Lampizator has updated its long-running flagship DAC, and the result carries a new name: the Lampizator Horizon-2. The Polish tube-DAC specialist calls it “the finest Horizon we have ever built,” a description that undersells how much has changed under the hood since the original Horizon first became the brand’s reference converter. Despite the overhaul, Lampizator says the price of a new Horizon-2 will stay unchanged for the rest of 2026, and owners of an existing Horizon or Horizon 360 can have their unit factory-upgraded to full Horizon-2 specification.
The Lampizator Horizon-2’s Redesigned Digital Engine
The Lampizator Horizon-2 keeps the brand’s signature CNC-milled, no-screw chassis, but the digital section inside has been rebuilt from the ground up. Lampizator’s firmware-driven conversion engine now handles PCM up to 1520kHz and DSD1024, running across 17 separate power circuits, a new 4-layer PCB, custom transformers and anti-vibration CNC-milled PCB supports. A reworked USB input adds optoisolated reclocking and ultra-precision crystals, while new custom muting circuitry cleans up the DAC’s power-up and input-switching behaviour. Six digital inputs cover USB, S/PDIF, AES/EBU, TOSLINK and three I2S ports, with an optional Taiko XDMI input for owners running a Taiko music server.
No Silicon Past the Conversion Stage
What hasn’t changed is Lampizator’s core philosophy: once the digital-to-analog conversion happens, no silicon touches the signal again. The Lampizator Horizon-2 runs a tube-rectified power supply, silver wiring throughout, and copper film and metal sheet capacitors in the signal path, with zero op-amps and zero feedback, local or global. Output stage control runs through Lampizator’s relay-less “SuperVolume” system, offering full bypass and 100 precise volume steps without an extra gain stage in the way. The result is fully balanced and single-ended operation simultaneously, from a pair of RCA and XLR analog outputs plus a dedicated XLR bypass pair.
Hundreds of Tube-Rolling Combinations
True to the Lampizator name, the Lampizator Horizon-2 is built around a substantial tube complement: a rectifier tube (stock 5U4G, with 274B, 5Y3, GZ34, GZ37 and several others supported), two 6SN7GT conversion tubes, and four output driver tubes, stock EL34 but rollable through 6V6, 6L6, KT66, KT88, KT90, KT120, KT150, 6550 and 5881 families. Lampizator states that this adds up to hundreds of viable tube-rolling combinations, letting an owner tune the Horizon-2’s character without touching the digital engine at all. The chassis is available in Matt Black Hole or Silver Sahara, with a top dust cover offered in copper, stainless steel, black, silver or a semi-translucent red that can be mixed with either body finish.
Digital source components with this kind of layered, tube-based output stage sit at the opposite end of the spectrum from a conventional delta-sigma DAC; readers weighing the two approaches can find the underlying trade-offs explained in our R2R DAC vs delta-sigma DAC explainer.
Pricing and availability
Lampizator has not published a retail price for the Lampizator Horizon-2 on its own site, though it confirms that pricing stays at the existing Horizon level through the rest of 2026. Existing Horizon and Horizon 360 owners can upgrade to full Horizon-2 specification for €12,000 as a complete factory package. Full ordering details are available via lampizatorpoland.com.
Key specifications
- Type: tube-output digital-to-analog converter
- Digital inputs: USB, S/PDIF (RCA), AES/EBU, TOSLINK, 3x I2S, optional Taiko XDMI
- Conversion: proprietary firmware engine, PCM up to 1520kHz, DSD1024
- Tube complement: 1x rectifier (5U4G family), 2x 6SN7GT, 4x output driver (EL34 family)
- Analog outputs: RCA pair, XLR balanced pair, XLR bypass pair
- Volume control: relay-less SuperVolume, 100 steps, full bypass
- Dimensions: 440 x 550 x 170mm (290mm with tubes)
- Weight: 33kg net / 50kg gross
- Finishes: Matt Black Hole or Silver Sahara chassis; copper, steel, black, silver or red top cover
