[ CODA : DON GARBER of Fi 1935 -2017 ]
June 12, 2017
CODA:[ Peter “Principle” Dachert ??? 1954 – 17 July 2017]
July 17, 2017
We are delighted to to share with you the latest LampizatOr Golden Atlantic DAC review already published on 6 Moons audio magazine. This is second review of the DAC from the Atlantic family after published half year earlier review of the regular LampizatOr Atlantic DAC , by David Grzyb on hifiknight webzine. Especially we do enjoy the fact that this review , just like another one gives the DAC a justice and comes really nice together. Since an introduction , when an Atlantic in fact replaced our beloved long runner Level 4 , it became immediately company new hit and best – seller ! Please read the whole write up and enjoy it with us.
As always we quote a summary from the reviewer bellow :
” This overall balance of qualities in the GA with incredible imaging, focus on tonal accuracy over ultimate drive and a complete absence of harshness makes the LampizatOr a perfect choice for classical music and acoustic jazz without ruling out more modern fare. It may not be the ultimate choice if the last word in inner tension is what floats your boat. For me it was actually a good balance as my vinyl setup with the Genesis Gold Phono preamp is designed to deliver this ultimate inner drive. The GA gives me a somewhat more forgiving presentation perfectly adapted to my long list of old, esoteric and often poorly recorded obscure operas that at times could get very fatiguing over the SOtM.
A final few comments regarding DSD/PCM. Compared to the SOtM, PCM is actually where the greatest improvement was most obvious. Gains in resolution, soundstaging, imaging and the elimination of any harshness in the upper midrange completely transformed PCM playback of older CDs and early digital recordings. It moved them from fatiguing to fully enjoyable on my rating scale. It’s cliché to say but the LampizatOr allows me to go through my entire collection and enjoy it like I have not been able to do in a long time.
This does not mean that I don’t find DSD still more enjoyable for recordings with potential to portray detailed venue acoustics but 16/44.1 PCM with the LampizatOr closed a good part of the pleasure gap whereas high-rez PCM can sound truly stunning. Interestingly though, of my three choices the LampizatOr makes PCM and DSD sound the most different, albeit not at the expense of either format but rather by magnifying what each one does best yet being very forgiving of PCM’s early flaws.
The LampizatOr Golden Atlantic is a superb DAC with separately optimized paths for DSD and PCM to deliver the very best of each. That in itself is not common. Its high resolution, truly best-in-class imaging paired with rich colourful tones and slightly relaxed dynamics make for a combination that’s easy to love to make early digital sound better than it ever has. If you care only about PCM and are fine with trading a little of that incredible imaging for greater dynamic drive, the Aqua HiFi La Scala is also a tremendous value while the TotalDac D1-dual actually comes closer to the GA on the relaxed resolution continuum, with more inner illumination and slightly lighter tonal colors but also greater sticker shock which ultimately determined my choice between the two.
It’s a great time to shop for a top-shelf R2R DAC. The breed has made gigantic strides in the past three years and I will guess that any of the options I considered would make their owners very happy. I picked based on my priorities which may not be yours. I think that more choices will come as more off-the-shelf R2R OEM modules drop to build from. I am looking forward to testing them against my new Golden Atlantic. In the meantime, I am happily rediscovering my vintage digital collection as well as stunning DSD transfers. This is a lot of fun. “
