There has been some tests ran on WhatsBestForum with specifically a Horizon, that assumptions would be the best volume control pot possible and the owner says having the preamp or an integrated won every time.
On the other hand, I am personally on the side with fewer boxes and fewer cables is a win for me.
Oh, ok.
I think this post from m0n sums it up pretty good - Lampizator dac thread, Amber / Baltic / Atlantic / Golden Gate / Pacific - #130
I currently have a Level 4 Gen 5 in my 2ch and really enjoy it.
This.
Even the pre in the horizon is a passive relay based unit, allbeit a $5000 optional one (not actually optional in the horizon, in the pacific it’s a $5K option for balanced), you would assume is of the highest practical quality. They also bypass the pot at full volume as I understand it.
My experience is that really good active Pre’s are almost always better, BUT the emphasis here is on really good, and I’d assume if someone is running a $50K DAC, has a good pre amp.
Lampizator DAC’s have very hot outputs, I use the volume on mine to get a reasonable range of volume on my headphone amps with sensitive headphones. Hot outputs can also be an issue if it exceeds the amplifiers input sensitivity.
The pacific’s without the volume pots had a switch inside the case to reduce the output level of the DAC, I’ll assume it was just a fixed voltage divider.
I will say that I commonly have gain issues because of this.
For point of reference, I just set my EC Studios volume to maximum, which will for the most part defeat the Pot, and used the Lampizator Pot to exclusively set the volume (-49 dB’s for the MySphere’s).
And I’m already wishing I’d tried it sooner, it’s an obvious improvement.
If you’re referring to the LTA, yes it can. The sub out is actually full range output.
If I was looking at the same ‘pre-owned’ listing and maybe it was just updated, there is an amber 2 for less than the level 4. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with either options but amber 2 for less I would probably go for that.
It has two subs connected to it 
Like a full bypass? Or is it like some guitar pots where you went all the way up and it bypassed the wiper but still was going through the pot?
It’s a relay based unit in the Pacific/Horizon, at full volume, there are no additional resistors in the circuit.
On anything with a conventional Volume pot like the EC, it’s like a guitar amp, at full volume there is basically no carbon or plastic film (depending on the type of pot) in the circuit, which is pretty close to just bypassing it.
Hello,
I guess my last post got lost in the shuffle because of the whole preamp thing.
I got an answer from Lampizator today.
He recommends the Level 4 Dac instead of the Amber 3 for the Feliks Euforia amplifier.
He didn’t tell me why yet, maybe because of the synergy?
Unfortunately I still don’t know which generation he currently offers.
I hope it is gen.5 and not below.
But I have asked and will see what comes.
@ericg,thanks 
for the tip,I read it at the time but didn’t remember it.
Unfortunately there is not much to find about the level 4 test review’s. If there is, the review’s or post are quite old and concern rather the gen.1,2,3.
What I have found out is that gen 4 is supposed to have been something with multibit and should not be the case with gen 5 anymore.
That would probably confirm @Mon’s post about what is meant by that.
Not sure if you have read this review, but he was able to compare L4G4 vs L4G5… “To get me started, Fred Ainsley sent me a Level 4 Generation 4 unit so I could have a basis for judging the improvements in the Generation 5.” - LampizatOr Generation 5 Level 4 DAC A major upgrade to the companys generation four. Review By Wayne Donnelly
The Level 5 has worked for you @ericg ?
I enjoyed it and would have kept it but it was simply too big, but the balanced was nice and it was very capable IMO, would easily trade blows with an OG Yggy and the Mojo V2 SE.
A lot of very capable DACs out there if you know what you’re looking for or if your simply willing to take a leap of faith. Unfortunately the used market is just not was it was in the midst of Covid when just about everything would sell within ten days of posting. lol Leaps of faith now take a lot more faith.
Oh yes, definitely. I’m really enjoying the L4G5. Enough to eventually move up the Lampi line someday.
I’m currently using SE into the LTA but plan to try out balanced soon. Just mulling over what cables to get… 
Wow, your L4/G5 is so nice and tidy inside. My L4+/G4+ is a fucking disaster. I opened it up once (had to REALLY flex the cover to get it off because of that damping material) to apply some NPS-1260 to the rectifier tube pins and was shocked at how much shit was crammed in there. And it’s only got like one PCB, then one or two of those generic ones that come in like “learning electronics” kits, and then a bunch of point-to-point wiring. It’s amazing that it sounds as good as it does. And it’s also incredible how different the insides of these DACs are, but I also think the one I have started as an L3 and the owner sent it back for upgrades, so maybe that impacted how it was improved. Regardless it must have been/still be a nightmare for him to handle these upgrades for all these different models.
Oh shit, I guess I should’ve kept reading a bit more before my last comment. This is similar to how my L4+/G4+ looks inside, but mine also has a bunch of big, brown capacitors (Mundorf? EDIT: Nope, Jupiter, looking at db’s picture again) that are from the G5. It’s a half-step up from the 4, but not quite a 5 (both L and G). Seriously incredible that this mess outputs such beauty.
Was mine, @ericg has been the owner of it this year.
@db_Cooper Thank you for taking the chance on the L4G5 and for passing this great dac to me. I’ve enjoyed it with the MZ2 this past year and now with the Z10i.
They match very well to each other’s aesthetic to boot.
