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New Lampizator Level 4/ Version 4 DAC in the house

Wonder if any other new owners of this DAC are out there as I find it to be the finest digital playback I have heard to date. This is the first digital front end piece of gear I have owned that has transformed my music.

Ya, other digital gear does this or that better, but this Lampy breaks through to a new level of musical enjoyment. Clear view into the music helping the speakers just disappear. Only 24 hours of break in and the music flows so sweet, intimate and seemingly without boundaries.

Looking under the hood I see an impressive power supply with films caps and several high quality chokes. Point to point silver wired except for the digital and USB boards. This is a three tube player that is tube rectified. One has the option for SS rectification if desired.

Ya, I love this Lampy!
128x128grannyring
wisnon
700 posts
 
ABruce,

I see you are selling your Lampi. What do you replace it with?

Bill,
I too have a modded OR4 but have not used it much. My L4 does NOT have USB, and I have to use converters. I have a Lindemann 24/192 DDC and a iFi ILink with iUSB power and Gemini cable, plus an Ultrafi Aubisque cable. I use the latter mostly with SwissCables digital RCA connector. I need to experiment with the OR4 in January and it will be easier with new equipment stands that allow easier reach behind.

Finally, I exclusively use AIFF, as I am in the Mac world, however, i will convert to Wav and test like what you say. The comparison I have normally seen is Wav vs Flac, not AIFF.
wisnon
700 posts
 
Bill,

I read this back in 2010 and satyed away from Wav:

"First - we must find a good machine for creating files from silver disks. In my case it is my beloved iMac. It rips CD to AIFF with 9x speed - circa 7 minutes.
Second - we must choose file format. The lossless WAV is no good because Mac OS hates it and because iTunes refuses to attach CD covers to WAV files.
FLAC was rejected because MAC does not support it (yet).
The file which works with Mac, with Windows, with Squeezeboz and with Squeezecenter too is AIFF - a lossless Mac format, a good compromise."
ericfarrell85
1 posts
 
Granny, that's terrific information about the offramp and the first report I've seen of a Lampizator user running though a top-notch converter. I have a Lampi 4.5 demo here (waiting for my unit to arrive, thanks Fred!) and running the offramp as you are, only with an offramp 5 via BNC. The sound is something else, far heftier and more solid than the PWD MKII + Offramp (which is no slouch). Eventually I'll be running my Lampi via i2s + Offramp, which from the PWD and Audio GD M7 bettered SPDIF by a margin. I'm also using an Aqvox USB PSU to the offramp, which cuts off the 5V from the USB port. I cannot say for certain that this makes a big difference.
agear
1,362 posts
 
Bill, that's great news and not surprising. Steve makes great and efficacious stuff. That is one of the reasons why I have argued for the use of a pure, digital transport that includes signal reclocking. A lot of people (including you!) have argued that their modded Mac minis were sufficient. They are not. This is one reason why Mr. Anderson is threatening to leave the fold. He made the mistake of selling his Lampi transport!
grannyring's avatar
grannyring OP
6,508 posts
 
I also have a Apple Mini and yes WAV is an issue in terms of CD covers and meta data, but it sounds soooooo much better that I don't care. Must be a way to work around it, but I don't know of it right now. In terms of sound, WAV kills AIFF!
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