05-Jun-2015, 05:43
Well, it has taken a while, but I have done some intensive listening, comparing the Lampizator Big Six DAC to the Devialet, and I have concluded that I prefer the Lampizator. Believe me, I was pulling for the Devialet, as I would love nothing more than to pocket the money from selling the Big Six, but I just cannot do it.
First, let me say this, just to be clear. I love my Devialet and have no plans to sell it. I especially like the phono stage, and I've had some great ones, including a VAC Renaissance, a Doshi Alaap, and a Herron VTPH-2, just to name a few. I think the Devialet--with the right cabling--can hold its own against anything I've heard.
As for the DAC, it is also very, very good, one of the cleanest, purest, most dynamic DACs I've heard. But the Lampizator Big Six is simply fuller and more dimensional, with more "in the room" presence and that breath of life that is just so difficult to articulate. Some might say that the Devialet is more transparent and the Big Six, by contrast, colored. But I do not. The Devialet has a wide, very nicely defined sound stage, but the Lampizator's stage is both wide and deep, and not in any artificial way. Nor would I say that the Big Six adds that euphonic "glow" that some folks associate with tubes. I guess I just keep coming back to that word "presence." When I take the Big Six out of the chain, I remain impressed by the Devialet, but not as moved by it.
None of this is to disparage the Devialet in the slightest. It is a truly remarkable unit, even a revelation, considering the range of its capabilities. I look forward to keeping it as the foundation of my system for years to come. I just like it even better with the Lampizator in the chain.
First, let me say this, just to be clear. I love my Devialet and have no plans to sell it. I especially like the phono stage, and I've had some great ones, including a VAC Renaissance, a Doshi Alaap, and a Herron VTPH-2, just to name a few. I think the Devialet--with the right cabling--can hold its own against anything I've heard.
As for the DAC, it is also very, very good, one of the cleanest, purest, most dynamic DACs I've heard. But the Lampizator Big Six is simply fuller and more dimensional, with more "in the room" presence and that breath of life that is just so difficult to articulate. Some might say that the Devialet is more transparent and the Big Six, by contrast, colored. But I do not. The Devialet has a wide, very nicely defined sound stage, but the Lampizator's stage is both wide and deep, and not in any artificial way. Nor would I say that the Big Six adds that euphonic "glow" that some folks associate with tubes. I guess I just keep coming back to that word "presence." When I take the Big Six out of the chain, I remain impressed by the Devialet, but not as moved by it.
None of this is to disparage the Devialet in the slightest. It is a truly remarkable unit, even a revelation, considering the range of its capabilities. I look forward to keeping it as the foundation of my system for years to come. I just like it even better with the Lampizator in the chain.
