Lampizator Horizon360 - Broadening Our Musical Horizons

[ctydwn]

We worked on the H360 in the background without time pressure. I told my team - whenever you are ready we will make a switchover. First having internal betatesters, then external, then secret sales to people who had no idea about the change then to people who did know then the launch date etc

Thanks. Much appreciated. Sounds like bw external beta testers, then secret sales to people and then to additional folks all before the launch date, much has been known for awhile. i surely do not blame any distributor for not knowing. of course not. if i had the slightest inkling there might be a new horizon on the horizon in the next 6-12 months i would not have paid a decent amount for a new horizon w xdmi. and now i need to pay slightly more than that for a new 360. (again, i always wanted to avoid shipping back and forth to poland, the hazards involved, and the downtime). anyway, thanks again, and i can chalk it up to bad timing. sounds like steveW and a few others maybe in the same situation. as u know i have been a huge supporter since the pacific 4-5 yrs ago and always support. will leave it at that and congrats on creating a new masterpiece!

 

[Lukasz "Lampizator" Fikus]

Thanks. Much appreciated. Sounds like bw external beta testers, then secret sales to people and then to additional folks all before the launch date, much has been known for awhile. i surely do not blame any distributor for not knowing. of course not. if i had the slightest inkling there might be a new horizon on the horizon in the next 6-12 months i would not have paid $17-18k for a new horizon w xdmi. and now i need to pay slightly more than that for a new 360. (again, i always wanted to avoid shipping back and forth to poland, the hazards involved, and the downtime). anyway, thanks again, and i can chalk it up to bad timing. sounds like steveW and a few others maybe in the same situation. as u know i have been a huge supporter since the pacific 4-5 yrs ago and always support. will leave it at that and congrats on creating a new masterpiece!

I am surprised. THE ZERO LOSS is our policy and you loose NOTHING.

 

[Lukasz "Lampizator" Fikus]

Do you send your Horizon in and it gets retrofitted? What is the cost of upgrade?

Everything is on our www lampizatorpoland.com

 

[plasmod3]

L

Not to labor the point but a better analogy I would put forth.....I live in California and Im sure my house shakes BUT the only time I feel my house shake is during an earthquake. It doesn't upset me at all. What upsets people is the analogy of a garbage can. Im sure if you wack (not a tap as you claim you did) any of the Taiko tops in the manner in which you did you will get a resonant sound

Circuit breaker between the obstetrician and the ophthalmologist by the gastroenterologist . Let's just agree that if we take the lid off everyone will be absolutely delighted! Frankly this new dac is bloody exciting . Lets just take the lid off haha

 

[Steve williams]

L

Circuit breaker between the obstetrician and the ophthalmologist by the gastroenterologist . Let's just agree that if we take the lid off everyone will be absolutely delighted! Frankly this new dac is bloody exciting . Lets just take the lid off haha

Totally agree Ian. As we speak I am wiring my Olympus/IO with the Taiko digital board via the KBL XDMI cable and very shortly will be listening to Native XDMI via my Lampi XDMI Horizon . Its going to be a fun day and "exceptional music"

 

[Moladiego]

Everything is on our www lampizatorpoland.com

Lukasz, have you upgraded the preamp part of H360 so that it's at least as good as Poseidon's? (I recall reading that H1's preamp is not as good as Poseidon's, but I could be wrong in my memory.) Also, about the optional 3xBNC/i2s, can the BNC connectors be replaced by RCA ones upon request (because my proprietary i2s cables are all RCA terminated)?

 

[Ron Resnick]

Congratulations on the release of this new Horizon 360 model, Lukasz and Fred! I would love to do an interview with you, Lukasz, about the new model!

Will any design elements of the new 360 trickle down to the Poseidon? To a Baltic 5?

 

[Anyoldears]

Congratulations on the release of this new Horizon 360 model, Lukasz and Fred!

Will any design elements of the new 360 trickle down to the Poseidon? To a Baltic 5?

And now will there be "Engine 12" upgrades?

