Congrats! I am also going to be upgrading my DAC at some point though I do like what I am hearing now. IMHO your Bifrost uber will not hold you back as I believe that at this point DACs are generally very competent and very close in performance at this level and above, and that the most significant and audible improvements are between amps and headphones. I hope you are enjoying your new LC2 as much as I am, what a fantastic little amp.
The drop has ended, and it was a "launch" special so there is a good chance they will not do it again anytime soon. I can't remember and they remove the price from their site once the drop ends, but I think it was around 1.5k and LTA was going to offer 1.8k preorder. Not sure what they did or how they list it now. But I don't want to talk about other brands much on this forum out of respect for Cavalli. I will say that I was swayed by a few folks who were adamant that the LC was comparable in performance, just with different tonal personalities and a different set of strengths and weaknesses. I was really in search of a warm signature and also found the price point of the LC2 to obviously be much more compelling. Maybe it is really apples and oranges at the end of the day. I feel good about my decision and proud to be a member of the Cavalli club (the one that exists in my mind anyways).
Congrats! I am also going to be upgrading my DAC at some point though I do like what I am hearing now. IMHO your Bifrost uber will not hold you back as I believe that at this point DACs are generally very competent and very close in performance at this level and above, and that the most significant and audible improvements are between amps and headphones. I hope you are enjoying your new LC2 as much as I am, what a fantastic little amp.
IMHO the Bimby (Bifrost Multibit) is a clear win over the Bifrost Uber. Better instrument separation, cleaner attack and decay, especially in percussion (cymbals!), better fine detail. The Bimby pairs really well with the LC2: deep, full body bass, liquid midrange, it sings.
I guess I came close to the 150 hour mark for burn-in.
Started doing some serious A/B of the Ether and the HD800 playing thro the LC2 and I stumbled on a great revelation.
I played Daft punk - Random Access Memories / DSD.
The HD800 was in an altogether different league compared to the Ether. I heard well defined bass for the first time. HD800 came out far superior in clarity, definition and highly resolving with far superior detail retrieval and this was a big surprise.
Checked Eagles, again @ high res. Flac and was taken back by the clarity of the HD800 as opposed to the Ether playing thro the LC2.
No offense to the Ether. Looks like the higher impedance Sennheiser is a perfect match.
Now I tried to reproduce the same detail and clarity from my MZ2 but in vain. Switching headphones did nothing.
The Liquid Carbon outshines my upgraded MZ2 coming at $1900 with those expensive tubes. I couldn't believe myself.
LC2 is no joke.
I should thank Warren for making this happen.
I guess I came close to the 150 hour mark for burn-in.
Started doing some serious A/B of the Ether and the HD800 playing thro the LC2 and I stumbled on a great revelation.
I played Daft punk - Random Access Memories / DSD.
The HD800 was in an altogether different league compared to the Ether. I heard well defined bass for the first time. HD800 came out far superior in clarity, definition and highly resolving with far superior detail retrieval and this was a big surprise.
Checked Eagles, again @ high res. Flac and was taken back by the clarity of the HD800 as opposed to the Ether playing thro the LC2.
No offense to the Ether. Looks like the higher impedance Sennheiser is a perfect match.
Now I tried to reproduce the same detail and clarity from my MZ2 but in vain. Switching headphones did nothing.
The Liquid Carbon outshines my upgraded MZ2 coming at $1900 with those expensive tubes. I couldn't believe myself.
LC2 is no joke.
I should thank Warren for making this happen.
I'm not doubting you because I have no personal experience with either of those head phones, but I will say I am surprised by what you say. It is exactly the opposite of what I would have expected given all the reviews on those.
IMHO the Bimby (Bifrost Multibit) is a clear win over the Bifrost Uber. Better instrument separation, cleaner attack and decay, especially in percussion (cymbals!), better fine detail. The Bimby pairs really well with the LC2: deep, full body bass, liquid midrange, it sings.
Well at some point I would like to go to totally balanced and then maybe upgrade the BiFrost to a Multibit, after watching Z Reviews of the Multibit I do wonder sometimes... I have had the BiFrost for 4+ years and to sell it does not make a whole lot of sense given it was JUST upgraded to a Uber in July, RIGHT before the Multibit upgrade was introduced, it was in for a covered warranty repair and the VERY kind people over at Schiit upgraded me to USB gen 2 and the Uber for a slight discount because it was already apart there by making the labor to install a little less. I really do like Schiit customer support, there maybe no phone number but their email replies a gosh darn fast!
But what to get SUCH decisions... As I said I JUST missed a Gungnir on the for sale forum... The Chord Mojo looks interesting but since I have no interest in the portability I figure just go balanced and call it a day... I have seen a ton of suggestions as I am sure I will beat myself up as to what to get as that is what I do before I buy ANYTHING... Suggestions are ALWAYS welcomed!
My LC2 is working on its first 24 hrs of burn in, as its on continual loop through a playlist with the headphones unplugged...
Has anyone tried pairing the LC with the LP DAC RS-06? I currently have the Sony PCM D100 running through the LCs then the Ether. Would love some feeback regarding the aforementioned pairing. Thanks!
I've got a few amp / dac options with which to compare the sound. This is the first time I've got to hear my LCD3 in full balanced mode off my Emo Stealth DAC.
So far, I think I like it... I'm normally pretty sceptical but I might be in a honeymoon phase.
Well at some point I would like to go to totally balanced and then maybe upgrade the BiFrost to a Multibit, after watching Z Reviews of the Multibit I do wonder sometimes...
Z Reviews? GIGO. There's plenty of difference between the Buber and the Bimby with the right source, material, and downstream chain. Both the LC and the Schiit Jotunheim are able (in their different ways) to take SE input and produce very good balanced output, and both pair well with Bimby. LC richer and smoother, Jotunheim cleaner. Depending on what I'm listening to I prefer one of the other.
Not that it will be of any interest to you guys, but I just wanted to tell you that today I received my LC2!!
In the dark of my living room I will open the box and start the 150h awakening process.
Ok, just switched on the amp and below are the first things I noticed.
I have my LC2 connected to the power through the included AudioQuest NRG-X3 cable.
Music is fed from my AK120 II to the SE 3.5mm input of the amp.
Earphones: Onkyo E700M earphones (I know, but come on it's just a test, I sold almost all my good stuff to fund the LC2 and the coming Ether C Flows...)
Gain set to 1X
Issues or questions:
- I get what sounds like a ground loop related hum, but only from the left channel?? Is this possible?
- despite using quite sensitive IEMs, I have to turn the knob to almost 4 o'clock to get a decent listening volume at 1X gain.
- my 6.2mm Jack adaptor turns veeery hot after less than 30 mins...
Ok, just switched on the amp and below are the first things I noticed.
I have my LC2 connected to the power through the included AudioQuest NRG-X3 cable.
Music is fed from my AK120 II to the SE 3.5mm input of the amp.
Earphones: Onkyo E700M earphones (I know, but come on it's just a test, I sold almost all my good stuff to fund the LC2 and the coming Ether C Flows...)
Gain set to 1X
Issues or questions:
- I get what sounds like a ground loop related hum, but only from the left channel?? Is this possible?
- despite using quite sensitive IEMs, I have to turn the knob to almost 4 o'clock to get a decent listening volume at 1X gain.
- my 6.2mm Jack adaptor turns veeery hot after less than 30 mins...
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