[sachu]

Nice!!..wish i had the money that i have now when i built that stacker..would've been a lot nicer to look at.
 
I just fired up my LF here. Got a pair of siemens in the mail today and have them in theright channel with matsu****as in the left channel.
 
The Siemens definitely add weight ..me likey.
 
I don't detect een the slightest of sibilance with my LF..
 
Ethan,
 
I think the LF is just showing you what i told you earlier about the Rega in my speaker system. If you recall, i said taht I found the rega rather sibilant and could just not get over that fact.
 
 
The LF is super revealing, has a better frequency respnse, (read much much wider bandwidth) than the stacker 2. This would directly translate into further details being eeked out by the LF.
 
This is a truly top tier amp..not just a game changer..but one that can be your end game if it suits your flavor. Do yourselves a favor and try to listen to one
 
I am pining to give more details and indepth details on what i have been hearing for the last 2-3 weeks, but i am going to wait for the new owners to chime in with their views.
 
 
edit: wow the HF editor is LAME!!  stripping out $hit (in matsu****a) and d@mn lol..taht's a little too nanny statish and rather weak sauce if you ask me.
 
 
 
 

 

[Equus]

Haha...well, nice to look at or not, a Stacker is a Stacker.  Don't have it plugged in at all while I'm getting used to the LF, so A/B comparisons will have to wait until later, but I still think there's a certain mid range magic that the Stacker is hard to beat in.  The LF with the added weight in the Siemens tubes, however, is getting **** close with only 8 hours on the tubes.
 
Listening to the Rega again, I'm not sure it's the DAC or (like Josh mentioned) a matter of hearing stuff I wasn't really used to hearing in the sound frequency.  It's not really sibilance at all (which would have turned me off real quick), but a brightness to the sound which I noticed.  Maybe it's the Rega settling in more, maybe it's the LF having topped 150 hours burn in, or maybe it's just my head going "hey...it's all good!"  Too early to really tell differences between the Rega and Assemblage on the LF, so while I'm hearing some stuff, I won't go too much into it.
 
I will say that with the Siemens through either DAC, there's some real nice thump and weight to the kick bass, and some nice impact on floor toms.  On the other side, clear sparkle on chimes and cymbal without getting harsh or fatiguing.  Just listened to Asami Shimoda's version of "Soundless Voice" (which I don't expect anyone but a handful to recognize at all), and when a particular dramatic build began to hit there was almost a palpable sense of movement that was really wow.  If these tubes fill in even more with burn in, it's going to be amazing.
 
Edit - Ooo...I got edited too.  Ooops.

 

[KingStyles]

Are you using any silver in your interconnects? I cant remember.

 

[sachu]

nope..he is using crimson cables..best cables i have used by far in my systems. They are copper based.
And ethan: yes those tubes will break in even more. They are NOS after all the ones you got.
 
A good 100 hours or so and they should start to make sweet music in all their glory.
I rolled in the tungsram just now into mine.

 

[sachu]

also, 
 
I can tell you with ut most confidence, that my LF leaves the stacker amp I have here  (which is rather similar to yours save for the tube rectifier in mine) as well in the dust. 

 

[dBel84]

but not so the stacker I have here 

 but this is for another time, the present is for the LF to show it's worth ..dB

 

[Equus]

@Kingstyles - sachu has it right, no silver.  I still have a pair of Gil's ic's, but that one is copper too.  Crimson Audio ic's, and digital cable is either a Blue Jeans digital coax (for the Rega) or a SonicWave glass toslink (Assemblage or Rega).
 
@sachu - Let me know how the Tungsrams sound.  I want to give the Siemens a good shake before rolling to another quad of NOS.  Heh.
 
@dBel84 - lo.  Indeed.  And so far the LF is proving its worth nicely. 

 

[sachu]

I most definitely like the tungsram better than the National/matu****as. The Nationals have a touch more clarity and air, but the tungsram have more weight without sacrificing on detail retrieval. And they are only going to get better as i have less than 3 hours on them and these are NOS.
 
 
Btw, the LF is a super stable amp. I've had mine running continuously for 7 days when i first got it up and running
 
I love the startup sequence. Coolest thing ever i have seen and such a pleasure and relief to have in a headphone amp.

 

[USAudio]

Quote:

... I love the startup sequence. Coolest thing ever i have seen and such a pleasure and relief to have in a headphone amp.

Any way to talk you into posting a video of the startup sequence?  Maybe on YouTube?

 

[sachu]

Its better if one of the guys who own the real deal post a video. Mine being a prototype is still on a plank of wood 

 
ps: listening to "Helio Sequence - Keep your eyes Ahead". Fantastic album that i'd highly recommend.

 

[Sophonax]

What headphones have you guys been using with the LF so far?  Anyone try using a low-impedance, sensitive headphone, like a Denon or Grado?  If so, how's the LF's noise floor with those headphones?

 

[KingStyles]

I used my La7000 on the prototype and it was quiet. However, one person did try a sensitive pair of iem's and said there was noise with them.

 

[runeight]

The new LF is quite a bit quieter than the proto. I can't say, however, how it will be with super sensitive headphones.
 

 

[jdkJake]

She sure is pretty!
 
I LOVE that ventilation pattern.
 

 

[bk4music]

Thanks for the comments, Saachu. 
 
The Liquid Fire appears to be showing people that it is once again time for the most important lesson in high end audio -- everything makes a difference, and if something you try makes no difference, then something in the signal path is putting its sonic thumbprint on it to a greater degree than is warranted (unless you just like the sound that way :>) ) .  Bright recordings suddenly sound brighter than before.  Dull recordings suddenly sound duller than before.  That previously-undetectable grunge from an over-achieving budget DAC suddenly gets revealed (let's face it -- we've all bought one where the manufacturer scrimped on a nicer analog output stage to get that well-known DAC and pretty chassis in there). AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!  Can't this be EASIER?!!?!?!?!?
 
I harken back to when my mom would sit in front of the magnifying makeup mirror before a night out; complaining that the pores on her nose were too big.....My dad's response was always the same --  "so use the regular #^@&ing  mirror!"   My dad didn't have as much fun when he let that one slip out.......