Lampucera DAC opinions?

[jphoward]

Has anyone tried the Lampucera DAC? There's a lot of really positive reviews around, and there's a couple of kits of various qualities on EBay. I'm looking to add a DAC to my SCHA, and am wondering if this is a good option. If not, can anyone suggest a DAC that would be a good choice?

[jphoward]

Well I'll answer my own question shortly. I just bought this and this - not quite the unit I originally asked about, but similar. I'll let you all know how it sounds with my SCHA.

[jphoward]

I'm a bit surprised that a search for 'LAMPIZATOR' on the forums turns up no hits. Has anyone here tried the mods suggested at this site, or have any thoughts on the theory behind them? For those that haven't seen this before, the gist is that by replacing much of the circuitary in a DAC with a single tube, and using good Cirrus Logic chips, you can get really good results for very little money (he describes the approach as 'an anode follower with dynamic active load'.

I don't have the expertise to see whether this is complete BS or not, but the approach seems well researched and some threads on diyaudio seem to back it up...

[Deleted]

Mar 25, 2009 5:23:16 GMT jphoward said:

I'm a bit surprised that a search for 'LAMPIZATOR' on the forums turns up no hits. Has anyone here tried the mods suggested at this site, or have any thoughts on the theory behind them? For those that haven't seen this before, the gist is that by replacing much of the circuitary in a DAC with a single tube, and using good Cirrus Logic chips, you can get really good results for very little money (he describes the approach as 'an anode follower with dynamic active load'.

I don't have the expertise to see whether this is complete BS or not, but the approach seems well researched and some threads on diyaudio seem to back it up...

Jeremy
He lost me straight away, as soon as I read this opening bullshit : "The simplistic conclusion is that silicon solid state technology does something really bad to the tiny fragile electrical signal representing the musical recording. This is true for amplifiers (transistor versus tube) and also microphone preamps, phono stages for turntables, line-preamps, and YES - CD"
W.A.L.O.C.
Alex



(What A Load Of Crap.)

[jphoward]

Yes I agree that what he writes sounds like complete BS - it's only the good reviews I've read around the place that got me interested, since it sounds like the results are better than the prose!

[Deleted]

Jeremy
Adding a valve there would only be done by rabid valve lovers, or people who are easily swayed by ravings like the previous. The simple facts are that the majority of valve based gear is struggling to achieve -100dB signal to noise. The dynamic range will also be many decibels below what a good solid state stage is capable of. Added to that is the inevitable higher levels of distortion, which will add warmth, as it is predominately even order distortion. If valves are so good, why aren't talented engineers like Graham Slee still using them ?
It's not due to cost, either. An output stage based around someting like the Nelson Pass B1 jfet buffer stage would be a far better proposition.
Alex

[XTRProf]

Well, to put it into better perspective, there are also good valve designers like VTL and Manley (both actually come from the same "father"), Audio Research and EAR to name a few as well as those good hybrid designers like Moscode, Altavista Audio (formerly Counterpoint), Unison Research, the Greek Ysilon, again to name a few. In fact, I had the chance to speak to the Ysilon designer (Sorry, forgotten his Greek name) during last year F1 day in Singapore and he said he designs all format ie SS, tube and hybrid when I asked him why his amp is hybrid. However, the essence of all designs is still the final sound and not so much on technical. To get a good idea of the mentality of all those great designers be it SS, Tube or Hybrid, have a biography of VTL here:


www.stereophile.com/features/607vtlfeat/index.html


In fact, the trend for the younger generation is towards tube again by the massive invasion of those Ipod compatible docks like Fat Boy, etc, which have tube amplification incorporated into the docks.

Oh, btw, Graham Slee is only one of the products in the market that can sound good to some. It's not the ONE that trashes all in the market. There are many that can trash the Graham Slee in a head to head showdown. Give that a try and see what I mean. I shall not give product names as that will affect the products. I think I have given some hints here. I'm sure Graham knows this as well at the back of his mind. Btw, I'm not against Graham Slee products but reporting the truth and nothing but the truth.

