Lampizator Horizon360 - Broadening Our Musical Horizons

[tedwoods]

Kondo does not employ aluminum but copper for their chassis. Copper is an ideal material for grounding and this provides the possibility to lower the noise floor very significantly, provided you use top notch grounding.

You may already be aware of this, but there is varnish over that copper. To use grounding effectively, you either have to find a spot that is unvarnished or scratch a tiny bit off where the grounding post (or similar) will reside.

 

[Audiocrack]

You may already be aware of this, but there is varnish over that copper. To use grounding effectively, you either have to find a spot that is unvarnished or scratch a tiny bit off where the grounding post (or similar) will reside.

Thank you! And yes, I am aware of this. Miguel of Tripoint Audio added dedicated grounding posts to both my G1000 preamp and Kagura amps. The copper platforms under all my audio components are not coated in order to maxime their effectiveness and grounding possibilities.

 

[plasmod3]

No tubes are not noisy else you would have been using soulution or spectral instead of Kondo.

As for Zanden, both Detlof and I thought his MSB diamond was quite better than the Zanden, I found the Soulution power amp (which I don’t like) to be better than Zanden 9600 on the new Sonus Faber on most aspects, a UK made 101d preamp under 10k was quite better than the Zanden mk2 preamp, Detlof’s Zanden phono was his 4th rated among his collection, another guy sold off his Zanden phono after comparing it Misho’s 4k (direct price) phono.

i agree tubes are not intrinsically noisy but if you have the wrong tubes in there yet it can be noisy. or if poor components are used in the circuit yet it can be noisy. if you have listened to any thomas mayer gear you will know that solid state is overrated . black silence....

 

[plasmod3]

Thank you! And yes, I am aware of this. Miguel of Tripoint Audio added dedicated grounding posts to both my G1000 preamp and Kagura amps. The copper platforms under all my audio components are not coated in order to maxime their effectiveness and grounding possibilities.

the problem with kondo is...correct me if i am wrong ...the products now are designed in the spirit of kondo - it is however new circuits that kondo did not make while he was alive. the kagura for example was never around when kondo san was alive; he didnt create that circuit.

 

[Audiocrack]

i agree tubes are not intrinsically noisy but if you have the wrong tubes in there yet it can be noisy. or if poor components are used in the circuit yet it can be noisy. if you have listened to any thomas mayer gear you will know that solid state is overrated . black silence....

Let’s agree to disagree.

 

[Audiocrack]

the problem with kondo is...correct me if i am wrong ...the products now are designed in the spirit of kondo - it is however new circuits that kondo did not make while he was alive. the kagura for example was never around when kondo san was alive; he didnt create that circuit.

Why are new designs made ‘in the spirit of Kondo’ a “problem”?

 

[plasmod3]

Why are new designs made ‘in the spirit of Kondo’ a “problem”?

in that situation it becomes a brand not a way to do things . what we end up buying is the brand. but yes lets agree to disagree

 

[Audiocrack]

in that situation it becomes a brand not a way to do things . what we end up buying is the brand. but yes lets agree to disagree

There is in my view nothing ‘wrong’ with a brand as long as they make high quality products. I extensively compared various Kondo components dating from the Kondo San era (I have owned various models like the M1000 mk 1, Gakuon and Gakuoh mk 1 push pull and single ended amps) to the current models in a highly transparent audio system (see the Tidal La Assoluta thread). To my ears the current Kondo models are clearly superior to the models from the past. Undoubtedly as a consequence from higher built quality and better components / materials.

Current cars from for example Ferrari are not dating from or are not built anymore by the time Enzo Ferrari was with us. However, the current cars are without any doubt better machines than they were in the Enzo Ferrari era. Just to name an example.

 

[plasmod3]

There is in my view nothing ‘wrong’ with a brand as long as they make high quality products. I extensively compared various Kondo components dating from the Kondo San era (I have owned various models like the M1000 mk 1, Gakuon and Gakuoh mk 1 push pull and single ended amps) to the current models in a highly transparent audio system (see the Tidal La Assoluta thread). To my ears the current Kondo models are clearly superior to the models from the past. Undoubtedly as a consequence from higher built quality and better components / materials.

