Lampizator announcement: launch of our all new TOTL HORIZON DAC

[wisnon]

i always wonder what that valley is (left side, upper half) ?
a design element? very disturbing imho, sorry. i saw other pictures without.
possible to order without?
and, please, any photos of silver stardust?
sorry for all thouse questions.

It surely is a design element...the edge of an event HORIZON. Disturbing is a strange adjective here...

 

[zitas]

wow even if i had time to think a decade, i would never ever have come to the idea it represents the horizon, lol.

i said IMHO. maybe you like it, i do not. pininfarina on crack

 

[wil]

View attachment 88925

So, If I understand, "63" is volume control bypassed, which is the recommendation when using a preamp?

This will be an interesting appraisal for many to have to balance Lampi's claim that the Horizon will be at it's best without a preamp.... against the obvious benefits that a great preamp offers (like Lamm, DartZeel, Atmasphere...). In this case it seems it may be a tradeoff either way you go.

 

[Steve williams]

So, If I understand, "63" is volume control bypassed, which is the recommendation when using a preamp?

This will be an interesting appraisal for many to have to balance Lampi's claim that the Horizon will be at it's best without a preamp.... against the obvious benefits that a great preamp offers (like Lamm, DartZeel, Atmasphere...). In this case it seems it may be a tradeoff either way you go.

64 is unity gain

63 is the maximum gain you can put out from the Horizon VC

 

[Steve williams]

So, If I understand, "63" is volume control bypassed, which is the recommendation when using a preamp?

This will be an interesting appraisal for many to have to balance Lampi's claim that the Horizon will be at it's best without a preamp.... against the obvious benefits that a great preamp offers (like Lamm, DartZeel, Atmasphere...). In this case it seems it may be a tradeoff either way you go.

I have had my Lamm Signature series now for 12-13 years and will never part with them. The big thing to consider is matching the phono stage to any preamp or to the preamp for which it was designed

 

[dminches]

64 is unity gain

63 is the maximum gain you can put out from the Horizon VC

What does the 64 refer to? 63 on the display is the max and equates to volume bypass mode?

 

[wisnon]

wow even if i had time to think a decade, i would never ever have come to the idea it represents the horizon, lol.

i said IMHO. maybe you like it, i do not. pininfarina on crack

There is no accounting for taste, so U not liking it is fine to me. Disturbing as a description was taking things to a whole 'nother level, but I guess it just an odd word choice, if all U meant is that U didn't like it and would prefer a "blank' faceplate. I don't mind it at all, as every manufacturer tries to put their stamp on their offerings. I also don't mind it blank.

 

[plasmod3]

How does the bendix compare to the stock anode tube in the Pac?

It worked really well for my setup.the bendix is phenomenal as a tube

 

[wisnon]

It worked really well for my setup.the bendix is phenomenal as a tube

So, did it "kill" the stock tube in your opinion?

 

[Steve williams]

It worked really well for my setup.the bendix is phenomenal as a tube

I had never heard of the 6900 until Lukasz put up post 44 with the tube sets he used in the development of the Horizon as well as his favorite

I searched out and found the 6900 and have 3 perfectly matched sets as well as a single extra. Lukasz sent the KR KT88 and I have several rectifiers including the KR 5u4g he likes along with Shuguang gz 480 which I used in the Pacific and a 274 ELM

Ive only had Lukasz favorite set running since Wed afternoon and I have to admit I'm liking what I'm hearing The Center Stage footers are settling well and today was another long day of listening. This tube set presents a top to bottom tight sound that seems right. Nothing jumps out at me. It is very natural sounding and I can understand why this was his favorite

So I would agree about the 6900 and from what I am told they will outlive us all

 

[2ndLiner]

I acquired a virtually unused 6900 and put it in the Pacific with a KR5u4g and KR242’s. At first I really enjoyed the added liveliness but after a few listening sessions I found the sound leaner than I like and preferred the “stock” tube that came with the Pacific in that combination. Then I tried Takatsuki 300b’s with the 6900 and 5u4g. This is a much better match for the 6900 adding more punch with the lusher quality of the Tak’s…

 

[Steve williams]

Some more early thoughts re the Horizon.

I anticipate the Center Stage feet will be fully settled by the time Lukasz arrives but as they do, it is difficult to avoid posting all of the usual hyperbole but the reality is the usual hyperbole doesn't do justice to this DAC. I hear so much deeper into the music. There is energy and nuances that for my ears create a definite sense of "you are there". That is what I am sensing with everything I play. There just seems to be so much information hitting may ears that the sound stage is quite holographic. What I love is the decay on the strings of the violins and cellos, and the snap of the snare drums and hearing bass guitar at it's very lowest octave and very highest volume level without any distortion whatsoever. Bloom was present but seemed very appropriate for what was being played . To my ears it is that bloom and decay in proper proportions is what I think is necessary to create that sense of "being there'. There was top to bottom and side to side sound. There were no blank spots. It was as if all of the pixels were saturated on the palette more than I have ever heard before

