[Bonesy Jonesy]

  That would be the ultimate wouldn't it.
 
Do you have the Blue Hawaii?

Hi deuter.  Yes I do. Awesome headphone amp. 

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

That's my current favorite combo. GG to BHSE to SR009. Use the tubes to change the sound a bit based on music.

I am currently balanced all the way through but don't see why you couldn't go SE.

Thank you Crashem.   Certainly food for thought.  
 
I would be balanced all the way through too as I am a big fan of balanced hifi systems vs SE.

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

 
You thinking of moving DACs Bonesy? I have watched the Lampizator gear advances for some time and met Lukatz twice at shows. it is an interesting company and has some parallels with Audio Note and Zanden being tubed DACs and (originally) NOS. I would hazard a guess and say the Big 7 SE or GG would be the one to go for.
 
A tubed DAC can do something special, it certainly seems to align with my personal taste anyway. I would contact Lukatz and get a home demo, he has this facility in the UK.
 
The only extra thing to consider IMO would be the ongoing cost of the big DHT tubes. The Balanced versions have 4 output tubes instead of 2. I imagine they are not driven hard though so you may get 2 years+ out of a set?
 
There is a fan boy thread over at whatsbestforum and computeraudiophile. It seems folk who go Lampi stay with the brand which is a good sign. Lukatz offers 5 year warranty as well! HC slag them off something rotten, but don't take any notice of that. They won't have heard the recent units and the build quality now is first rate. The early units were point to point spaghetti but it didn't market so well, so he went PCB.

Hi astrostar59,
Thank you for your reply.   Much appreciated.
 
Yes looking at the Lampizator Big 7 SE or GG.   Would love to hear a tube DAC to hear the difference with my current Chord Blu CD Transporter and Chord QBD76 DAC.  
 
Been reading a lot of reviews on various hifi websites (including whatsbestforum) of a number of hi-end DAC's i.e. TotalDac, Lampizator and Nagra HD.  They all seem to be very good companies and products with very good reviews from quite a lot of happy customers.   
 
I need to hear them with my BHSE and 009's and compare with my current source (CD upsampled to 176kHz and ripped redbook 44kHz music files via Audivana off my Macbook Pro Retina) and to see if the extra finance (a lot of extra money required) is justifiable and worth it for these other hi-end DAC's (plus the additional cost for the requirement to have DSD files to get the best out of some of the DAC's with new software and most probably a streamer or dedicated PC for playing hi-res music files).

 

[astrostar59]

 

 
You thinking of moving DACs Bonesy? I have watched the Lampizator gear advances for some time and met Lukatz twice at shows. it is an interesting company and has some parallels with Audio Note and Zanden being tubed DACs and (originally) NOS. I would hazard a guess and say the Big 7 SE or GG would be the one to go for.
 
A tubed DAC can do something special, it certainly seems to align with my personal taste anyway. I would contact Lukatz and get a home demo, he has this facility in the UK.
 
The only extra thing to consider IMO would be the ongoing cost of the big DHT tubes. The Balanced versions have 4 output tubes instead of 2. I imagine they are not driven hard though so you may get 2 years+ out of a set?
 
There is a fan boy thread over at whatsbestforum and computeraudiophile. It seems folk who go Lampi stay with the brand which is a good sign. Lukatz offers 5 year warranty as well! HC slag them off something rotten, but don't take any notice of that. They won't have heard the recent units and the build quality now is first rate. The early units were point to point spaghetti but it didn't market so well, so he went PCB.

Hi astrostar59,
Thank you for your reply.   Much appreciated.
 
Yes looking at the Lampizator Big 7 SE or GG.   Would love to hear a tube DAC to hear the difference with my current Chord Blu CD Transporter and Chord QBD76 DAC.  
 
Been reading a lot of reviews on various hifi websites (including whatsbestforum) of a number of hi-end DAC's i.e. TotalDac, Lampizator and Nagra HD.  They all seem to be very good companies and products with very good reviews from quite a lot of happy customers.   
 
