Poseidon 2 DAC
Poseidon 2 DAC
A New Reference by LampizatOr
Poseidon 2 is LampizatOr’s newest reference-level DAC below Horizon 360 and Aphrodite. It takes the original Poseidon concept and pushes it much further with the latest Engine 12x2 digital platform, a revised analog stage, and LampizatOr’s new SuperVolume system.
The original Poseidon was created to bring much of the Horizon philosophy to a more attainable level. It replaced a crowded middle of the LampizatOr lineup and gave customers one serious, fully balanced, tube-output DAC with volume control, remote control, display, analog inputs, and true preamp functionality.
Poseidon 2 is not just a mild update. It is a major revision. The new digital engine, analog circuit changes, and SuperVolume implementation make it a substantially more refined and complete product than the original Poseidon. It is more organic, more spacious, more liquid, more precise, and quieter.
This is the DAC for the listener who wants real LampizatOr magic, serious system flexibility, and reference-level digital playback without moving all the way to the flagship tier.
What Changed in Poseidon 2?
1. Engine 12x2 Digital Platform
Poseidon 2 replaces the earlier Engine 11-P platform with LampizatOr’s newer Engine 12x2 dual-mono digital engine.
This is a meaningful sonic upgrade. The new engine is more organic, more fluid, and offers better bass texture, weight, and flow. It supports PCM up to 768 kHz via USB and DSD up to DSD512.
2. Revised Analog Stage
The analog stage has been redesigned and simplified. LampizatOr reduced the number of capacitors in the signal path by half and reduced the number of tube stages from three to two.
The result is a cleaner, more direct, more spacious presentation with improved intimacy and a major reduction in residual hum.
3. SuperVolume as Standard
Poseidon 2 now includes LampizatOr’s own SuperVolume system as standard.
This replaces the earlier Khozmo-based volume system and brings a major improvement in clarity, transparency, and precision. It also avoids the clicking behavior of traditional stepped attenuator systems.
SuperVolume includes remote control, OLED display, and a full bypass function for users who want to run Poseidon 2 into a separate preamplifier.
Why Poseidon 2?
Poseidon 2 is designed as a true system centerpiece.
It is not merely a DAC. It is a DAC, line stage, volume control, input hub, and fully balanced tube-output preamplifier in one chassis.
It includes digital inputs, analog inputs, RCA outputs, balanced XLR outputs, remote control, display, tube rectification, and both single-ended and balanced circuits as standard.
That means Poseidon 2 can be used in several ways:
As a world-class DAC into your existing preamp.
As a direct-to-amplifier reference digital source.
As a full preamp for both digital and analog sources.
As a way to run single-ended analog sources into balanced amplifiers.
That last point is important. Poseidon 2 can accept single-ended analog input and output it through its balanced outputs. This gives turntables, tape decks, and other analog sources a serious high-end path into modern balanced amplifiers.
Core Design Philosophy
Poseidon 2 carries the LampizatOr house sound: rich, alive, spacious, analog-like, and emotionally convincing.
The goal is not just detail. Many DACs can produce detail. The goal is musical truth: scale, body, tone, space, presence, bass nuance, and the absence of digital glare.
Poseidon 2 delivers high resolution without becoming dry or clinical. It is designed to give the listener the qualities people love in great vinyl playback, but with the convenience, bandwidth, and flexibility of modern digital.
The soundstage is wide, deep, and immersive. The bass is not merely strong. It has color, texture, body, and intelligibility. Instruments are easier to locate, but the presentation remains whole and musical rather than dissected.
This is where LampizatOr has always been different. The technology serves the emotional experience of listening.
Key Features
Engine 12x2 dual-mono digital engine
PCM up to 768 kHz via USB
DSD up to DSD512
True balanced and single-ended circuits included as standard
USB, RCA S/PDIF, AES/EBU, and Toslink digital inputs
Optional Taiko XDMI input for compatible Taiko Olympus servers
One RCA analog input
One fully balanced XLR analog input
RCA analog outputs
Balanced XLR analog outputs
LampizatOr SuperVolume with remote control and OLED display
Full volume bypass function
Tube rectified power supply
Zero feedback
Zero op-amps
No silicon in the signal path after conversion
Silver signal wiring in Teflon insulation
Premium copper foil signal capacitors
CNC-machined aluminum chassis
Custom LampizatOr/Cynel silver solder
Premium audio-grade power supply components
Gold-pin tube sockets
Custom milled metal remote control
Flight case packing
Tube Architecture
Poseidon 2 remains a tube-lover’s DAC, but without requiring the owner to become a tube expert.
The standard tube complement includes:
1 x 5U4G-type rectifier or equivalent
4 x 6N1P-type dual triodes
4 x 6J5-type single triodes
LampizatOr selects the supplied tubes based on extensive listening and development work. Tube rolling is possible, but the factory does not treat the DAC as a random tube playground. The unit is supplied with what LampizatOr believes is the best available tube set based on current supply, sonic performance, and reliability.
Built-In Preamp Capability
One of the strongest arguments for Poseidon 2 is that it can remove the need for a separate preamp.
The volume control is not an afterthought. It is central to the design. The SuperVolume system is designed to be transparent, precise, and sonically serious enough for high-end systems.
Poseidon 2 is especially well suited to modern amplifiers, including large solid-state amplifiers that require proper drive, low output impedance, and balanced connectivity.
