Like Horizon and all our products it has powder coating over the CNC aluminium plus a solid coper top plate (black powder plus engraving)
Lukasz Has Done It Again
- Thread starter Steve Williams
- Start date
Frankly, Ian was quite polite in flagging his observations and concerns. Noone outside of Lampizator has more experience with the innards and modifying/improving the Horizon on the planet. I surely wouldn’t describe his post as subjective or his “issues” as theoretical. Additionally, a number of technical details have been shared about the new dac. Some do listen when he speaks. This is a public forum is it not?
Last edited:
Here is my observation on his post ,it's a new product and lampi aside of tube rolling is not a diy product . And if one does want it to that's fine but I don't think it belongs on forums like this thread .
Does he share thoughts on MSB or other maker products ?
I actually did follow his post and it's all conjecture on a product not even available much less needs to be improved outside of it's designer ,maker .
Of the many makers in audio he is the first one to try many different designs outside of the box . Now this is his product and it's his next legacy new top of the mountain product . And I can say each product as he went along always was an improvement I've heard
I've owned many lampi dacs over the years
And when I heard the horizon it is other worldly in its view of digital audio reproduction
Not a hint of source type meaning is it vinyl or tape
When I heard it honestly it bested the vinyl and tape in that room .
Show conditions imigine how far it goes in someones home
I could hear the change of the posiden same show conditions
Just a little further away not as forward. Lampi makes models to not just fit budgets but also there desires in sound .
Now if lampi is saying this new product is what he has gleaned in life's work
I for one totally understand his comments.
Let's let this happen and as it goes on let's enjoy the sound from those who were lucky enough to see it and hear it.
To look or comment on changing a new product does seem dim In views
If someone claims to know more then make a product and sell it
Just my opinion
Does he share thoughts on MSB or other maker products ?
I actually did follow his post and it's all conjecture on a product not even available much less needs to be improved outside of it's designer ,maker .
Of the many makers in audio he is the first one to try many different designs outside of the box . Now this is his product and it's his next legacy new top of the mountain product . And I can say each product as he went along always was an improvement I've heard
I've owned many lampi dacs over the years
And when I heard the horizon it is other worldly in its view of digital audio reproduction
Not a hint of source type meaning is it vinyl or tape
When I heard it honestly it bested the vinyl and tape in that room .
Show conditions imigine how far it goes in someones home
I could hear the change of the posiden same show conditions
Just a little further away not as forward. Lampi makes models to not just fit budgets but also there desires in sound .
Now if lampi is saying this new product is what he has gleaned in life's work
I for one totally understand his comments.
Let's let this happen and as it goes on let's enjoy the sound from those who were lucky enough to see it and hear it.
To look or comment on changing a new product does seem dim In views
If someone claims to know more then make a product and sell it
Just my opinion
Hi Ron,
We have dealt before so i had hoped you know me better than that
I apologise if any of my questions have antagonised. I dont presume to know much but strive to learn hence in every part of my post i always wrie in that please correct me if i am wrong. It will be good to discuss an an open forum rather than having it shut down .
Of course i can go into more details but it is not my intention to harm but to explore and to understand. To give an idea ; Lukasz started out with modification of circuits and dacs posting on a blog that a lot of ppl followed his thoughts and admired his work . I too admire his work and this is pretty similar to following in his footsteps - the highest praise possible in a way.
Sound is sound and thats subjective - how many times have we heard a system that someone remarks is the best they have ever heard but we walk away politely nodding and acknowledging . The hobby is turning into one of superlative vocabularies and descriptives rather than one that we can appreciate share and explore. I think there is a lot wrong with our hobby and perhaps looking at the bigger picture is exploratory.
I too am as an audiophile as vested in lampizator, its dac and the new one as probably anyone else and am keen to see it succeed. As from my earliest post here - cost no object is probably bandied around too much ; since individual hifi components are getting astronomical in price ; the question too is - are the discrete components used in a cost no object the best that we can have .....i really prefer not to modify anything here. Or are we saying that we can get a better sound from cheaper components ? I dont think i can agree with that. I can substantiate but dont really want to out of respect; respect that i hope is still in the conversation here.
I have a horizon dac and i love that dac and i love what lukasz does - so yes i have skin in the game. Unlike most i probably do not accept some manufacturer specs as being the possible best of what a product can do - esp for digital products because i know that we can get so much more. The genius of the Lukszis in the circuit design and that i can never hold a candle to but everyone have their own resources and it means different materials and components can be substituted to get an even higher performance level . I can even go as far as to say that in the horizon dac - the replacement of just 1 component makes a huge difference to the sound; just one.