This DAC has so many tube rolling combinations that one could spend a life time searching for the pot of gold. That is why I started with Lukasz favorite as my reference starting point. I found it interesting that the user manual advised that once you find that sound which pleases you, keep you DAC in the on position and no need to ever change your tubes because, whatever Lukasz has done with his circuitry provides great sound but conserves tube longevity. A "set it and forget it DAC"

I can talk about the proverbial deep and wide sound stage (which this has) but more so that there is a deeper saturation of the sound. such that, along with the incredible ambience and decay , the sound stage just feels energized. It's as if my senses are aware of everything that is happening on the song. I feel as if I can reach into the sound stage it is so well defined and 3D

I played many hours of symphonic music and in a nut shell classical I am very pick and chose with as I don't understand nor know all of the classics. I played my entire Mahler library stored on the Extreme and I sat through so many movements by different conductors and different orchestras and I was drawn in. I sat for 7 hours as it was tough to wrap my head around ....that's about as much as want to say for another day or so and I sense that everything is close to being settled so stay tuned

 

[Steve williams]

so for all you tube rollers here is what I have in my toy box. I welcome any suggestions

1.I have a matched set of MELZ Russian metal plate which can be used in stead of the 6900's and with better bass than the 6900 is what I am told

2. I have for other rectifiers than the RK 5u4g a Shuguang gz480 and a 274 ELM

3. I have a quad matched set of NIB TungSol KT 170 Power tubes

4. I have a quad matched set of Gold Lion Genalex KT 77 Power tubes

To all you tube rollers what would you think. Those KT 170 look so tempting but Lukasz loves the KR KT88 that I am using now with the 6900 and KR 5u4g that the sound has me drawn in.

Suggestions are welcome. Im looking for the set it and forget it tube set . Any comment about the MELZ vs 6900 re bottom end?

As an aside I found zero fatigue issues as I was clapping my hands and tapping my toes while I was in my room

.

 

[plasmod3]

So, did it "kill" the stock tube in your opinion?

Yes it did like Steve I also only heard of the bendix 6900 from this thread so I bought about 10 of em when I could. I was using them all over even in my amps at one stage but it seems to work very well in the Pacific only, the amps loved the Russian pcc88s instead...which is a conundrum....the Russians never made a pcc88 . So not sure what the history of that tube sets got was but wow it worked well and with the bendix 6900 in the day.

 

[plasmod3]

so for all you tube rollers here is what I have in my toy box. I welcome any suggestions

1.I have a matched set of MELZ Russian metal plate which can be used in stead of the 6900's and with better bass than the 6900 is what I am told

2. I have for other rectifiers than the RK 5u4g a Shuguang gz480 and a 274 ELM

3. I have a quad matched set of NIB TungSol KT 170 Power tubes

4. I have a quad matched set of Gold Lion Genalex KT 77 Power tubes

To all you tube rollers what would you think. Those KT 170 look so tempting but Lukasz loves the KR KT88 that I am using now with the 6900 and KR 5u4g that the sound has me drawn in.

Suggestions are welcome. Im looking for the set it and forget it tube set . Any comment about the MELZ vs 6900 re bottom end?

As an aside I found zero fatigue issues as I was clapping my hands and tapping my toes while I was in my room

.

Hi Steve

Ebay has a military version of the Melz tubes.with round perforated anodes, did you get that one perchance? Saw it this am

Know what you mean about the kt170s, luksz says the bigger they are the better so wow those big tubes will need to be rolled at some stage

 

[plasmod3]

I have it now with the rk px25 and the rk5u4g

Am getting in a 1945 pair of 300b and the engraved 294 to try

I acquired a virtually unused 6900 and put it in the Pacific with a KR5u4g and KR242’s. At first I really enjoyed the added liveliness but after a few listening sessions I found the sound leaner than I like and preferred the “stock” tube that came with the Pacific in that combination. Then I tried Takatsuki 300b’s with the 6900 and 5u4g. This is a much better match for the 6900 adding more punch with the lusher quality of the Tak’s…

 

[Steve williams]

Hi Steve

Ebay has a military version of the Melz tubes.with round perforated anodes, did you get that one perchance? Saw it this am

Know what you mean about the kt170s, luksz says the bigger they are the better so wow those big tubes will need to be rolled at some stage

yes, that is the MELZ I have

 

[rau]

yes, that is the MELZ I have

Which MELZ are you exactly talking about ? Here is pair I purchased

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Steve - any chance you can upload a couple of vids of the Horizon in action. Would be great to hear. Sounds like this is your end game dac.

Best.

 

[Lukasz "Lampizator" Fikus]

Steve, I’ve noticed that your Horizon has some sort of new stock feet. They are different from the feet, that were shown on the first pictures and do not look like Stacore ones. Will they be standard for all Horizon DACs?

That is the new standard