Lukasz Has Done It Again

[pk_LA]

Thank you Steve - As always, it's a treat to come and hear your system!

What I found most interesting was the A|B between the Horizon 360 and the Aphrodite.

Both sounded great, but with the Aphrodite, the bass had more heft, more weight and better control. The treble was also better defined and less "crunchy" or digital sounding compared to the H360.

 

[Lukasz "Lampizator" Fikus]

I wanted to express how grateful I am for the possibility to participate in such memorable event. Thanks to our hosts Cathy and Steve, to Fred, who flew all the way from the very other end of USA, to all guests who infused me with ideas and observations. Without events like this I CAN NOT innovate and build stellar products. I am deeply honored.

 

[Lukasz "Lampizator" Fikus]

And btw, we got the first review in English from Dawid Grzyb

LampizatOr Aphrodite – HiFi Knights

This is the www.hifiknights.com review of the LampizatOr Aphrodite DAC. Author: Dawid Grzyb. Enjoy!

hifiknights.com

 

[Golum]

View attachment 160761

I read somewhere that marine biologists pronounced red alert around Californian coast as shark population started to behave weird - guess when top of the food chain shark enters the water smaller sharks start to panic and run away

 

[RikkiPoo]

I want to thank Steve, his fabulous better half, and Fred and Lukasz for the opportunity to listen in world class listening room to compare two world class DAC’s. I live locally and was a bit worried I would be an interloper in this event and want to thank Steve again for being so welcoming and gracious.

I would strongly encourage everyone to watch and listen to the whole video as it is a spot on summary of the Aphrodite and Horizon360.

What Lukasz says about the Aphrodite providing more low end with feathery detail is to me accurate. The more I listened to the Aphrodite the more I felt addicted to the sound. What stood out to me in the difference between the DAC’s was how the sound of the Aphrodite seemed to reached out and touched me and then to wrap around me like it was hugging me. The Horizon360 has air and space and body but the character of it was not as enveloping. The Aphrodite’s sound seemed to provide a physical link with me, rather than being in front of me or around me, it was a new experience.

The only LampizatOr DAC I have heard before yesterday is my GG1 upgraded to GG3 status so I am wholly unfamiliar with the sound character of the newer LampizatOr’s. Lukasz discusses how the lower amplification factor of the tubes in the Aphrodite affects the tube’s sonic influence. I could hear a warmth in the Horizon360 that I did not hear in the Aphrodite.

My GG3 with DHT’s adds a ton of that “Romantic” tube sound Lukasz touches on in the video but it does come with a moderate dose of distortion which for me is part of the price of the tube sound and to me at my station in my audiophile journey and what I currently enjoy the most. Yesterday the room was full of “heavy hitters” in the audiophile world and definitely way beyond me in knowledge and experience with understanding world class audio reproduction. I listened and learned and have an improved perspective for evaluating sound systems, it was free and I ate a half dozen of the most delicious mini sliders made by Steve’s better half to boot. Life is good!

 

[Steve Williams]

And so the curtain comes down on a truly fun event introducing Aphrodite to the Lampizator stable

There must have been 30 members here yesterday starting at 930 AM and winding down by 500.

I enjoyed meeting and chatting with everyone and getting to know everyone. I discovered a wealth of new music so thank you to all who attended

But the biggest shout out to two wonderful human beings, Lukasz and Fred who love what they do and are great ambassadors for their brand. They are currently en route to Phoenix to catch their connecting flights. Look for Fred and Aphrodite at upcoming CAF and on Tuesday Lukasz leaves for Indonesia

No flies on them…….

 

[Lukasz "Lampizator" Fikus]

I should refrain from commenting on our dac, I feel uncomfortable saying that it played flawlessly and sounded like charm. The best I ever heard. So let me please at least comment on the Zellaton speakers. They surprised me with new look of the driver cones (not Podszus anymore) and these drivers were unknown to me. The bass drivers seemed like toys compared to the old Wilsons.
BUT
The Zellatons proved to be a rare case of an absolute synergy and perfect match with the room, the Lamm amps and the dac. The bass was out of this world, suggesting the presence of two hidden high quality subs. ( which were not) Wall cracking bass from a 36 WPC single ended triode amp.?! Unbelievable. The mids however are the strongest fearure of this system, Zellatons outclass electrostates in this department. This is pure magic and this is where SET triodes show what they do so well. All in all this room must be now on the very top ten of my lifetime list of fabulous rooms. Kudos to Steve for putting it together.

 

[Trab]

I watched the video. The openness of the message is captivating. Each question elicits an answer that is a pleasure to listen to and demonstrates the same passion for exploration. An additional advantage is the simplicity of explaining complicated things. Such simplicity is the domain of people with thorough knowledge and a sincere desire to share it. It is amazing, even unbelievable, when the designer of outstanding decoders says that he has never listened to other producers devices, in the sense of a calm A/B comparison.
Isn't this a universal life formula for above-average results?
Łukasz remains an inspiring conversationalist.
I am happy about the post by GG user, I also have this DAC. The last few years have been devoted to new products, which is understandable, but there are also audiophiles walking the Earth who are happy to own GG.
Thank you for sharing the video.

 

[rob]

Although the time was short, the hours spent in preparation were lengthy starting daily at 0530 and going to 1100 each evening

My wife who made all of the food and snacks and refreshments worked diligently for days and she always looked bright eyed and bushy tailed

Me, OTOH was totally drained after yesterday. We had a wonderful turnout and I managed to add many new files to my library which were played by members in their audition of the Aphrodite.

A huge shoutout to member Steve Rowan who continued to play one great song after another and gave me his playlist. Thank you Steve. We have talked so many times. I twas finally wonderful to meet you

View attachment 160818

Sounds like a fun filled event.

If appropriate would you mind sharing Steve Rowan’s playlist?

 

[dcathro]

Although the time was short, the hours spent in preparation were lengthy starting daily at 0530 and going to 1100 each evening

My wife who made all of the food and snacks and refreshments worked diligently for days and she always looked bright eyed and bushy tailed

Me, OTOH was totally drained after yesterday. We had a wonderful turnout and I managed to add many new files to my library which were played by members in their audition of the Aphrodite.

A huge shoutout to member Steve Rowan who continued to play one great song after another and gave me his playlist. Thank you Steve. We have talked so many times. I twas finally wonderful to meet you

View attachment 160818

Congratulations on your event!

That is a lovely photo of you and your wife!

 

[Steve Williams]

Sounds like a fun filled event.

If appropriate would you mind sharing Steve Rowan’s playlist?

I dont think Steve would mind but I can tell you his playlist had the crowd fixed in their seats. Im going to give you what he messaged me as he added a great deal of his to my own very lengthy playlist which I havent had a chance to review yet.....

Steve,


I added most of this music to your playlist but some never got played.


So here is the list of music I brought with


me. Enjoy.





Mr. Lovegrove


Frank Sinatra- It’s a Lonesome Old Town


Eagles-Hotel California


Jessica Williams - Tutu’s Promise and Soldaji


Bass Drops -Nenad Vasilic


Leonard Cohen-In my Secret Life, You want it harder, Famous Blue Raincoat


The Rat Pack- Eee-O-Eleven


Dire Straits-The Man’s Too Strong


Duendiee


Yuri Honing Trio- Walking on the Moon


Otis Taylor- Resurrection Blues


Deeper Blues- Stormfront


Ayub Ogada- Kothbiro


Angus and Julia Stone- Big Jet Plane, Grizzly, Draw Your Sword, Black Crow


Beat Hotel-Allan Taylor


Drive (Demo) - REM


Orpheus -Patricia Barber


Demon Host- Timber Timbre


Nina Simone- Plain Gold Ring, See Line Woman, Porgy and Bess


Emmy Lou Harris- Wrecking Balln


The Weavers Reunion





Soundtracks


Pacific Overtures- The Advantages of Floating


Inception -Time


Gladiator- Earth, The Battle, The Barbarian Hoard,


Agnes Obel- The Evil Theme,


Brother Sparrow, Golden Green,


Casino Royale- The Look of Love





Bruno Coulais


Brendan and the Secret of Kell, Maigret, La Mort de from Himalaya


Comfortably numb the lockdown sessions





Have fun.





Your system sounds so amazing. It’s your life’s work and you should be proud.

 

[amadeus]

Great report and great event my compliments Steve and Lucazs from Netherlands!