The risk is all mine of course ; modifying something means that the warranty is gone , the support is gone but yet perhaps that is the only way to learn - being a good gardener kills a few plants but being a good doctor also means that whatever you do you keep the patient alive .
The points i have raised are not unreasonable - it is ok to ask questions when a manufacturer is asking 88k euro for a dac - as consumers we ask many more questions for much smaller purchases. The hobby has become such that we dont ask any questions anymore; the pioneering spirit of Luksz modifying cec cd player - is that spirit all gone and disappeared? I think it has. Economics has changed the heart of what made this so great to start with.
I attach photos of what i have done to my horizon to extract the best sound - lets see if anyone else has done this and i hope that answers your question as to 'Why' Ron. Its not for the faint hearted and i have learnt so much from this process. I am not a master at this and will only be a student but let not forget even a master started as a student.
My path here is not very different to how Lukasz started questioning cd players and their circuits and on how to improve them. I respect Lampizator and I respect Lukasz. I remembered meeting Luksz at Munich and asking him face to face (without anyone else inthe room) what he thought of external clocking solutions for the horizon and the answer was more of the unwillingness to help me as a customer understand and explore here. Why are we to take dogma as dogma?
Perhaps that being the case ; we shouldnt any further sidetrack the thread any further on the launch of the aphrodite. Lets just have this lay as it is and focus on the event to come.
Attachments
I’m curious, what brand and type of resistor costs 50.00 a piece?
Actually Rob
In the horizon both earth/chassis and signal grounding is used . Signal ground runs on the tube buffer board, the dac board + the vc boards to the earth ground pin at the back which is also connected to earth on the iec socket.
Laszlo's adaptor will be earth ground as there is no signal to ground for tubes - quite impossible to ground anode or cathode without it being a bypass circuit. However the question then becomes - and Laszlo pls chime in - for tubes without a metallic can shield - what earth/chassis are we grounding....you cannot ground a glass tube. You cannot also ground the filament or grid pins either. Try that and it wont be good for the tranny
Speaker grounding should be signal ground. Esoteric for eg writes signal grounding on their chassis but when you have a look on the inside - it is just chassis ground. No signal to the groundpin. So you are right in that ppl are not familiar with their grounds
Might sound better Steve but the question is why. We doctors are all quite attuned to a placebo effect where it is quantified in medicine to be 30% in general. Happy to be educated of course and told i am wrong with a detailed explanation but i hope the perpetuation of star grounding in adaptors comes to an end as it is really just misinforming everyone and in the process creating more confusion. Star grounding is the most basic grounding schema and there really is no point grounding a glass tube.
Last edited:
Audio Note Silver Niobium which we use cost even more, with VAT and shipping around 70 USD:
2W version Available from 10R - 2M2
DIMENSIONS:
BODY: diameter: 9mm, length: 18mm
LEAD: diameter: 1.2mm, length: 37mm
TOLERANCE:
2%
PRICE (1 off)
£46.50 +vat +p&p
@Lukasz
Respectfully many people online were quick to point out that the lettering does not look good at all. It looks like a cheap Greek restaurant sign.
I hope this isn’t the final look with the gold lettering and Greek key and terrible font used for the name of the product.
Please use AI to generate a better font. Something classy would be more appropriate in my opinion.
Please take these as constructive criticism and not as a personal attack.
We do appreciate your enthusiasm and the obvious time and care you’ve invested into your system. That said, this particular thread is not a DIY or modification forum. It’s also not the right place for posting photos of internal dissections of prior products or using them as examples of personal modifications.
The purpose here is to discuss LampizatOr’s design work and product launch. If you’d like to explore component swaps, modifications, or detailed technical questions, the best channel would be directly with Łukasz. If he’s open to sharing information or rationale, he can do so directly.
We’d like to keep this thread focused on Aphrodite and the excitement around its debut. Thanks for understanding, and we hope you’ll continue to share in the enthusiasm for what’s ahead.
Thank you. I managed to contract the best font artist in Europe and seriously we will have the font matching the price tag
An affliction that creates a compelling need to know is most commonly described as
compulsive information seeking, a subset of internet and technology addiction. While not yet an official diagnosis in the DSM-5, it is a recognized and growing behavioral pattern that can significantly disrupt a person's life.
