Nice!
I am hoping to have a 50 lb tube amp on my desk late next year in the form of the ZMF Aegis. It drives Susvara, so I assume it can handle Horizon. 
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Wow, what an impressive piece. Love the long range thinking. Something to look forward to for sure. 
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Meanwhile, I now have about 10 hours on the Horizon closed. I have been trying all kinds of things to see what works and what doesn’t. And frankly, most things don’t. This set is very picky when it comes to amps. I actually tried the Denon in the bedroom and it fell on its face. Granted that was through the headphone circuit. These things exposed that circuit to be somewhat inferior. Not a huge surprise there.
Thankfully, the LP is achieving great results, and I’m happy to have the Bifrost 2 as the DAC. I’m not sure I would like these with a ESS-based DAC. So it’s pretty clear that a more capable headphone amp will be the next target.
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MB DACs are where its at for me. 
Yeah, a good Class A or Class AB Headphone Amp is for sure in your future. The Bifrost 2 is not the limiting factor in this case.
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Getting in more quality time on the Horizon. For some reason I had this vision that this set would be one I would grab for acoustic and classical work, and so far that is exactly how it’s playing out. Classical is absolutely phenomenal on these. They put you right in the concert hall, center stage just a few rows back. The way these image, you hear everything, and you get a great sense of the overall environment. I am enjoying Bernstein’s Mozart the late Symphonies box set, Symphony #29
I’ve never heard it played quite like this. It’s fantastic. Rock/hard rock was good on these, but not as good as other options I have on hand. But this - this is home. They are classical beasts and will be the go to whenever I am in that mood. I’m just gonna say it - I think this is a great headphone and I’m very glad I made the investment.
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I am glad you found your go to cans, and I assume you will love them even more once you upgrade your chain.
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I am enjoying them very much. I have a feeling they will scale well when I can get something better in place. Props to the LP, man, this is really good. I had to do it; I had to get my head right and try this one
It’s so good, I’m truly hearing things I haven’t heard before. It’s taking me back to the planetarium shows back in the day. Anyway… 
It’s fun when a new addition delivers the goods.
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Funny how the Diablo 2 amp goes into protection mode, yet my Vali 3 keeps chugging along without issue. Granted I am using Horizon Open, but Vali 3 is able to handle all of my SJY headphones.
Good to hear another reviewer’s take though.
Appreciation post for SJY Audio and Jeffrey. I got the Horizons and there was an issue with the right driver, Jeffrey sent me a shipping label, fixed them in no time and shipped them back to me. Stellar customer service and communication. @JeffreySJY
I plugged them first in my JDS Labs Element III (boosted) but I felt they needed more power. I plugged them in my Violectric V222 and once again I cranked them up but felt they could do better.
I am happy to report that my SMSL VMV P2 amp on high gain drives them spectacularly with Cayin I-DAC 8. Amazing deep bass for open backs and my techno/electronic playlists sound incredible.
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Welcome to Hifi Guides,
Like you I hooked up my Horizon to various amps I have on hand to find the best pairing. The 2 watts of Class A supplied by my Mjolnir 3 did the trick for me. I am still eager to try them on the Valhalla 3 due to all the hype surrounding it. The release is supposed to be nearing, so I will report back once I have one in hand (hopefully there is some magic in that pairing).
Happy Listening!
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Thank you:) Curious to see what Valhalla 3 does with the Horizon, looking forward to your report!
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Powering my Horizon Open with the Vali 3 today socketed with a 1960s Landsdale Tube Company 12AU7. Great pairing in my opinion since it digs deeper in the bass and has a little more slam (with said tube that is). My Sylvania tubes sound alright with the Horizon Open, but the Landsdale better with this headphone.
Tempted to get a matched pair and adapters for the Valhalla 3, but I have to try it stock with the Horizon Open first. 
This is what I am listening to at the moment
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Wow… he said he would reach for the Horizon Closed over these.
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Well, folks, it worked. I have been grousing about which way I was gonna go with the amp needed for these. Then it hit me. I have the DA-9. That is a sweet little amp, if I am being honest. Yes, it’s a class D. But those German Infineon modules were really good, and the DA-9 has tone controls and their DSP. So I said the hell with it, I’m gonna give it a go. I picked up a cabling solution from the fine folks at Fog City Audio. A real beauty of a piece it is, too.
I dug out the DA-9 last night, hooked up the adapter and cabled the amp into the system but waited for tonight to test. I was a little nervous at first. I haven’t done anything like this before! So I was extremely gentle with the gain knob. And now I just don’t even know what to say. The Horizon is now alive. I’m not even kidding. It’s startling how good these things sound now. I have more bass than I know what to do with. Full dynamic range, treble is fantastic, great stage - Ladies and Gentlemen, the problem is solved. The DA-9 lives again! I am surprised how well the set and the amp are playing together, but I will take that W! These Horizons are so F’n good. They rival the HE1000 in every way. In certain areas they are even better. Happiness ensues…
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Has anyone tried the Horizons with the Xduoo XA-02 dac/amp? Apparently reviews say it can drive the Horizons with ease and its only 200 euro.
seems slightly better on paper than rebel amp which is pretty good.
I mean this in the most positive and friendly way possible…I told you lol
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LOL You most certainly did. I come around eventually! The really nice thing, too, is that the amp is running cool, it’s not even breaking a sweat. Is this end game for me? Could well be. The temptation to try a Class A tube amp is still there. I may itch that scratch at some point, but there is certainly no rush to get there now.
As they get time on them, they are only getting better. It’s almost like having a set of speakers on my head. That sounds silly, but as I am a speaker guy, this is very similar to a speaker experience. As a finishing touch, I took the Geekria headband pad that I got for the EDXS and tried it. This has added to the comfort and overall fit by a wide margin. Here they are with my other faves in their home position.
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Maybe Valhalla 3 if it ever releases. 
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