Lampizator announcement: launch of our all new TOTL HORIZON DAC
- Thread starter Lukasz "Lampizator" Fikus
- Start date
Aside from the stock tubes that came with the unit (JJ KT88, PS globes, Emission 274b), here is what I have on hand to play with. Probably best not to hear from me for a few months.....'
Recti
1. Kron 5u4G RK
2. Amperex SAR4/GZ34 Dutch
3. Philips CZ34 Dutch
4. Telefunken GZ34
5. Amperex 5u4G USA
6. Takatsuki 274B
Pentodes
1. Siemens EL-34.
2. Mullard EL-34
3. Tungsol KT-170
Outputs
Octal
1. Shuguang Treasure CV-181-z/ 6SN7
2. Meltz 1578/6SN7 5 hole 1963
3. Meltz 1578/6SN7 no hole 1956
4. Sylvania 6F8G/VT99 (Woo adapter)-
5. RCA JAN 5692 Red Base
6. Sylvania 6SN7WGTA
7. Sylvania VT 231 6SN7 GT
8. Sylvania 6SN7W/B65 metal base
Noval
9. Amperex 7119
10. Tung-Sol 5687 black plate
11. Tung-Sol 5687 bronze plate
12. Tung-Sol 5687WA D getter
13. 6N1P Voshod 1976
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Even better, the Boss himself takes care
But make sure you "don't drink and roll"5 days in here with the Horizon. As was said by someone previously, I wasn't sure what to make of the sound after just a few hours of up time. So much more music was in my room but I could not make sense of it. Since day 2, I now understand how everything the Pacific is has been improved upon - no matter the track. Intoxicating, I cannot wait to get in my chair, nor do I want to leave it. So many well written accolades that have been posted already so I'll leave it to the eloquent, but definitely fear not if upgrading from the Pacific!
With advice from a few folks, I was smitten by the first set of tubes I received with the Pacific and I never rolled or looked back.
Tonight, I am ready for my first tube rolling session (just so happens to align with a home empty of other humans
Thank you to the Lampizator team for all the sweat and, I imagine, tears that went into creating this sonic masterpiece.
Enjoy the ride and the very interesting part of finding your dream complement of tubes for the Horizon, it is VERY much worth the effort
When you are done rolling, you can safely enjoy some beverages to celebrate
Holy crap
That reads like the Horizon paradise
Can you please add which ones are all metal base?
I see a LOT of happy rolling in your near and not too far future
No, but he can "roll, then smoke, then roll", I think. Might want to corroborate judgments later without influence, I suppose..... I know if my system doesn't satisfy in both conditions, then the change isn't staying!But make sure you "don't drink and roll"
Enjoy the ride and the very interesting part of finding your dream complement of tubes for the Horizon, it is VERY much worth the effort
When you are done rolling, you can safely enjoy some beverages to celebrate
I've had my Horizon installed and breaking in for a few days. One word of advice, don't try to perform critical analysis of the sound for at least the first three days. It wasn't until at least that then that its sonic signature has begun to come into focus. My impressions are as compared with my Pacific which I've enjoyed for several years.
First, the bass has come (started to?) into focus. By comparison, the Pacific was rich, yes, but softly blurred compared with the rest of the range. Solo piano performances have a more consistent voice top to bottom now.
Next, the environment of the performance is more natural. That may seem vague, but it's a lack of colorations or different presentations of the environment's acoustics throughout the frequency range. I find I stop evaluating the sound and, instead, enjoying the performance.
I'm reminded of a quote from Jack Lemmon regarding when he was acting in Billy Wilder's ""The Apartment". Wilder kept asking him to "do less". Lemmon replied, "If I do any less, I won't be acting at all" To which Wilder said "Oh please yes!". With the Horizon, we're dealing with that sort of doing less.
First, the bass has come (started to?) into focus. By comparison, the Pacific was rich, yes, but softly blurred compared with the rest of the range. Solo piano performances have a more consistent voice top to bottom now.
Next, the environment of the performance is more natural. That may seem vague, but it's a lack of colorations or different presentations of the environment's acoustics throughout the frequency range. I find I stop evaluating the sound and, instead, enjoying the performance.
I'm reminded of a quote from Jack Lemmon regarding when he was acting in Billy Wilder's ""The Apartment". Wilder kept asking him to "do less". Lemmon replied, "If I do any less, I won't be acting at all" To which Wilder said "Oh please yes!". With the Horizon, we're dealing with that sort of doing less.
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It's great to read another report on the move from Pacific to Horizon while still awaiting one's own. I am curious as a basis for understanding your comments, what tube complement were you using in your Pacific?
Continuing to immerse myself in the Horizon's magic. On topic of resonance...
I had used two thick HRS plates on my Pacific to damp resonance to a decent effect. The chassis remained stiff and the robust RK KR 242s did not vibrate, at least I could not tell by touch.
Was curious how I may be able to damp the Horizon should there be resonance on the recessed top plate.
I noticed last night when I gently touch the top plate during decent volume playback (~85db), there is very noticeable vibration (airborne resonance?) on the plate as well as the tubes themselves (the chassis is dead quiet, as are the other components on my rack). Spent some hours last night and today experimenting with various size HRS plates.
