Lampizator Golden Gate 3 Impressions

[Thundersnow]

Thank you for your review. Sorry I’m late to the party but your review was exactly I was hoping to learn about GG3. I got my eyes on GG for a while. BTW, gorgeous setup. If I may ask, what rack system you’re using? With constant changes in gear, I really like the modular racks that can be modified on the fly.

Heya,

I am moving into a new place soon and will be buying these ones. Been obsessed with carbon lately:

Bassocontinuo – Handmade in Italy – Fine Audio Racks | Revolution X

bassocontinuo.biz

 

[zebo67]

Heya,

I am moving into a new place soon and will be buying these ones. Been obsessed with carbon lately:

Bassocontinuo – Handmade in Italy – Fine Audio Racks | Revolution X

bassocontinuo.biz

Thank you….I am sold on Revolution-X series….WOW! Carbon shelves with Racing Black (lead+bronze).

 

[Blake]

FYI, I am selling a Golden Gate 2 (I recently bought a Pacific 2) and will be posting an ad for it shortly, still under warranty. PM if you have interest.

 

[christoph]

Barbie Lampi - LOL

View attachment 113820

His and her's

 

[christoph]

FYI, I am selling a Golden Gate 2 (I recently bought a Pacific 2) and will be posting an ad for it shortly, still under warranty. PM if you have interest.

Congrats on the PAC 2

 

[zebo67]

FYI, I am selling a Golden Gate 2 (I recently bought a Pacific 2) and will be posting an ad for it shortly, still under warranty. PM if you have interest.

Blake, please let me know the details or when the ad goes live. Thank you!

 

[Blake]

@zebo67 PM sent.

 

[Carlsbad]

@Thundersnow Thanks or your great writeup. I read this post in November before I ordered my GG3. I recieved it a bit over a week ago and have refraimed from writing reviews until I listened more. However, I just went back and re-read your reveiw. There are a lot of sentences in there that ring very true with me.

Frequently the music grabs my attention and I have to look up from my computer and say wow. Big, open, airy and totally smooth and well defined. Everything sounds more like I would expect it to sound. more real.

While waiting on the GG3 I found a good deal on a nice pair of EML 300b's through a friend. So I put them in right away and they were great. I didn't realize how great until I got a pair of Sophia PX25s and found them very inferior. I haven't even tried the EH 300bs that came with it. I keep looking at other tubes but am reluctant to pull the trigger thinking it will be hard to beat this pair of EMLs...I am very happy that I went with the DHT based DAC.

I have the KR 5U4G rectifier which seems pretty good but I bought a KenRad that was highly recommended by another forum member and am looking at a few others.

Thanks for the useful words and would love to hear reports of other tubes you find to excel.

Jerry

 

[christoph]

@Thundersnow Thanks or your great writeup. I read this post in November before I ordered my GG3. I recieved it a bit over a week ago and have refraimed from writing reviews until I listened more. However, I just went back and re-read your reveiw. There are a lot of sentences in there that ring very true with me.

Frequently the music grabs my attention and I have to look up from my computer and say wow. Big, open, airy and totally smooth and well defined. Everything sounds more like I would expect it to sound. more real.

While waiting on the GG3 I found a good deal on a nice pair of EML 300b's through a friend. So I put them in right away and they were great. I didn't realize how great until I got a pair of Sophia PX25s and found them very inferior. I haven't even tried the EH 300bs that came with it. I keep looking at other tubes but am reluctant to pull the trigger thinking it will be hard to beat this pair of EMLs...I am very happy that I went with the DHT based DAC.

I have the KR 5U4G rectifier which seems pretty good but I bought a KenRad that was highly recommended by another forum member and am looking at a few others.

Thanks for the useful words and would love to hear reports of other tubes you find to excel.

Jerry

Congrats on your new GG3

I'm not a big fan of 300b tubes in Lampi DACs and - from current production - much prefer KR 242 and KR PX25.
Please give those a try.

If you have mutual Lampi fans close to you, maybe they can visit you and bring along some more tubes to try and compare.

I always vastly enjoy such events and learn a LOT, hearing those different tubes in direct comparison in my system.