[Deleted]

From Digital Lifestyles :
Much as we love valve amps, we have to say that we’re not convinced punters are going to be able to tell the difference when the source is a humble iPod playing back MP3 files - most of which will probably be recorded at a fairly low sampling rate.

As many a beard stroking hi-fi hugger will tell you, you’ll only get real hi-fi when you’re using the best source components available, and we certainly wouldn’t put an iPod up there with Linn Sondek turntables and Cyrus CD players.

If you’re looking for real hi-fi, we’d couldn’t recommend an iPod/iBlueTube as a cost effective option, but if you’re just after sommething that looks as cool as feck and is sure to draw admiring sighs of admiration, the iBlueTube could be for you.

XTRProf
BTW, Which Graham Slee products have you personally auditioned ?

[XTRProf]

Mar 27, 2009 3:57:13 GMT @sandyk said:

XTRProf
BTW, Which Graham Slee products have you personally auditioned ?

Of course, vinyl products like the Graham Slee Elevator and Gold Era V combo. I will not name the rest that are better than this combo as it will affect Graham. Just to get an idea of what I meant with more people listening to the competition, that Graham combo had been downgraded from class A to class B in Stereophile. My friend who had owned them before 1.5 years ago, and before the class downgrade, had already move on to something much better.

[Deleted]

Mar 27, 2009 4:09:56 GMT XTRProf said:

Mar 27, 2009 3:57:13 GMT @sandyk said:

XTRProf
BTW, Which Graham Slee products have you personally auditioned ?

Of course, vinyl products like the Graham Slee Elevator and Gold Era V combo. I will not name the rest that are better than this combo as it will affect Graham. Just to get an idea of what I meant with more people listening to the competition, that Graham combo had been downgraded from class A to class B in Stereophile. My friend who had owned them before 1.5 years ago, and before the class downgrade, had already move on to something much better.

XTRProf
You would be affecting Graham far more by making such statements which are purely subjective claims, without people being able to confirm those claims for themselves. For example, you haven't even mentioned if they are in the same price bracket.
I suggest that you either "Put Up, OR Shut Up !"
TBH, I have very little respect for the majority of audio reviewers. These are the same people who wax lyrical about basic MF products, which many people have had to extensively modify, in order to even come close to meeting those original claims.

Sandyk
P.S.
Yes, I am pissed off ! This morning I read a pile of BS from MF about the performance of the V-DAC.
Such utter garbage as :"The V-DAC is a sensational state of- the- art DAC. By any measurement it's performance is way beyond so-called state-of-the-art competition..............In fact overall the technical performance of the V-DAC is probably about the best in the world regardless of price."

[XTRProf]

Mar 27, 2009 4:42:32 GMT @sandyk said:

Mar 27, 2009 4:09:56 GMT XTRProf said:

Of course, vinyl products like the Graham Slee Elevator and Gold Era V combo. I will not name the rest that are better than this combo as it will affect Graham. Just to get an idea of what I meant with more people listening to the competition, that Graham combo had been downgraded from class A to class B in Stereophile. My friend who had owned them before 1.5 years ago, and before the class downgrade, had already move on to something much better.

XTRProf
You would be affecting Graham far more by making such statements which are purely subjective claims, without people being able to confirm those claims for themselves. For example, you haven't even mentioned if they are in the same price bracket.
I suggest that you either "Put Up, OR Shut Up !"
TBH, I have very little respect for the majority of audio reviewers. These are the same people who wax lyrical about basic MF products, which many people have had to extensively modify, in order to even come close to meeting those original claims.

Sandyk
P.S.
Yes, I am pissed off ! This morning I read a pile of BS from MF about the performance of the V-DAC.
Such utter garbage as :"The V-DAC is a sensational state of- the- art DAC. By any measurement it's performance is way beyond so-called state-of-the-art competition..............In fact overall the technical performance of the V-DAC is probably about the best in the world regardless of price."

Oh, you be surpised some of them are even much less than what the Graham Slee combo is. Like I had said and says again here, I had ONLY given SOME hints. I hope this clarifies to all and don't keep the rest in suspension. Anyway, it's my friend's money put in it and he changed it just like that, yeah, the Graham Slee combo. Is that good enough qualification? Also, why do Stereophile downgrade it to class B after having put it up as class A before?

