Lampizator Poseidon

My Poseidon is 1.5 years old, about 1,000 hours on it with OEM tubes
Like New condition This unit comes with the original tubes provided by Lampizator.  I am including two other NOS and New sets of output tubes and an old classic RCA 5U4 with thoriated tungsten filament/classic version (warmer sound). The OEM tubes should last 5,000 to 10,000 hours per the manufacturer.

I will include a standard power cord but this unit was shipped without a power cord.

Pewter exterior with Chrome top plate. Chrome top plate was an upcharge.

Asking price $15,900.

Buy with confidence.900+ positives on other site and dozens of Audiogon & other purchases and sales over 25+ years.

Reason for selling-Replaced with higher based model DAC.  Replaced Pre-Amp use with a Westminster Labs Quest 2 pre-amp

KEY HIGHLIGHTS Sound quality as the design priority
Unique conversion technology with lots of proprietary solutions
Volume control of the highest possible caliber in every unit
CNC milled aluminium chassis, copper capacitors, silver wiring, gold contacts

Zero op amps, zero transistors, pure tube output, pure resistor I/V conversion

The best of affordable tubes selected for their sound

Specifications
Key highlights
Proprietary, firmware driven conversion process with 760kHz PCM and DSD512 - Engine Eleven-P
No silicon anywhere in signal path past the conversion stage
Silver wiring inside
Copper foil, true metal sheet capacitors in the signal path
CNC milled chassis.
6N1P conversion tubes
6J5 output driver tubes
Volume control of the highest possible caliber in every unit, featuring a full bypass function
All units are truly balanced and SE at the same time
Zero feedback, neither local nor global
Zero op amps
Tube rectified power supply
Hundreds of tube rolling permutations.
Preliminary parameters:
Weight: 23 kg / 55 lbs net, 35 kg / 80 lbs gross
Dimensions without tubes: 440 mm W x 550 mm D x 170 mm H (height with tubes 250 mm)
Digital inputs: 1 x S/PDIF RCA, 1 x AES/EBU, 1 x USB, although it says TAIKO it is a Toslink

Also included is the original very large flight case which has the original foam inserts that protect the unit during shipping.

Used in dedicated smoke, animal, and kids free listening room.

Buyer pays shipping cost. Local pickup is preferred (and you save on shipping).
The Poseidon does not come standard with an HDMI-type digital input (often marketed as “XDMI” or i2S over HDMI) on the base version. Its stock digital inputs are: USB-B, S/PDIF (coaxial RCA), AES/EBU (XLR) and Toslink-see photo added 1/30/2026 The price for the XDMI upgrade/install is 2300E or about $2730

I am selling my unit far below anyone else without the i2s port (or the Taiko which requires a Taiko Olympus $110,000 music server addition). People mix up the difference.  Plus, my friends who build DACs indicate that the SPDIF and AES connections are superior to the I2s cable connection. 
The savings would cover the upgrades.
Here are details of potential upgrades and cost: New, fully upgraded Poseidon:
$28,000–$32,000 depending on tubes, clock, finish, and digital input configuration.

What “fully upgraded” usually includes
Lampizator doesn’t publish a single “maxed‑out” SKU, but based on dealer guidance and recent high‑spec builds, a full configuration generally includes:
Premium tube set (rectifier + signal tubes)
I2S input (optional on some builds)
SuperClock / upgraded clock module
Enhanced power supply components
Premium internal wiring
Custom finishes (chrome top plate, exotic colors)

So, at $15,000, there is plenty of room for upgrades and the I2s input. 
Below is the information concerning the XDMI and I2s input which really is an eye opener: The Taiko input (often called XDMI) and I2S are both digital interfaces used to feed a Lampizator DAC, but they differ in architecture, signal integrity, clocking strategy, and system-level design philosophy. The result is that they behave—and sound—very differently in a high‑end system.
🎛️ What the Taiko XDMI input actually is
Taiko’s XDMI is not just another digital input. It’s a proprietary, system‑level interface developed for the Taiko Olympus server and matching DAC partners (Lampizator being the primary one).

Key characteristics:
Point‑to‑point architecture designed specifically for Taiko → Lampizator
Custom clocking scheme where the DAC and server operate in a tightly synchronized domain
Extremely low jitter due to the elimination of common digital interface layers
Dedicated hardware card inside the DAC (not just a connector)
Not compatible with generic I2S sources
Optimized for native playback from the Taiko Olympus server

In practice, XDMI behaves more like a direct digital link between server and DAC rather than a traditional input.
🔌 What the I2S input is on a Lampizator
I2S is a standardized digital audio bus originally meant for internal chip‑to‑chip communication. Lampizator exposes it externally via HDMI or RJ45 depending on model.

Key characteristics:
Open standard used by many transports and DDCs
Supports PCM and DSD (including DoP)
Performance depends heavily on cable, pinout matching, and source quality
More jitter‑sensitive than XDMI
Compatible with many digital transports (Denafrips, Holo, PS Audio, etc.)
I2S is flexible and widely used, but it was never designed for long‑distance external transmission, so implementations vary.

🔍 How they differ in real‑world performance
1. Clocking
XDMI: Server and DAC share a synchronized clock domain → dramatically lower jitter.
I2S: Clock is transmitted along the cable → more susceptible to timing errors.

2. Noise floor
XDMI: Designed to minimize electrical noise from the server.
I2S: Depends on the transport; noise can leak through ground or clock lines.

3. Compatibility
XDMI: Works only with Taiko Olympus.
I2S: Works with many transports and DDCs.

4. Implementation complexity
XDMI: Requires a dedicated DAC input module and matching server hardware.
I2S: Simple connector and receiver board.

5. Subjective sound differences
Owners consistently report:
XDMI: More analog‑like, blacker background, greater dynamic contrast, more coherent timing.
I2S: Excellent when paired with a good DDC, but not at XDMI’s level of integration.

🧩 When each one makes sense
Choose Taiko XDMI if:
You own (or plan to own) a Taiko Olympus server.
You want the highest possible performance from a Lampizator DAC.
You value system synergy over flexibility.

Choose I2S if:
You use a non‑Taiko transport (Denafrips, Holo, Jay’s Audio, etc.).
You want flexibility to change sources.
You want a high‑quality input without committing to the Taiko ecosystem.

🧠 The non‑obvious insight
XDMI isn’t “better I2S”—it’s a different category.
I2S is a universal input. (personal note-inferior to SPDIF/Coax and AES)
XDMI is a closed-loop digital ecosystem.
If you’re building around Taiko, XDMI is transformative.