LampizatOr Horizon - Tube Rolling Paradise

[John T]

My shorter version shroud specs:

Height: 90mm
Outer Diameter: 42mm
Inner Diameter: 40mm

Most appreciated...

 

[marty]

View attachment 114030

I ordered the Ultimate version adapters, but they are much shorter.

Seems there are 2 versions- the taller "Leaning Tower of Pisa" adapter and the shorter "Peyronie's Disease" adapter!

 

[Famester]

I see that some have the ground wire connected and some do not.
Is there a specific rule for this?
I connected mine.

 

[Sampajanna]

Is there a sonic difference between the two adapters, Steve?

 

[Steve Williams]

There

Is there a sonic difference between the two adapters, Steve?

There is indeed but these resistors need many, many hours of burn in. Initial impression is that the shorter of the 2 sounds closest to the adapter I have now. But again, merely 2 days of burn in

 

[ctydwn]

These are really gorgeous tubes both in looks and in feel/weight. (Only bought these 4!). The glass bottoms are incredible. Hope they sound as good as they look...Will put them through their paces in comparison to the rest. Thanks to all for the recs.

 

[plasmod3]

Sorry for the absence on the thread everyone I have even trying to figure out a channel imbalance on my allnic phono and took me a while to find out where the failure point is inside the box

So short and long!. The short remains the ultimate where the long is because of looks not somethg really produced. Only 2 exist. The difference between the tall and short is the resisters. Short has pathaudio in there while long has pathaudio and dueland connected in parallel which means in the tall one it takes on the properties of both resistors with a different sound signature. Specifically the tall has a very big soundstage and air that works in very well with the srs. It's very tall though so looks wise probably not for most ppl hence I kept it as a novelty one to use in my system

 

[plasmod3]

These are really gorgeous tubes both in looks and in feel/weight. (Only bought these 4!). The glass bottoms are incredible. Hope they sound as good as they look...Will put them through their paces in comparison to the rest. Thanks to all for the recs.

Will put some info out . There are differences between the siemens chelmer and aeg plates. Aeg generally a few yrsnikder than chelmer if the codes on the tube can be trusted. I have t had a listen yet to a/b but will report on that when I get some time

 

[plasmod3]

I call this one Ian's mess. Looks like ...a mess lol!

 

[Steve Williams]

I call this one Ian's mess. Looks like ...a mess lol!

Now you’re talking Ian. Mine are still 3 days out on a slow boat from China

 

[AudioDoctor20]

You boys comparing the size of your... adapters?

 

[Famester]

You boys comparing the size of your... adapters?

That is what happens when we get old.

 

[Steve Williams]

Posting in this thread for me is always a revelation as my mantra of not being a tube roller seems to be falling by the waste side. Usually when I post here it is because some new tube has driven me over r the brink. WBF is filled with Horizon users and it has become astonishing what is surfacing in the realm of old vintage tubes. Things aren't made much easier when you are friends with Laszlo, Goran and Ian. When these guys talk tubes, I have found they are never wrong and the sonic boost has always been an epiphany recently with the new tubes coming into my Horizon.

First off I was enamored with the TS 6SN7GT VT231 with round plate and black glass as signal tubes. Thanks to dminches for suggesting that tube. I loved the sound and had 3 NIB backup sets as I figured I was done. Well along come Laszlo and Goran who laud the Mullard brown base ECC32 and the catch phrase was these balloon shaped tubes cast a better sound and indeed the Mullard in my system was a game changer. I still have 3 matched sites of this tube and again thought this would carry me into the twilight. Well somewhere along the line, Ian posted a very informative piece in which he answered people what tube was he using for signal tubes. Ian gave a long dissertation about the TFKN c3gs and the c3g and compared it to the same tube by Siemens. I still don't understand how these little pentodes can be place in a paired adapter and used as signal tubes. What matters and what is immediately understandable is that as great as the Mullards are, ( I will always keep mine as well as a set of the TS6SN7GT)these c3gs are like mallards also on steroids,. There is top to bottom linearity with nothing standing out except the hair on your head . I have not heard the TFKN or Siemens c3g but speaking to Laszlo he also had an epiphany with the c3g right out of the box. I find Laszlo and I have virtually identical likes when it comes to music so when he says what he does I pause and listen to what he says.

Last week when Ian shipped the fancy adapters for the RGN2004 and G2504 I also received a matched quad of the TFKN c3gs . I had ordered a pair of adapters from eBay 2 weeks ago and yesterday they arrived on my door step as I was arriving home from Ron's house yesterday afternoon.

These Chinese adapters are not the best and it was good to hear that Ian is working on a better adapter as well as Laszlo. Suffice it to say. the pins of the tube need to be well set or , as I found I only had music from the right channel until I fixed the pin insertion of the other adapter

Once the music was playing I didn't get out of my room for the next 4 hours as I was flummoxed that what I was hearing was magnitudes better than even my Mullard ECC32

Now that I have these tubes I place I will let them bur in for several days and then I plan to assess Ian's shorter adapter, which sounded pretty similar to the adapter I was using for the G2504.

I have no idea where things can go from here BUT for my ears these 4 tubes have brought my little room to a place I never thought existed.

I love reading this thread and finding where members are headed and one thing seems certain....we are all headed in the same direction

Kudos to Laszo, Goran and Ian, who have put me in the poor house but as long as I can hear sound like this I am a happy camper

 

[Steve Williams]

 

[Famester]

View attachment 114197

Holy cow!
A quad within a double.
Next thing is a triple.
Lets see what my cost would be if I went this route.
C3Gs at $1000 each plus $70 for adapters $4070
SRS551 at $150 each plus $350 for each pair of adapters (mine would be a quad), so $1300 total
Valvo at $1600 plus $350 adapter $1950
Total $7320
Like they say in sunny Hialeah.. Azucar!

 

[Steve Williams]

So here is the first caveat I can say about these tubes. They sound big and bold and I thought dialing back by Lamm preamp would mitigate the problem. I found doing that I lost a lot of the magic and fot the first time since I’ve owned the Horizon ( where volume is full signal 63) I now have the horizon gain somewhere between 58-60. It’s still early but for sure I’ve had to reduce the gain in the H. I’ve been listening for the past 4-5 hours and these old tubes are friggin eye openers and ear catchers.

 

[plasmod3]

So here is the first caveat I can say about these tubes. They sound big and bold and I thought dialing back by Lamm preamp would mitigate the problem. I found doing that I lost a lot of the magic and fot the first time since I’ve owned the Horizon ( where volume is full signal 63) I now have the horizon gain somewhere between 58-60. It’s still early but for sure I’ve had to reduce the gain in the H. I’ve been listening for the past 4-5 hours and these old tubes are friggin eye openers and ear catchers.

Thats where my gain is too for the H. I like to not saturate the horizon and give more play to the preamp volume control.

 

[plasmod3]

View attachment 114197

are you using single ended outputs steve?

 

[Steve Williams]

SE

 

[Steve Williams]

I have SRS 551 in left bank with special adapters and a set of KT 170 in the right bank. Lukasz said you can even leave the right bank empty if you’re running SE I’ve always had the horizon at 63 but impossible with the new TFKN c3gs