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LampizatOr- Amber-3 Manual
The heat issue
Many people are concerned about the heat inside the player.
We want you to relax about it - that this is NOT an issue. The DAC operates well below
half of its maximum allowed temperature. Tubes are DESIGNED to be hot, this is their
very nature. Thats why they have internal heaters and when they are not at optimal
operating temperature – they sound bad.
The other components are guaranteed up to 105C and we are expecting no more than
45 degrees Celsius in the air inside the DAC.
Our only advice is do not heat the box additionally by placing it - for example - on top of
a hot class A amplifier. Give it some space around to allow free air flow and adequate
cooling. Do not cover it with blankets or mats.
Optimal placement
Apart from the heat issue as described above, the DAC has no special placement
requirements. Just remember to keep the S/PDIF cable not longer than 1,5 m (5 feet)
and RCA chinch cables – not longer than that either. USB cables should not exceed
2m and MUST NOT have ferrite filters on them.
Since tubes are microphonic, they hate vibrations. Therefore it is forbidden to
place the dac on top of the speakers or a sub. Choose least vibrating location,
preferably at least one foot behind the plane of the speakers.
Power on-off cycle
The tube lifetime, almost like the life of a car engine in cold climate – is determined
largely by the on-off cycle. The heat expansion coefficient of the glass is so much
different than that of the metal, that the air-tight seal of the metal pins can leak oxygen
inside the tube and eventually kill it. Even if it is just one molecule per day. So in other
words it is better to keep the DAC always on, than to switch it on and off more than
necessary.
The lampizator DAC with tube rectifier has a slow start feature which brings the high
voltage supply gradually up, at the rate of two- to five volts per second. The PSU
reaches 250 V DC after 90 seconds. This helps to extend tube life. The DAC is also
equipped with voltage down feature (bleeders) which reduce the power voltage upon
switch-off at roughly the same rate.
On top of that – the tubes are operated always around 25% of full nominal power,
which greatly increases their life expectancy. Combining all the factors together, the
tube lifetime should be anywhere between 10 and 20 years, assuming the player is
switched off only once per day, for the night.
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