 

[Sampajanna]

I received my Horizon 360 yesterday and offer these early observations. To begin, aside from the graphics and the new line-up of rear panel connectors, the unit really appears indistinguishable from the previous iterations (the original and what has been called “v1” which contains the new XDMI input on the rear panel. (This was available by two pathways; either by updating one’s original or ordering a new Horizon with the XDMI input). In order to assess the new 360, I thought it was reasonable to simply install my current tube set on the new 360 since it would allow an assessment in which the only variable was the new unit itself, and not tubes. (For the record, I run a Cossar 53KU regulator, Mullard ECC2 triodes, and P17c pentodes in mullingmrs copper wire/gold pin adapters. I am connecting the 360 to my Taiko Extreme via USB and an FTA Sinope cable.) Of course, all the caveats about break-in apply (cable terminations and tube socket annealing, capacitor charging, CMS footers re-settling and stabilizing etc.). However, the good news is that the 360, even with very little break-in time, appears to be a superior unit to its predecessor in the most fundamental way. Simply put it is a higher resolution and lower distortion device than the original that it replaces. The obvious full range sonic benefits, particularly musicality, accrue from these advances. Even though bass is often the last thing that “comes in” with cable and gear changes and I am not there yet, what I have heard thus far is impressive and suggests that even better performance awaits as break-in continues. Alternately I might say, if the bass is good now, I can hardly wait to hear this thing after it’s broken in! In short, I doubt that anyone would not be impressed with a 360 no matter how configured, based on what I have heard thus far. Lukasz did his homework and new owners will be justly rewarded by his efforts regardless of the server one uses. The pairing of the 360 with the new XDMI native output-enabled Olympus is yet another highly anticipated event and is almost too much to think about, but promises to be a hell of a ride.

Unfortunately, I am obliged to provide an additional comment about the damping (or lack of) for the top plate (in my case, copper). Frankly, I was very disappointed in the lack of damping for the top plate. Although the chassis appear to be built like a brick you-know-what, if anyone believes the top plate damping is adequate and needs no further discussion, my response is noted here:

Honestly, the top plate rattles like a metal garbage can when finger-tapped. If your unit is on an open shelf or in an open cabinet and you don’t think this matters, we’ll just have to agree to disagree. However, the detrimental effects of the poor top plate damping are almost certainly the most problematic if you play your music at volume. At lower levels, it’s probably a relatively minor issue, or no issue at all. Fortunately, this is a trivial issue and is easily addressed. I certainly haven’t exhausted every damping method that is out there, but this one worked quite well for me using 1000 gm calibration weights and sorbothane discs that are both readily available from Amazon

View attachment 135607. View attachment 135608

Sorbothane discs

https://www.amazon.com/Isolate-Sorbothane-Vibration-Isolation-Circular/dp/B0042U8P9C/ref=sr_1_6?crid=59APIGX4V7W6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.h905hFiD4CtDomHCCo7-P4oV-Q4gpw3GLSCGGxEMetLb157JTPnVvAGLHLI_EMiY-grcaPAeVzHv98o_qlB3Mf_luE-w6y-eSD72h_u3YWT2y9VcSAp_UJ724fKyP6tNN_5sicwLeQxGLcwPqLbAlOaS-JG5SRnsBgZ09qzKK5Wq2j3iCbAFKMicnj4PpXM7DYf_1WI2pwJw14lDgN0ifA.0jiXZF13B7OhhBI2OVqhIDU_6SkibkpdjRE1iZFkD4A&dib_tag=se&keywords=sorbothane+2.25+disc&qid=1724961327&s=music&sprefix=sorbothane+2.25+disc,popular,128&sr=1-6

Calibration weights:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HF3LXWQ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Thanks for the review and suggestions, Marty. I appreciate you.

Lukasz, have you upgraded the preamp part of H360 so that it's at least as good as Poseidon's? (I recall reading that H1's preamp is not as good as Poseidon's, but I could be wrong in my memory.) Also, about the optional 3xBNC/i2s, can the BNC connectors be replaced by RCA ones upon request (because my proprietary i2s cables are all RCA terminated)?

