I hope it's all right to post this here.   Since depositing on a BHSE about a year ago, I have picked up both a used SS stat amp and a used KGBH (non-SE) tube amp.  I'm quite happy using them with my 009s, and no longer feel compelled to wait for the BHSE.  Somehow, I don't really want to try...

jjcha - I'm glad to have been such a positive influence!

That certainly is one argument in favor of a 2 box solution. The North American distributor suggested that, in his opinion, he nevertheless preferred losing an extra set of interconnects.

Thank you rudi0504! To my ears, and given my tastes in music, I would have to agree.

  Checking the 'gon at work every hour may not make the boss happy, but it can be very effective. 

Thanks, ricksome!   Indeed it is large (a 1/4" shy of 20" deep, not including the volume knob, 17 and 1/4" wide).  There is a two-box solution for folks who can't accommodate the depth. 

A couple of additional, perhaps random, thoughts.   The unusual company/product name, Lampizator, is principally derived from the Polish word for vacuum tube ("lamp").   Lampizator is represented by a North American distributor in New York state.  Because I want to avoid sounding like a...

What an outstanding compendium of information about our beloved Lampizator, Crashem!  I am so grateful that you took the lead on this . . . I wouldn't have been able to have done it the justice you have.

I just voted (for June 1).  I'm not certain if I'll be able to head over from Cowtown, but if I'm able to, the 1st is the best option for me.

  Good points all, Crashem.  You're right, everything I've read about Lampizator's owner suggests that he has prodigious technical knowledge.

I wouldn't exactly refer to the Exasound e20 as settling!  My goodness, from what I've read, it's an amazing DAC in its own right (and, before discovering the Lampi, it was going to have been my choice).

On that same general point you raise, one does get the definite impression that the philosophy of the founder of Lampizator, Lukasz Fikus, is to place relatively less emphasis on quantitative measures of performance and substantially more emphasis on how the equipment sounds (not that I'm...

musicheaven - I appreciate the reply, but I've made my decisions and received my purchases, as you can read about here:   http://www.head-fi.org/t/714377/lampizator-5b-kgbh-sr-009

  Not exactly the precise comparison you were looking for, but the reviewer of the Lampi DSD-only DAC (in Stereomojo) believes the Lampi displaces the previous "best of the best" (which, in his opinion, was the Playback Designs MPS-5). Other DACs he has tested?  MSB Diamond, dCS Scarlatti, and...

Just in case you might be interested, and can't find the reviews I referred to earlier in the thread, here they are:   http://www.stereomojo.com/Lampizator%20Level%204%20DAC%20Review.htm/LampizatorLevel4DAC.htm    More recently, that same website reviewed Lampizator's DSD-only DAC:    ...

I was wrong about the depth of the 5B.  Excluding the front knob, it's a touch under 19 and 3/4 inches.  Width is 17 and 1/4, height just a smidgeon over 5".  Not exactly lithe but, as Crashem indicated, there's a lot that has to be packed inside when you move from 2 boxes to 1. 

Here are some pictures, as earlier requested by TheAttorney.        

  As mentioned earlier, this L5 was owned by the Lampizator North American importer.  He had rolled quite a few tubes, and finally decided that his favorites were metal base tung sol 6x5 rectifiers and Phillips SQ (special quality) Ecc182 output tubes.

Yes, my reference to the psvanes came straight from the BHSE thread.   I first became interested in the Lampi from the guy that sold me the KGBH.  We were talking on the phone and he began to describe his DAC journey, which included some really high-end units (in the 10K+ range).  Then, on a...

I am spending my first night with all the parts of the new rig in place, with everything functioning properly.  It took most of the day to sort out some problems, which eventually proved to be an issue with Audirvana Plus (in all fairness, it's likely operator error).   The Lampizator is a 4th...

I'd love to come, but I'll be out of town. You can see from my sig below that my rig is complete.

  icebear - any observations about the Lampizator specifically?

I'm curious about the Lampizator Level 7 DAC, if someone could post impressions.

I appreciate the links to the various companies that appear to have the 009 in stock (or nearly so).  Unless one comes up F/S by tomorrow night, I've pretty much decided to pull the trigger Monday morning.  I had really intended to simply wait 4+ months for Justin to receive his allotment, but I...

Actually, I appreciate your advice very much.  My heart tells me to hold out for the 009s, which I hope to do.  It'll just be tough having all the other components in the house and have no way to listen to them.