Lampizator BEST300B or Baltic 3?

L3RD

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Apr 30, 2022
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I am pretty DAC illiterate, or at least dated. Probably 5 years ago I purchased my first real, over $100 DAC, a Schiit Yggdrasil. I am going to upgrade, in fact I have ordered the BEST300B, but honestly their return policy has me concerned as well as the difference between it's sound and the Baltic 3's. I am not over the 7 day cancellation period, and there is no sign that it has shipped. Personally it being a Lampizator, I initially assumed it carried the typical warrantee, but I later decided to double check and found a 7 day, from date of purchase, and a do not listen policy. That began to gnaw at me. Then there's the where does this DAC fall in the sound quality column question. I believe that the crazy 7 day policy is likely due to unscrupulous customers just wanting to compare it to either companies products, or even other Lampizator products. I think that the margins are low on this DAC, and such activity makes selling at this price with normal terms impossible. Frankly I had no desire to spend this kind of money on a DAC, but from everything I hear they seem to be pretty awesome. I do have time to cancel and then get a Baltic 3. Frankly I wish that I had read the return policy prior to purchasing, but that's water under the bridge. Any opinions on the sound quality of these 2 DACs? Thanks in advance.
 

Nuforce

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I was going to buy a best300b.com dac but I bought an acuhorn R2R T instead. I hate the fact that Lampizator use delta sigma.
 
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L3RD

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I was going to buy a best300b.com dac but I bought an acuhorn R2R T instead. I hate the fact that Lampizator use delta sigma.
I thought that the BEST300B was R2R, they advertise it as such. I have been told that the Lampizator DACs with the programmable chip sound better. I have never heard a Lampizator of either design. Just looked up Acuhorn, they are using the same type of chip, but the program is different.

Acuhorn R2R



silver or black finish

Stereo Streamer and DAC Loaded FPGA Spartan 6 R2R Ladder​


"Stereo Streamer and DAC Loaded FPGA Spartan 6 R2R Ladder" The FPGA is a programmable chip, Spartan is the program, I don't know if they are using someone else's program as Lampizator does, though they alter it, or if Spartan is proprietary to Acuhorn, but either way, much like the Yggdrasil, somehow they are using chips as R2R setups, I don't actually understand the technology. R2R to me seems as if it should be using just resistors. I don't know if your DAC has that chip or not, but the first Acuhorn DAC I read about uses it.

Upon further reading, Spartan is a particular chip manufactured by the same company Lampizator uses. "R2R ladder 28 bit resolution 384Khz dac by famous Soekris. Loaded FPGA Spartan 6 technology oversampling up to 3.072Mhz. Frequency range +0.1dB -1.0dB 20hz - 20Khz."
 
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L3RD

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Apr 30, 2022
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I was going to buy a best300b.com dac but I bought an acuhorn R2R T instead. I hate the fact that Lampizator use delta sigma.
I found this, it seems to further muddy the water for me. What is what?

2016 Chip R2R engine VS Chipless discrete R2R​

Hi Everyone,

I currently have a Lampi L4 G4 DAC and plan to upgrade to SE GG in the nearest future. Life was good before Lukas introduced these new 2 R2R options. First, there was just one: chipless discrete R2R, now there are 2: the chipless one and the chip based one.
The chipless option is included in the price of the GG. The chip based option is included in the price of the Big 7. Both variants are listed as upgrade options for L4 and the SE options have the same price. There is a quad mono option of the discrete R2R type and it is more expensive, than the balanced chip based R2R option. Is one superior to the other one? Is it possible to install the quad mono discrete R2R option to a SE DAC?
I think, that the chipless option is the better one, but my dealer asked Lukas and the answer was they are both equally good sounding, just different.
Has anyone had a chance to compare these 2 options? Sorry for all these questions. I am just a little bit confused right now.
Thanks,
Aziz
 

Nuforce

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Jan 5, 2021
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I've spoken to Lukasz about this dac. It uses a newer version of rye engine 53 Delta sigma.

