integrated amplifier

117 Pages·2016·14.69 MB·English

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CONTENTS
REVIEWS
5. Lampizator Big 7 DAC
15. Aaron “The Chrome One” Integrated
Amplifier
23. PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium HP
Integrated Amplifier
30. Arcam FMJ CDS 27 and FMJ A19 Integrated
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Telephone: [phone] Amplifier
E mail: [email protected] 39. Naim Mu-So
46. Russell K Red 100 Loudspeakers
55. Hana S Range Moving Coil Cartridges
60. A Chord Company Budget Loom
101. BenQ BL2420Z Monitor
103. Gibson Trainer Wireless Headphones
105. Huawei Mate S Phone
109. Sengled Pulse JBL Speaker & Bluetooth
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E mail: [email protected]
111. Intempo Bluetooth Jukebox
113. Oppo F1 First Impressions
MUSIC
87-97. Music Reviews
96.This month John Scott continues his Classic Album series and takes a look back at
David Bowie's The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. What else?
COLUMNS
68. Retro Bites - Janine Elliot continues her series of articles for Hifi Pig highlighting classic hifi from
yesteryear. This month, given that Sennheiser have recently announced a new $55 000 Orpheus, she turns
her attention to the original Sennheiser Orpheus, first released in 1991.
70. Voice Of Dom -Many readers may think the life of your average hifi reviewer is a non-stop round of high-
end luxury, champagne breakfasts, fast cars and supermodel baubles. Think again says Dominic Marsh as
he tells it like it really is.
73. Fidelity Matters -Valves or solid-state? Solid-state or valves? The question that is always getting brought
up in audio circles. Ian Ringstead looks at a bit of the history and some of his preferences.
76. The Views OfStu-High-End audio and why people buy into the whole concept is a complex
subject…Stuart Smith talks about very expensive cars instead.
80. Bird’s Eye View -Linette Smith takes a look into her crystal ball and see’s if she can pluck out some
trends for 2016 out of the swirling mists.
76. Dealers’ View-Mike Twomey continues his monthly look at the hifi and audio business from the
perspective of the dealer. This month he focuses on that all important, but oft' forgotten aspect of the
business that is customer service and why it is so important to the industry.
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LAMPIZATOR BIG 7 DAC
At €11000 plus taxes as tested
the Lampizator Big 7 is
certainly no budget DAC, but
does it deliver on sonic ability?
Stuart Smith finds out.
I
first heard the Lampizator Big 7 last year at panels and so it seemed a sensible to at least audition
Munich High-End in the Sound Galleries of the Big 7 to see if we would get along with it at
Monaco booth, along with a pair of home. Of course, if we liked it, there was always the
Avantgarde Duos, cables from Tellurium Q option to dig deep and make it a permanent fixture.
and room treatment by GIK and for me it was And you will need to dig deep if the Big 7 does the
one of the standout sounds of the show. Now we put sonic business for you as it comes in at a not
an order in for a pair of the new Duo XDs at Munich inconsiderable €11 000 plus appropriate taxes as
and we use TQ speaker cables in the main system featured here.
much of the time along with GIK’s room treatment
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LAMPIZATOR BIG 7 DAC
Let’s get the negatives out the way first because Now I’ve got that little lot off my chest let’s begin
there are a few issues I have with this unit, and, with the review proper.