I too am interested in understanding any preamp upgrades viz a viz the Poseidon. I use my Horizon as analogue pre as well.

 

[Holli82]

I'm sure the the Horizon 360 will be an upgrade over the H1. Smart people like Lukasz are never content with status quo. I'll probably consider upgrading in the future but I'm listening to my H1 and quite frankly I'm in a good place now.

 

[wil]

Not to labor the point but a better analogy I would put forth.....I live in California and Im sure my house shakes BUT the only time I feel my house shake is during an earthquake. It doesn't upset me at all. What upsets people is the analogy of a garbage can. Im sure if you wack (not a tap as you claim you did) any of the Taiko tops in the manner in which you did you will get a resonant sound

From my experience the Extreme top is about as solid and non resonant as any audio chassis can be.

My Aries Cerat steel tops rattle a bit like the horizon. I don’t know how much impact this has on sound quality, but I’ve put steel weights on them, which dampens them very effectively.

 

[Lukasz "Lampizator" Fikus]

Lukasz, have you upgraded the preamp part of H360 so that it's at least as good as Poseidon's? (I recall reading that H1's preamp is not as good as Poseidon's, but I could be wrong in my memory.) Also, about the optional 3xBNC/i2s, can the BNC connectors be replaced by RCA ones upon request (because my proprietary i2s cables are all RCA terminated)?

No change in tube section and yes 3xrca is an alternative take

 

[Moladiego]

No change in tube section and yes 3xrca is an alternative take

Thanks, Lukasz. So far as I know, the 3x/i2s did and will have me in mind , because I am not aware of anybody else doing such i2s connection, and I was and am grateful for it. I am interested in seeing a possible 3x BNC/RCA/i2s equipped server with internal storage in the market. My DIY guy modded 2 Pioneer Elite DVD players for me with 4x RCA/i2s outputs (initially one with 3xRCA, but had to remod to add the master clock to be compatible with H1). May I assume that for H360 I simply don't use the master clock output/input and no need to have my DVD players remodded? I mentioned several times that the connection via such purist i2s (from a lowly DVD transport) surpasses connection via USB (from Extreme with Switch) in naturalness and soundstage.

 

[Lukasz "Lampizator" Fikus]

The confusion about my comment about 3xBNC is that XDMI is a closed format , just for the owners of Taiko, and I wanted to add an open format that every person no matter what streamer can use. As the Prometheus of audio I wanted to do the best I can.
When you say „you have the nicest apartment in London” you dont need to add „except the Buckingham Palace of course” every time.

 

[marty]

My Horizon 360 is now well on its way to full break-in so it was time to share the listening experience. A good friend is a musician who has played with Philadelphia Orchestra spent the evening last night and his comments were fascinating. It's always interesting when you play the system for musician rather than an audiophile. His main observation succinctly put, is is that he has never heard a music reproduction system capture the timbre of real instruments as what he heard last evening. For him, it's all about instrument timbre and it was the authentic timbre of the instrument that was transformative and made the players seem to appear before him with a realism he had not previously heard (he has heard my system several times previously). My friend is a trumpet player and he commented repeatedly on the heightened clarity of the orchestral instruments he heard.

What blew my mind is that on recording after recording, he identified trumpet player after trumpet player (not just the principals but the 2nd and 3rd seats as well) of the great orchestras of the world because he recognized the sound of their individual playing. He said the level of transparency he heard was something he had not previously experienced and that allowed him to identify exactly who was playing. What impressed him was that Horizon's newfound improved transparency is coupled to a very organic sound and on this point, I could not agree more.

I can now appreciate the comments of others who thought the Horizon, as good as it is, did not have the same organic sound signature as some of the DHT DACs in the Lampi line-up such as the GG3 or Pacific. But the organic sound of the Horizon 360 removes this concern, at least for me, and it very much adds to the sonic merits of the unit. The combination of transparency and lower distortion with enhanced organicity allowed him to make other observations that surprised me. For example, we played a Prokofiev piece (Decca) and without knowing who was playing he commented that he could hear the vibrato of the oboe so clearly that he knew if must be a European orchestra -it was indeed the London Symphony!. (Apparently, American orchestra oboe players are not trained to play with vibrato as much or at all- who knew?) This was one of several observations he made that were the result of the system improvements he heard with the Horizon 360.