I need to hear them with my BHSE and 009's and compare with my current source (CD upsampled to 176kHz and ripped redbook 44kHz music files via Audivana off my Macbook Pro Retina) and to see if the extra finance (a lot of extra money required) is justifiable and worth it for these other hi-end DAC's (plus the additional cost for the requirement to have DSD files to get the best out of some of the DAC's with new software and most probably a streamer or dedicated PC for playing hi-res music files).

Hi Bonesey
You don't need DSD originals with the GG. Apparently PCM upsampled top DSD sound better than PCM on the DAC. If you want to leverage the system though, you may need to consider your MacBook Pro as a weak point. I hear a big difference between my Macbook Pro and optimised Mac Mini, and possibly a one box server solution would be even better. I recently went AOIP and that was a big jump dropping USB for me.
 
Have you talked to Geoff? He was impressed by the AMR DP-777 at his house and the GG (and my Audio Note DAC 5) is more of that and better. The best way to know is get that demo from Lampizator arranged. 
 
I think what you can expect going from your Chord to a GG (and my Audio Note DAC) just smoothness and warmth and better layering, more realistic sound. The added smoothness and warmth is just what the 009s need TBH. 

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

 
Hi Bonesey
You don't need DSD originals with the GG. Apparently PCM upsampled top DSD sound better than PCM on the DAC. If you want to leverage the system though, you may need to consider your MacBook Pro as a weak point. I hear a big difference between my Macbook Pro and optimised Mac Mini, and possibly a one box server solution would be even better. I recently went AOIP and that was a big jump dropping USB for me.
 
Have you talked to Geoff? He was impressed by the AMR DP-777 at his house and the GG (and my Audio Note DAC 5) is more of that and better. The best way to know is get that demo from Lampizator arranged. 
 
I think what you can expect going from your Chord to a GG (and my Audio Note DAC) just smoothness and warmth and better layering, more realistic sound. The added smoothness and warmth is just what the 009s need TBH. 

Thank you astrostar59 for your reply.  Much appreciated.
 
Yes need to do some demo's for curiosity of nothing else.  

 

[DesiGuy79]

Anyone interested in buying GG and headtrip amp by wells audio? I am  thinking about selling it. anyone interested locally in Panhandle area are more then welcome to demo it.
pm for further info.

 

[John2e]

 
Hi Bonesey
You don't need DSD originals with the GG. Apparently PCM upsampled top DSD sound better than PCM on the DAC. If you want to leverage the system though, you may need to consider your MacBook Pro as a weak point. I hear a big difference between my Macbook Pro and optimised Mac Mini, and possibly a one box server solution would be even better. I recently went AOIP and that was a big jump dropping USB for me.
 
Have you talked to Geoff? He was impressed by the AMR DP-777 at his house and the GG (and my Audio Note DAC 5) is more of that and better. The best way to know is get that demo from Lampizator arranged. 
 
I think what you can expect going from your Chord to a GG (and my Audio Note DAC) just smoothness and warmth and better layering, more realistic sound. The added smoothness and warmth is just what the 009s need TBH. 

Interesting! Would the same hold true for the Atlantic Dac regarding PCM over DSD ?  

 

[astrostar59]

 

 
Hi Bonesey
You don't need DSD originals with the GG. Apparently PCM upsampled top DSD sound better than PCM on the DAC. If you want to leverage the system though, you may need to consider your MacBook Pro as a weak point. I hear a big difference between my Macbook Pro and optimised Mac Mini, and possibly a one box server solution would be even better. I recently went AOIP and that was a big jump dropping USB for me.
 
Have you talked to Geoff? He was impressed by the AMR DP-777 at his house and the GG (and my Audio Note DAC 5) is more of that and better. The best way to know is get that demo from Lampizator arranged. 
 
I think what you can expect going from your Chord to a GG (and my Audio Note DAC) just smoothness and warmth and better layering, more realistic sound. The added smoothness and warmth is just what the 009s need TBH. 

