Hi everybody!
Nearly one year ago, our Liquid Carbon was officially launched here on Head-Fi. We created it as a “thank you” to the community, offered it at an outrageously discounted price, and then watched as our server crashed from the rush of orders (that was a bit embarrassing).
Since that day, many of our Liquid Carbons have gone on to serve their owners faithfully and well, covered by our lifetime warranty. Others have traded hands a few times, as those who missed out on the initial production run eagerly sought to get their hands (and ears) on a Liquid Carbon.
But the inescapable fact remained: there were only 500 units made in the first place, so there were only so many of them to go around (500 in fact).
Over the course of the past few months, we’ve received a substantial number of emails and PMs, backed by posts in the forums, and in-person conversations as well (yes @Merrick I’m looking at you there
By now, I’m sure that many of you have seen Jude’s CanJam SoCal 2016 Preview Video…
…wherein he confirmed that there will be one more run of Liquid Carbons. Well, we’ve been working hard on this, and now we’re ready to make the formal announcement.
Tomorrow, at high-noon Texas-time - that’s 12:00p Central Time (GMT -06:00) - a limited number of our Liquid Carbon headphone amplifiers are going back on sale at CavalliAudio.com!
Don’t miss your chance to get one of the last Liquid Carbons ever made… EVER!*
But wait, there’s more…
Surprises!
Both here at Head-Fi.org - as well as in-person at CanJam SoCal 2016 - I’ve been alluding to a few surprises for this final round of Liquid Carbons. @Stillhart calls this “treaseling” but whatever, I meant well by it, so I have no regrets. Here are some of the surprises:
The price has been increased from $599 to $799. As we pointed out last year, any and all future runs will most likely see a price correction to better reflect costs. I’m sorry this had to happen, but having reviewed all the costs associated with the previous run, this is a necessary change. A company could go broke selling Carbons for what we sold them for during the first run, and I simply can’t let that happen.
Okay, so that’s not exactly a pleasant surprise. But maybe this next surprise will be better…
This final run of Carbons will feature a 2nd generation power supply, which has been designed specifically to reduce noise from the single-ended output. Of course, we highly suggest that you run your Liquid Carbons with balanced output to get the most out of it, but we’re doing what we can to improve the SE output anyway… for those times when you just don’t have the appropriate balanced cable on-hand. See, that’s a good surprise right?
Oh BTW, we’re also including rubber feet this time around! I know, it’s only rubber feet… not exactly a big deal… but since you guys asked for them, we’re including them.
But wait, there’s even more!
Bonuses!
Since we’re on a roll with that redesigned power supply, and those rubber feet, we might as well get really crazy and throw in a nice power cable as well? Well okay then, let’s do this!
We’ve partnered with our friends at AudioQuest to include one of their 6 ft. (1.8 m) NRG-X3 power cable at no additional cost to you! When we explained to them that this final run of Liquid Carbons was very special to us, they graciously worked with us to make this happen.
AudioQuest’s NRG-X3 power cable features: (a) Semi-Solid Stranded Conductors for less strand distortion; (b) Long-Grain Copper (LGC) that allows smoother and clearer sound than OFHC (Oxygen-Free High-Conductivity) copper; (c) Helical-Array Geometry for better dynamic contrast and clarity; and (d) AudioQuest’s Cold-Weld System for superior contact connection.
What exactly does all that mean? To be honest, we’re not completely sure!
But if we hold ourselves to the mantra that sound quality is of premium importance, then I’d like to remind everybody that all of our rigs at CanJam SoCal 2016… the same rigs that are garnering rave impressions in the CanJam SoCal Impressions Thread right now… were connected with AudioQuest power, interconnect, and digital cables.
And now, this $99 value is yours for free, with your purchase of a new Liquid Carbon! That’s pretty cool right?
Wait, hold on, there’s still more…
To help you get the most out of your playback experience with your new Liquid Carbon, we’re also partnering with our friends at Sonic Studio to include a full license of their Amarra Hifi Music Player software!
If you’ve never tried Sonic Studio’s Amarra software, prepare to be amazed at the difference it can make. With Amarra Hifi, you'll have many "OH WOW" moments hearing new depth and nuances in the same music that you've listened to for years. With support for high-resolution files, Amarra Hifi will breathe new life into all of your music, whether its MP3s or high resolution tracks at 192kHz.
It’s a $34.99 value, and it’s yours for free, with your purchase of a new Liquid Carbon.
Let’s see… what else was there? Oh right, the t-shirts!
We’re thrilled that those of you who came to visit us at CanJam SoCal 2016 loved our new t-shirts. We had them designed and made especially for the show, we simply forgot to make more of them for y’all.
They’re charcoal heather Hanes Tagless tees, with a tag-free neck label for ultimate comfort. They’re also classic fit, which means that they’re not too tight, nor too loose, designed for easy and unrestricted movement… and they’ll remain that way over time as they are 60% cotton and 40% polyester. They also hold up well with repeated washes, which I can attest to personally.
Don’t forget to specify what size you want when you add the Liquid Carbon to your cart!
Okay, I guess that’s about it then… oh wait, I was wrong. There are a couple more things that I should mention…
Golden Tickets!
The next two bonuses are so secret, and so much of a surprise, that I haven’t even told Alex about them yet. He’s going to find out about them when he reads this, just like you guys. Oooh, exciting! Please make sure to let Alex (@runeight) know how cool these are so that I get to keep my job!
Just before they are ready to ship, we will randomly insert two golden tickets into two of the outgoing Liquid Carbon packages. Each of these golden tickets will be redeemable for a very special prize.
Golden Ticket Prize #1: MrSpeakers ETHER C
The ETHER C (a $1,499 value) is MrSpeakers’s flagship closed-backed headphone. Designed and built in San Diego, CA., the ETHER C breaks new ground in comfort and performance for a planar magnetic headphone.
On the comfort side, it uses an award-winning Nitinol headband, and ultra-rigid carbon fiber ear cups to achieve ultra-light weight and incredible comfort. On the performance side, those same ultra-rigid carbon fiber ear cups deliver unrivaled “open” sound in a closed headphone.
In addition, many a Head-Fier has commented on the unique synergy that exists between our Liquid Carbon and MrSpeakers’s ETHER C headphone. As such, it was a no-brainer for us to partner with MrSpeakers in offering this special prize, and we hope that you guys will love this pairing as much as we do.
Golden Ticket Prize #2: Cavalli Audio Liquid Gold (LAu)
Yes, you read that right, I said Liquid Gold. The second golden ticket winner will receive a free upgrade to our flagship, fully-balanced, differential solid-state headphone amplifier - the LAu.
A legend amongst personal audio enthusiasts, the Liquid Gold serves as the definitive embodiment of our seemingly magical Cavalli house sound. It’s supremely transparent and detailed, tempered with an impeccable sense of balance and accuracy, extended infinitely at both ends, with a level of refinement and sophistication that belies it’s true power.
Liquid Gold owners will readily confess that they’ve rarely heard music sound as natural or life-like, presenting us all with an uncanny realism that seems to stand in contradiction to the Liquid Gold’s unwavering precision and control. That paradox - that ability to deliver every audiophile cliche there is all at once - that is the Cavalli magic that we can all hear, but never truly explain.
It’s a $3,999 value, and it could be yours, absolutely free!
Okay, now I’m finally done.
*NOTE: You’ll have 30 days to place your order, after which we will immediately begin production, which should take approximately 14-16 weeks to complete. And yes, we mean 14-16 weeks this time.
if the production run is 500 as the first 
