Lampizator Horizon360 - Broadening Our Musical Horizons

I run balanced too. Theoretically it should be less noisy than single-ended, but if you have to play your preamp or Horizon at a lower volume with balanced it may make SE the better choice.
 
I run balanced too. Theoretically it should be less noisy than single-ended, but if you have to play your preamp or Horizon at a lower volume with balanced it may make SE the better choice.
I truly believe that this is the reason why I am able to run full signal through the 360 as my Lamm preamp is SE and I run the 360 SE
 
I truly believe that this is the reason why I am able to run full signal through the 360 as my Lamm preamp is SE and I run the 360 SE
as a quick OT issue, Im grateful that I only run my H360 via SE as this tube rolling with vintage tubes 80-90 years old with TP adapters can put you in the poor house running balance and having a back up set when the inevitable happens
 
Hi just received my H1 upgraded to H360 and, at the same time, a set of 100dB efficient speakers which I am driving with my Riviera Labs AIC-10 10W integrated amp.

View attachment 136905

If I use the H360 at VC=63 I have very little usable knob in my integrated, especially with albums recorded at high volume level. So I will need to find a balance between the volume control of my amp and the Horizon for these cases.

However, when following the original Horizon thread, I have read several mentions about a potential loss of sound quality whenever the volume is set below 63 (which allegedly by-passes the internal volume control). In one post, it has even been mentioned that "the horizon vc is supplied by a cheap smps".

If the above is true that would mean that the use of the Horizon as a preamp is a pretty bad idea. Am I missing something?
Interestingly in my h1 I don't find any sound difference between 63 and other volume levels. I do prefer to have my tm running at a higher volume level as that gives a better sound. And given the tm has no remote easier to use the horizon to set volume levels.. I run my horizon between 35-45
 
Interestingly in my h1 I don't find any sound difference between 63 and other volume levels. I do prefer to have my tm running at a higher volume level as that gives a better sound. And given the tm has no remote easier to use the horizon to set volume levels.. I run my horizon between 35-45
Exactly the same experience...
 
  • Like
Reactions: plasmod3
to put things in perspective and to find what best to do I find the single best demo file to play to get that sense of presence without feeling overpowered is Sound of Silence by The Ghost of Johnny Cash. Using USB I had to turn the gain to 57-58 and my preamp to 3rd lowest level. With XDMI I am still at 3rd lowest position but at 63 what I hear is him in the room with me. It was scary good. Today , I am going to lower my pre to 2nd position and keep it at 63 but for those with the 360 I suggest using this track to dial in your comfort zone
sounds like a minefield! planning to get a H360 and use it without a preamp. this gain/volume setting conundrum is now putting me off (
 
Nothing to worry about and put you off - especially if you plan to use it as a pre...
 
sounds like a minefield! planning to get a H360 and use it without a preamp. this gain/volume setting conundrum is now putting me off (
If your going to use the 360 as a pre, no problem whatsoever, this simplifies the equation...
 
and as Lukasz said, its a great preamp to boot

I just prefer to use my own preamp which was designed for my amps and I prefer being able to pass the entire signal through to my preamp and to control the volume that way. Its really no big deal
 
I have used my H1 as a preamp for a long time with no issue. Sounds great!
 
@tommytwotimes44 Agreed, I've used my H1 as a preamp for a long time, indeed with the Westminster REI monoblocks that you mentioned. I had 300B based monoblocks before. REIs were a huge step forward for me.

I have horn speakers that are 99 dB sensitive (Tannoy Westminster GR) and the REI monoblocks were a perfect match, more so than the SET amps that I've tried, in my system/room. I'd think they are a perfect match with Tobian given what I know from @LampiNA's system and tastes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tommytwotimes44
@tommytwotimes44 Agreed, I've used my H1 as a preamp for a long time, indeed with the Westminster REI monoblocks that you mentioned. I had 300B based monoblocks before. REIs were a huge step forward for me.

I have horn speakers that are 99 dB sensitive (Tannoy Westminster GR) and the REI monoblocks were a perfect match, more so than the SET amps that I've tried, in my system/room. I'd think they are a perfect match with Tobian given what I know from @LampiNA's system and tastes.
Indeed the REIs are a fantastic pairing to the Tobian horn speakers. He's a link to a write up a fellow WBFer wrote about my system when we compared his $90k Audio Note 300b monos to REIs in 12FHs.

