LampizatOr Baltic 3

[mourip]

I strongly recommend you to try rca red base 5692 tubes cause they are the substitute of 6SN7 tubes, 5691 tubes are not. 5691 tubes can be considered the subtitutes of 6SL7’s. I used rca red base 5692 tubes, they sound very dynamic but a little aggressive for me. I prefer tung-sol vt-231 smoked glass, oval mica, copper posts or marconi B65 to rca 5692’s. rca vt-231 smoked glass is an economic alternative and 5692 is definitely a great sounding tube on the right equipment.
in the place of stock 5U4G cossor 53KU or gec U52 would be the best sounding options disregarding the unobtainable we274b’s. Cossor GZ37/53KU (GZ 33) worths a try which has an indirectly heated cathode.

Glad that you pointed out that the 5691 is a beefy 6SL7, not a 6SN7. The 6SL7 will probably not harm the DAC but it does not have the exact same specs and also has much higher gain. I have found that 7N7s and Tungsol black glass 6SN7s (with the round(oval) plates - TSRP) were the best in other equipment that I have own. The Tungsol TSRPs are very expensive in the 6v version but a steal in the 12v version.

I have a Baltic ordered and am going to see if they can make a switchable heater voltage for the 6SN7 sockets(6v/12v). This would open up a lot more rolling options. I have a Linear Tube Audio MZ2 that can take either a 6SN7 or 12SN7 by just moving a jumper. The Baltic has a 12AU7 on the output so it has 12v already. It would just need a transformer that can provide enough current for the other tubes.

 

[mourip]

I was able to do an add-on for my Baltic 3. Mine will now come with support for both 6SN7 and 12SN7 and variants by using a switch. 12SN7s are a steal since so few amps use them. The added price was well worth it as I can now use my Tungsol 12SN7 round plates which are the best 6SN7 type tubes I have tried. I can also use a 2C50 which sounds great.

Has anyone tried using the older 4 pin 5v rectifiers with an adapter?

 

[Golum]

Has anyone tried using the older 4 pin 5v rectifiers with an adapter?

Few guys using 80 type and loving them a lot...but I mean A LOT

 

[mourip]

Great. I still have an 80 gathering dust!

Also how about a 5Z3 with adaptor? for some reason I have a bunch left from an old project.

And finally how about an 83 with adaptor? Love the blue glow...

 

[Parmenter Sound]

LampizatOr Baltic 3

Ever since LampizatOr DAC's got their new names inspired by bridges and water the feeling (to me) has been that the lower end models like Amber and Baltic (and what even happened to the short lived Euforia?!) have been living in the shadows, not really drawing any particular interest or getting any praise from either longterm Lampi fans or new audiences.

When Amber 3 was released something changed. Of course most die hard fans where already at least on Golden Atlantic or Golden Gate level, but still there where quite some fuzz about the new Amber. I've told my story before, but in short I came from Level 4 DSD, Atlantic, Golden Atlantic, then tried to live without a Lampi for some time. When I realized my mistake, perhaps the most obvious choice would have been to aim for Golden Gate or (not at the time released) Golden Atlantic TRP models. For some reason though, Amber 3 was what caught my curiosity, of course money played some part of it too, but I had a strong feeling that I just needed to try the new Amber.

Being the new entry model, Amber 3 took me by surprise! Maybe it wasn't as refined, effortless or polished as GA, it was a bit rougher, but it was a lot of fun and incredibly musical, it had something very engaging and attractive going on, and for the price I thought it was a giant killer. My feeling was that this was a new beginning, this was the new entry level of the "next generation" LampizatOr DAC's.

While Amber 3 perhaps "got me back" and I was perfectly happy with it, I simply had to upgrade to Baltic 3 when it was announced. I thought about it for a few days but I knew from the beginning that this new DAC had my name written all over it already. It has now been playing continuously in my system for the last 60 hours, not yet fully broken in I assume.

The press release was bold, it positioned Baltic 3 between Amber 3 and Golden Gate 2. While I have admittedly only listened to the latter in shows and not in my own system, the step up from Amber 3 is simply ridiculous! My feeling with Baltic 3 is similar to what I felt before, this is the next step of an evolution that was started with Amber 3. This time it's not only a new beginning or a giant killer though, this time it's a game changer!

My words are big, the press release was bold, it's easy to get into the hype. I'll try to report my listening impressions as burning in continues, but if there is one thing I want to leave with you now it is that Baltic 3 needs to be taken seriously. This DAC does not belong among the lower end models anymore, this thing is for real! I'll be impatiently waiting for the reviews and hopefully other happy new owner impressions, but this DAC is in one word amazing! I'm deeply impressed.

I have ordered a new Lampizator Baltic 3 Dac for my Lampizator promotion & demonstrations at Parmenter Sound in New Zealand. I am really looking forward to having the new Baltic 3 DAC here in my studio system. I have ordered the copper top option with silver faceplate, love the look of the copper. I will post pictures once it has arrived.

 

[ronfint]

Few guys using 80 type and loving them a lot...but I mean A LOT

Is this true with the TRP as well?

 

[Golum]

Is this true with the TRP as well?

Yes

 

[Vangelis]

Now that my Baltic 3 is into a month of service, I have several lingering questions.


Some tube enthusiasts never leave their tube equipment on when they are away or over night due to safety concerns. Yes, I know tubes last a long in Lampizators, that being said I am still wondering if B3 owners in this group would share their daily listening/turn on-turn routine. Do you leave your DAC on 24/7? Do you turn on during daily listening and turn it off at bedtime?

The Lampizatormanual is a bit conflicted in their recommendations.
Excepts from the manual:

“Combining all the factors together, the tube lifetime should be anywhere between 10 and 20 years, assuming the player is switched off only once per day, for the night.

“In other words it is better to keep the DAC always on, than to switch it on and off more than necessary”

 

[VoicesInMyHead]

Do you leave your DAC on 24/7? Do you turn on during daily listening and turn it off at bedtime?

I leave it on 24/7 unless I'm going away for a few days then I usually turn it off. Working from home I listen to music more or less all day.

 

[dbeau]

that my Baltic 3 is into a month of service, I have several lingering questions.
“In other words it is better to keep the DAC always on, than to switch it on and off more than necessary”

I think it depends upon when you are listening seriously, i.e. I do so only at night as we have an imbedded home system for background music but at night it is the main system (Baltic 3) for focused attention and enjoyment.
Therefore, the Baltic is off until about an hour before usage, to warm up, and turned off after about 3 hours of playing.

 

[mourip]

Now that my Baltic 3 is into a month of service, I have several lingering questions.


Some tube enthusiasts never leave their tube equipment on when they are away or over night due to safety concerns. Yes, I know tubes last a long in Lampizators, that being said I am still wondering if B3 owners in this group would share their daily listening/turn on-turn routine. Do you leave your DAC on 24/7? Do you turn on during daily listening and turn it off at bedtime?

The Lampizatormanual is a bit conflicted in their recommendations.
Excepts from the manual:

“Combining all the factors together, the tube lifetime should be anywhere between 10 and 20 years, assuming the player is switched off only once per day, for the night.

“In other words it is better to keep the DAC always on, than to switch it on and off more than necessary”

I have a Baltic on the way but do have an LTA Ultralinear tube integrated and also have owned a lot of tube equipment. I tend to not leave tube equipment on when I am not in the house. I have experienced two amps letting the smoke out so I tend to be at least a little cautious. Having said that I often turn tube equipment on well in advance of a listening session. I do leave SS equipment on all of the time, especially the digital front end, but not power amps.

 

[dhemen]

I have a Baltic on the way but do have an LTA Ultralinear tube integrated and also have owned a lot of tube equipment. I tend to not leave tube equipment on when I am not in the house. I have experienced two amps letting the smoke out so I tend to be at least a little cautious. Having said that I often turn tube equipment on well in advance of a listening session. I do leave SS equipment on all of the time, especially the digital front end, but not power amps.

Using and enjoying my Baltic3 with LTA Z40, wonder how you feel with your new combo

About the turn on/off topic, I always turn off the Baltic on nights as I afraid of any voltage fluctuations or the risk of my cat to get cooked

 

[mourip]

Using and enjoying my Baltic3 with LTA Z40, wonder how you feel with your new combo

About the turn on/off topic, I always turn off the Baltic on nights as I afraid of any voltage fluctuations or the risk of my cat to get cooked

My Baltic is still in the queue so I have that to look forward to. Just lining up tubes to roll right now.

Good idea to not cook kitty!

 

[mourip]

My Baltic arrived yesterday. I set it up today using the stock tubes to make sure that all is well and to put some hours on it. It came with new production JJ ECC802s(12AU7) and Psvane blue globe 6SN7s plus a NOS 5C3S Russian rectifier. The globe tubes have glass so thick that I think you could play baseball with them. I paid extra to be able to use 12v versions of the 6SN7. The heater voltage selection switch is located on the bottom of the case toward the front. I was able to get USB working easily using my Audiolinux Roon endpoint but did not fare so well using my Denefrips Hermes DDC with USB in and AES out to the B3. I will work on that again tomorrow.

Any feedback on how long it takes to break-in? I am using the stock tubes for now but would like to get a realistic idea of when it will hit it's stride...

 

[Vangelis]

My Baltic arrived yesterday. I set it up today using the stock tubes to make sure that all is well and to put some hours on it. It came with new production JJ ECC802s(12AU7) and Psvane blue globe 6SN7s plus a NOS 5C3S Russian rectifier. The globe tubes have glass so thick that I think you could play baseball with them. I paid extra to be able to use 12v versions of the 6SN7. The heater voltage selection switch is located on the bottom of the case toward the front. I was able to get USB working easily using my Audiolinux Roon endpoint but did not fare so well using my Denefrips Hermes DDC with USB in and AES out to the B3. I will work on that again tomorrow.

