☯️ Cavalli Audio's Liquid Carbon... a $599 Cavalli amp???
Jul 15, 2015 at 1:18 AM Post #2,176 of 5,932
I still need the Ethers. I bought a Dac I didn't know I needed, and spent half the Ether fund. Anyone want to buy a mint silver HA-1, or maybe a pair of Alpha Primes?

Or a kidney?

Are you talking about DAC-19? Do you prefer it over HA-1?
 
Jul 15, 2015 at 2:34 PM Post #2,178 of 5,932
   
Interesting.  I had an HRT Microstreamer that had issues on one computer where it just wouldn't work.  On the other computer it worked perfectly fine, but on the other, it'd cut out after a few seconds.  HRT was pretty good about working with me to troubleshoot, but at the end of the day, I decided to just sell it and get something that works.
 
Have you tried it on different comps?  I assume you're using Windows; you might try finding a friend with a Mac to let you test it.  Supposedly the problems I had are not a thing on iOS (I made sure the guy I sold mine to was a Mac user and he reported no problems with it).  This might show if the unit is actually defective or just not working with your setup.
 

 
Anyways, this thread had turned into a real gear-porn thread!  lol  Currently I'm using the LC with my Theta Basic II DAC in balanced mode and the HE-560 headphones with a balanced cable that I made myself.  
 
I plan on doing some testing on the LC with the same DAC in SE vs Balanced mode to hear the difference.  I'll do the same test with my Audio-GD NFB-28 and see if the LC handles the SE->Balanced conversion any better than the other balanced amp I have here.  Why, you ask?  Why not, I ask you in return!

 
Tried it with 2 Wndows PCs and last night a Mac. Same issue no matter the firmware or usb 1.0 or 2.0 mode or usb cable or output mode (direct sound or wasapi event or asio) or software (happens in Jriver, Foobar, and iTunes at all sample rates).
 
You had a better experience than me though. After submitting 2 tickets, I have not gotten a single reply from HRT support. The retailer just replied to me with instructions to send it to HRT. Not sure why HRT won't reach out to me directly, so I'm returning the Music Streamer HD.
 
From the brief time it does actually play, it has a certain warmth and smoothness compared to the iDSD Micro (both single ended; won't get a chance to try the HRT balanced). The Micro is sharper and has a bit more detail but also sounds more digital. I liked the distinction between the two and was hoping to keep the HRT but I now have even less confidence in them than I do with Pono.
 
Looks like it'll be the Micro connected to the LC.
 
 
Jul 15, 2015 at 2:41 PM Post #2,179 of 5,932
   
Tried it with 2 Wndows PCs and last night a Mac. Same issue no matter the firmware or usb 1.0 or 2.0 mode or usb cable or output mode (direct sound or wasapi event or asio) or software (happens in Jriver, Foobar, and iTunes at all sample rates).
 
You had a better experience than me though. After submitting 2 tickets, I have not gotten a single reply from HRT support. The retailer just replied to me with instructions to send it to HRT. Not sure why HRT won't reach out to me directly, so I'm returning the Music Streamer HD.
 
From the brief time it does actually play, it has a certain warmth and smoothness compared to the iDSD Micro (both single ended; won't get a chance to try the HRT balanced). The Micro is sharper and has a bit more detail but also sounds more digital. I liked the distinction between the two and was hoping to keep the HRT but I now have even less confidence in them than I do with Pono.
 
Looks like it'll be the Micro connected to the LC.
 

 
You might try sending a PM to @Kevin_Halverson, the CTO of HRT.  He was helping with some troubleshooting the the HRT Microstreamer thread.
 
Jul 15, 2015 at 2:48 PM Post #2,180 of 5,932
   
You might try sending a PM to @Kevin_Halverson, the CTO of HRT.  He was helping with some troubleshooting the the HRT Microstreamer thread.

 
I sent him a PM last week just to get the windows usb 2.0 driver which is not on their site.
 
All I got was a scripted email message with a link for the driver. No feedback or comments on the defective MSHD.
 
 
Jul 15, 2015 at 4:18 PM Post #2,181 of 5,932
   
I sent him a PM last week just to get the windows usb 2.0 driver which is not on their site.
 
All I got was a scripted email message with a link for the driver. No feedback or comments on the defective MSHD.
 

 
Well that's unfortunate.  Oh well, plenty of other DAC's in the sea.
 
Jul 15, 2015 at 4:54 PM Post #2,182 of 5,932
   
Well that's unfortunate.  Oh well, plenty of other DAC's in the sea.

 
Thanks. The HRT was unique for its size being usb powered and having balanced xlr outs. Plus it was one of the few with galvanic isolation.
 
