New Lampizator Level 4/ Version 4 DAC in the house

Knghifi, the reality is that almost everything at CES or any show is new. That is why at Friday through Sunday shows, you really should just show up on Sunday.

If this is reality and believe in break in period, why bother showcasing your system if they are not at its best? It could do more harm than good when 1st impression is crucial. What do you do before selling a car or house?

Components take time to settle plus fine tuning so usually sounds best on the last day from my experience.

Grannyring,

I'm happy that the Offramp/Dynamo combination is working so well for you. Like I said before it doesn't surprise me at all, I've heard only great things about Empirical Audio gear and their effectiveness in reducing jitter.

I am a bit surprised though that you state there is a night and day difference between the two inputs. My friend that bought my L4/G4 (just like yours with Jensens)hooked it up via SPDIF through the Empirical Offramp4 and though he said it sounded better than his Mojo Audio DAC, he expected much more. He then tried the USB input from his modded Mac Mini and finally heard the Lamp magic. It could be that the Offramp 5 is an entirely different beast than the O4, I don't know, but I was making that comparison so that folks know that the USB input can be VERY rewarding for sure.

In my case, I have never used a SPDIF converter. The O5 all dressed up could cost near $3k+, so I chose to go a different route and use the extra $$$$ to reduce jitter from the computer's USB port and provide clean power to the server. I think the 2010 Mac Mini is a very noisy server compared to a Windows 8 CAPs server (IMO), but it has a very BIG and warm sound so it might fit better in some systems. The Windows 2012 PC server I'm using right now sounds pretty darn good. It makes the Mac Mini sound veiled and colored. I've never had a 2009 Mac Mini/O5/Dynamo in my system and am curious to know how it would stack up against my server. I'll have to borrow an O5/Dynamo someday to kill my curiosity but for now the USB input on my Lamp does my music justice.

Regarding the Jensens vs Duelands. With vocals, the nod goes to the Jensens, there's just a sweetness to them that really gets to me. But overall, the Duelands are better especially with complex music. The Jensens just fall apart, like a 45 tube trying to power inefficient speakers. The Duelands don't smear and can delineate instruments with uncanny ability. Resolution is amazing as well. You will not get the warmth of the Jensens, but as Lissnr put it, the Duelands just sounds REAL.

Have you ever tried a Windows based PC before in your system?

Happy Listening!

Knghifi, yours is a very good question. Most of the answer, I think, centers on not being organized. Many, especially small, manufacturers don't have stock to devote to prepare for the shows, including, of course, break in. Certainly TAD is one clear exception. They may seek better rooms and may fine tune their systems, but I have not heard much difference from day one onward.

But I should add that the use of hotel rooms is another major problem. Most are pretty awful. CES's putting the high end audio in the Venetian Towers means that many have two level room where there is no proper best listening placement. The railing of the higher portion is where you should be sitting.

Hi Lissnr,
You description of the Duelund CAST is simply dead on the bullseye. Very well said and fits my experience with them. The key words are natural and real, acoustic instruments have inherent warmth, body, color and vibrancy and they don't require any embellishment. The CAST have superb resolution and transparency yet aren't remotely analytical or clinical, just"organic" and correct. I'm actually surprised Bill experienced too much detail in some applications (perhaps revealing the character of ofter system components? ). I don't know, I can say that using the CAST in my DAC and speakers has provided stunningly excellent music reproduction and heighten the sense of realism. The Jensen may yield a pleasing "added" warmth but the Duelund are the "natural" choice.
Charles,

This is not a problem just buy two dueland caps and replace the jensen with them. If you don't like them you can always place the jensens back. In the lampizator this is a very easy job. Now get to it and report back.