So the partnership between the Immanis and the Horizon DAC turned to be - in my system - all I hoped for, and more, to the point that I feel a whole new stage of my audio journey has unfolded.
Due to this, I find it sensible to expand my feedback so far by putting into perspective how the Immanis performs when matched by two very good sources that are voiced differently. TLDR version is: Immanis is very sensitive to the source and my advise is to pick the one that aligns best with your tastes
With the dCS Rossini stack, there was an emphasis on detail, soundstaging and sonic images localization, treble energy, bass tightness and precision, relentless speed. It was a really impressive presentation on a technical level, but it lacked - for my tastes - emotional connection, and produced an overall lean-ish midrange, with a slight metallic tinge up to the treble which bothered me. With EQ I was able to achieve a much more pleasing tonal balance, at the expense of a slight loss of transparency and harmonics overtones structure nuances, but I could live with that quite happily.
Enter the Lampizator, the Immanis just flourished into a markedly different thing. Now the organic character of the tone, which I find so important for connecting with music, is strikingly natural - neither warm nor bright - and some bloom has been added to the notes which, while smearing the savage transients, has added a richness to the sound that I was missing before. Piano, double bass, violins have an attack / decay structure which is more in line with real-world experience, while at the same time being presented with a more accurate timbre. Soundstage and imaging are more cohesive, still technically impressive yet with a slightly less black background compared to the not-EQ'ed Rossini, but still at least as transparent than the EQ'ed version.
Most importantly for me, given my treble sensitivity, the treble energy has resolved into a liquid, textured, smooth delivery which makes female vocals, for example, utterly natural and seductive, devoid of harshness or digital haze.
As a result of this sonic profile, my listening sessions stretched to several hours in a row with no signs of brain / ear fatigue, and across multiple genres and recording quality enthusiastically. In closing, here is a list of albums from the matinée, music from them was as pouring directly in my bloodstream
Due to this, I find it sensible to expand my feedback so far by putting into perspective how the Immanis performs when matched by two very good sources that are voiced differently. TLDR version is: Immanis is very sensitive to the source and my advise is to pick the one that aligns best with your tastes
With the dCS Rossini stack, there was an emphasis on detail, soundstaging and sonic images localization, treble energy, bass tightness and precision, relentless speed. It was a really impressive presentation on a technical level, but it lacked - for my tastes - emotional connection, and produced an overall lean-ish midrange, with a slight metallic tinge up to the treble which bothered me. With EQ I was able to achieve a much more pleasing tonal balance, at the expense of a slight loss of transparency and harmonics overtones structure nuances, but I could live with that quite happily.
Enter the Lampizator, the Immanis just flourished into a markedly different thing. Now the organic character of the tone, which I find so important for connecting with music, is strikingly natural - neither warm nor bright - and some bloom has been added to the notes which, while smearing the savage transients, has added a richness to the sound that I was missing before. Piano, double bass, violins have an attack / decay structure which is more in line with real-world experience, while at the same time being presented with a more accurate timbre. Soundstage and imaging are more cohesive, still technically impressive yet with a slightly less black background compared to the not-EQ'ed Rossini, but still at least as transparent than the EQ'ed version.
Most importantly for me, given my treble sensitivity, the treble energy has resolved into a liquid, textured, smooth delivery which makes female vocals, for example, utterly natural and seductive, devoid of harshness or digital haze.
As a result of this sonic profile, my listening sessions stretched to several hours in a row with no signs of brain / ear fatigue, and across multiple genres and recording quality enthusiastically. In closing, here is a list of albums from the matinée, music from them was as pouring directly in my bloodstream
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R version is: Immanis is very sensitive to the source and my advise is to pick the one that aligns best with your tastes 