A person with this condition feels an uncontrollable, anxious urge to constantly research, browse, and gather information. This can extend to any topic, and the behavior is often linked to the way online content is engineered to be highly rewarding.
Symptoms and characteristics
The signs of compulsive information seeking are similar to other behavioral addictions and may include:
I do feel I’m qualified enough to observe and comment
compulsive information seeking, a subset of internet and technology addiction. While not yet an official diagnosis in the DSM-5, it is a recognized and growing behavioral pattern that can significantly disrupt a person's life.
A person with this condition feels an uncontrollable, anxious urge to constantly research, browse, and gather information. This can extend to any topic, and the behavior is often linked to the way online content is engineered to be highly rewarding.
Symptoms and characteristics
The signs of compulsive information seeking are similar to other behavioral addictions and may include:
- Excessive use: Spending more and more time searching for information to get the same feeling of satisfaction.
I do feel I’m qualified enough to observe and comment
You have the obligatory mixed up, confusing work bench , parts , scope and tools everywhere Frankenstein look ..!
You gotta be good …..
Found this interesting from Aphrodite manual:
- Can an example of “I2S with 3xBNC” be shared?
- Also not sure I understand #2 and how the olympus itself fits in. LAN out of taiko switch to where?
- Interesting XDMI connection bottom of the preference list. Sounded like there was near universal preference for XDMI with the Horizon 360 over, for example, usb
- Can an example of “I2S with 3xBNC” be shared?
- Also not sure I understand #2 and how the olympus itself fits in. LAN out of taiko switch to where?
- Interesting XDMI connection bottom of the preference list. Sounded like there was near universal preference for XDMI with the Horizon 360 over, for example, usb
Last edited:
Wait. So #2 is saying the Aphrodite's onboard Squeezebox card is better than a dedicated external streaming server via USB/AES/SPDIF?
Hi Issac. Actually, that grounding configuration makes sense, is common to other DACs and is compliant with IEC standards. The power must be grounded to earth. As with "Ghostbusters" it is unwise to cross the two streams (i.e. earth and signal) because it usually raises the noise floor. I think you were trying to make that point when you said; " Star grounding is just common ground and if the designer is not careful can make the sound worse". Laszlo's grounding harness taps the earth ground and does not bridge the signal ground, as you seemed to imply. Anyway, I agree with Steve and others who use Laszlo's grounding harness - it improves sonics (e.g. lowers the noise floor, as one would expect).
As for the Aphrodite announcement, I'm experiencing emotional ambivalence. I appreciate Lukasz' passion for pursuing excellence. However, we H360 owners who have been chasing the rabbit since the Pacific are now facing a 3rd exception to the admittedly "not strict rule", as noted by Dawid Grzyb in his July,, 2025 Genya article:
"While this is not a strict rule, audio manufacturers usually keep their flagship designs around for some three to five years, which is a reasonable time frame for them to mint a higher-tiered product and not upset customers by releasing it too soon. The LampizatOr founder Łukasz Fikus followed this protocol for many years with one exception. His 1st-gen Horizon DAC originated as a side project during the COVID-19 era. From one iteration to another, it eventually outperformed the company’s previous best aka Pacific by a significant margin and effectively took the top spot in the lineup."
Kind regards,
Ray
Haha Ray = Rob Ian = Issac - point well taken my friend
good points raised on all fronts
The sound comes from dedicated server OLYMPUS just the cable is Lan. The dac doesnt have „squeezebox card” it has a PC running on a dedicated squeeze linux operating system which is simply the best. We modify it to be Aphrodite Lan port only.
For those of us that use the Taiko Olympus, we would be very interested in the 3 BNC option.
However, we are not aware of such output card from Taiko. what ar3 the options?
If one does not use the BNC option, one should try input to the DAC with an Ethernet cable from the Taiko switch and router with the Olympus connected also and running ROON ?
Also, can you provide some information about the modulation and Filters?
Cannot wait to hear the Aphrodite
Thanks LF for clarifying -- would a user then still need a separate streamer? Or can one just plug the Aphrodite directly to an internet signal and use an app for integrated streaming, Qobuz, Roon endpoint, etc?
Similar threads
- Locked
- Sticky
 | Steve Williams Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator |  | Ron Resnick Site Owner | Administrator |  | Julian (The Fixer) Website Build | Marketing Managersing |