Current cars from for example Ferrari are not dating from or are not built anymore by the time Enzo Ferrari was with us. However, the current cars are without any doubt better machines than they were in the Enzo Ferrari era. Just to name an example.

oh you have a different meaning to 'lets agree to disagree too'? haha!!!!

with the audionotes - until you start rolling in the tubes the stock doesnt give you much of a delta or feel. unless that is from your message you are saying new tubs are better than nos tubes , new transformers better tan old ones? If that is the case you are closing yourself off to a whole new world out there. Brand chasing is never the name of the game or model chasing for that matter.

 

[Sampajanna]

My Horizon is getting updated now. I am very excited. I will not be using it with Taiko, so I will give a fair review from that oerspective when it arrives. I took the leap because Lampi has not let me down so far in my journey. Every step has been a great one and brought me joy and bliss.

 

[Audiocrack]

confused. having come from all solid state system and then to Pacific and now Horizon for last five years, I can absolutely say there has been no ‘noise’ introduced into my system. Different sound qualities w different tubes but absolutely not ‘noise’. actually seems quite misleading on this public forum to imply differently without much more explanation or rather actual evidence

Tube rush (if you prefer that word to noise) is a well known phenomenon. I refer inter alia to the link I included in my reaction to Kedar (Bonzo on WBF). Misleading? Come on please.

 

[Audiocrack]

oh you have a different meaning to 'lets agree to disagree too'? haha!!!!

with the audionotes - until you start rolling in the tubes the stock doesnt give you much of a delta or feel. unless that is from your message you are saying new tubs are better than nos tubes , new transformers better tan old ones? If that is the case you are closing yourself off to a whole new world out there. Brand chasing is never the name of the game or model chasing for that matter.

Please refrain from debater ‘tricks’. I never implied that nos tubes cannot sound better than current valves. Using various nos tubes in my Kagura and Gakuoh amps, including metal base gz34 rectifiers.

 

[dminches]

Can we get back to the discussion of the Horizon 360. The thread is way off track. Please take the ss vs tubes discussion to another thread or PM.

 

[Taiko Audio]

I will be curious to learn whether anyone decides that they have new favorite tube combos as the result of upgrading from the H1 to the H360, and for that matter the same question could be asked about going from the Extreme and USB to the Olympus and XDMI.

Hi @Whbgarrett ,

I cannot comment on H1 to H360 yet, but going from Extreme/USB to either Olympus/USB or Olympus/XDMI had zero effect on my H1 tube preferences.

 

[steve williams]

I have had 3 Horizons ,now the 360 and my tube kit has not changed and like Emile, I used Extreme/USB and now Olympus/IO with XDMI.

There is not noise

 

[plasmod3]

I have had 3 Horizons ,now the 360 and my tube kit has not changed and like Emile, I used Extreme/USB and now Olympus/IO with XDMI.

There is not noise

i agree steve the sound does not change but i can imagine the new taiko will bring up many more details in the music with the new interface and therein lies the magic Quite a lot of ppl have told me that once the tube set is there - its pretty much a sat and forget without any further changes needed - the journey is getting there and from the work of many ppl on this forum - the walking is all done now

 

[Ron Dijkstra]

Hi Steve, what is your favorite tube set for the Horizon? I have also planned my upgrade...

 

[steve williams]

I have had many iterations but my present and likely permanent is
Valavo G2504 Rectifier
Telefunken EF802 Signal
Telefunken E55L Power

All on TP Adapter using TP silver solid stand star grounding
That has been with me now through 3 Horizon DAC's (H1, H1 plus XDMI, Horizon 360) as well as the Taiko Extreme and now Taiko Olympus/IO

 

[tommytwotimes44]

hi, i'm just starting in the tube world and planning a Horizon 360 dac with Tobian speakers. Does anyone have experience with westminster labs rei amps, or can you recommend a pair of not ridiculously priced monoblocks that will work well with the lampi and tobian? thx

 

[Golum]

I don’t have experiance with Rei combined with Tobian, but knowing how Gunter is voicing the speakers I would suggest to use DHT based amps (300b, 45, 2a3,..) to get the full magic. I’m presonally using Nagra VPAs..