Any feedback on how long it takes to break-in? I am using the stock tubes for now but would like to get a realistic idea of when it will hit it's stride...

My DAC has 300 music hrs on. I can’t say I’ve heard any change after the first 24hrs.

Maybe someone could provide clarity on the warranty regarding tube rolling. I can’t remember the specifics, but in general, my take away from the owners manual is that it’s a requirement to get approval on any tube replacement model or Tube rolling from Lampizator. I’m not quite ready to relinquish my warranty. Do I need to send tube changes I wish make to Lampizator US?

 

[mourip]

Thanks. 24 hours sounds good!

I asked Rob from Lampizator US about tube rolling a couple of days ago. His reply was that you are OK as long as you use tubes of the same type.

"Differnet tubes of the same type are ok if that doesn’t sound too confusing. Stick with 12au7s, 5 volt rectifiers, 12sn7 or 6sn7s and you're good to go."

Plenty of room there!

Note that my Baltic was factory modified to use both 6SN7s and 12SN7s.

 

[christoph]

My Baltic arrived yesterday. I set it up today using the stock tubes to make sure that all is well and to put some hours on it. It came with new production JJ ECC802s(12AU7) and Psvane blue globe 6SN7s plus a NOS 5C3S Russian rectifier. The globe tubes have glass so thick that I think you could play baseball with them. I paid extra to be able to use 12v versions of the 6SN7. The heater voltage selection switch is located on the bottom of the case toward the front. I was able to get USB working easily using my Audiolinux Roon endpoint but did not fare so well using my Denefrips Hermes DDC with USB in and AES out to the B3. I will work on that again tomorrow.

Any feedback on how long it takes to break-in? I am using the stock tubes for now but would like to get a realistic idea of when it will hit it's stride...

Congrats
Please let us know how it sounds and also how the switchable voltage works for you, comparing the 6 volt and the 12 volt versions directly

 

[mourip]

Congrats
Please let us know how it sounds and also how the switchable voltage works for you, comparing the 6 volt and the 12 volt versions directly

Thanks. Yesterday was a rocky start. I have owned tube equipment since the 80's but still managed to improperly insert the Russian rectifier. It is usually pretty hard to do that with a tube that has a guide pin! I did that while trying to get AES going so I was really swimming upstream. Eventually I rubbed two synapses together and touched all of the tubes. Since the 5C3S was cold I assumed it got trashed in shipping. I inserted an RCA 5R4 which did light up but I still got no output. I then focused on my setup. I double checked the rear input switch and the front panel button but still had no output. Finally I used USB from my NUC endpoint and got sound. Fresh from the glow of success I carefully reinserted the 5C3S. That made a huge improvement over the, probably gassy, 70 year old RCA. After several hours of playing music I could start to hear potential. Definitely breaking~^~<~>~^~<~in though...

I will certainly report back on the 6v/12v switch. The only tubes I have that I can use to compare heater versions directly will be 7N7/14N7 with their noval adapters. I do know from using them in Linear Tube Audio equipment that sonically they are the same. What I am looking forward to is slipping in my favored Tungsol black glass round plate 12SN7s. That was actually the reason I had the switch installed. I also can try some 2C50's which are a 12SN7 variant.

 

[christoph]

Thanks. Yesterday was a rocky start. I have owned tube equipment since the 80's but still managed to improperly insert the Russian rectifier. It is usually pretty hard to do that with a tube that has a guide pin! I did that while trying to get AES going so I was really swimming upstream. Eventually I rubbed two synapses together and touched all of the tubes. Since the 5C3S was cold I assumed it got trashed in shipping. I inserted an RCA 5R4 which did light up but I still got no output. I then focused on my setup. I double checked the rear input switch and the front panel button but still had no output. Finally I used USB from my NUC endpoint and got sound. Fresh from the glow of success I carefully reinserted the 5C3S. That made a huge improvement over the, probably gassy, 70 year old RCA. After several hours of playing music I could start to hear potential. Definitely breaking~^~<~>~^~<~in though...

I will certainly report back on the 6v/12v switch. The only tubes I have that I can use to compare heater versions directly will be 7N7/14N7 with their noval adapters. I do know from using them in Linear Tube Audio equipment that sonically they are the same. What I am looking forward to is slipping in my favored Tungsol black glass round plate 12SN7s. That was actually the reason I had the switch installed. I also can try some 2C50's which are a 12SN7 variant.

Glad you were able to sort things out without permanent damage

 

[mourip]

Glad you were able to sort things out without permanent damage

Only to my pride!

Actually the DAC is breaking in wonderfully. It now has a "Technicolor" presentation that pulls me into the music. No hard leading edge but still has detail. No overly bright upper mid-range that tortures me. I have a feeling that this will be a keeper.

My guess is that folks either love the Lampizator sound or else are committed to chase the elusive so-called "neutrality" which is so often uninvolving.