Can you tell us (more) about :

- The differences between Horizon 360 vs Aphrodite
- The diferrences between Aphrodite connected true XDMI cable and USB cable (I know you prefer XDMI cable what did the other think).

Thanks

 

[Nsxturbo]

I was one of the lucky attendees of Steve’s event with Lucasz and Fred.

First, I’d like to thank Steve and Cathy for being such gracious hosts, and then of course our resident host Fred, and our professor emeritus, Lucasz. It was also great to meet many of the Whats Best forum posters in person. What a great group.

Steve’s system is phenomenal, and the new Zellaton speakers mesh quite well in his room. It’s hard to believe they can deliver that type of low-end performance from the single-ended tube Lamm amps, especially considering their sensitivity is rated at 91 db/w!

OK, onto my impressions of the center of attention, the Aphrodite. First of all, physically, it’s a beautiful work of art, but that’s completely secondary to how it performs, and it somewhat pains me to say it, having a Horizon 360, but the Aphrodite is a whole other beast. The sound stage is so vast in width and depth. The natural organic flow of the music is unparalleled in what I’ve ever heard. There is so much more information resolved that I never believed was possible with digital reproduction. You truly simply do forget about the equipment, and just enjoy the music and all the sources we listened to were streamed.

I was able to get a direct comparison between Tako XDMI on both the Horizon 360 and then the Aphrodite. I also got that same comparison with USB on both. For anyone who is not a Tako Olympus owner, I would say that USB provides a different flavor than XDMI but no loss in resolution. I will be quite happy with my Taiko Extreme running USB into the Aphrodite. The only qualification that I still have to figure out the funding for the upgrade! But let’s just say I feel it will be worth the juggling of things around to obtain Lucasz’ masterpiece. I was also happy to hear that Lucas will be offering a passive preamp with the same ladder structure as the Horizon 360 as a separate unit with matching cosmetics for those of us who had been using the preamp output of the Horizon 360! that kind of crosses the tease and dots the eyes for my set up.

All I can say is if you get a chance to hear the Aphrodite at any upcoming shows, it’s well worth the investment in attendance!

 

[Steve Williams]

Todd it was a pleasure to meet you and your ever present smile was wonderful to everyone

As to USB vs XDMI, yesterday I still prefer XDMI but having said that and having done the A/B/A test with both Aphrodite and Horizon 360 I can honestly say that USB is excellent especially in the Aphrodite where as Todd stated it is nut a slightly different flavor. In my talks with Lukasz before the event started he explained to me that he has worked diligently on USB in Aphrodite to make everyone happy. The reality as he stated is that there might be no more than 200 or so users of XDMI and they are restricted to Taiko at the moment. USB however is a universal standard and Lukasz wanted it to excel and TBH if one does not have XDMI they will be eternally happy with USB. There were times when I was in and out of the room and I was hard pressed to tell one from the other until I sat down and played some files that I knew well

 

[Steve Williams]

The other takeaway for me and for others to know is that when XDMI is the input the Aphrodite screen display does NOT show the format of the file playing whereas it does with USB and all other inputs to Aphrodite. Lukasx explained that it was the way the data leaves the Taiko unit vis XDMI, it has all of the processing done in the taiko and thus bypasses the data processing in Aphrodite. I hope I explained that correctly .IOW that task which is normally done by the DAC takes place in the Taiko unit. Once again I hope this is the correct explanation.

Bottom line is USB is exceptionally good on Aphrodite and if you arent a Taiko user you will be forever happy with USB. I also know there were several Taiko users at the event who remain quite happy using USB and more so when they heard USB on Aphrodite

 

[Steve Williams]

Lukasz also in his initial presentation took quite a while to describe the new remote as if has so many more functions than previous Lampizator remotes. It will show tube life hours, aphrodite hours and will also show temp of the tubes which, if a preselected temperature is reached, this indicating a faulty tube, the unit will automatically shut down before any damage is done to Aphrodite. One can select different modulators to suit their preference and to also choose different modulators for different genres of music all of which can be set into memory and to recall said selection via the remote. So also could be preselected for phase which can be set to either positive or Negative and to be recalled as well via the remote

The information screen in the display took me a while to understand what I was being shown but once I understood it was easy to change sections . Lukasz also pointed out that if the information screen is the one in the display and you want to turnoff Aphrodite you must use one of the other 3 screen displays. There are a total of 4 different screen displays

 

[Steve Williams]

Another most interesting feature is that in the 4 corners of the display screen there is a small almost inconspicuous round black button which I initially took to be 4 screws to hold the display screen in place. It turns out that these 4 buttons all have a function. The top right is a mute switch and the bottom right is an on off switch for Aphrodite. Further when the screen is in the information display the bottom right is the input switch and the top right changes the inputs. The top and bottom left side switches are for changing phase, modulators, program , tube life zeroing etc


The only function which cannot be reset is hours on the unit itself.

