2. digital
  3. 190300-120267

Holo May KTE vs. Lampizator Atlantic 3 TRP vs. Mola Mola Tambaqui

I've had months of ear time with all 3 of these extraordinary DACs. Holo and Lampi I own, and Mola Mola was borrowed from a friend. My thoughts:

All 3 of these DACs amazed me in different ways, and are a serious step up from the Denafrips and Oppo DACs I previously had in my systems.

Mola Mola Tambaqui - This is the most detailed DAC of the 3. It has a way of being hyper-detailed without a trace of sibilance. It opened my eyes to how a DAC can drastically improve the 3D holographic nature of sound. Ultimately though, I did find long listening sessions fatiguing. This may have been a result of a the mediocre streaming setup I was running at the time (cheap Intel NUC running Roon).

Holo May KTE - I fell in love with this component within minutes of plugging it in. It was preowned and already broken in. I can crank the volume without being bothered by high frequencies. The weighty bottom end made it seem like I upgraded my amplifiers, my guess is this was a result of the overbuilt monster of an external power supply. Most importantly, the feel of the music and the natural tones got me so much closer to the music, in the same way vinyl does for me. This thing is a tank and has given me trouble free operation nearly all year, staying powered up 24/7. Immense value with this DAC, highly recommended.

Lampizator Atlantic 3 TRP - After unsuccessfully trying to buy this DAC on the used market, I turned to Lampizator NA to purchase new. It was a good experience and Rob ensured everything went smoothly and answered my technical questions. When I received the unit and got it running, the sound was atrocious, the worst component I've ever tested, cheese grater to the ear drums bad. I kept it powered up for weeks and it slowly got better. But still something was missing. I rolled the stock tubes with some Siemens F2As I purchased from a former Atlantic owner (he moved to Poseidon). Instantly the soundstage got huge and lush and I was hooked. This took it to a new level of analog-like sound. I often would forget I was listening to digital, I was just listening and enjoying. Later I tried Tesla EL51 tubes and added a Sophia Electric 274B Aqua II rectifier. These aren't quite as magic in the mids as the Siemens, but they improve bass impact and have beautiful sparkly highs. 

In conclusion, the Lampi wins overall due to it's realistic analog sound and holographic nature. The Holo May gets pretty close but in subtle ways reveals a small amount of digital etch, very subtle. The Lampi comes with a lot of trial and error however, finding the right tubes that work for you, with the correct adapters. The unit I ordered is balanced and has volume control. The volume control is okay, but has caused issues feeding an external preamp, which I'm still trying to sort out. If I could go back I would forgo the volume control, and would save money getting a single-ended unit instead of balanced. Single-ended uses 2 output tubes, balanced uses 4.

Getting a proper streamer (Innuos) has made drastic improvements to my system as well. I now believe a great streamer is just as important as a great DAC.

audio_bidder
audio_bidder OP
24 posts
 

@audioman58 a friend of mine had Mola Mola and T+A, he ended up selling the T+A. To each his own.

@gregjacob Siemens F2A goes in the output section, you would need 2 of them, I'm running 4 because I have a balanced unit (they're super expensive in a quad). You'll also need F2A to EL34 adapters. 

@carlsbad2 I had the same suspicion that Innuos made Roon sound bad intentionally, but that's speculation. The Sense app sounds really good but the UI is not stellar, I'd much prefer Roon UI. So Grimm and LDMS are on my short list.

@bh123 Baltic 3 is beloved by many. Rob said Atlantic was a notch better so I splurged. The best value would likely be Baltic plus great tubes.

@mesonto Can't go wrong with Holo May. It's a workhorse and sounds so warm and full. No plans on selling.

rick_n's avatar
rick_n
208 posts
 

Great post & thanks for sharing. Cheers

audioman58's avatar
audioman58
4,142 posts
 

Audio_bidder you are talking less then 2% 98% of people and I know of 8 in several states that own the T+A 200 dac  not counting my brother and there is so many +++  the holomay  KTE is a good dac just not as good we hav3 done direct comparisons with that one , even chord Dave  chord  is a bit better detailed 

is very analytical  balance is key having heard pretty much most everything out there the T+A 200 can compete with Anything at 2x it’s price .

check out the you tube reviews and  several dealers will give you  a 14 day audition lyou have nothing to loose and everything to gain .  And Lampi very warm but not 

even close in low level detail that was comparing with a more expensive golden gate . No dac is perfect for everyone but just check it out yourself in your system 

everyone on Audiogon gives their opinion .lucky for myself I travel to many multi state audio clubs and get togethers . Which gives me a big edge being semi retired I have the time and having owned a audio store for a decade until 2010 

I know audio very well ,synergy is most important more so then $$ monies. And if streaming a Good LPS power supply is essential ,since digital noise travels house to house and is not grounded.  Ethernet cables , quality of Ethernet hum and power cords all come into play ,like a good turntable ,it cost $1000s not including your dac just to eliminate weak links in your digital chain.

 

carlsbad2's avatar
carlsbad2
1,602 posts
 

@audio_bidder Grimm is a great choice and there are MU1's for sale as people upgrade to the MU2.  The Grimm only works with Roon so it is built to sound good with roon.  It has a built in core so that simplifies your system.

kennyc
1,472 posts
 

@audio_bidder - great reviews, thanks for sharing.

My DAC journey started with Denafrips Terminator. I have a very revealing analog chain and wanted a great enough DAC. Top DACs were way over my budget: Wadax, Lampi, TotalDac, MSB, APL, etc. Avoided DCS which seemed detailed but light in musical. On the affordable side I looked at the Lampi Baltic4 and the T+A200 and the took a hard look at Lampi GG3, but this time around I was looking for neutral/linear but not analytical.  I’m a big fan of Lampi Lukasz who strives to give affordable high-end products like the Baltic and Poseidon, but Lampi is often described as “holographic” which seems pleasingly colored.  Likely someday I’ll get a Lampi.

I finally was targeting the Playback Designs Dream DAC which was a long term stretch, then like many other manufacturers raised their price.

So when the Linn DSM/2 with Organik DAC upgrade review here and here , I purchased it used from a dealer who also said it was a sonic bargain.

 

More to discover