Just like audiophiles who often pride themselves in hearing sonic details that others care little about, musicians also have their nits to pick. My friend made repeated comments about the mouthpieces certain players used that he said he could distinguish for the first time due to the increased timbral resolution of the system, but these comments were well above my pay grade as I could neither appreciate their distinctions, nor care enough to learn more! My favorite comment however, came after we played the 4th movement of Reiner's Scheherezade to which he said "I always knew the CSO was great, but I didn't appreciate how great they were until I heard this piece tonight on your system". If an orchestral musician can say that as the result of a specific piece of gear added to one's system, that sort of puts what the Horizon 360 offers musically into the proper perspective.

 

[gleeds]

Marty, the Lampi continues to be the only DAC for me! I have not heard the 360, but I will do it shortly. Lately, I have been loving the Posidean, which, in my opinion, is among the most significant values in audio. Lukaz continues to push the art of digital, and congratulations are in order. Enjoy!

 

[Lukasz "Lampizator" Fikus]

Thanks, Lukasz. So far as I know, the 3x/i2s did and will have me in mind , because I am not aware of anybody else doing such i2s connection, and I was and am grateful for it. I am interested in seeing a possible 3x BNC/RCA/i2s equipped server with internal storage in the market. My DIY guy modded 2 Pioneer Elite DVD players for me with 4x RCA/i2s outputs (initially one with 3xRCA, but had to remod to add the master clock to be compatible with H1). May I assume that for H360 I simply don't use the master clock output/input and no need to have my DVD players remodded? I mentioned several times that the connection via such purist i2s (from a lowly DVD transport) surpasses connection via USB (from Extreme with Switch) in naturalness and soundstage.

Yes, EVERY player that has i2S can work with the 3xBNC because you just ignore the unnecessary master clock. We generate new ultra precise master clock internally. So if ANY player in the world has ANY OUTPUT, it is enough to split the cable and pull three wires and try them in 3 inputs of Horizon360 - and eventually the music will flow. So you dont care about the "pinout" or the plug or the clock or data format. All becomes irrelevant.

 

[Lukasz "Lampizator" Fikus]

Thanks for the review and suggestions, Marty. I appreciate you.



I too am interested in understanding any preamp upgrades viz a viz the Poseidon. I use my Horizon as analogue pre as well.

Concerning the tube preamp circuit: we underline it very clearly in our statement that the Horizon360 is different ONLY in the digital section and to preserve the unique character of the horizon, we did not change anything. Ans it seems our decision was good, the output section is not our bottleneck if Marty could hear all that magnificent improvement of the 360 so the output section allowed the new engine to shine in all its glory. Poseidon has slightly better preamp section but it is the Neptune dedicated preamp that takes the preamp to another level.

 

[Sampajanna]

Concerning the tube preamp circuit: we underline it very clearly in our statement that the Horizon360 is different ONLY in the digital section and to preserve the unique character of the horizon, we did not change anything. Ans it seems our decision was good, the output section is not our bottleneck if Marty could hear all that magnificent improvement of the 360 so the output section allowed the new engine to shine in all its glory. Poseidon has slightly better preamp section but it is the Neptune dedicated preamp that takes the preamp to another level.

Have you tried Horizon to Neptune? What does it bring if so?

My Horizon leaves for Poland on Wed. Safe travels!!!

 

[Lukasz "Lampizator" Fikus]

Concerning the secret of betatesting - we never told anybody including our distributors and dealers about the plan for H360 because i REALLY hate the pressure which automatically occurs. So we were testing the breadboard and cardboard prototypes using the friendly audiophiles rather than creating an official process. We converted a TOTAL NIGHTMARE OF A POSSIBLE SIX MONTHS DELAY into 6 months of creative fun excercise.