Towards a Simple Setup

I had come across this amplifier a while back ( some discussions on the amplifier forum on audioasylum) but had completely forgotten about it till you bought it up recently. Great choice. Keeping it simple has great benefits. Congratulations.
 
The Job 225 Power amp made some serious ripples when it was released in 2014. That was then followed by the matching Job Pre2 preamp which also had a pretty decent response. In fact, I did consider the Job Pre + 225 combo briefly.

The Job INT combines both pre and power but also includes a DAC which sealed the deal for me. Not just the convenience but also because there was some great feedback on Goldmund's expertise in their DSP. The INT really shines because of the fantastic integration of the DAC.
 
The Job INT combines both pre and power but also includes a DAC which sealed the deal for me. Not just the convenience but also because there was some great feedback on Goldmund's expertise in their DSP. The INT really shines because of the fantastic integration of the DAC.

Just wondering if it scores over your LampizatOr? Did you test with all inputs?
 
Just wondering if it scores over your LampizatOr? Did you test with all inputs?

In a word - Yes. But I need to explain this a little.

The Job INT is Solid State with Goldmund DSP magic.
The Lampizator is tube based feeding the AP Tube Pre into the Solid State AP Power amp.
There is a difference in the two setups. Which you prefer comes down to taste.

The INT design favors a direct digital input. So when I connect my PC Transport directly to the INT via USB, the sound is faster and more transparent. When going into the INT via the Lampi, one has to use an additional interconnect which goes into the analog input. While this is not bad, you "hear" the additional wire.

The comparo between my AP separates + Lampi vs the Job INT is a more interesting scenario. Here we have the tube sound of the Lampi combined with the power and grip of the AP amps. The Job INT in comparison is all about the brilliant Goldmund circuit - fast & wide band - glued together with their fantastic DSP.

Normally no integrated has any business being compared to separates fronted by an excellent DAC like the Lampi. The Job INT manages not only to go toe to toe with my separates but actually exceeds in some aspects such as convenience - Remote and Mute functions.

The convenience in the end tips the balance in favor of the INT.
 
My USB Regen board got fried some time back and I had to take it out of the chain. No idea how it happened but all of a sudden my AudioPC would not "see" the Job INT. After checking all connections it became clear that there was no output on the Regen. As a result the USB Regen is now out of the chain and has been sent to Uptone Audio for warranty replacement.

I've been hearing the setup for some time with straight USB connection from the AudioPC to the Job INT. Despite all the hue and cry about USB the sound is not too bad and my ears have reset to the sound of the setup without the Regen. Think of it as going back to coffee without sugar. It's a different sound as is. Will have to check again when my Regen is back.

So long story short: an even shorter chain minus the Regen is now playing.
Sound is as enjoyable as ever and will have to be re-examined later on with the Regen back.
 
Despite all the hue and cry about USB the sound is not too bad and my ears have reset to the sound of the setup without the Regen.

My experience has been the same Nikhil. IMO USB is not all bad, especially when you start hearing Native DSD or even 24/192 PCM. I have done a whole bunch of experimentation with various usb converters, usb cards, usb cables, spdif cables, aes/ebu cables etc. etc. Other than using i2s connection, I have done everything else and compared. Maybe there is a difference but not enough for me to stop using usb.
Cheers,
Sid
 
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In the last couple of months I have been using my AppleTV into the Job INT via optical Toslink mostly to watch movies in 2.0 setup. Thanks to Youtube and Netflix I now watch a whole lot of video content via the AppleTV with the Job INT doing audio duty. The sound is at times stunning.

My AP amps are a little too neutral exposing the limitations of the AppleTV but the Job INT seems not to mind at all. Youtube videos which are in HD sound stellar and movies streamed via iTunes are absolutely great. This was an unexpected bonus which I had not anticipated.

The simplifying process has been an enjoyable one so far ...
 
After enjoying my setup with the Job INT running solo for the past several months, I decided to put the Lampizator Amber back into the chain. Running the setup over the past weekend has been very enjoyable - great to have the tube sound back!

Has piqued my interest in rolling some tubes on the Lampi. Currently here is what I have;

ECC81 - Dario green logo in military standard.
ECC82 - Amperex Bugle Boy
6x5GT/G rectifier is RCA JAN military standard.

All tubes are NOS - have a set of MINIWATT and RCA spare.
I also have some Russian JAN military rectifiers

I have to say that these might be perfect for the DAC but still would be very interested in getting some suggestions from resident tube aficionados!

Thanks for following this thread!
 
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great going Nikhil. regarding tubes, is there any forum for lampizator owners ? i somehow believe NOS tubes were built with better tolerances especially the military ones hence sound better. usually russian tubes and RCA sound better from what i have heard but this is a bottomless pit ;)
 
Nikhil, back to unsimplification?

??

You go back, Jack
Do it again
Wheels turning round and round!