Even read a couple reviews saying it had a "tube-like" sound. They weren't too far off.
 
Not sure about the internal design though if other HRT stuff had similar problems even on some computers.
 
At this point, I'd sell my iDSD Micro and cancel the LC order to get a Continental Dual Mono if the CDM had enough output power but it can't match what the LC will have.
 
 
Jul 15, 2015 at 6:05 PM Post #2,183 of 5,932
Hi, I also own a hrt hd, from long time now, and using both the cable included with the dac or the one included with the hifi m8 (both short cables), It usually disconnects with no reason.
I tried once a long cheap printer cable that holds better the usb port of my macbook, since then, not a single problem. 
 
Jul 15, 2015 at 6:28 PM Post #2,184 of 5,932
Are you talking about DAC-19? Do you prefer it over HA-1?

Yeah, the Dac-19.  Overall, I prefer the DAC-19 to the HA-1 dac.  I bounced back and forth for a day, and have used the DAC-19 as the dac, and the HA-1 as the amp for the last week or so.  It depends on your tastes, and what you need.  The Dac-19 has noticabley deeper, more impactful bass, seems to be more accurate tone and timbre, and has more natural sounding highs, such as cymals.  The HA-1 has better detail retrieval and more air.  The Dac-19 is R2-R technology, the HA-1 is an ESS 9018 D-S chip.  I've settled on the DAC-19 as my source of choice over the HA-1.  If you search around in my other posts, I did compare the HA-1 Sabre dac to the Schiit Birfrost Uber dac AKM of some sort) dac, and found vanishingly small differences.  My guess is the diffrerences between DAC-19 and HA-1 are due to the R2-R vs. D-S chips, but you can't really substantiate that on my tiny sample and unscientific test.
 
Jul 16, 2015 at 3:48 AM Post #2,185 of 5,932
Cool!  Now, back to the business of getting headphones, DACs and cables for our Carbon rigs.  Is everyone all set?

Well, I'll have stuff to play with once the LC arrives, but I admit I don't have a balanced headphone to try out that feature. The K612 is interestingly rather power-hungry, but it is not wired for balanced operation. I'm not really sure what balanced headphone to look into... Prefer open, comfy headphones, but may look at CIEMs too and getting a balanced cable for those?

I get to borrow a (SE) Oppo PM-2 soon, but it'll be gone before the LC arrives.
 
Jul 16, 2015 at 3:55 PM Post #2,186 of 5,932
Has anyone here heard the LC prototype at a meet that would be able to describe the sound verses other reference amps, maybe my Mjolnir? Better yet, has anyone heard the LC verse the EC Black Widow to compare and contrast the two? And even better, is anyone going to the upcoming San Fran meet this weekend that would be able to compare the LC to the Black Widow directly using any of the Audeze lineup?
 
Jul 16, 2015 at 4:20 PM Post #2,187 of 5,932
Has anyone here heard the LC prototype at a meet that would be able to describe the sound verses other reference amps, maybe my Mjolnir? Better yet, has anyone heard the LC verse the EC Black Widow to compare and contrast the two? And even better, is anyone going to the upcoming San Fran meet this weekend that would be able to compare the LC to the Black Widow directly using any of the Audeze lineup?


Yes, it would be very Interesting to hear how it stands ageinst the 3 times more expensive, but almost the same size: Black Widow Amp:wink:
 
Jul 16, 2015 at 5:18 PM Post #2,188 of 5,932
Yes, it would be very Interesting to hear how it stands ageinst the 3 times more expensive, but same size: Black Widow Amp:wink:


BW looks like a very compelling amp but it isn't really the same size;
 
LC 5" x 7" x 1.75"
 
BW 7" x 10" x 4" + reasonably large PSU
 
BW is SE only, despite XLR output. BW does have loop out though, which I think is quite useful. EC are about to start the second run of 100 units. 
 
EDIT: it is only twice as expensive as LC
 
Jul 16, 2015 at 7:56 PM Post #2,190 of 5,932
I've heard both bw & lc, at different meets and different dacs. Both are good but I can't give an a/b comparison.

Can you give us some basic characteristic differences that stuck in your mind -  just lasting impressions, not A/B?
 
For example:
  • SQ Tiering: Are they both or either at the TOTL SQ tier or did one or the other seem significantly superior?
  • Signature: Are they warm, cold, smooth, bassy, neutral, colored, etc.?
  • Pairing: What paired well or seemed like they would pair well? I.E. Audeze only vs. HD800 only vs. both or other great pairings. I found the EC ZD to be extremely good paired with both LCD and HD800.
  • Key Value Points: What was it that made each interesting for you and how did they measure up during the audition?
 
Any insights would be greatly appreciated.
 

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