There seems to be quite a high number of hits on this thread so I'll assume people somewhere really are interested.
Here's a pic from the top showing the size of the thing. It has the EML 45s in. The preamp next to it is large anyway. Take this same shot with a flash and you can see virtually everything inside. Even so, I am unable to determine the chipset being used. I can see two fair sized Dueland caps in it though.
I got the Raytheon 6X5WGTs through, plugged them in and fired the DAC up. Instant impression? Absolutely terrible! Massive mid range tearing or ripping sound coming through. Hold on - it is getting better as time goes by. Even after about 5 minutes and TBH I think far longer I could detect some mid range ripping/tearing going on.
These rectifiers have probably never been used since the 50s. But I know they were at least measured NOS. They were from a high sales high rep ebay seller stateside. Now they have around 20 hours on them they sound clean. They obviously need some time to stabilise? I was surprised because I have never come across this before in any valve I've used. I need to do a bit more swapping between the supplied Russian OTK and these to come up with some firmer conclusions.
For interest's sake I swapped back to the knackered Tri-Vista SACD player I have. I've done it about 3 times now but it never lasts long. This once Stereophile A+ rated player gets beat quite markedly especially in terms of soundstaging and resolution, though to be honest I still like the sound it delivers. With the MF the band is some distance in front of you. With the Lampi, it feels a bit like you've moved forward a few rows - you're more enveloped by the sound. I've also noticed a propensity for it to throw images like they sound as if they are coming directly from the side of you. Really quite interesting to hear and it gives a feeling of disbelief - a sort of WTF? feeling is the best way to describe it. I've never heard my system do it before.
Again beware of reading too deeply into any person's thoughts on hi-fi. The way this machine performs in my system will almost certainly be different in yours, though some basic traits will be consistent I expect. Valve rolling also comes down to personal preference in presentation. Needless to say there are plenty of cheaper very listenable machines that are great DACs for way less money
Greg owes me a silver faceplate BTW - they couldn't source any at the time of the build for some reason.
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