(From an album called "can't buy a thrill", no less.)

It is part of the game being an audiophile!

I say the above in jest and so please take it in that spirit. We all go through this - if Buddha was an audiophile, he may not have achieved nirvana!

Vivek
 
great going Nikhil. regarding tubes, is there any forum for lampizator owners ? i somehow believe NOS tubes were built with better tolerances especially the military ones hence sound better. usually russian tubes and RCA sound better from what i have heard but this is a bottomless pit ;)

Yes there are ... we have a few forums on which we congregate.

NOS tubes sound fantastic - the tubes I have now are about 40+ years old.
Yes military spec tubes sound great. I'm using some RCA JAN (Joint Army Navy).

Tube rolling is an area I am exploring. Huge upside in terms of potential.
My DAC changes tremendously depending on the tubes being used.
In all honesty it's going to be a challenge to better the tubes I have right now.
 
Nikhil, back to unsimplification?

You know how this hobby is. The change to SS was pretty smooth.
When using high quality source files typically things were great.
The Job really excels when going straight in via USB from the computer.
However sometimes the odd file would bring in a little jaggedness.

Last week I put the Lampi back in and tube smoothness was back.
The key was the WSS Gold Line IC from the DAC to the Job INT.
Some of these steps, backwards or sideways, are just a matter of taste.

Regards.
 
I agree Nikhil...and once we realise that it is a hobby and we will keep fiddling around, it becomes easier to deal with oneself and others! I see so many people smug with their choices....till they change!

I am glad that you are enjoying the new set up, and finding the use for your great DAC again.

Do you listen to Steely Dan? A superb group. Fine music and abstract lyrics - great combination.

Vivek
 
Hi Vivek,

Thanks for the kind words. I have been travelling so sorry for the late reply. Yes this is a hobby that needs to be recognized for what it is - more like an affliction.

Steely Dan is a great band. I have their "Aja" and "Gaucho" albums.
I also have a collection of their hits which I play more often -with all their iconic numbers.
 
Made some updates in the last couple of months:

Changed to a Valvo 6201 Blue label tube in the Lampizator
NOS tube circa 1958 -1962 DF6 (Hamburg)
Sound is superb with crystal clear highs - more energy.

Also changed out the WSS cable with the Belden 8402.
Superb clarity and tone with the Belden.
The Belden is terminated with Eichmann bullet RCAs

Very happy with the sound and now looking for a 12AU7/ECC82 tube.
 
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It's been a while since I visited this thread. But it's time to post an update ...

Playback Software:

I have been experimenting with playback software over the past few years. JRiver was my primary player and still continues to be my go to software for Media Management. I then started using HQPlayer for critical listening and that was quite a learning experience with it's myriad settings and filters. I also tried the quirky Bughead player with some fantastic results but in the end it was too demanding a software with it's constant upgrades and difficult interface.

After sitting on the fence for a while I took the plunge into Roon late last year with an annual subscription licence. Installation and playback was a snap and within no time I was running media all over my home network. The rich GUI has been a pleasure to use and made browsing for music a pleasure. What really was a surprise to me was the sound quality of Roon. While the GUI remains very attractive the developers have maintained a top notch playback engine that goes toe to toe with the best software players including HQPlayer. Roon remains the best interface for HQPlayer - offering a seamless experience - but I now can use Roon alone without missing much in terms of sound quality.

This past December I made another plunge - this time into TIDAL which offered amazing access to their massive online music database. The quality of playback with streaming has been another pleasant surprise with TIDAL's 16/44.1 HiFi streaming quality sounding exceptional via Roon.

My current software is Roon + HQPlayer with JRMC now handling media management. If one were to ask me some time back if I had imagined software making this level of difference I would not have thought so. But actually experiencing the huge leaps that software has taken in the last couple of years has been a real eye opener. But relative to cost of hardware, software offers some tremendous offerings and value. I would really encourage anyone to try out the different options out there.

Will be happy to share any info to those interested.



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Hi Nikhil
Why jriver for media management when roon does the same ?

About the playback quality of Roon, I was also pleasantly surprised with it. Always thought Roon was more of media management software and being more used as front end for software like HQplayer
 
Hi Rikhav,

Roon does allow some basic management features but JRMC is much better. I use JRiver to edit and analyze albums (DR), convert formats, read archive format files (SACD ISO) etc. Roon relies on their own database which is good for well documented albums but if you have something that is non standard like Bollywood or Indian Classical then you don't have a lot of info on Roon.

Roon playback quality is outstanding. I consider it as having taken my system several steps up in sound quality. The only distinction now is when you use DACs with discrete hardware - that is when HQPlayer separates itself. But head to head on most hardware you would be hard pressed to distinguish between the two.

Regards.


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A beautiful, well-constructed speaker with class-leading soundstage, imaging and bass that is fast, deep, and precise.
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