Lampizator announcement: launch of our all new TOTL HORIZON DAC

[steve williams]

Hi,
It depends on the group of tubes you use. Right now i don't have a Tak rectifier. From what I have read that pushes the KT 170s very well and i believe Steve Williams uses the Tungsol TS JAN CTL 6SN7 GT and i don’t have that tube either.
So I really can’t say.
But I will do a shoot out between these two groups eventually.
Frankie, 6N1P, Bendix 6384
Tak, TS JAN CTL 6SN7 GT, Kt 170s.
Right now I’d say the type of music you play and your taste will determine which is best.

Clearly, IMO the tube selections made by members boils down to same factors'
One's system
one's ears
availability of desired tubes (if I find a tube I like in my system I only buy it if I can also buy backups) SAs for the Tak 274B in my system it was an ear opener and permanent part of my tube set

 

[dminches]

I did not like the sound with the Bendix 6384s. I found that it lost some energy and power. It was a bit softer than with the EL51s which are still my favorite.

 

[Steve Rowan]

Are 6550s an option? I remember ARC was always partial to them. Any tried them if they are? I read somewhere they might be possible.

 

[Golum]

They are an option….but i assume wildly that new production might suck in there

 

[Willgolf]

I have NOS TS6550's from 1969. It is my go to tube and I won't use anything else.

 

[dminches]

I have a quad of GEC KT88s and thought they would be my tube of choice. I didn’t really like them. Of course, trying them again would be a good idea if I wasn’t so lazy.

 

[steve williams]

I have a quad of GEC KT88s and thought they would be my tube of choice. I didn’t really like them. Of course, trying them again would be a good idea if I wasn’t so lazy.

I have quad matched sets of red Lion KT88 and KT77 and I still prefer the TS KT170

 

[Steve Rowan]

I’m hearing some good press about the Sophia tubes. They have a blue 274b called the Sophia Aqua and a Sophia Electric Blue 6SN7. Several well known reviewers have waxed enthusiastically over these tubes. Has anyone tried them with Horizon?

 

[Steve Rowan]

I have quad matched sets of red Lion KT88 and KT77 and I still prefer the TS KT170

Funny I bought a quad of KT 88s also and have never opened them. It was several months later that my Horizon arrived and no one was talking about them anymore. Most were discussing the KT 170s and now of course at least somewhat the Bendix 6384s.

 

[steve williams]

Funny I bought a quad of KT 88s also and have never opened them. It was several months later that my Horizon arrived and no one was talking about them anymore. Most were discussing the KT 170s and now of course at least somewhat the Bendix 6384s.

Steve

as I’ve said before when it comes to tube rolling it boils down to
your ears
your wallet
your system
your room

one man’s passion is another man’s poison.

 

[kernelbob]

I’m hearing some good press about the Sophia tubes. They have a blue 274b called the Sophia Aqua and a Sophia Electric Blue 6SN7. Several well known reviewers have waxed enthusiastically over these tubes. Has anyone tried them with Horizon?

I acquired a Sophia Aqua 274b rectifier in January 2023. Up to that point, I had experimented with several rectifiers in my Pacific and since then in my Horizon. I found that there were differences, often mixtures of pro and con. The Sophia Aqua was by comparison a stunning improvement.

A deeper and better resolved sound stage. That sound stage is populated by more realistic instruments & vocals. Bass is better articulated. Backgrounds are blacker and quieter. Specific to my VSA VR100XS speaker system, the in-the-room surround sound is more realistic and better integrated with the front sound stage. The most striking improvement is in the depth and precise instrument placement of the front sound stage. Individual instruments' phrases can be more easily followed even in complex passages (e.g. Bruckner, Mahler, Shostakovich).

 

[Steve Rowan]

Yes. That’s so true. I do like the KT 170s. The KT 88quad didn’t cost a fortune. So I will try them at some point.

I’m getting a Tak for a trial so I’ll try it with the KT 170s and the TS 6SN7 to see which I prefer.

So far no tube combo I’ve tried has succeeded in making the Horizon sound bad. I don’t believe it’s possible.