Interesting! Would the same hold true for the Atlantic Dac regarding PCM over DSD ?  

Best to ask that on the thread at whatsbestforum - Lampizator users or computer audiophile.com. There is a huge Lampi fans base who know everything there is to know about the various builds and versions.

 

[John2e]

 
Best to ask that on the thread at whatsbestforum - Lampizator users or computer audiophile.com. There is a huge Lampi fans base who know everything there is to know about the various builds and versions.

Great will do
 
 
Thanks

 

[wisnon]

From AudioShark  a few days ago:
 
Well you won a customer shootout in Florida: Originally Posted by Moneypenny View Post I have to share my story of a high end DAC shootout. As Mike knows, I got to know him through Audioshark Forum. Elsewhere in this forum you can learn that Mike (Suncoast Audio) has finally put down brick and mortar. My wife and I happened to be traveling in Mid-Feb and made arrangements on a Friday to have a blindfolded shootout of 5 top DACs. first, I can't say enough about the Suncoast facility - it has to be one of the top spots in U.S. - absolutely fantastic. Mike replicated a version of my equipment (Ayre pre/amp, Aurender and Vandersteen Quatros - vs my Ayre ref Kx-R/VX-R and Carbon 5As. My wife and I were blindfolded through all but the final two selection. Going in, my wife was fully locked like Harry Potter "..Not Slytherin, not Slytherin..." but rather "....not Lampizator, not Lampizator..." due to the WAF factor. Key results: - Used my Dana USB cable on all DACs - Tunes varied from Annie Lennox - Into the West, Brad Mehldau - Waltz for J.B., Stevie Ray Vaughn - Tin Pan Alley, Symphony #2 in E Minor Op. 27 - Budapest Festival Orchestra, Moondance - Van Morrison - So here is how they sorted - first the eliminations: - Ayre Qx-5 - was immediately eliminated as too bright for both of us. Sound was good and soundstage was clear but the hair raised on the back of our necks during the Annie Lennox crescendo ( note after the shootout, Mike mentioned he likes the QX5 with another USB - Berkeley Ref 2 - this was my initial favorite but my wife felt it was mushy in the soundstage background. We did listen again after the shootout and enjoyed it more and the sound was excellent just not the top one - Dave Chord - this one had amazing depth to the sound stage, excellent separation and clarity BUT it was also too bright. Mike tried another USB cable but alas, was still a bit too shrill for our tastes - You guessed it - when we took off the masks - left standing were the B7 and Atlantic Lampizators - The music was warmer and more organic. For us, it sounded more analog and natural. ...And the winner is: after 6 1/2 hours with Mike and swapping tubes in the B7 and the Atlantic rectifier, the B7 clearly was the winner. The clincher was the Symphony #2 which was mesmerizing - truly one of the most emotional connections ever with the music. My wife is thrilled with the sound (and will live with the aesthetics) and swears there must be some type of gypsy magic sprinkled onto the B7. We essentially ordered the B7 with the set up we loved ( tubes and wires) and included a Denali 6000T per Mike's recommendation. As a couple who has shopped most Hi-Fi shops -on the East Coast we enjoyed our experience with Mike in his new shop. Mike is passionate and spends less time selling and more trying to find the right sound for us. He guided us in the process and adjusted as we reflected on each DAC. It's nice to have a guide on the trail. Truth of the matter, I think he enjoyed the shootout too. What fun! Can't wait for the equipment to ship to our house.

