I will find out for myself eventually, but it will be a while. The Horizon Closed Carbon was retuned several times prior to launch, so I would assume that there is quite a bit of difference in sound between it and the open.
2 Likes
decided to whip out the Emotiva A2mini with the jumpers installed, crank as loud as you dare lmao, even with an impedence adapter don’t think I hit half volume with horizon.
thought it was going to be for the memes and whipped out ye olde Fiio E10K (micro usb dac/amp from like 2013) and was actually shocked how decent it did with the horizon, could max it out on low gain but high gain had some headroom, showing a bit of age but still kicking!
2 Likes
Has anyone compared the Closed Carbons to the Liric II? I know there’s a price gap, just debating between the two for a good closed back Planar but looking for something that still tries to be spacious.
1 Like
Haven’t compared the ones you mentioned, but maybe also consider DCA’s Aeon Noire X which is quite spacious and similarly priced like the Horizons Closed for top of the line planar closed-back.
1 Like
DCA E3 sounds like an open back
1 Like
Valhalla 3 is launching next week, and I will finally be able to answer the question: can it drive Horizon Open?
3 Likes
Well, the run-in process seems to be complete. The drivers have settled in beautifully, delivering a wonderfully detailed, rich and organic presentation. I am having so much fun with these closed carbons. Once I get them on my head, I don’t want to take them off. I get lost in the music and time just melts away. It’s still blowing me away how well the DA-9 is driving them. I have spent this morning dialing in the EQ profile, and I think I have the baseline established now. What a fantastic addition to the fleet these are. 
1 Like
Just got my Horizon CCs today and was curious, does yours have vent holes in the aluminum portion of the cups in front of the yolk on each side? Passion for Sound’s version didn’t and the Apos websites photos do not show vents either. However mine do, tho it also appears some of the holes may be sealed by some glue from inside.
Will say Valencia has no issues pushing these. I am at the 12 o’ clock on my pre amp and it’s louder than is probably safe lol. Bass is nice and punchy and seems like it’s still retaining tons of detail. Will need to listen more but initial impressions, these are definitely impressive.
3 Likes
Valhalla 3 is on its way, and I can’t wait to hear Horizon Open hooked up to it. Mimir is also coming too, so things will get interesting. 
1 Like
Hello. Sorry for the late response. Yes, mine have the vent holes also. I have no idea if those holes would affect the sound or not. It might be interesting to put some tape over them and see what happens! I may just give that a go this weekend just as an experiment.
Great to hear that Valencia is driving them well. I’m still on the fence as to whether or not I am going to purchase Valencia. I like the notion of it, but I can’t justify the price tag. I don’t feel that this amp needs to be that expensive, so while I continue to save money, I will chew on it some more and when the funds are there, I will make my final decision. Right now, at 2 grand, it’s a no. Especially when my little DA-9 is doing such a fine job. At the very least, the DA-9 is buying me the time I need to sort this out.
Did you have roughly 4 on each front facing side glued closed and 2 on each side on the back glued?
Mine is 4 and 4. 11 total holes front and back.
Another review.
2 Likes
Closed Carbon seems like a W. Just got back my Closed and enjoy it. Think I may lose my Horizon Open (Gold driver version) soon though so if anyone was interested before I post, let me know.
1 Like
I did a pretty intense re-cable project on the speaker side of the desktop/near field system today, and while I had everything apart, I couldn’t help myself. I reconfigured and tried the Horizon Closed on the AMP-F2 / SA-1 pre setup. And I’ll be damned, it was better. The stage was bigger, imaging /separation was improved, mids right up through the highs were spectacular. It’s a measure more neutral than the DA-9, and the bass isn’t as authoritative as the DA-9. Bass hits harder and extends lower. Oddly, I also have more headroom on the DA-9. And I have volume control right there at the amp, so no preamp is required.
At the end of the day I ended up putting everything back the way it was. The AMP-F2 will continue to be a dedicated speaker amp. But I’m glad I did it. It’s yet another great option for the Horizon Closed that I can switch over to pretty easily whenever I get the itch.
1 Like
more glazing reviews
4 Likes
My thoughts on pairing my SJY Audio headphones with the Valhalla 3. 
2 Likes
A little update, after 1 hour + of listening Starry Night V1 seems to have tripped the protection circuit in the Valhalla 3. 
Horizon is not having an issue as of yet, so I guess Starry Night V1 (first run) continues to be power hungry. 
Edit: *It happened again with another headphone, I think it might be running a little too hot, I just repositioned the amp, and I will report back.
Update: I reseated the tubes and so far so good with the Horizon Open.
3 Likes
Switching back and forth from Horizon Open to Verum One Mk2 has made me appreciate the Verums even more, for 350 dollars they sound spectacular and close to Horizon Open maybe with tad less detail, but dynamics/soundstage are almost on par. [to my ears at least]