 

[Carlsbad]

I got a pair of KR PX25s and they sound great. I also got a pair of O1As that sound great but aren't perfectly balanced (confirmed that one tests higher than the other). I've yet to A/B with the 300b EMLs yet.

@Thundersnow which O1a tubes are you using?

thanks,
Jerry

 

[christoph]

I got a pair of KR PX25s and they sound great. I also got a pair of O1As that sound great but aren't perfectly balanced (confirmed that one tests higher than the other). I've yet to A/B with the 300b EMLs yet.

@Thundersnow which O1a tubes are you using?

thanks,
Jerry

I really like the KR PX25.
Are your PX25 regular Globes or the RK version?

 

[Carlsbad]

I have the regular globes.

 

[christoph]

I have the regular globes.

Very nice tubes for a Lampi DAC

 

[Carlsbad]

Very nice tubes for a Lampi DAC

Indeed "Cool" as in the tubes run very cool to the touch. i may be one of the few that touches my tubes routinely so that may explain why I never see anyone posting about it. The Rectifer is a little cooler than an amp rectifier, but still hot to touch. The output tubes are extremely cool. The low power tubes like 01A, are so cool I can leave my hand on them when they are running. I've had showers hotter. Higher power tubes like PX25 and 300B are a little bit too hot to leave your hand on, I'd say about 60 C. I guess this is normal for a Lamizator and explains the tremendous tube life.

Jerry

 

[christoph]

Indeed "Cool" as in the tubes run very cool to the touch. i may be one of the few that touches my tubes routinely so that may explain why I never see anyone posting about it. The Rectifer is a little cooler than an amp rectifier, but still hot to touch. The output tubes are extremely cool. The low power tubes like 01A, are so cool I can leave my hand on them when they are running. I've had showers hotter. Higher power tubes like PX25 and 300B are a little bit too hot to leave your hand on, I'd say about 60 C. I guess this is normal for a Lamizator and explains the tremendous tube life.

Jerry

And how do you like the KR PX25 Globes sonically?
Still one of my favorite Lampi tubes.

 

[Carlsbad]

So the GG3 overall is detailed spacious, engaging and a great 3d stoundstage. No weaknesses in any frequency range. I've only listened to one sub-excellent set of tubes and that was the Sophia PX25 mesh. Listening to the KR PX25 for a day, they may be my favorite but I haven't yet swapped back to the 01A or the EML 300Bs. Likely the 300Bs have been surpassed. they were the furst tubes I used in this DAC so they got credit for all the great listening sessions I had the first week. I do wish the was at least a tiny glow coming from the PX25s. I'm not used to tubes being totally dark.

PS so I didn't really answer the question. I'm getting used to the DAC, which is much different than my Chord DAVE, and figuring out which changes are the tubes and which are the architecture. I'll have better discussion of the tubes later...

PPS Listening as I type this I just looked up to see if the xylophone was actually in my listening room as it made its grand entrance stage left.

Thanks for your posts and help.
Jerry

 

[highstream]

What kind of power supply does the GG2/3 have? Lukasz has mentioned that the SET design has some inherent hum. Where does that come from?

 

[christoph]

What kind of power supply does the GG2/3 have? Lukasz has mentioned that the SET design has some inherent hum. Where does that come from?

I never had the slightest hum on any of my many (10!) Lampi DACs

Also all my SET Lampi DACs (GG1.9, PAC1 and now PAC2) are/were dead silent

 

[Carlsbad]

I don't have as much experience with Lampi as @christoph but my GG3 SE VC is totally quiet with a variety of tubes.

Jerry

 

[highstream]

In his discussion of recent product tech developments, Lukasz mentioned hum (or was it noise?) as a standard characteristic and limitation of SET designs. Perhaps separate from that, a year ago I added a Wyred power supply in front of a PS Audio Regenerator to cut down on DC caused hum.

What led to my question is that the use of a RCA 280 Globe recti has substantially increased hum at lower volume setting. I’m using an adapter made for a Fivre 5Z3 with it because that was handy, but it made me wonder if there might be some kind of voltage/adapter mismatch? The tube came used but still testing good. The other tubes are Philips PT-14.