 

[deuter]

From AudioShark  a few days ago:

Well you won a customer shootout in Florida: Originally Posted by Moneypenny View Post I have to share my story of a high end DAC shootout. As Mike knows, I got to know him through Audioshark Forum. Elsewhere in this forum you can learn that Mike (Suncoast Audio) has finally put down brick and mortar. My wife and I happened to be traveling in Mid-Feb and made arrangements on a Friday to have a blindfolded shootout of 5 top DACs. first, I can't say enough about the Suncoast facility - it has to be one of the top spots in U.S. - absolutely fantastic. Mike replicated a version of my equipment (Ayre pre/amp, Aurender and Vandersteen Quatros - vs my Ayre ref Kx-R/VX-R and Carbon 5As. My wife and I were blindfolded through all but the final two selection. [COLOR=FF0000]Going in, my wife was fully locked like Harry Potter "..Not Slytherin, not Slytherin..." but rather "....not Lampizator, not Lampizator..." due to the WAF factor.[/COLOR] Key results: - Used my Dana USB cable on all DACs - Tunes varied from Annie Lennox - Into the West, Brad Mehldau - Waltz for J.B., Stevie Ray Vaughn - Tin Pan Alley, Symphony #2 in E Minor Op. 27 - Budapest Festival Orchestra, Moondance - Van Morrison - So here is how they sorted - first the eliminations: - Ayre Qx-5 - was immediately eliminated as too bright for both of us. Sound was good and soundstage was clear but the hair raised on the back of our necks during the Annie Lennox crescendo ( note after the shootout, Mike mentioned he likes the QX5 with another USB - Berkeley Ref 2 - this was my initial favorite but my wife felt it was mushy in the soundstage background. We did listen again after the shootout and enjoyed it more and the sound was excellent just not the top one - Dave Chord - this one had amazing depth to the sound stage, excellent separation and clarity BUT it was also too bright. Mike tried another USB cable but alas, was still a bit too shrill for our tastes - You guessed it - when we took off the masks - left standing were the B7 and Atlantic Lampizators - The music was warmer and more organic. For us, it sounded more analog and natural. ...And the winner is: after 6 1/2 hours with Mike and swapping tubes in the B7 and the Atlantic rectifier, the B7 clearly was the winner. The clincher was the Symphony #2 which was mesmerizing - truly one of the most emotional connections ever with the music. My wife is thrilled with the sound (and will live with the aesthetics) and swears there must be some type of gypsy magic sprinkled onto the B7. We essentially ordered the B7 with the set up we loved ( tubes and wires) and included a Denali 6000T per Mike's recommendation. As a couple who has shopped most Hi-Fi shops -on the East Coast we enjoyed our experience with Mike in his new shop. Mike is passionate and spends less time selling and more trying to find the right sound for us. He guided us in the process and adjusted as we reflected on each DAC. It's nice to have a guide on the trail. Truth of the matter, I think he enjoyed the shootout too. What fun! Can't wait for the equipment to ship to our house.

It's another testament on how good the Level 7 really is.
It's kinda good that most people bash it else everyone would have this unique awesome sound for something that cost less than its competitors.

 

[Crashem]

Doesn't surprise me that the Lampizator won.  The fact that this person's wife participated and cared about results of 6+ hour listening test is what is incredible to me.

 

[wisnon]

And also went against WAF and agreed to get the Huge Lampi Dac!

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

It's another testament on how good the Level 7 really is.
It's kinda good that most people bash it else everyone would have this unique awesome sound for something that cost less than its competitors.

Would love to know how much better sounding the Lampizator Golden Gate is against the its cheaper brother especially connected to a Headamp BHSE.  
Also a comparison of the new Lampizator Golden Atlantic against its Big 7 cousin connected to the Headamp BHSE would also be good.
 
Also are the Balanced versions of Lampizator DAC's better than their Single ended cousins ? 

 

[deuter]

Would love to know how much better sounding the Lampizator Golden Gate is against the its cheaper brother especially connected to a Headamp BHSE.  
Also a comparison of the new Lampizator Golden Atlantic against its Big 7 cousin connected to the Headamp BHSE would also be good.

Also are the Balanced versions of Lampizator DAC's better than their Single ended cousins ? 

The Lampizator design was always single ended, balanced was only introduced due to customers requesting for it.
I for one have a SE Lampizator Lite 7 and am waiting for my Blue Hawaii SE although it will be paired with another DAC as Lampizator is part of my speaker system.