For many systems, Poseidon 2 will sound better driving the amplifiers directly than running through a separate preamp.
For Analog Sources Too
Poseidon 2 includes analog inputs, which allows it to operate as a true control center.
You can connect a phono stage, tape deck, tuner, or other analog source and use Poseidon 2 as a high-end tube line stage.
This makes it much more flexible than a conventional DAC. It is designed to sit at the center of a serious modern system and control both digital and analog playback.
Finish Options
Poseidon 2 is available in elegant standard finishes, including:
Matt Black Hole chassis
Silver Sahara chassis
Top plate options include:
Copper powder coated aluminum
Black Hole matt finish
Chrome-style silver finish
Real copper top plate upgrade
The black chassis with copper top plate creates the well-known “Duracell” look and remains one of the most visually striking LampizatOr combinations.
Specifications
Weight: approximately 55 lbs net / approximately 79–80 lbs shipping weight
Dimensions without tubes: 440 mm W x 550 mm D x 170 mm H
Height with tubes: approximately 250 mm
Digital inputs: USB, RCA S/PDIF, AES/EBU, Toslink
Analog inputs: RCA and balanced XLR
Analog outputs: RCA and balanced XLR
Output impedance: approximately 400 ohms per phase
Input impedance: approximately 200k per phase
Frequency response: 15 Hz – 100 kHz +/- 1.5 dB
Mains voltage: 110–115 / 220 / 230 / 240 V AC
Power consumption: approximately 100 VA
Shipping: custom flight case
Typical build time: approximately 4 weeks from order to shipping
Who Is Poseidon 2 For?
Poseidon 2 is for the listener who wants serious LampizatOr performance without compromising system flexibility.
It is for the analog lover who has never fully trusted digital.
It is for the digital listener who wants tone, dimensionality, and emotional connection.
It is for the owner of a serious amplifier who wants to simplify the system without losing preamp quality.
It is for someone considering MSB, dCS, Wadax, Audio Note, Trinity, Aries Cerat, or other elite digital, but who wants the unmistakable LampizatOr combination of tube tone, spatial realism, and musical life.
Poseidon 2 is not built to win a spec-sheet argument.
It is built to make digital feel alive.
Final Thought
The original Poseidon was already one of the most ambitious products LampizatOr had ever made. Poseidon 2 takes that platform and meaningfully improves the parts that matter most: the digital engine, the analog stage, the volume control, noise performance, transparency, bass quality, and overall musical flow.
It remains one of the smartest ways to get near-flagship LampizatOr performance in a complete, flexible, future-facing package.
For many systems, Poseidon 2 may be all the DAC — and all the preamp — you ever need.
Poseidon
A New Reference by LampizatOr
We rode the waves of success with our iconic “Horizon DAC”, which raised the bar higher than we ever thought possible for digital sound. But then, we faced a challenge. With all we have learned and discovered in creating the Horizon, the gap between our flagship and the rest of the line was too large.
Of course our statement piece should stand above and beyond the rest of our line, however, with all we have learned, and my own personal philosophy of wanting to bring audio pleasure to all, even those not operating in the highest of budgets, we have decided to trickle down much of what we have learned to create The Poseidon DAC, inspired by the Greek God of the Sea, bringing you closer to the horizon of audio pleasure, with Introductory Pricing at half the price of the Horizon DAC.
This DAC will share substantial DNA with the Horizon, in terms of sound quality, aesthetics, build quality and the ability to bring musical joy to even the most hardcore of analog fans. It aims to not only compete with, but better, any DAC at any price, outside of our own product line, at a cost accessible to a wide audience.
Poseidon will single handedly replace 3 DAC models in 4 variations each, all together 12
DAC models. It is a huge task next to impossible. From Big7 SE to the beloved Pacific DAC.
Why Poseidon?
• Inherits the glorious design style of the Horizon.
• Customizable aesthetics! Choose between the sleek Silver Sahara and the enigmatic Black Hole.
• Replaces 12 of our DAC models – A monumental achievement!
• Approaches the Horizon’s unmatched sound quality, ready to serenade even the staunchest analog purists.
Innovations Galore!
1. New Remote Control & OLED Display – Control and clarity right at your fingertips!
2. Vast Array of Tube Options – Customize your audio experience to perfection.
3. Integrated Volume Control – First-of-its-kind, right within the tube scheme.
4. Record-Breaking Impedance Levels – implementing our highest input and lowest output impedance levels ever maximum compatibility with most every system.
5. A redesigned auto mute circuit minimizing digital artifacts
A Closer Look at the Tube Compliment
Features the precision of the 6N1P (Soviet Army) input and I/V conversion stage.
Packed with 12 triodes, including the trusted 5U4G rectifier, 4 double triodes, and 4 single triodes. A robust amplification stage to ensure crystal-clear audio output.
Debuting the Engine 11X: The Digital Powerhouse!
Crafted especially for Poseidon, the 11.X engine boasts:
• Software-driven & firmware configurable setup.
• Complete isolation from USB and i2S lines.
• Ultra-precise clocking mechanism.
• Supports DSD512 and PCM 768 kHz as standard.
The Poseidon is a true reference level source. We have implemented everything we have learned to date within our operating budget to bring a solution that stands above all competitors sonically, aesthetically and in terms of heirloom quality build.
