Lampizator Valve / Tube Rolling Review Thread

[howiebrou]

Mine is SE with RVC and it definitely has that button.
Maybe your last one had it too but you didn't know about such a button and therefore never looked there

No, I looked today at my old pac and there is no button. I searched for it a while back when you guys started talking about it and thought that I must be loosing feeling in my fingers to miss something that obvious. Now with my new pac and knowing where it should be I can confirm there wasn’t one.

 

[christoph]

No, I looked today at my old pac and there is no button. I searched for it a while back when you guys started talking about it and thought that I must be loosing feeling in my fingers to miss something that obvious. Now with my new pac and knowing where it should be I can confirm there wasn’t one.

Thanks for your feedback.
Some more data points.
Your first Non VC unit has the inside gain switch.
The newest Non VC units obviously have the front center bottom button to toggle the gain which is a great evolution and a top feature compared to once set an forget inside gain switch before

 

[howiebrou]

Thanks for your feedback.
Some more data points.
Your first Non VC unit has the inside gain switch.
The newest Non VC units obviously have the front center bottom button to toggle the gain which is a great evolution and a top feature compared to once set an forget inside gain switch before

The front switch is much more convenient than the back switch. The VC is also very convenient. The gain switch inside, no comment!

 

[christoph]

The front switch is much more convenient than the back switch. The VC is also very convenient.

Told you so

 

[Lukasz "Lampizator" Fikus]

I will explain everything. First of all - there is no such thing as standby mode for tubes. Tubes must be fully powered all the time. We can not heat them half way, and the anode current is already smallest it can be in aour DAC because it is not an amplifier.
Disconnecting tubes completely just to run digital makes no sense, because digital will do no good by idling in the background. It will work optimally as soon as tubes are ready (5-10 minutes). Therefore adding any complexity of selective power off makes no sense to me.
The remote controlled DAC has the extra power relay that can be operated by the floor button or remote. The NON-VOLUME DAC doesnt have anything other than mains switch at IES inlet socket.
As far as tube longevity goes, they should be kept on during the listening day, and switched off for the nights and holidays.
As far as power waste goes, each tube consumes around 6 Watts of heating and 2 Watts of Anode supply, the digital section consumes 10 Watts, the volume section consumes circa 1 watt, so the whole DAC SE consumes 10+1+4+12 = 27 Watts, Balanced +4+12 = 43 Watts.
The front off button is not possible because of dual voltage nature of the DAC - the front button means there must be a RELAY to be activated, and the relay can be only 115 OR 230V and the relay can not be dual voltage by nature. We can not control where second hand DACS will be sold later by the users and they may be crossing the "mains voltage" borders, where a mains switch can be very useful - that red one with 115/230 change.

 

[JSA]

Hello everyone [a new kid on the block here ].

Has anyone done a direct comparison of KR242 with KR 242RK? Are there any significant differences in your opinion?

 

[Lukasz "Lampizator" Fikus]

Hello everyone [a new kid on the block here ].

Has anyone done a direct comparison of KR242 with KR 242RK? Are there any significant differences in your opinion?

Hello, as a co-designer of this tube, I can say that the RK triode anode has been coated with zirconium, hence the light grey color. Zirconium makes the tube sound exceptionally natural and warm on vocals etc. The glass is thicker and with different density, so it rings much less and at a much lower frequency. When used as an amplifier tube, this is not important. But in the DAC it becomes a "small signal tube" and everything that helps reduce colorations is important. Finally the glass size and shape helps cooling the tube effectively. In the tube we want to warm the cathode and cool the anode. Resulting tube is a very small but important improvement over the already magnificent original of KR, let alone the Telefunken.

 

[JSA]

Hi Lukasz,
Thanks a lot for a prompt response.
Reason for asking is that it seems to me KR and RK sound a bit different with RK being more refined and less aggressive than KR242.
Not on this thread - however - wanted to say big thank you for adjusting my Wavac MD805m monos to accommodate 805A tubes (without a cap).