whilst these issues are not deal breakers by any
stretch of the imagination, I do think certain features So what do you get for your money when you buy
could be improved upon. First of all we have the the Lampizator Big 7? Actually you get a pretty
packaging that this particular unit came in. Yes it comprehensive unit that, although expensive, can
arrived safe and sound, but this is a premium product save you a few quid elsewhere in your system. The
and as such I expected much more than (an sample we have here has the preamplifier board built
admittedly double boxed) package with what looked in that has one input via RCAs, meaning that you can
like off cuts of packing foam to protect the unit – I use the Big 7 without a separate preamplifier and
expected that Christmas morning feeling that we feed it straight to your amplifier (s) of choice, saving
constantly bang on about! Of course this would add you the added expense of buying a pre. This of
to the already not insignificant cost of the Big 7, but course only works if you have a relatively basic
come on guys! Secondly is the joke of a remote system, but to be fair the vast majority of folk will be
control which is a cheap, plasticky affair that would catered for in this respect as you can put your CD’s
be more at home with a seventy five quid portable digital out in to the Big 7’s S/PDIF input, your
television from CostCo or Argos. Finally the unit computer’s USB out into its USB input (32 bit/384
supplied had a loose digital RCA input that required kHz PCM and DSD upto 128x ) and your phonostage
tightening…this meant taking off the top of the DAC (or whatever else you have that feeds a line signal)
and sorting it out myself…this really should have into the preamplifier section’s RCA inputs. Outputs
been checked at the final stage of packing! offered on the model we have are a pair of RCAs and
a pair of balanced XLRs. There’s also an AES/EBU
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LAMPIZATOR BIG 7 DAC
input on XLR but that hasn’t been used. So, The immediacy and
connection wise you are nicely covered with the Big
7 and could run a system with just a computer or
realness of what was
transport, the DAC, amp and speakers should you
wish.
coming out of the
On the front of the unit you get the volume knob (on
speakers was, in my
this version) and an LCD display showing you the
input you have selected and volume…it’s not a great
experience, simply
display and I had to be close by to see what was
selected.
without match.
Via USB you get a DSD engine that will deal with
64x and 128x and whilst I’m well aware that there is
a number of people who believe that DSD is little with the tubes, you can do a good degree of tube
more than a fad I would say that these folk should go rolling (I chose not to) and use 101D, 45, 245UX or
out and take a listen to a properly encoded DSD 2A3s with the heater voltage being changed
recording on a proper DAC and then make their accordingly by a switch inside the DAC. Wiring
minds up. The DSD engine uses “unmanipulated, inside the unit is all silver in Teflon and you get
filtered, raw, native data-stream as the signal” which separate transformer windings for the valve circuit, a
essentially means there is as little as possible separate transformer for the digital section and
happening to your DSD signal before it is output. separate secondary windings “for every task”. As
Inside the Big 7 it has to be said that it is beautifully with most reviews I write I won’t get bogged down
put together and is a bit of a testament to the in the technical side of things as I just don’t have the
engineer’s skill. There are two standard chokes (the knowledge or interest other than the end result and
Golden Gate version has “premium chokes”) the music that comes out the speakers and so urge
Copper/wax Jupiter caps and the unit comes as you to read the Designer’s Notes that follow this
standard with four 101D Psvane tubes and a review.
Shuguang 274B rectifier tube. Now as we are on
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LAMPIZATOR BIG 7 DAC
The Big 7 is so called with good reason because
whilst it may not actually be that heavy (it weighs First let’s have a chat about the Big 7 in use as it is
16KG) it is pretty large, particularly in depth, not your usual “plug and play” type scenario. You
measuring 45cm in width, 12cm in height (25cm if turn the Lampy on with a big toggle switch located
you account for the tubes) and…wait for it…53cm round on the back panel. This is centrally located and
deep. Most racks will not accommodate this depth of whilst it’s pretty easy to find, I would have preferred
course, but the Big 7 has six feet underneath to have this on the front, on the side, or even
meaning that the front two pairs will sit nicely on a underneath the DAC. Flick the switch and the unit
standard depth rack, with the remaining pair and the slowly comes to life and the warm glow of the valves
back end of the DAC overhanging by 12cm on the begins. Now you need to pick up the remote, choose
IKEA unit I had it sat on. This is not a problem for your input and then turn the volume of this input up.
me as I have plenty of space behind the current As you turn the volume up there is an audible
racks, but will mean you’ll need to pull your rack
away from the wall a little further than usual…and
don’t forget you’ll need space for cables too.
Apart from the gripes I outlined at the start of this
piece, the Big 7 we have has been well put together,
looks pretty neat (despite its size) and whilst it’s not
got that “built like a tank” or luxe feel to it, it is
reasonably nicely finished and feels relatively solid.
I used the Big 7 with the usual suspects – Musical
Fidelity NuVista CD as transport, Laptop running
JRiver and set up as per the instructions Lampizator
publish online, Merrill Thor amps and a variety of
cables from Chord, Tellurium Q, Atlas and
Vermouth Audio. Over the time the DAC has been
with us it has been used with a whole host of
loudspeakers including the hORNS Mummys,
Leema Xens and more latterly the Avantgarde Du
XDs. Power to the DAC was filtered using the LAB
12 gordian.
