with all due respect, the horizon 360 is one of the best dacs on the planet for over $60k usd. and that is just with stock tubes. the value of this dac increases substantially with proven tube combos. having rolled over one hundred tubes in the 360. i can safely say the sound quality is easily 25% better with available tube offerings. and, as i mentioned $30-40k preamps do not elevate the performance imho. a massive testament to lampizator. but higher end preamps still deliver, as they should.
Lampizator Horizon360 - Broadening Our Musical Horizons
- Thread starter Steve williams
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I’m too wedded to ARC preamps to consider anything else. I’ve used them for 30+ years. And with my ultra massive 200-pound a piece ARC 750SE monoblocks, it’s just a match made in heaven. You haven’t heard an amplifier till you hear what 750 watts of tube power buys you. But that’s because I use 9-foot tall Soundlab G9-7c’s as my reference loudspeakers. Electrostatics are tough loads with impedances over 30 ohms in the bass and < 2 ohms in the treble. They’re not like box loudspeakers that are current driven. Electrostatics are voltage driven. You’ve got to be able to swing massive voltages into high impedances and tolerate highly capacitive loads. So, I’ll stick with ARC. But I’d like a pure no-volume-control DAC from Lampi. That’s why I’m sticking with my Pacific. It’s a pure DAC. No volume control. Don’t need one in my Lampi, don’t want one, thank you very much! Unless Lukasz changes his mind and gives me a pure Horizon DAC with DHT tubes and no volume control!
Which are your current (preferred outcome after all your rolling)
tubes in the 360 ?
Just installed a quartet of NOS Western Electric 101D tubes with the WE 274b in my Pacific. What a gorgeous sound these WE tubes have! Lifts my Pacific into a completely different category of DAC. These are pricey and rare tubes, but the WE 101D tubes have an estimated lifetime of 40,000 hours. These tubes may outlive me!
Hi all - I’m new to the Horizon 360 and am in the process of tube rolling from the stock tubes. My current setup. Just purchased NOS WE 350B power tubes and a WE 274A. I’m using RCA Special Red driver tubes - and currently have Tak 274B rectifier and KR KT-88 power tubes.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
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Welcome to the club!!
I'd suggest that you visit the WBF thread entitled "Tube Rolling Paradise", which started with the H1 and has expanded to the H360. Be aware that the "Paradise" can feel more like Purgatory to the extent rolling becomes an obsession. Remember, the end of the journey depends on the sound you prefer. So, tube choice should be governed by your ears and not those of others.
Ray
I'd suggest that you visit the WBF thread entitled "Tube Rolling Paradise", which started with the H1 and has expanded to the H360. Be aware that the "Paradise" can feel more like Purgatory to the extent rolling becomes an obsession. Remember, the end of the journey depends on the sound you prefer. So, tube choice should be governed by your ears and not those of others.
Ray
Take @rspyder advice! Let your ears influence your decisions for what sounds good to you in your system. Don't do as I did and just buy because you hear something on the forum. Take your time and you will know when you hit your stride. Check with Lampizator on tubes. I've recently run into situations in which VERY FAMILIAR tubes that worked fine in other H1/360, all of a sudden don't behave well in the 360...
Another great reason why I’m stubbornly sticking with my ancient Pacific I. I like the DHT tubes that work well with it, like KR 242s, and just discovered the Western Electric 101d that lifts my Pacific to a new level. I love my Pacific and see no reason to upgrade and add a lot of uncertainty to my life playing with pentodes. Besides, I’d rather spend my $$$ on stuff that that makes to my ears a far bigger impact, like a 9” feet pair of Soundlab G9-7c driven by 200-pound ARC 750SE fire-breathing dragons.
Good luck on finding the right tubes for your pentode DACs. If I wanted to upgrade to the Taiko O + H/360, that’s six figures. I can buy a lot of great loudspeakers for that moolah. Life’s full of hard choices. I’m waiting for the next revolution in digital media. Perhaps quantum entanglement? A new way to record analog? I’m still underwhelmed by streaming. My Chord Blu2/Dave front end playing humble CDs sounds sooo much better to ny ears still than streaming. Will wait for the next revolution in streaming software. Roon is too unreliable in my 6+ year experience, even though I have a lifetime membership. When will we get an audiophile streaming software solution, not mass market Roon?
Good luck on finding the right tubes for your pentode DACs. If I wanted to upgrade to the Taiko O + H/360, that’s six figures. I can buy a lot of great loudspeakers for that moolah. Life’s full of hard choices. I’m waiting for the next revolution in digital media. Perhaps quantum entanglement? A new way to record analog? I’m still underwhelmed by streaming. My Chord Blu2/Dave front end playing humble CDs sounds sooo much better to ny ears still than streaming. Will wait for the next revolution in streaming software. Roon is too unreliable in my 6+ year experience, even though I have a lifetime membership. When will we get an audiophile streaming software solution, not mass market Roon?
again. with all due respect. awesome you are enjoying the Pacific. i am a former owner of the Pacific. The Horizon v1 let alone the 360 are on another level. and no luck necessary finding easy tube compliments on the horizon that are jaw dropping. please try a Horizon but in the meantime this is the horizon 360 thread. you are not going to convince us the pacific is better. great u don’t see any reason to upgrade. awesome. but please post in pacific thread. even better. start your own thread
I loved my Pacific. It was my entry into the world of Lampizator. I never thought Lukasz could make a better DAC until I bought the H1 and now the H360 Like ctydwn I suggest starting a Pacific thread. It’s all good Just no need to always post the same thing in the Horizon thread. Live and let live 
It does indeed! We are big fans of the entire KBL Sound line. More fantastic sounding equipment from Poland...
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