It may be very good, but I went with acuhorn
 
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Nuforce

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L3RD

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Apr 30, 2022
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I've spoken to Lukasz about this dac. It uses a newer version of rye engine 53 Delta sigma.

It may be very good, but I went with acuhorn
I just found this!

"FPGA process with analog filters and digital filters, 64x/128x/256x self-selecting"

So, the BEST300B uses the chip for DSD. PCM is done via R2R. Using HQPlayer I can convert PCM to DSD and thus decide for myself which method I prefer!
 

Geerock

Member
Apr 17, 2022
21
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8
I am pretty DAC illiterate, or at least dated. Probably 5 years ago I purchased my first real, over $100 DAC, a Schiit Yggdrasil. I am going to upgrade, in fact I have ordered the BEST300B, but honestly their return policy has me concerned as well as the difference between it's sound and the Baltic 3's. I am not over the 7 day cancellation period, and there is no sign that it has shipped. Personally it being a Lampizator, I initially assumed it carried the typical warrantee, but I later decided to double check and found a 7 day, from date of purchase, and a do not listen policy. That began to gnaw at me. Then there's the where does this DAC fall in the sound quality column question. I believe that the crazy 7 day policy is likely due to unscrupulous customers just wanting to compare it to either companies products, or even other Lampizator products. I think that the margins are low on this DAC, and such activity makes selling at this price with normal terms impossible. Frankly I had no desire to spend this kind of money on a DAC, but from everything I hear they seem to be pretty awesome. I do have time to cancel and then get a Baltic 3. Frankly I wish that I had read the return policy prior to purchasing, but that's water under the bridge. Any opinions on the sound quality of these 2 DACs? Thanks in advance.
Get a hold of Fred Ainsley of lampiNA.com. I believe he will I intercede on your behalf and get you that very fine Baltic 3.
BTW....Lukasz and Frank of Lampizator and Best 300b are related family members to each other.
 

L3RD

Member
Apr 30, 2022
100
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Get a hold of Fred Ainsley of lampiNA.com. I believe he will I intercede on your behalf and get you that very fine Baltic 3.
So, I take it that you believe that the Baltic 3 is superior sounding? Also, do I contact Mr. Ainsley via the link, or does he hang out here? Also, thanks!
 

L3RD

Member
Apr 30, 2022
100
19
23
66
Get a hold of Fred Ainsley of lampiNA.com. I believe he will I intercede on your behalf and get you that very fine Baltic 3.
BTW....Lukasz and Frank of Lampizator and Best 300b are related family members to each other.
Bad news;

LampIna.com​

This domain is for sale: $2,695
 

Geerock

Member
Apr 17, 2022
21
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8
Bad news;

LampIna.com​

This domain is for sale: $2,695
Sorry about that.
lampizatorna@gmail.com
Fred Ainsley is the North American distributor for Lampizator.
As for what I believe to be better? I dont know what the BEST300B sounds like or even what it is. (Btw... Frank of BEST is the son of Lukash of Lampizator). So I'm not in a position to say better or worse.
I will say this, the features in the Baltic 3 are all trickle down from higher end models. My nephew has one and it is a truly killer unit.
 
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L3RD

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Sorry about that.
lampizatorna@gmail.com
Fred Ainsley is the North American distributor for Lampizator.
As for what I believe to be better? I dont know what the BEST300B sounds like or even what it is. (Btw... Frank of BEST is the son of Lukash of Lampizator). So I'm not in a position to say better or worse.
I will say this, the features in the Baltic 3 are all trickle down from higher end models. My nephew has one and it is a truly killer unit.
Lukasz apparently said that they are different, better is more about preference I guess. If the Baltic is using the chip full time, and isn't R2R, then with HQPlayer you can turn PCM files into DSD. The PCM normally is R2R, but if you upsample to DSD, you can send it to the proprietary chip they use for DSD. Effectively you should able to use either that way if you find your preference, so be it. Thanks again!
 

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