These are very handy, quite unique and can easily change all of the variable in the information screen display. These functions can also be easily done via the remote

 

[Steve Williams]

The only thing I have not discussed but will after others who attended get a change to post their observation is "tube rolling"

As I have said before tube rolling is alive and well with Aphrodite

On Friday afternoon there were 8 of us who spent 3-4 hours doing an A-B=A test on the stock tubes vs my stash of NOS vintage tubes in the power and output sections of Aphrodite as well as comparing my rectifiers against the stock rectifiers provided

What I will say is how important it is to do an A-B-A rather than an A-B test when tube rolling to make a true evaluation

Also we did an A-B-A test changing the KT88 stock tubes from front to back row of Aphrodite (back row is power and front row is output)...That was a true revelation as was tube rolling the entire afternoon

 

[Steve Rowan]

Good morning again. Here’s a Lampi Aphrodite update.
Yesterday many people arrived at Steve William’s home. Most I knew not, but when all of us had music and stereo gear in common plus Lampizator one found new friends throughout the day.

Steve, Lukasz and Fred were the hosts of the Lampizator Aphrodite experience and went out of their way to make everyone feel at home and happy. Steve’s wife worked way too hard making and providing all the delicious snacks. Yum Yum!

The first happening was a sit down meet and greet where Steve introduced all the guests who’d arrived on time and himself and Lukasz.
Steve then told the story of his role in the Aphrodite design and the agenda for the day. The simple and effective plan was all guests could take turns listening, talking and snacking till around 1:00 when we would finally get to hear the Horizon 360 vs the Aphrodite.

Next it was Lukasz’s turn describing the Aphrodite’s conception, finding the best parts available and integrating Stev’s input. Into the design. I believe that was all recorded and I’m sure it will be posted here on What’s Best. I’m not going to summarize this Lukasz’s story when you can listen to it here on the What’s Best forum.

I spent the morning listening to Lukasz answer questions about the Aphrodite on display outside the listening room. I didn’t ask any questions myself but listened to what other’s asked. Lukasz answered all questions with patience and aplomb. One thing I did learn was all the effort put into making the Aphrodite as bullet proof and owner proof as possible. There are a plethora of systems built into the DAC which prevent tube failure and or mistakes in tube rolling that could cause an expensive shipment back to Poland for “Dad to fix.”

About 1 PM Fred and Steve announced the next listening experience. Horizon 360 vs Aphrodite. Of course there were many interested parties (including myself) that made their way into Steve’s room at that time.

Steve and Fred made every effort to make the comparison was as fair and equal as possible. Both DACs were outfitted with the stock tubes they were born with plus every other variable that could influence the sound. The list would include: platforms, USB cables, XDMI cables, and maybe a few others aspects don’t remember. I’ll include my observations here but I’ll limit myself to just a couple of tracks instead of track by track. While we were all listening I sat in the hot seat, stood, and sat in various places in the room. Not surprisingly the differences I heard were not affected by where I was positioned. Fred and Steve had the unenviable job of switching between the two DACs but soon switched between the two easily after a bit of practice.

The two I’ll discuss are “Queen Mary” by Francine Thirteen and “Way Down in the Hole” by John Campbell.

I do own Lampizator Horizon 360 so I’m very familiar with what it can do.

Let’s do Queen Mary first.
After yesterday’s session with the Aphrodite I had a pretty good handle on what Steve’s system could do.

We played Queen Mary first through the Horizon 360’s USB connection. The sound I heard was very similar to what I remembered from my system at home even though Steve’s and my system are vastly different. The soundstage was wide with plenty of depth, the voice, imaging and bass were spot on like I’ve remembered from home. The sound like any Lampi DAC was very musical, full of ambiance and power. I really didn’t think it could improve much. After all we are discussing the Horizon 360 whose pedigree and performance are well known here.