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LAMPIZATOR BIG 7 DAC
clicking inside
the DAC which
was at first a bit
disconcerting.
The unit defaults
to zero every
time you turn it
off and this is a
bit of a pain in
the arse in the
beginning until
you get used to it,
and the remotes
“unique”
layout…I can’t
help thinking that
a dedicated and
nicer remote
would be far
superior, but I
have to temper
my frustration
here and
remember that
the Big 7 is made for audio enthusiasts in the truest has ever been. This may well sound like reviewer
sense of the word…but then at the same time I can’t hyperbole but I mean it…this is stunning stuff. Every
help thinking that we live in the 21st Century and nuance of the recording is laid before you, every part
really don’t need to be wearing hair shirts to get the of the musicians’ playing style becomes apparent and
best sound out of our systems. you cannot help but just get lost in the music and the
I’m reading this review through in my head and I can experience. I found myself listening to classical
sense that a good few readers will be thinking that music on DSD simply for the sonic thrill of it all…I
this review is going to absolutely pan the Big 7 given may not appreciate or particularly like the tunes, but
everything I have said up to now, but I urge you to the Big 7 lays an orchestra before you like I have
read on as despite the obvious shortcomings of never experienced before. Native Stereo’s “8
certain aspects of the DAC’s makeup, in the end Ensembles in 1 Bit Stereo” is gripping, with the New
what interests me most in a product that comes in for Amsterdam Voices version of Randy Newman’s
review is the pleasure (or otherwise) that it affords Short People being a bit of a standout. You can sense
me sonically. the recording space and you can hear every nuance
and inflection in this septets’ delivery. I know it’s a
SOUND bit of a Hifi cliché to harp on about the musicians
“being there”, but with the Big 7 playing DSD files
OK, it would be easy to sum up the sound when this is truly what you get…and it’s addictive stuff.
listening to DSD files as nothing short of an absolute There is a purity and rightness to the sound that is
aural revelation that simply took my breath away hard to describe. Yes all the component parts of bass,
with each album I listened to. The immediacy and mids and treble are of course there, but the
realness of what was coming out of the speakers was, Lampizator does something exquisite to the DSD
in my experience, simply without match. Jazz At The signal that “adds” another, wholly beautiful aspect to
Pawn Shop is a great recording in any case, but using the music. Soundstage and imaging are “reach-out-
the Naxos 2xHD file at 128x DSD ( LINK ) was and-touchable” with you able to aurally see the
nothing short of overwhelming. This is as near to a performance that is being presented before you
group of musicians sitting in my front room as there without it feeling false. Sadly I don’t have a whole
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LAMPIZATOR BIG 7 DAC
load of DSD files but …where this DAC really does shine experience the real feel
the few that I do have of the recording space
is on well recorded, live music
are presented in such a and the musicians within
where you get to experience the
fashion with the Big 7 it. With techno you still
that I became somewhat real feel of the recording space get that reach out and
obsessive in playing touch it feel of the mix
and the musicians within it.
them, again just for the that surrounds you in an
pure and unadulterated almost (another cliché
feeling of flawlessness I alert) three dimensional
got when listening to them. way, but it’s just not as extraordinary as when
listening to the other music I mentioned. However,
Feeding the Big 7 with hi-res files from the laptop what you do get when playing this kind of music is a
was only slightly less impressive and this is more full representation of what is on the original file –
down to the format than the fault of the DAC itself I bass is hefty and pumping and hats are shimmery and
reckon, although on techno and more “machine- sparkly. I listen to a lot of this kind of stuff and again
made” music I did feel the Lampy lost a bit of the became really addicted to it playing on the Big 7.
pizzazz you get when throwing properly recorded
musicians at it. This is not to say the Big 7 is not I should add here that the settings that Lampizator
impressive with this kind of music, it is, very, it’s suggest you use for JRiver (as I understand it)
more that where this DAC really does shine is on upsample the PCM signal to DSD and I reckon this
well recorded, live music where you get to is certainly a good thing. I didn’t bother listening to
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