I am trying a different rectifier that a friend recommended with the 6384. It’s an AZ Valvo mesh plate. It didn’t cost a fortune so why not? It is kind of fun learning about all the choices available. It’s amazing to me all the colors, sizes, and shapes tubes come in.

Lukasz and his team hit it out of the park when they engineered the Horizon to work with what seems like an infinite variety of tubes.

 

[Steve Rowan]

I acquired a Sophia Aqua 274b rectifier in January 2023. Up to that point, I had experimented with several rectifiers in my Pacific and since then in my Horizon. I found that there were differences, often mixtures of pro and con. The Sophia Aqua was by comparison a stunning improvement.

A deeper and better resolved sound stage. That sound stage is populated by more realistic instruments & vocals. Bass is better articulated. Backgrounds are blacker and quieter. Specific to my VSA VR100XS speaker system, the in-the-room surround sound is more realistic and better integrated with the front sound stage. The most striking improvement is in the depth and precise instrument placement of the front sound stage. Individual instruments' phrases can be more easily followed even in complex passages (e.g. Bruckner, Mahler, Shostakovich).

Thanks for the update o the Sophia Aqua. Sounds like it’s the tube to try.
Here is info on the Sophia 6SN7.

Sophia Electric Blue Glass 6SN7 Tubes

User Experiences This blue glass 6SN7 tube delivers rich tonality and big soundstage, designed to complement Aqua 274B and Classic 300B tubes. It is an excellent choice for replacing both current and vintage 6SN7 tubes in all tube pre-amplifiers and tube amplifiers. The 6SN7, like all dual...

sophiaelectric.com

Sophia Aqua 274b

Sophia Electric Aqua 274B Rectifier Tube with Live-Like Sonic Performance

WE 274B, Aqua 274B, Western Electric 274B, RCA 45, RCA 2A3, 5U4, 5U4G, 5AR4, Sophia Electric 300B

sophiaelectric.com

 

[Charlie B.]

Has anyone tried a Synergistic Research Purple Fuse in the Horizon?
If so, which value did you choose (preferably for 230V), one to one replacement or higher (SR are said to blow easyly)?
What was your result soundwise?
I might be going that way...
Thank you!

 

[takacs75]

Has anyone tried a Synergistic Research Purple Fuse in the Horizon?
If so, which value did you choose (preferably for 230V), one to one replacement or higher (SR are said to blow easyly)?
What was your result soundwise?
I might be going that way...
Thank you!

I’ve had a lots of SR fuse in my system all the colors, black, red, orange and purple. I loved the purple untill I haven’t tried the QSA. Very expensive but way much better than the SR. I have QSA silver fuse in my Horizon. Neved had any problem with SR fuse I used 2A fuse

 

[heihei]

Looks like the silver QSA costs approx 10% of the value of the Horizon - do you think the sound improvement is value for money? I'm not asking from a critical perspective - am genuinely interested if switching fuses can lift the sound quality enough to justify the cost.

 

[takacs75]

Looks like the silver QSA costs approx 10% of the value of the Horizon - do you think the sound improvement is value for money? I'm not asking from a critical perspective - am genuinely interested if switching fuses can lift the sound quality enough to justify the cost.

A big yes!

 

[Charlie B.]

Just found this in the manual:

"Fuse Change
(...) The fuses are 2A (or 3,15A for USA/Japan/Taiwan)
they are slow blow, and overrated by the factor of 2. Therefore it is impossible for the fuse to blow without a specific reason - a failure inside the player. Consequently, if the fuse burns, it is a signal to send the dac for service and NOT change the fuse.
Obviously the second fuse will burn as well.
WE ABSOLUTELY DO NOT ALLOW changing the fuses for any larger size than 2A (3,15) or installing the “audiophile silver bolts” in place of the fuse. Fuses are there mainly to SAVE YOUR LIFE. And we mean that. You can experiment with audiophile grade fuses but not DEAD BOLTS please."

 

[Gregadd]

DON'T PLAY WITH MOTHER NATUURE!

 

[LampiNA]

Time has been sneaking away from us, but I wanted to share a late video introduction of one of our recent exhibitions of the Horizon DAC at AXPONA: We managed some excellent sound and were very proud of the outcome.