[Designsfx]

I would love to know where the latest Big7 MK3 with Engine Eleven sits in this chart.

From “the chart” I would think the latest B73 would sit at the level of the original Pacific.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

Thank you for this…. It’s so confusing to know what is considered “better”…

 

[leftside]

Thank you for this…. It’s so confusing to know what is considered “better”…

Also remember that is Lampizator marketing. The Amber 3 is a great DAC, and although I'm sure the Horizon is the better DAC, is it really going to be 400% better?

 

[Polygonhell]

is it really going to be 400% better?

I’ve never really understood the whole X% better comparison.
what does 20% or 400% a better mean, it’s an interesting chart, but outside expressing a preference it’s not meaningful.
FWIW I owned an Amber 3 at one point, it’s among my favorite DAC’s at it’s price point, the Pacific and Horizon are at a totally different level, it isn’t close IMO, it’s just hard to make comparisons, they just sound better.

 

[BlakeT]

I get your point but...

Lukasz designed all these DAC's. This is his personal overall sonic assessment, this is not his personal preference listing. Customers want to know what they are getting by paying x amount more money (better sound staging, more details, better tonal quality, better bass, more realism, etc.), and Lukasz is attempting to provide info to his potential customers so they can make better informed decisions.

We all make value judgments when comparing gear- this one has better bass, this one has improved clarity, etc. That is the reason why many people frequent this site, trying to gather intel, impressions from other users, to help them make buying decisions.

Is the chart perfect, no, but I don't see anything wrong with it. This is better than him saying nothing.

Ideally, we'd all have local audio store lending libraries, you go down, borrow gear, take it home and listen in your own system and come to your own conclusions. Alas, that is not reality.

 

[BlakeT]

This chart may be a bit more helpful... or not.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

I tried before to determine if an Amber 3 2019 or big 7 from 2012 was better lol.

 

[Designsfx]

This chart may be a bit more helpful... or not.

I don’t think this sheet gets updated as frequently as the other- at least with regards to the details of recent “engine” updates. What would be awesome would be some kind of spectral plot taken individually from each dac while producing the same content through the same system. If that were possible one could see the measured differences in the output of each.

 

[Polygonhell]

this is not his personal preference listing.

Yes sorry, wrong term, I think ranking would have been better.
Just not a fan of trying to quantify differences as percentages.

 

[leftside]

I’ve never really understood the whole X% better comparison.
what does 20% or 400% a better mean, it’s an interesting chart, but outside expressing a preference it’s not meaningful.
FWIW I owned an Amber 3 at one point, it’s among my favorite DAC’s at it’s price point, the Pacific and Horizon are at a totally different level, it isn’t close IMO, it’s just hard to make comparisons, they just sound better.

With the speed of how Lampizator releases new and updated DACs I might even be able to afford the Pacific one day. When I purchased the GA TRP2, the Pacific price was far far out of reach. It's still out of reach, but within a couple of years it might be possible. And then my original balanced GA will be almost worthless

My VPI Prime Signature turntable was about the same price as my original GA....

 

[Designsfx]

With the speed of how Lampizator releases new and updated DACs I might even be able to afford the Pacific one day. When I purchased the GA TRP2, the Pacific price was far far out of reach. It's still out of reach, but within a couple of years it might be possible. And then my original balanced GA will be almost worthless

My VPI Prime Signature turntable was about the same price as my original GA....

Have you considered upgrading one to the new engine 11 setup?

 

[leftside]

Have you considered upgrading one to the new engine 11 setup?

I would with my original GA, but they are not allowing the upgrade anymore for products more than 4 years old. And I'm not sure I want to mess with the sound of my GA TRP2 it sounds that good.

 

[Designsfx]

I would with my original GA, but they are not allowing the upgrade anymore for products more than 4 years old. And I'm not sure I want to mess with the sound of my GA TRP2 it sounds that good.

Did you ever try the 6J5’s in your TRP? You don’t know what you’re missing!

 

[leftside]

Did you ever try the 6J5’s in your TRP? You don’t know what you’re missing!

It's not possible in the TRP2 - just pentodes. There's only about a million different versions of those, so plenty of tube rolling options.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...el51-el39-4654-4699-kt63-kt61-6v6-etc.959519/

I do have two headphone amps and a preamp that take 6J5 natively though.

 

[number1sixerfan]

With the speed of how Lampizator releases new and updated DACs I might even be able to afford the Pacific one day. When I purchased the GA TRP2, the Pacific price was far far out of reach. It's still out of reach, but within a couple of years it might be possible. And then my original balanced GA will be almost worthless

My VPI Prime Signature turntable was about the same price as my original GA....

This to me also represents risks/downside. I wouldn't consider one new, as they don't seem to hold their value well. And that worsens as you customize. That then really limits availability (at least for me), to the used market. I'm still very much interested in a lampi and will pull the trigger in the near future if I see the right unit used, however.