 
  • Like
Reactions: seatrope
Capital Audiofest 2024 Announcement!

Get ready for an exciting showcase at Capital Audiofest 2024 in DC! We’re thrilled to debut our new flagship Horizon 360 DAC alongside the stunning Von Schweikert speakers and Westminster Labs amplification. But that's not all—join us for a special guest panel!

On Friday, Nov 8 @ 11:00 AM, Lukasz Fikus himself will be speaking on a panel moderated by Herb Reichert about DAC design, highlighting what makes LampizatOr unique and the cutting-edge innovations behind the Horizon 360.

Can’t wait to see our WBF friends there!

Best,
Fred A.
 
Hi all, I'm a new almost happy owner of Horizon360. My initial audition was with H1 and I was simply mesmerised. It was so much better than any other dac I've tried.

While waiting for H1, the change to H360 happened so I jumped on the upgrade path as well and got my H360 couple days ago.
It is still burning in, but it is basically impossible for me to bypass the H360 preamp (by selecting volume 63) and use my Pilium Olympus preamp. At this volume it is clipping in the preamp.
Apparently (information I got from my dealer) H1 was generating 4 volts, but H360 is generating 10 volts. Usual DACs are generating 2 volts I believe.

I will be sending my unit back to the factory to install a special voltage reduction circuit (hopefully without impact on the sound).

In my case difference between volume levels 62 and 63 is quite dramatic and the sound simply looses life. Obviously these are not night and day differences, but at this level every inch counts.

So if you love your preamp and believe it sounds better than H360 preamp, you may want to check with your dealer or Lampizator directly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: steve williams
In my case difference between volume levels 62 and 63 is quite dramatic and the sound simply looses life. Obviously these are not night and day differences, but at this level every inch counts.

I totally agree with this. In fact yesterday I did the very same and it is so easy for me to hear the difference between 63 and 62. I had my wife change randomly back and forth and it was easy to always discern

Fortunately I am able to use full signal 63 into my preamp and maintain the life of what I hear with my preamp set at its usual position

Are you using USB or XDMI or ??
 
Hi all, I'm a new almost happy owner of Horizon360. My initial audition was with H1 and I was simply mesmerised. It was so much better than any other dac I've tried.

While waiting for H1, the change to H360 happened so I jumped on the upgrade path as well and got my H360 couple days ago.
It is still burning in, but it is basically impossible for me to bypass the H360 preamp (by selecting volume 63) and use my Pilium Olympus preamp. At this volume it is clipping in the preamp.
Apparently (information I got from my dealer) H1 was generating 4 volts, but H360 is generating 10 volts. Usual DACs are generating 2 volts I believe.

I will be sending my unit back to the factory to install a special voltage reduction circuit (hopefully without impact on the sound).

In my case difference between volume levels 62 and 63 is quite dramatic and the sound simply looses life. Obviously these are not night and day differences, but at this level every inch counts.

So if you love your preamp and believe it sounds better than H360 preamp, you may want to check with your dealer or Lampizator directly.

Wow, 10V is a lot! That explains why both integrated amplifiers I have here are saturated by the H360 at VC63 with albums recorded at high level.

@Lukasz "Lampizator" Fikus, does it make any difference if the XDMI signal path is used instead of the USB?
 
Wow, 10V is a lot! That explains why both integrated amplifiers I have here are saturated by the H360 at VC63 with albums recorded at high level.

@Lukasz "Lampizator" Fikus, does it make any difference if the XDMI signal path is used instead of the USB?
Ive done both. To my ears XDMI is a little less than USB. IOW I think the uptick in dynamics with USB is greater than that with XDMI which is still very dynamic
 
  • Like
Reactions: simorag
Absolutely obvious taking it from 63 to 62 is easily noticeable. I switched from Balanced to SE, as the output with balanced is just too much of everything. Glaring. It seems to have gotten bigger since the first reports I made. Upper midrange is lost in the higher treble/freq. Never an issue with H1. Unfortunately I only had some inferior RCA's on hand. I shipped my Cardas Clear Beyond back for re-termination to RCA this morning. More money. I'll see how a good pair of RCA's/Single Ended fit into all of this. I'm hoping this tightens the presentation up. If the good quality pair of RCA's don't tame this, another plan will HAVE to be implemented...
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Johan K

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu