The Lampizator Transport

A digilampizator gone Pro. By Lukasz Fikus - 13 March 2011.

This is a commercial presentation, not hobbyist article. The transport is a product that I produce and sell.
The list price is 1900 Eu plus European Union VAT
PLUS the price of Squeeze Box Duet and Remote (circa 280 Euro) or send me in exchange your own Duet.

What is a lampizatOr Transport anyway ?

The below described product is hard to categorize, because it is not a computer, it is not a CD transport and not a modem. It is not a router either. Basically it is a converter that converts FILES from our hard disk into S/PDIF data stream. This in turn can be fed into the DAC. Lampizator DAC of course.
Why did I make it ? Because in my opinion this is the future the Audio is going and also because the sound quality is the best I ever heard. So I am able to beat sonically the dCs, CEC TL0, Esoteric NEO, Mephisto 1 and 2, SQB Touch and Transporter, Accuphase 95 - meaning - all the world best transports I could compare it to. So I saw a potential market. I decided to expand my offering beyond the five levels of DAC. The transport makes a sonical improvement comparable to two levels of DAC, so in a way the investment pays for itself.

The main features in brief:

Connects to any local network at home like LAN (with Ethernet type router) or WiFi, or both.
The User Interface (GUI) can be any PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Logitech remote , etc.
The user interface requires software (Squeezecenter server), which is free of charge.
Reads from HDD plugged anywhere in the local network: inside the computer, on server, on network HDD station, on laptop, on USB hard drive station, firewire, SATA, etc
Reads all music file formats: WAV, WMA, AIFF, FLAC, MP3, Ape, and many more
Plays files in untouched form - full resolution. (up to 96/24)
Outputs: S/PDIF via Toslink, S/Pdif via coax, i2S via four chinch cables. Separate clock output for synchronization with other devices.
DIGITAL SQUARE SIGNAL IS AMPLIFIED BY VACUUM TUBE (digi-lampizator.)
What it does not do: the Lampizator transport does not allow to play normal CDs from a silver disc. If you bring a new CD home you need to first rip it to HDD (takes 2 minutes via iTunes or any other program) or you must keep a disc-spinning transport as an alternative.
Compatible with Q-nap and Vortex Box.
Allows to see album artwork on the screen of the computer and of the handheld remote.
Allows nice home entertainment by playing in shuffle mode across all your music collection (discover your own music you never knew existed !!!)
Allows to create playlists according to various criteria.
Plays Pandora and hundreds of radio stations from internet.

The key differenciator against other commercial products:
The Lampizator Transport, unlike any other computer or HDD transport, has TUBE OUTPUT - not for music but for S/PDIF digital signal. What for ? Well, because it sounds much better.
The only company in the world which uses this approach is Audio Note in their top Transport CDT-Five (price $175K includes their DAC5 and PSU) but this is an old CD mechanical transport with my own digilampizator added by them at the end. My transport is much more modern, open to all and every music file and storage media format that will ever appear (updated automatically by Logitech / Slim Devices website).

(You can read a related topic in my Digilampizator article from 2009 by clicking HERE)
(You can discuss the topic on the Lampizator Owner's forum: HERE )

Technical description of Lampizator Transport construction:

Squeezebox Duet PCB has Realtek LAN/WAN port management chip
Internal FIFO memory buffer for S/PDIF data (a'la Genesis Digital Lens)
XILINX audio processor
Squeezecenter GUI
Lampizator heavy duty chassis identical to the one of the DAC - color: silver or black anodized aluminum
Custom designed linear heavy duty power supply to the SQB main board
New precision superclock (Polish MR Gen2) with super precise OMIG quartz oscillator (2ppm), separate power supply and own transformer
The SQB data stream signal output circuit is removed and replaced by my own tube based digi-lampizator using radio type superfast vacuum tube 6H14 from soviet military program
The tube circuit and its parameters are optimized for 75 Ohm S/PDIF square wave and designed by Lukasz Fikus (me ;-)
The tube output buffer has tubed power supply (! ) - yes, the supply is tube-rectified using 6H6P dual triode in diode mode (poetry!). It is based on Lampizator DAC power supply with chokes and big caps. The last cap before anode is Paper in Oil from Polish Army.

Once again - how can a "stupid" computer modem sound better than reputable real CD transport ? Computers are supposed to be BAD.

I will try to explain how I see it:

Just imagine: It thakes 70 minutes for the Philips CDM2-Pro mechanism to read all data from CD disk. The same amount of data is read by DVD drive in 2 minutes. Blue Ray reads it in half minute. Hard drive reads it in 4 seconds. RAM buffer reads it in less than a second. MY LampizatOr Transport plays from own FIFO RAM Buffer.

The Data from CD must be read by a laser, which constantly needs to adjust focus, servo adjusts linear speed of motor, and track tracking. The data is demodulated from laser waves, and missing bits or errors are interpolated and corrected. Vibrations make reading difficult.

The HDD Lampizator Transport player needs nothing of that. Perfect, 100% accurate data is fed to RAM buffer and just (FIFO) - sent out to DAC according to external precision clock.
This scenario is 100 x more simple, errofr free and accurate. I am surprized that CD players play anything at all ;-)

The photo tour of the Lampizator Transport

The below pictures are from PROTOTYPE - hence dirty soldering and chaotic wiring.

Above: the dedicated 10 VA transformer with rectifier and pre-filtering for the PCB power supply

Above: dedicated clock transformer with rectifier and pre-filtering . The clock makes sense ONLY when powered by own transformer because of the amount of noise its power supply injects back.

Lampizator Transport

The main power transformer (toroidal) for tube circuit. (25 VA) It is copper shielded by Alpha Core Goertz copper tape.

Above: The 6H6P tube as rectifier in the power supply. Why 6H6P ? simply, because while using hundreds of 6H6P's for my DAC I sometimes reject an imperfect triode pair and these leftovers are prefect for rectifier , where symmetrical halves are unimportant. These are healthy tubes but failed to make it to the Lampizator DAC.
On the right - the power supply choke.

Above: the power supply of Anode has paper in oil capacitor after the rectification tube. (the big greenish box) The same capacitor is at the end of the chain - at anode supply point.

Lampizator Transport

Above: the main power reservoir is a huge PHILIPS electrolyte, same as in the heart of Lampizator DAC supply.
The resistors are the 200K discharge bleeders.

It goes without saying that I use excellent IEC power sockets from Swiss Shurter.

Lampizator Transport

The main SQB board is fully upgraded by OSCON polymer caps which transform the audio quality of this device into high end.

Lampizator Transport

The general view to the whole power supply section.

Above: the reason I made it : the tube output of digital signal.

(remember - it is a prototype soldering job)

clock

Above: external clock mounted on rubber cushion . This clock replaces the stock crystal on the SQB pcb.

Above: from R17, R18, R19 and R20 I took the i2S signals which can be accessed from the outside by RCA (or better BNC) connectors. The signals are: LRCK, BCK, CLK and DATA

Above: Lampized S/PDIF signal

Above: LRCK signal

Above: clock signal

Above: cleaned up power supply to the MR-SuperCLOCK board.

Above: the S/PDIF output is sent through the 100n capacitor bypassed by 8200pF Silver-Mica cap. The fastest cap on Earth.

Outputs: from left: standard S/PDIF output (solid state), upper row: clock output, S/PDIF tube output (the one you want!)
Bottom row: BCK, LRCK, Data outputs of i2S.

Above: the Transport on top of it's match - Lampizator DAC level 4.

Wrapping up: The excellent Squeezebox Duet was taken apart by me, and I perform 5 upgrades:

Oscon capacitor tuning (5 critical points)
New Superclock with own power supply
High end power supply (replaces the wall-wart)
Modified output section on main PCB
Added a tube powered, heavy duty radar tube S/PDIF output.

Why tube digital output sounds so much better ?

I must say that I don't know. It just does.
There are two main factors probably involved here:
The chip trat produces SPDIF square wave is not loaded - it can relax because my Lampizator presents infinite impedance and zero capacitance.
The tube can "drive" the output cables and DAC input circuitry better because it has low impedance output, high speed and high power. So the transport is much less dependant on the digital cable quality. No need to buy exotic cables anymore. ($$$)

And apart of all the rational reasons folks - IT IS SO COOL TO OWN A HAND MADE IN EUROPE, TUBED TRANSPORT, THE UNIQUE LAMPIZATOR PRODUCT UNLIKE ANYTHING YOU EVER SAW BEFORE.

EXAMPLE OF SYSTEM SETUP:

Download Squeezecenter software from Slim Devices website (free of charge). Install it on your computer as a background server service.
Start the Duet remote (wifi product) and log it into your home network.
Ask the Squeezecenter soft to scan your computer and log all music files from any drive, local, remote, external or network. It will add CD cover graphics from Internet or local JPG files or from iTunes.
Power up the Lampizator Transport and find it on the remote controller screen. Click Accept.
Connect a DAC and amplifier.
Play and enjoy.

Tips: the best local servers to host Squeezecenter software is Q-Nap, followed by Vortex-Box and by MAC OS.
The best HDD to store music is by far the Western Digital Green, I use 2 TB units (5 1/2 inch only !) It holds circa 8000 albums in full resolution (Aiff)
The wifi antenna is a remote type, on an external cable, because metal enclosure of Lampizator Transport will shield wifi.

Example of new system:

Mac Mini computer (700 USD) (fanless (really - noiseless and with silent fan), with all OS and software preinstalled for free, with built-in CD player and CD-R burner. Reliable and small. Has firewire ports).
Green Line 2TB disc on firewire800 cable to the MAC-Mini (Hdd for example mounted in Icy Box enclosure , 250 USD total - disk and bay)
Smallest LCD display you can find for GUI of Mac Mini (100 USD from ebay)
Linksys WiFi router with dual antenna (100 USD)
Lampizator Transport
Lampizator DAC
Rest of stereo system.

The SOUND

The SQB versus good CD players as transport has a lot better bass, more details, more liquid presentation. It connects you closer to the recorded event. In my opinion a stock Squeezebox already excells over most CD players except real high end transports.
The Lampizator version of Transport makes a leap ahead of everything else, high end included. It is a benchmark of airy fluid liquid sound, with spectacular soundstage, easy to follow threads, smoothness as well as fast attack. It closes the gap between digital and analog. The DAC responds with enthusiasm and shows how goot it can be, if given the right signal. I would go as far as saying that this player beats EVERY CD player with traditional disk spinner. Try for yourself.