Lampizator Valve / Tube Rolling Review Thread

[christoph]

Hi Audioquattr

What a nice room Christoph!
How big is this room? Would think at least 6m wide?

Thank you very much for your comment on the room.
We really do love and appreciate that room

The room is really huge.
It is around 6m wide where you see it in the picture, but it is all open floor plan with openings to the sides and downwards, while the room height is between 4.5 and 6 meters. The room length is around 10 meters.
This enormous volume is rather challenging for the bass because it is hard to fill
On the bright side I don't have any problems with annoying bass nodes

 

[christoph]

Can I ask what is the purpose of this nice dissipator? Was it chosen for its mechanical properties?

Francisco, this is the passive cooler from my Lampizator SuperKomputer.
I bought the SuperKomputer like that

 

[heihei]

Great write-up. My RK 5u4g should be arriving any minute now!

 

[audioquattr]

Hi Audioquattr


Thank you very much for your comment on the room.
We really do love and appreciate that room

The room is really huge.
It is around 6m wide where you see it in the picture, but it is all open floor plan with openings to the sides and downwards, while the room height is between 4.5 and 6 meters. The room length is around 10 meters.
This enormous volume is rather challenging for the bass because it is hard to fill
On the bright side I don't have any problems with annoying bass nodes

Thank you for the info Christoph, it is really a wonderful room !

Wow that is a lot of volume than, i can imagane it is hard to fill but having no annoying bass nodes is a biggg plus.
I think because of the big room sizes you can have this big windows with its beautiful view, otherwise you maybe would have to much reflections.
Impressed (Y)

 

[ack]

@microstrip This looks like a Zalman CPU cooler

 

[wisnon]

That's probably the best Lampi valve review conducted on the web so far. Excellent effort all.

Mysteriously, sales of KR PX25 will be seen to rise!

Personally, I wouldn't buy the PX25 for anything else but classical. So its a non-starter in my set up as I don't like it. But this consensus has to be better and a lot more useful than my opinion, especially since these are more recent and indeed standardish production DACs.

I'm still liking the AD1 with a NOS FIVRE 5U4G (better spatially than Chatham masher) and Dueland rather than Jupiter output caps as an unbeatable combination with energetic, high impact music.

i will soon get feedback on the AD1 from the man himself.

 

[Trab]

Great review !
Hope you’ve had fun despite this huge number of rolling

Thought to myself I can give my rectifier evaluations.
During some time in my DHT Lampi (hard modified Lite 7+ bal. with KR PX4) I have tried:
Current production:

• KR 5u4G (short, fat bottle)
• EML 5u4G MESH

NOS tubes:

• GEC Marconi U52 (my has brown base)
• RCA 5u4GB
• GE JAN 5Y3WGTB
• Mullard / Hammond GZ34/5AR4
• Bendix 5R4WGB

I decided to keep most of them Sure, not a discovery.

In fact I’m using GEC Marconi U52 all the time. Each time I roll this tube, it’s no more than 10 minutes and the GEC is back.
It is an overall best performer with the unique organic sound signature. Delicate but dynamic. Extended on both sides.
I would like to recommend you to try this jewel.
This tube is from 1950’s and it’s risky to buy it on ebay. But you can buy from a trusted source like a large tube store.
Just my two cents.

 

[wisnon]

GEC U52 is legendary but expensive for a used tube.

 

[Sablon Audio]

Just to confuse matters further, the type (and value) of output coupling capacitor fitted will influence the choice of rectifier / output tube. My preferred Duelunds are darker and fuller than, say, the more lit up and linear Jupiter copper foils and will likely work better with say Czech glass rather than British or RCA NOS options.

 

[Zero000]

i will soon get feedback on the AD1 from the man himself.

I thought it might inspire some interest.

It's rather more lively than RK 300B, as I indicated. Whether people like that or not is another question, but it works well in my setup especially with electronic music.

 

[wisnon]

Just to confuse matters further, the type (and value) of output coupling capacitor fitted will influence the choice of rectifier / output tube. My preferred Duelunds are darker and fuller than, say, the more lit up and linear Jupiter copper foils and will likely work better with say Czech glass rather than British or RCA NOS options.

I will see if I can scare up those output cap info.

Chris and Golum need to check their spec sheets!

 

[Golum]

I will see if I can scare up those output cap info.

Chris and Golum need to check their spec sheets!

Don't need to - know it by heart . In mine I requested Mundorf Supreme (old type) silver/gold without oil...

 

[wisnon]

What does Chris have?

 

[Golum]

I believe the same as me but i might be wrong...

 

[wisnon]

Yes, The GG1 had the same caps as your GG2 and the Pac had 1uF Lampi Copper cap (650vdc spec)

 

[christoph]

Mundorf Supreme (old type) silver/gold without oil...

Same here

 

[Zero000]

Back on AD1. There is a caveat.

If you thought PX4 and PX25 were microphonic, this is more so. It maybe less so on the AD1 base.

That said I maintain that given a good source, it will sound absolutely brilliant. It doesn't try to make things sound nice like Anniversary 45.

RK is obviously built to try and minimise microphony and is better equipped in that respect than any of the above.

In case anyone actually tried to listen to the stuff in my first post, the version of Physical Fraction I was referring to was this one. The standard version is much tamer.

Try a TIDAL or Quobuz stream rather than this and loud if you like electronic music. This is one track that might sound fantastic on huge Wilson's very loud I indeed.

 

[abeidrov]

Well, the bad news: one of my RK 300B tubes failed yesterday. I've been extremely unlucky with the tubes in the last couple of months, first it was Takatsaki 300B in my amplifier, then Psvane WE 101D in the pre, and now RK. But the good news: I was forced to try basic Psvane 101D, as this is the only set of tubes I currently have apart from 242s, and 242s sound too forward in my system. Anyway, I really like what I hear with 101D, the soundstage is quite big, and everything has more body compared to RK 300B. The bass in particular is better defined. I've really expected flat, boring sound from this tube based on what I've read here, but this is not the case in my system. The recti is Takatsuki.

 

[audioquattr]

Well, the bad news: one of my RK 300B tubes failed yesterday. I've been extremely unlucky with the tubes in the last couple of months, first it was Takatsaki 300B in my amplifier, then Psvane WE 101D in the pre, and now RK. But the good news: I was forced to try basic Psvane 101D, as this is the only set of tubes I currently have apart from 242s, and 242s sound too forward in my system. Anyway, I really like what I hear with 101D, the soundstage is quite big, and everything has more body compared to RK 300B. The bass in particular is better defined. I've really expected flat, boring sound from this tube based on what I've read here, but this is not the case in my system. The recti is Takatsuki.

Be prepared, the other(s) will follow..
I have 3 rk300b failed now.
But enjoy my tak300b’s at the moment.

 

[bonzo75]

Well, the bad news: one of my RK 300B tubes failed yesterday. I've been extremely unlucky with the tubes in the last couple of months, first it was Takatsaki 300B in my amplifier, then Psvane WE 101D in the pre, and now RK. But the good news: I was forced to try basic Psvane 101D, as this is the only set of tubes I currently have apart from 242s, and 242s sound too forward in my system. Anyway, I really like what I hear with 101D, the soundstage is quite big, and everything has more body compared to RK 300B. The bass in particular is better defined. I've really expected flat, boring sound from this tube based on what I've read here, but this is not the case in my system. The recti is Takatsuki.

Interesting, good to know. Can you please tell us what happens to the 101d sound in your system when you change recti?