a AKM chip in a DAC the cost of Horizon is an interesting choice
a AKM chip in a DAC the cost of Horizon is an interesting choice
I'm not ignoring anything, I'm sure it sounds very good just as your Porsche is amazing to drive. It doesn't make it less interesting of a choice in my opinion. I'm happy Lampizator aren't hiding what components they are using. I wish I knew what was used in my Poseidon.Why? That's like asking why use a Bosch ECU in my Porsche 911 GT3 and ignoring the sum of the entire masterpiece...
Why? That's like asking why use a Bosch ECU in my Porsche 911 GT3 and ignoring the sum of the entire masterpiece...
I can assure you it does DSD512 just fine. In fact my PGGB resampled DSD512 file sound glorious!So that cat is out of bag? It is an off the shelf AKM dac chip in the Horizon. Yes a very interesting choice specially for those that enjoy DSD. If it is a newer AKM dac chip, the Direct DSD feature is limited to DSD256.
It depends what AKM chip it is. If it is the newer AKM chips, the digital input filter chip does receive DSD512 but it processes it with internal filters. If DSD Direct is enabled then the digital input receiver will down sample the input DSD512 stream to DSD256 before passing the s data stream on to the DAC. This is all very well documented and a limitation of DSD Direct on current AKM chips.I can assure you it does DSD512 just fine. In fact my PGGB resampled DSD512 file sound glorious!
Really...I get native DSD 512 without any issuesSo that cat is out of bag? It is an off the shelf AKM dac chip in the Horizon. Yes a very interesting choice specially for those that enjoy DSD. If it is a newer AKM dac chip, the Direct DSD feature is limited to DSD256.
Well, you do get sound out with DSD512, but it doesn't work as direct. If you look at AK4499EX datasheet, assuming that the Horizon is using one of the latest AKM dac chips, you can see that the DAC chip can operate only at DSD128 or DSD256 rate.Really...I get native DSD 512 without any issues
Yawn.....Well, you do get sound out with DSD512, but it doesn't work as direct. If you look at AK4499EX datasheet, assuming that the Horizon is using one of the latest AKM dac chips, you can see that the DAC chip can operate only at DSD128 or DSD256 rate.
Thank you Mike, very kind words indeed . I really enjoyed your system when i was over - especially that Ampex - wow that was a big brother moent for melet me just say that Ian has visited me in my room, and is a very serious and knowledgable person. and has some extremely serious gear. which is his to talk about, not me. but anything he is doing I give him enormous benefit of the doubt about. if he likes it, it's probably doing some special things we would all appreciate. OTOH all the cautions are also valid.
most of us here, especially me, are not in a position to attempt these things. and mostly those who can afford top level gear, don't have the chops or guts to mess with that said gear.
fun stuff, and a privilege to observe. I'll get my popcorn.![]()
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The components have to be trialed. It took me a while trying different parts to get it right . One rule which is ok but not really a rule is go on price. the more expensive the part is the better it will sound - as a starting point then you mix and match from thereon . For eg with hokes - it is easy to think that a japanese mu metal can is better than an european one - so i took a leap of faith and it worked very very well indeedI had tried it on the Big 7, "upgrading caps and chokes and resistors" from a guy who used to repair amps for people in the UK. Ruined the sound, I reverted back to the original components.
I remember for PAC (1st version at least), the dac chip is in charge of doing everything except DSD512 and there is something special about direct DSD or 1bit DSD for DSD512 only. I could be wrong here.. And I indeed found that Pac playing DSD512 sounds somewhat different than other formats and I like it, which is why I use Hqplayer to upsample everything to DSD512..
I believe Horizon does… Well, it seems like the picture for the DAC board has been taken out, but I recall that there is a diamond shaped thing on that board (pretty stands out actually) which is like what the Pacific has for DSD512…? I don’t see why Lampi would remove it from Horizon if they don’t have a better solution…Agree 100%. It will be a major miss for Horizon owners if direct DSD at DSD512 is filtered internally and cannot be sent directly to the dac.
thank you very very kind of you TomI have now known Ian a long time. imho he is in rarified air among those with DIY talents and love for this hobby. I am simply amazed every time we converse regarding tubes or components. And he is extremely confident in his experimentation and trade. But more than anything else, again imo, he is the kindest and most trustworthy person you can come across in this industry. And I truly believe it all comes from his own passion for audio and exploration. It has been a privilege to meet Ian through wbf.