Enter the Aphrodite. Whoa. Now the soundstage enveloped the entire room front to back beyond the speakers as well as side to side. The sound became much more solid and controlled. The bass had a forceful grip that wouldn’t let you go. It seemed to emanate somehow below the speakers and was a gut wrenching direct blow to be reckoned with. The Aphrodite just locked down the bass in perfect stride while at the same time enveloping listeners in a dense soundscape unlike any other DAC I’ve experienced. In comparison the H360 sounded a bit wooly, lacked details and made an attempt at keeping everything on the straight and narrow but just lacked the strength, power and resolution to do so. I don’t believe many would know the H360 lacked anything at all until hearing something new and decidedly better. The Aphrodite’s attitude might be, “Humph, good luck Mr.Taiko there’s nothing you can stream that I can’t make mine.”

Now for Mr. Campbell’s “Way Down in the Hole”. I don’t believe I’d heard this track until the night before. I took an instant liking to it and couldn’t wait to hear how the Horizon 360 would handle it.
The recording of Mr. Cambell’s voice is exceptional.He has a deep resonant voice that fills the soundscape. I admire artists with this ability. I’ve tried before and I could never get my voice to sound so deep, resonate and be articulate at the same time. Mr. Campbell has it all in spades.

It was Horizon 360s turn first as we were trying to be consistent in methodology. Much of what I said before of the Horizon’s performance is written above.
The Horizon is a superb DAC. It really takes something better to reveal the “flaws or shortcomings” the Horizon 360 has. I would never have guessed myself until hearing the Aphrodite. The Aphrodite just does every aspect of music production better. The Aphrodite just produces a solid platform that anchors voices and instruments into their own place and space.

The H360 reproduces every rasp and growl in Mr. Campbells’s voice or so I thought. But the same voice through the Aphrodite is something again. It was like Mr, Campbell was in the room. But the H360 was unbelievably just a ghost of his real voice. This is not dependent on Steve’s fine system.

When I returned to my home I couldn’t wait to hear Mr. Campbell sing through my system and the H360.
Except for differences in the venue and equipment Mr. Campbell’s voice was almost exactly as I heard it through Steve’s H360. It lacked the force, power, and grip the Aphrodite brings to the party. (It’s a shame there is not an acoustical revealing substance that could be sprayed from a can that would reveal the differences in the soundstage and depth visually In your room.).

The Aphrodite gets the pulse of the music correct even more so than the H360 (which is no slouch). The Aphrodite brought music to life and while we listened I noticed more foot tapping and fingers moving in time with the music when the Aphrodite was playing while not so much with the H360. The Aphrodite’s grip just makes music so much more fun to listen to.
I miss it already.

After listening to the USB connecting the Taiko to the two DACs we next auditioned the XDMI connection between the two DACs and the Taiko Olympus. Briefly one could tell the XDMI was superior to USB. But the difference between the DACs was still readily apparent. Those blessed with a Taiko Olympus and Lampizator DAC with XDMI are well rewarded for their money.

After all the back and forth comparisons Fred and Steve left the room and handed me the iPad. I played music from my hastily written playlist while also taking requests from other music lovers in the room for the last hour and half or so. It was a fun time for sure and I think we challenged the Aphrodite and Steve’s system as we played track after track.
Steve would come in once in a while from entertaining guests and say, “Be sure to put that on my playlist!” which I happily did.

It was sure a great time and many thanks to Steve and his sweet and beautiful wife Cathy, for their wonderful hospitality and of course to Lukasz and Fred for providing this first look and listen to Lukasz’s newest creation.

If I can think of more to add I’ll do so or try to answer any questions some might have if I can. I’ll leave all technical questions to Fred and Lukasz.

Regarding my playlist I just typed the selections into my iPad notes. I will be happy to provide a copy to who ever wants one. I’ll also do the same through ROON and publish it here.

This is one thing I’ve found fun to do with playlists. As guests come to listen and they suggest tracks to play I save them under that guest’s name as a playlist so I won’t forget and the next time they visit we can easily find their favorites.

 

[Steve Rowan]

Does anyone know how to copy a ROON playlist and paste or move it here? I’ve tried several times and so far I’m only able to move it inside ROON.