[audioholik]

   
Amps ain't DACs.

And yet, tubes are tubes. 

 

[madwolfa]

  And yet, tubes are tubes. 

 
And not to start another flame war, but what's the point of tubes in DAC exactly?

 

[Ableza]

   
And not to start another flame war, but what's the point of tubes in DAC exactly?

 
Might as well have them somewhere.

 

[audioholik]

   
And not to start another flame war, but what's the point of tubes in DAC exactly?

And what's the point of having them in an amplifier? Strange question..
 
You might want to check out these reviews of Lampizator's Tube DSD DAC.
 
http://www.stereomojo.com/Lampizator%20DSD%20DAC%20Review/LampizatorDSDDACReview.htm
 
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue73/lampizator.htm
 
http://www.monoandstereo.com/2014/06/lampizator-dsd-dac-test-unit-arrived.html

 

[SoupRKnowva]

And yet, tubes are tubes. 

Yes, and they serve a purpose in some things, like amps. But not in other things, like dacs...

 

[ab initio]

There's nothing magic about tubes. Everybody knows that it's the transistors that have the magic smoke in them. Trust me on this, I've seen it come out of them a few times.
 
Cheers

 

[narlen]

She is hottie indeed! Jason do you not have insurance for situations like this?

 

[madwolfa]

  And what's the point of having them in an amplifier? Strange question..

 
Normally to raise the voltage (gain stage) and sometimes as the power devices in the output stage.
What would they do in DAC?

 

[audioholik]

Yes, and they serve a purpose in some things, like amps. But not in other things, like dacs...

 
So you're saying that companies like Lampizator, AMR, EAR, Valve Audio Devices to name a few, that are using tubes in their DACs, are doing it without purpose?

 

[ab initio]

   
So you're saying that companies like Lampizator, AMR, EAR, Valve Audio Devices to name a few, that are using tubes in their DACs, are doing it without purpose?

No, but that purpose is not a technical one.
 
Cheers

 

[madwolfa]

  So you're saying that companies like Lampizator, AMR, EAR, Valve Audio Devices to name a few, that are using tubes in their DACs, are doing it without purpose?

 
Sure, there's a purpose - catering to nutjobs with more money than common sense. Schiit told many times, this is not their target audience.

 

[audioholik]

  No, but that purpose is not a technical one.
 
Cheers

Thanks for the knowledge. You're an audio engineer, right?

 

[Ableza]

Tubes in DACs are generally used as amplifiers to create the line-level preamp output, which is why they affect the signal.  They can also be used as a buffer with 1:1 gain, which means their purpose is to send the signal through the filaments which again affects the output signal.

 

[EraserXIV]

The Loki has a hard time selling because people don't like the idea of having to outsource the DSD decoding to another box when there are other solutions that can do it all in one box. It's not an "elegant" solution and for neurotic audiophiles that is an issue.
 
The audience that is interested in DSD are those who tend to be the most discerning and willing to spend money to satisfy those OCDs, this solution does not check off any of those audiophile OCD checkboxes. Audiophiles argue about cables and additional components to the "chain" that will impact quality, the Loki is a neurotic audiophile's worst nightmare, I'm not surprised it's not selling well. Also, it does not support balanced operation, which also is another of those audiophile OCDs. Are these OCDs substantiated? Probably not Most likely not Almost certainly not, but it comes with the territory.
 
 
I guess you could argue that the Loki is targeted towards the entry level DSD audiophile who has not yet developed these OCDs. The reason these people are not purchasing it is because they are looking for something affordable, probably came to the website to buy the Modi (which is a ridiculous deal btw at $99), and then saw that the Loki was an additional $149 and figured they'd just purchase the Modi in the meantime and hold off on buying the Loki until they find that they needed it. Well given that they don't have those audiophile OCDs (and remember, they were looking for something affordable), they never end up purchasing higher-priced DSD tracks and live the rest of their lives consuming redbook or possibly even just a streaming service. The Loki is forgotten.
 
I haven't heard the Loki myself, and doesn't work for me in terms of connectivity options (yes an audiophile OCD), but I'm sure it sounds great as there are people I trust who say it gets the job done, so I do find it unfortunate that it is having a hard time selling.

 

[ab initio]

  Thanks for the knowledge. You're an audio engineer, right?

Is that an implied ad hominem attack?