About the V-Dac. I'm sure it measures objectively and technically very well. Like what engineers like to see to describe as "SOTA". But when it comes to sonic, well, ................. the subjective doesn't show and that's why people are changing and moding the components like hell. If it measures well, why change?

So as a reciprocal, you also better "Put Up, OR Shut Up !"

[Deleted]

XTRProf
I will make it plainer. You have posted less than favourable comments about some of Graham Slee's product range. Please post the names of the products that you believe are better, in order to permit fair comparisons, or withdraw your comments.
SandyK

[Deleted]

Miguel
Of course this discussion can never be resolved. ;D
However, I take exception to Graham's products being dismissed as 2nd tier, when the person who says that, is unwilling to let other people, AND Graham, know against which products they have been compared with.This is grossly unfair to GSP. It also robs members of the opportunity to make an informed decision about which product they should purchase,AND it denies Graham the opportunity to evaluate his designs against those that are claimed to be better.
BTW, I also know that ALL Graham's designs have been recently reassesed by Graham, and a small change in design philosophy implemented, which has lifted the subjective performance of Graham's designs to an even higher level.
Alex

[leo]

Mar 27, 2009 4:09:56 GMT XTRProf said:

Mar 27, 2009 3:57:13 GMT @sandyk said:

XTRProf
BTW, Which Graham Slee products have you personally auditioned ?

Of course, vinyl products like the Graham Slee Elevator and Gold Era V combo. I will not name the rest that are better than this combo as it will affect Graham. Just to get an idea of what I meant with more people listening to the competition, that Graham combo had been downgraded from class A to class B in Stereophile. My friend who had owned them before 1.5 years ago, and before the class downgrade, had already move on to something much better.

I'm thinking of saving for a vinyl front end soon ,Such posts is not very useful, at least tell us the other products which was considered much better

I've heard a lot of phono stages varying in price including one of Grahams , Revelation I think, sounded fantastic imo

[Deleted]

More fair minded members may find the attached link of interest.
I doubt that there would be too many designers that go to all the trouble that Graham goes to in the pre manufacturing stage.
Alex

www.gspaudio.co.uk:80/teach-ins/high-frequency-stability.htm

[jphoward]

Mar 24, 2009 8:22:01 GMT jphoward said:

Well I'll answer my own question shortly. I just bought this and this - not quite the unit I originally asked about, but similar. I'll let you all know how it sounds with my SCHA.

...and it arrives... All in working order, including toroidal transformer and IEC socket pre-wired.

I've only been listening for 2 hours, so it's a bit early to judge, but initial reactions are that it's a rather 'soft' sound, which I'm not too fond of. However, I've ordered some LM4562's to replace the opamps, and also emailed the vendor to ask for advice on brightening the sound. (The are some undocumented switches on the DAC chip, which may have something to do with it.)

There's some good reports, and suggestions, regarding this DAC board here: wduk.worldomain.net/forum/showthread.php?p=57732

[jphoward]

I popped out the NE5532AN's that were in the DAC and replaced them with the original opamps that came with the SCHA, and that brightened up the sound somewhat. I should have some LM4562HA's by Monday to test too.

[Deleted]

Apr 1, 2009 0:20:30 GMT mrarroyo said:

Mar 27, 2009 22:56:30 GMT @sandyk said:

... BTW, I also know that ALL Graham's designs have been recently reassesed by Graham, and a small change in design philosophy implemented, which has lifted the subjective performance of Graham's designs to an even higher level.
Alex

Yes, Grahamhas reassesed his products. Since at the moment I am only interested in headphone amps I know he has changed both the Novo and the Solo. I have ordered a board kit for the Novo and hope to not mess it up. I will post pics of the build and then after burning it in will compare w/ one of the Novo's I have (Beta Novo w/ a set of mods I did as per Graham's instructions). ;D

Miguel
I look forward to seeing your photos.
Alex
P.S.
Don't worry too much about it bursting into flames, just keep a fire extinguisher handy, and keep it well away from curtains !