I have found the attached combo reduces the resonances, particularly on the front part of the plate - one small and one larger HRS plate on either side - 11.4 lbs total. (A tweak after the 1st picture: The larger one is now fully loaded onto the smaller and does not rest on chassis at all. This shown in pic 2.) This arrangement also reduces the vibration in the pentode and dual triode tubes quite noticeably. The rectifier seems less sensitive and barely seems to vibrate to the touch in either scenario.
None of the holes in the top plate around the tubes are covered.
I have not ordered tube dampers to date until I start settling on a tube set.
As for SQ, I am still experimenting but I sense cleaner transients, when called for, and greater dynamics with the plates. Any other observations on this topic? Should the vibrations in the top plate effect SQ in this case? I am imagining/hoping the airborne resonances should be a non issue as the plate likely is totally isolated from the tubes, but based on the damping, this does not appear to be the case… and less tube vibration likely a good thing. It would be a shame to cover the top plate, even partially... and I cannot move my rack/Horizon elsewhere. That said, looks (and sounds) good to me! Thanks everyone.
I had used two thick HRS plates on my Pacific to damp resonance to a decent effect. The chassis remained stiff and the robust RK KR 242s did not vibrate, at least I could not tell by touch.
Was curious how I may be able to damp the Horizon should there be resonance on the recessed top plate.
I noticed last night when I gently touch the top plate during decent volume playback (~85db), there is very noticeable vibration (airborne resonance?) on the plate as well as the tubes themselves (the chassis is dead quiet, as are the other components on my rack). Spent some hours last night and today experimenting with various size HRS plates.
I have found the attached combo reduces the resonances, particularly on the front part of the plate - one small and one larger HRS plate on either side - 11.4 lbs total. (A tweak after the 1st picture: The larger one is now fully loaded onto the smaller and does not rest on chassis at all. This shown in pic 2.) This arrangement also reduces the vibration in the pentode and dual triode tubes quite noticeably. The rectifier seems less sensitive and barely seems to vibrate to the touch in either scenario.
None of the holes in the top plate around the tubes are covered.
I have not ordered tube dampers to date until I start settling on a tube set.
As for SQ, I am still experimenting but I sense cleaner transients, when called for, and greater dynamics with the plates. Any other observations on this topic? Should the vibrations in the top plate effect SQ in this case? I am imagining/hoping the airborne resonances should be a non issue as the plate likely is totally isolated from the tubes, but based on the damping, this does not appear to be the case… and less tube vibration likely a good thing. It would be a shame to cover the top plate, even partially... and I cannot move my rack/Horizon elsewhere. That said, looks (and sounds) good to me! Thanks everyone.
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One thing you might want to do is
Turn off amps play music use stehoscope or your ear close to tubes. You will hear music. Tubes that sound louder using this method indicate plate vibrations . Not from acoutics coupling but current flow.
If you dampen the glass with a soft cloth taped in place on the outside
The sound will change. My findibgs in doing this is a better focus of stage at the expense harmonical holafraphic image.
Its worth a try to abserve . Now i cant say on the H dac as i font owm one but past yes
I have a collection of Herbies Tube Dampers that I've accumulated over the years. I'm using one on the shoulder of the 274 rectifier. For each of the four KT88's I have one at the center of the main vertical cylinder and a smaller one on the top dome nestled at the curvature to the larger section. Each 6SN7 globe has one at the equator.
I'm still fine tuning the sound (more on that later) and am running a CD track overnights to speed up the settling-in process. So far,. every day is a more refined sound. Once things stabilize, I'll compare the sound damped to that without the Herbies.
FYI, the CD I'm using for burn-in is track 10 on Christion McBride's "gettin' to it". This was suggested to me long ago by Albert VonSchweikert. It works like a charm with lots of plucked bass and other dynamics. I can feed it to the Horizon at level 63 and not have anything going to the speakers.
Steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I too used Herbie's Damping Rings on the tubes in my Pacific. When Lukasz was here in February for the launch of the Horizon. he commented that rectifiers do not need damping rings
Since I have a damping ring that fits, I'll follow the advice "trust, but verify".
Steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I had a KR 5u4g that I used on my pacific and kept forcthecHorixon as that was Lukasz favorite at the time. It still had 3 Herbies Damping Rings. When I inserted it into the Horizon Lukasz commented that a rectifier doesn’t need damping rings
Yes, it is a shame that the well thought out and sturdy design didn't go to the top of the unit. With my Pacific I stiffened/damped my top plate on the downside, now with the Horizon it seems a bit more complicated to get to the downside? However I read that Lukazs were able to change a top plate in 15 minutes so maybe less complicated after all? Anyway, a great recommendation is to make sure that the tubes doesn't touch the top plate when installing them.
Steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Lukasz changed my top plate from painted copper to real copper in 15 minutes as I watched
Albert came to my house about 15 years ago and recommend this track to me to break-in my VR-9's. I've been using this track to break-in ALL of my new components since then.
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