I mention DSP because given my weak spot for soundstaging in headfi, I've experimented with most types of spatialization aids from various implementations of cross-feed algorithms to the dCS Expanse approach to BACCH. When properly implemented and applied, I believe that these techniques enhance the enjoyment of especially acoustic music via headphones tremendously. Well, Immanis features a clever form of mechanical/acoustic crossfeed thanks to how the ribbons' cover plate has an open section to the front to create deliberate cross-channel leakage. This translates into a combination of wide, deep and tall soundstaging connected by a cohesive bond then populated by solid well-identifiable musical images which combined offers the best incarnation of a spatial headfi presentation I have ever heard. A further aspect of Immanis which I found extremely compelling is that their revealing nature makes each and every recording sound unique which in turn made for almost a rediscovery of my library which I thought I knew inside out. On the other hand, I was a tad less happy with the tonal balance of my triple-ribbon Serbian beauty. In a nutshell, Immanis had too much treble energy for my aging ears which as time goes by, require an increasingly gentle and caressing approach. This trait gave Immanis a rather edgy, unforgiving character as the flipside of their revealing powers which made it difficult for me to fully relax into longer, eclectic listening sessions. Another less bright (pun intended) characteristic was that a brutally fast attack and decay of sounds combined with the coolish timbre conveyed a sense of dryness and percussive emotional detachment from the music. This steered me towards preselecting contemplative even investigative playlists which is no limitation I aspire to as hedonistic mélomane. Considering that my daily on-head drivers at this point were the Spirit Torino isobaric Valkyria headphones which are the embodiment of passionate, visceral and borderline dark, the contrast was too stark to digest. My first move was to roll into the AIC-10 my most euphoric tube, a NOS Mullard CV491 built in 1957 in the legendary Blackburn factory. This created a nice wetness injection and a glowing from within started to kick in. And I saw this was good.

Then I remembered from my time with the SR1a that Alex's ribbons digest EQ far better than average headphones to start experimenting with simple parametric EQ inside Roon. A +3dB bass shelf below 800Hz and a dip around 7kHz complemented by a further sub-bass boost produced a general warming of the tonality and basshead-proof sub bass while taming some exuberance in the treble. As there is no free lunch, the EQ, while very effective, did reduce Immanis' sense of utter transparency and openness but by my assessment, the trade-off was a success. After all, I could use flat-out Immanis on great recordings then tweak with EQ when mood or a production called for it. I was happy again. After a longer wait than expected, I then took delivery of the LampizatOr Horizon. What I did not know at the time was that everything was about to change once again.

Part #2: Enter the LampizatOr Horizon. A new paradigm. I tend to strategize the development of my audio system by following Linn's source-first principle, the logic being that whatever is lost or damaged upstream cannot be recovered downstream. For this reason, I start every upgrade iteration with the source components where I also allocate the biggest chunk of my budget. With modern digital audio, the definition of what a digital front end is has become increasingly extensive. Today it involves not only the music server/streamer and DAC but network switches, clocks, D/D converters, upscalers, resamplers, all necessary interconnects, power tweaks, linear upgrades not to mention digital management software. It is a bit overwhelming but my personal experience is that, alas, everything really does matter with these elusively tiny zeros and ones. In this highly populated digital landscape, the DAC likely takes the lion’s share in terms of its impact on the tone of the system like a conductor will shape the sound of his orchestra.

The arrival of the Horizon to replace the dCS stack may recall the installation of Leonard Bernstein after George Szell at the head of the NYC Philharmonic to signal a move from utmost precision, intellectual command and formal elegance to a more expressive, overt and passionate direction. It was clear from the first notes that the Horizon had a completely different presentation than the Rossini – or any other DAC I heard for that matter. I was not prepared for such a stark difference, rather expecting a more nuanced differentiation in line with prior DAC auditions and upgrades.