 

[Crashem]

I will explain everything. First of all - there is no such thing as standby mode for tubes. Tubes must be fully powered all the time. We can not heat them half way, and the anode current is already smallest it can be in aour DAC because it is not an amplifier.
Disconnecting tubes completely just to run digital makes no sense, because digital will do no good by idling in the background. It will work optimally as soon as tubes are ready (5-10 minutes). Therefore adding any complexity of selective power off makes no sense to me.
The remote controlled DAC has the extra power relay that can be operated by the floor button or remote. The NON-VOLUME DAC doesnt have anything other than mains switch at IES inlet socket.
As far as tube longevity goes, they should be kept on during the listening day, and switched off for the nights and holidays.
As far as power waste goes, each tube consumes around 6 Watts of heating and 2 Watts of Anode supply, the digital section consumes 10 Watts, the volume section consumes circa 1 watt, so the whole DAC SE consumes 10+1+4+12 = 27 Watts, Balanced +4+12 = 43 Watts.
The front off button is not possible because of dual voltage nature of the DAC - the front button means there must be a RELAY to be activated, and the relay can be only 115 OR 230V and the relay can not be dual voltage by nature. We can not control where second hand DACS will be sold later by the users and they may be crossing the "mains voltage" borders, where a mains switch can be very useful - that red one with 115/230 change.

Lukasz,

Happy Holidays!

haha I just want to confirm couple of things.

1) If we use the on/off switch on remote or the on/off switch in the front center bottom (for those pacific with them), there is no wear on the tubes?

2) What is difference from using the above vs. the on/off switch in the back? I know the last used volume settings on individual inputs are lost when using on/off switch at back of pacific vs. not lost when using remote on/off or button bottom/center/front

 

[Zero000]

Hi Lukasz,
Thanks a lot for a prompt response.
Reason for asking is that it seems to me KR and RK sound a bit different with RK being more refined and less aggressive than KR242.
Not on this thread - however - wanted to say big thank you for adjusting my Wavac MD805m monos to accommodate 805A tubes (without a cap).

It sounds calmer because the filament rings less.

IMHO that's a factor that lets non-RK KR and EML tubes down a bit when used in a Lampi. And you can hear it as a kind of fizz in these tubes, I think.

I think there's something very voodoo about tube resonance occuring inside triodes when used in Lampis, because they all resonate to a degree. Just tap them with the gain up high and you will hear the nature of the ring.

Just damping the hell out of the tube doesn't guarantee great sound, though. And indeed the nature of the resonance I am sure can be quite complementary to sound quality, adding excitement, bite and edge on appropriate material, which is why I say it is voodoo.

That said, I still think the Tesla AD1n shows excellent sonic behaviour and very good tap test results beyond certainly the RK KR 300B, as that's the only RK I have owned. AD1n is really tightly made nicely sized triode.

When these triodes get physically large e.g Tesla RD27AS and EML AD1 they have much more of a fight to keep resonance in check versus the signal level because of their size. And indeed tap tests on these tubes don't yield great results. But they look cooler just because they are bigger.

Whatever. Choose your poison

 

[Zero000]

STC 5R4GY. Decided to get this based on Goran and Sfox7076 posts.

Brand spanking NOS. Nicely made. Looks promising. £45.

DAC mods done extra Toroidy in. However the USB interface isn't galvanically isolated and is not using the external clocks I talked about.

I am pretty sure I can get this done by a chap I know at work.

Should get it back in the next few days.

 

[howiebrou]

Quite enjoying this RCA 5R4GY from the 50's.

 

[Sfox7076]

That STC is the Oldway tube. It is FE vs FB for Footscray.

 

[Zero000]

That STC is the Oldway tube. It is FE vs FB for Footscray.

Is there any constructional difference you are aware of?

 

[Zero000]

Quite enjoying this RCA 5R4GY from the 50's.
View attachment 72704

Yeah it's OK I think Not an award winner, though.

 

[Sfox7076]

The getter rings are different and I think the plates are different. I once wrote a ton on the tube, but not sure I remember the differences now.

 

[Zero000]

The getter rings are different and I think the plates are different. I once wrote a ton on the tube, but not sure I remember the differences now.

I won't make any assumptions about your assessment, then. Experience definitely tells me not to. It's not the same tube/valve. But for £45 worth a try.

 

[dminches]

I believe this is the Footscray one.

 

[wisnon]

View attachment 72700View attachment 72701
STC 5R4GY. Decided to get this based on Goran and Sfox7076 posts.

Brand spanking NOS. Nicely made. Looks promising. £45.

DAC mods done extra Toroidy in. However the USB interface isn't galvanically isolated and is not using the external clocks I talked about.

I am pretty sure I can get this done by a chap I know at work.

Should get it back in the next few days.

Is this Oldham or Footscray plant manufactured?

 

[wisnon]

That STC is the Oldway tube. It is FE vs FB for Footscray.

Oops, just saw this. FB is the one to get, right?