The New Lampizator Horizon DAC


On Saturday, I was lucky enough to be invited to the unofficial launch of the all-new Lampizator Horizon DAC in Los Angeles.  I have a Pacific and love it but I was intrigued to experience whether the Horizon was that much better.  So, My wife and I drove the 6 hours from Arizona to attend.  

The event had about 18 people in attendance and featured Lukasz Fikus, the owner and brains behind Lampizator.  We had a 5-hour listening session which included direct A/B comparisons between the Pacific and the Horizon, operating the Horizon without a preamp, and finally tube rolling.

My impressions were the Lampizator created a DAC that could change people's minds on comparing digital to vinyl,  The amount of detail, smoothness, clarity, speed was incredible.   For those interested in tube rolling the options are almost endless and I heard firsthand many different tube combinations which changed the SQ of the music.  Finally, at the end of the session, we ran the Horizon without a preamp.  The preamp used in the system was Lamm and the whole system was well over $700k.  So we are talking about a very high-end component grouping.   IMO, the Horizon DAC delivered about 95% of the sound without a Preamp.  It was super hard to discern any differences in SQ.

This DAC was so good that I ended up ordering one.  For anyone going to the Tampa Audio show, Lukasz Fikus will be there to officially launch the Horizon to the world this weekend.  It is definitely worth a listen.

 

willgolf

At 72 pounds (33kg) it weighs substantially more than my EL34 amp which has three transformers and a choke.

On the other hand, my own humble DAC weighs in at 265 grams (about a cup of water in weight).

This says nothing, of course. Just an observation and WTF. Does Lucasz use a stretch limousine to go shopping for milk and the paper?  Or perhaps a Mack truck?

 

 

congrats on your new DAC , when do you take delivery and what will be the as delivered tube selection ?

Enjoy the music and the journey

Jim

Fans of Lampizator like their kit. This new DAC costs $50,000 which is way, way higher than most DACs. But there are units that cost significantly more.

Listening to a system that costs $700K should be impressive. All about system synergy and scale. I assume owners of $700K systems might have a DAC that costs more than $50K ???

It would have been interesting to compare this Lampizator against other expensive DACs? Does the rest of the system cloud the impact of the DAC?

It would also be interesting to do an A:B test with this Lampi in a lower cost system like $1000 to see how the individual pieces sound vs the overall quior?

many different tube combinations which changed the SQ of the music." So, not only a DAC but a really expensive equalizer! I see the audiophools lining up!

 

So if tube rolling doesn't change the measurements, but changes the sound then that would be okay?

 

 

Certainly a "bit" out of my price range. But who am I to tell someone how to spend their $$? Nor am I one to say a 50K DAC doesn't sound better than a 5K DAC. I'm sure it does. And if you are playing in that arena, God bless you.

@willgolf don't let these penny pinching rock throwers rain on your parade. Congrats to you!