Lampizator Atlantic DSD512 Engine

[BayStBroker]

There is a great opportunity right now for aspirational audiophiles to get elite D/A conversion performance at a mainstream price.  You may have heard good things about the Lampi Atlantic.  Yes, the sound is incredibly lifelike, detailed and musical.  The cheap model starts at 4,000 Euros.  The main sacrifice of the base model is the use of solid-state rectification instead of tube, which if you ask me is no biggie. But for the SAME entry price a buyer can elect to receive the DSD-only version, which features the chipless DSD512 engine.  And that is the option that will ratchet the performance into elite class for whoever buys it.  I have a deluxe Atlantic Plus with R2R for PCM and an optional DSD512 engine.  After a few weeks the DSD512 engine is the only one I'm using.  It sounds magnificent, and is miles ahead of the R2R engine (or any PCM I've heard.)  Since the new Audirvana 3.0 allows me to stream Tidal upconverted to DSD, it is a simple matter to dispense with PCM altogether.  Note that I'm streaming DSD128 to the Lampi DSD512 engine.  I haven't even heard what authentic 512 sounds like.  The chipless DSD512 engine handles all DSD with breathtaking effect.  If I had it to do over again I would have bought the DSD512 only base model and saved nearly half of my money.  Guys, trust me, you gotta hear this DAC!

[BayStBroker]

4 hours ago, unbalanced output said:

I have my Atlantic for a few weeks now, it is very very enjoyable to listen to it. Honestly, I couldn't care less about the tube rectifier option when ordering it, and Im wondering if electric guitar amps out there just suck - they sound so good now and acoustic guitars (for comparison) sound even better!

 

I wonder if the DSD 512 is a worthy upgrade over the 256 (Lampi says it is not), I think one can order the base model without PCM as well. The super clock is definitely an option worth considering! 

 

 

I am telling you that the chipless DSD512 engine is not only worthy of adding as an upgrade, it is worth forgoing PCM entirely in order to have.  Lampizator is justifiably pleased to market their R2R engine which plays mixed PCM and DSD playlists without manual adjustment.  It sounds spectacular.  But the chipless DSD512 engine sounds way better.   Since you already have your Atlantic, I would add the DSD512 engine before I added the superclocks to the standard engine.  To be clear, the DSD512 engine sounds far superior when playing even regular DSD64 files.  With the DSD512 engine, you don't even want to use the R2R chip engine.

[BayStBroker]

Yes, well if you use it for A/V then you will of course need PCM.  The DSD512 engine sounds "better" than the chip-based PCM/DSD256 engine in two ways. The first is that it simulates more completely the analogue experience in which one is frequently astonished by the "in the room" realness of the presentation.  Another way it is "better" is that way in which it seems a layer of veil has been removed from the recording.  This is most evident in the upper mids and high frequencies, which are natural, emotionally present, and uncannily human to a degree I've never heard from digital.  You are closer to the master tape, pure and simple.  And my whole point is that a buyer can have this performance for the base model price if he chooses DSD512 only.  Originally, Lukasz did not offer DSD512 to Atlantic buyers "at this price point."  Then he made it available, even to base model buyers.

[BayStBroker]

5 hours ago, Norton said:

Do you know if you can similarly get a DSD512 only version of the Tube rectified Atlantic Plus for the  same price as 256/PCM version?  

Not for same price like silicon rectifier base model; at least not on order form. But if you asked, I don't see why Lukasz would refuse. If you pay for the tube recti, it should be no skin off their backs to let you choose DSD512 only (no PCM at all). According to order form though, you can get SS recti DSD512 only for 4,000 euros but a tube recti with DSD512 option added (like mine) starts at 6500. In hindsight, I would've gotten with 4,000 euro base model DSD- only.

[BayStBroker]

6 minutes ago, TubeLover said:

Will the the chipless DSD512 engine you are recommending in the Atlantic automatically convert other (non DSD) files fed to it via a network player (Aurender etc.) to DSD512, in the same way the PS Audio DirectStream converts everything to DSD when it passes through? 

 

I have a friend who wishes to do that without introducing a standard "computer" into the system.

 

JC

Sorry, no. My Aurender is sitting idle while I use a MacBook Pro to run Tidal via Audirvana 3.0 to upsample the signal to DSD128. I'm not happy about using a std "computer" either, but for now that is the price of admission to Lampi DSD512-land. And Lampi DSD512-land is a good place to be.

[BayStBroker]

3 hours ago, Norton said:

I borrowed a DAVE for a few days.  I also used to own a Hugo.  DAVE was astonishingly good, but as you say a lot of money.  I see Atlantic +HQP as. a possible cheaper, more future proof and maybe even better alternative.  There is though Hugo2, out this week.

Talk about cheaper, the option of Atlantic base model DSD512 only at 4,000 euros is a steal if you agree that the chipless DSD512 engine is where you get the best sound.