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Lyngdorf TDAI-3400

Well, after reading all the rave reviews of the Lyngdorf TDAI-2170 both here and other places, I decided to order a TDAI-3400 for myself.  I must admit I am still skeptical that such a diminutive piece of equipment can sound better than the Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP tube amp weighing more than 50 lbs, but I have been so intrigued by everything I have read I simply had to pull the trigger. 
I just unboxed it today, hooked everything up, and am listening to it for a while before setting up Room Perfect. 
I really want to hear the what the amp sounds like as-is for a bit to understand it better. 
First impressions:  Without Room Perfect it sounds like very nice solid state amps I've owned in the past, but to be honest, I don't find the sound to be particularly moving.  I moved to tubes after years of solid state, and I swore I would never go back.  That is where I'm coming from.  I should also add that I always try to keep an open mind.  While my initial take on it might sound like I don't like it, I hope folks just read this as me being as honest as possible about what I hear.  I know the tendency when buying new gear is to want so badly to love it in order to justify the expense that it's easy to fool oneself into believing it's an improvement over what you had before, even when it's not.  Of course I really want it to be as mind blowing as it has been built up in my mind to be, but if it's not I am OK with simply moving back to what I have liked so far.   
I have only been playing records through it so far.  Analog makes up 98% of my listening so that's where I am starting with it.  I have a nice CD transport that I will connect to it in the next day or so just to hear the DAC in the unit.  I will also experiment with playing files from USB sticks, computer audio from my MacBook Pro, and whatever else I decide.  I am not prepared to purchase a music server just yet, but it's something I have thought about for a while.  
My system:  speakers are Harbeth Monitor 40.1's.  Turntable is an SME 20/2 with SME IV.iv tonearm and Kiseki Purple Heart cartridge, fed to a Parasound JC-3+ phono preamp.  Power conditioner is Audioqest Niagara 7000.  CD transport is a Wadia 8.  
I will report back as I have more time to experiment and let the amp break in.  

128x128snackeyp
evolvist
165 posts
 

You know, I used to have an older model Lyngdorf before it could accept RJ45 as a streamer.

Now that it has streaming capabilities, I went to their site to see what formats it would take, hoping it would go up to at least DSD64. Well, there's no information of what formats you can play via Ethernet cable. Strange.

In fact, on their site it use to have a description of the technology they use to get the D/A conversion, but now it's just a blurb.

Does anyone know what files you can play using their streaming function?

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jcarcopo
364 posts
 
@evolvist If you mean network streaming for RoonReady, Roon will convert the dsd to pcm if need be, but that being said the DSD section is missing in RoonReady under device setup, so it may only support flac files. I don’t have any dsd files or I would test it. The DSD menu is available over USB to the Lyngdorf which does allow for selecting between DSD OVER PCM V1 (DOP) and converting DSD TO PCM, but this doesn’t prove it supports it, only that it might. The only other streaming functionality is Spotify so that’s irrelevant. If you meant connecting a hard drive of music to it, I simplt don’t know. Sorry I can’t be more helpful. I would call Neal at Sound Science or contact Lyngdorf directly to find out the limitations of the supported file formats for the network streaming function.
evolvist
165 posts
 
Cool. Yeah, I'll check it out. Converting DSD to PCM is a no-go for me. Not that DSD is better quality than PCM, as some claim, but I have a number of remasters that are unique to SACD, so I have a lot of SACD rips.  

Converting to PCM is lossy, or rather, it doesn't quite work as you have to filter noise out in the conversation. 

Maybe I'll just stick to my Linn KDS/3. :)
mes
386 posts
 

Using an outboard dac or vinyl, isn't the amp still A/D/A'ing the signal?

The 2170 did.

radiohead99
62 posts
 
I have been exclusively using DSD upsample through Roon/HQPlayer for the last 4 years. I was upsampling everything to DSD 512 through my T+A DAC8 DSD. It took the sound quality of my rig to new heights!! However, when I decided to simplify my system to Lyngdorf TDAI 2170, I was very skeptical of giving up the DSD512 upsample.

But anyway, after prioritizing simplicity I went with the 2170. Now I can only upsample to DSD128. I can clearly hear a significant difference between playing pure PCM vs upsample to DSD128. I know Lyngdorf converts everything to 24/96 internally. But it must be so transparent. I wish 3400 supports DSD too, especially in higher bit rate DSD. Also, if the streamer on 3400 doesn't support DSD, there's no point of using that streamer (for me).
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