the most part - it is mainly the natural sounds and lack of digital edge/glare that I appreciate together with greater texture, layering of soundstage and somehow projecting the recording acoustic / studio ambience better. So in sum, I think the native quad/double files have great potential if we could buy all our music that way.
In terms of my few quad files versus best of vinyl - the quad easily wins in terms of extracting amazing resolution - just hearing more of everything laid bare. The vinyl still wins head to head in terms of instrumental timbre. Just playing any of my Decca Oistrakh violin concertos reminds me of that gap. The vinyl also has an uncanny ability to convey vitality - just that presence of someone being there playing that instrument.
Have Bill play you that Louis Armstrong DSD2x cut he has and then get back to me! LoL
Fully understand what you are saying Bill and I agree with you.
Have you heard any of the Challenge Classics (classical) recordings/files? As you might know I am very fond of the (classical) music recorded by Bert van der Wolf (who is also of the view that the recording is much more important than the format in which it is made available). Bert's recordings are (in the latest years anyway) in dxd. I buy them in dxd as well as in dsd 256 but I prefer the former with the GG (in upsampling to dsd 256 mode).
He has some gear settling in, auditions to complete. Once the dust settles, I'm sure we'll make a date.
I can't say I'm a big Louie fan, I need to really hear how well implemented dsd copes w/challenging material like big orchestral eg Scheherazade, Holst, smaller Bartok string quartet, Bach organ/harpsichord, brickwalled rock/pop, and stuff from my era ie classic quartet/quintet 60s Miles and Coltrane, 60s Blue Note, and 70s Return To Forever, Mahavishnu, electric Miles, King Crimson, Magma etc, and some current day ambient/dub/electronic etc.
For me, I'm not pulled in by a'phile recordings at all eg native 128/256 dsd on specialist labels, and specialist analog 15ips tape catalog, and so demos of "pristine" a'phile analog and digital leave me somewhat cold.
Interesting you mention the Oistrakh - about a decade ago I was at the home of a serious vinyl collector, as part of a group listen, and one of those recordings was a highlight of the listening. Trouble was, the material earlier ranged from downright unpleasantly distorted, to mediocre; and later recordings were just OK, or a bit bland. I also heard his gear pulled together for a demo at a meeting, and the quality was pretty dreadful ...
IOW, analogue can be all over the place - I wouldn't be able to tolerate the huge swings in the presentation that seem to be part and parcel of this medium.
Thanks for the heads up Rudolph. I don't know them but will check them out. What is a great album that will get me into their sound?
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