[mwilson]

I bet the BHSE will make any dynamic headphone sound creamy 

 
Somehow like this:
 
 

Quote:

I will try to compare the BHSE and the LF when my BHSE arrives in August. 

 

[Solude]

I had the Liquid Fire with the Gold Lions and now have the Peak with a Sylvania Bad Boy. I wouldn't trade the Peak for a Liquid Fire ever.  Nor the WA22, B22, GS-1, HeadOne or Soloist that came and went in the last few months.
 
Keeping it to just the Liquid Fire and Peak... they're both in under built enclosures and that's where the similarities end.  The Liquid Fire was primary harmonic focused, dry, with decent extension but certainly mid focused in comparison with a fuzzy soundstage or spun in a positive light, the stage was wide with players taking up a lot of space
 
The Peak in comparison is has better extension at both ends, portrays the entire instrument, has incredible dynamics and drive, its imaging is pulled away from left/right to the middle and placement is precise.
 
But unless you can find one used... the Liquid Fire is sold out I believe.  Value wise its a no contest, the Peak is half the price and to me the better more involving amplifier.  That it doesn't use $500 quads of tubes helps too
 
Big caveat though, the Peak, like the LF, is under built and since the 6SN7 is a naturally micro-phonic tube, plan to either use dampers or have the amp away from any impact shock... read don't put it on your desk and slam your mouse or it'll come through.  My Liquid Fire was similar in that its case rattled but it didn't come through the headphone.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

I had the Liquid Fire with the Gold Lions and now have the Peak with a Sylvania Bad Boy. I wouldn't trade the Peak for a Liquid Fire ever.  Nor the WA22, B22, GS-1, HeadOne or Soloist that came and went in the last few months.
 
Keeping it to just the Liquid Fire and Peak... they're both in under built enclosures and that's where the similarities end.  The Liquid Fire was primary harmonic focused, dry, with decent extension but certainly mid focused in comparison with a fuzzy soundstage or spun in a positive light, the stage was wide with players taking up a lot of space
 
The Peak in comparison is has better extension at both ends, portrays the entire instrument, has incredible dynamics and drive, its imaging is pulled away from left/right to the middle and placement is precise.
 
But unless you can find one used... the Liquid Fire is sold out I believe.  Value wise its a no contest, the Peak is half the price and to me the better more involving amplifier.  That it doesn't use $500 quads of tubes helps too
 
Big caveat though, the Peak, like the LF, is under built and since the 6SN7 is a naturally micro-phonic tube, plan to either use dampers or have the amp away from any impact shock... read don't put it on your desk and slam your mouse or it'll come through.  My Liquid Fire was similar in that its case rattled but it didn't come through the headphone.

Just goes to show how differently we hear. I heard the Peak as "thin and bright" no matter what tube was in it. Yes, it is fast and detailed, but to my ears, at the expense of sounding "real". It was a "nice" amp but that's about all I'd say about it. The LF (for me) is at least a few leagues above it in terms of transparency and enjoyment. That said, I still think there were issues with your LF...we do hear things similarly except when it comes to these 2 amps. 

 

[mwilson]

Unless Regis lives in Grise Fiord, maybe you guys ought to have a mini meet for a listen on your LF. It's the only way to put this issue to rest, seemingly 

. 
 
 
Quote:

Just goes to show how differently we hear. I heard the Peak as "thin and bright" no matter what tube was in it. Yes, it is fast and detailed, but to my ears, at the expense of sounding "real". It was a "nice" amp but that's about all I'd say about it. The LF (for me) is at least a few leagues above it in terms of transparency and enjoyment. That said, I still think there were issues with your LF...we do hear things similarly except when it comes to these 2 amps. 

 

[LionelH2]

Quote:

 
Am I too late to vouch for this combo? 

 (And yes, the Siemens E88CCs are the perfect finish to the setup).
 
 
 
 
Good to hear that I've continued the tradition with said amp. 

Make that another Head-Fi'er who can vouch for the LF/Siemens E88CC/LCD-3 combo.

 

[Solude]

Which brings up another point.  Both Cavalli and Apex, for me, have had weak support.  I was shall we say pretty vocal about my LF issues and despite talking with Alex, a swap never entered the conversation.  On my Peak getting a reply from Todd took a week and of my questions none were answered and only an address for Pete was given.  I've since found that my problems are normal so the trip down to TX and back would have been a waste.

 

[mwilson]

I can't speak for Apex as I haven't had any of their products so far, but my experience with Cavalli is - like the sound characteristics of the LF - entirely opposite from yours. I noticed a small channel imbalance at the extreme low end of the volume shortly after receiving my LF, and Cavalli (I just searched my email history for accuracy) got back to me within 1 hour and 40 minutes with an offer to send me a replacement pot for field replacement, or for me to ship the amp back with they covering the return shipping costs.
 
I know of no manufacturer willing to do a unit swap on a used item; warranty testing and repair is something entirely different.
 
 
Quote:

Which brings up another point.  Both Cavalli and Apex, for me, have had weak support.  I was shall we say pretty vocal about my LF issues and despite talking with Alex, a swap never entered the conversation.  On my Peak getting a reply from Todd took a week and of my questions none were answered and only an address for Pete was given.  I've since found that my problems are normal so the trip down to TX and back would have been a waste.

 

[Solude]

Quote:

I know of no manufacturer willing to do a unit swap on a used item; warranty testing and repair is something entirely different.

 
Audeze did that for me.  But on the LF, swap might be the wrong word.  An offer to look over the unit never happened.  In character or not, that's how it played out.  I also offered to re-review a unit Alex personally checked over but no response to that.  To be fair, I didn't expect a review unit but at the same time... I'm not buying another other one just to confirm what I heard

 

[Icenine2]

Clayton,
 
Way cool!
Quote:

I open up my LF every month and use a [size=11.0pt]Giottos AA1900 Rocket Air Blaster to chase the dust away. [/size]It even is the same color scheme as the LF!
 

 

[sachu]

haha..yeah that is a nifty little thing..grabbing one

 

[mwilson]

You guys do realize that blown dust will resettle somewhere else. Best thing is a Dyson cordless vac.
 
House-wide HEPA air filtering combined with a weekly cleaning service using charged wipes will also do. I just hate dust.
 
 
Quote:

haha..yeah that is a nifty little thing..grabbing one

 

[mwilson]

Now that is one phallic blower!
 
 
Quote:

I open up my LF every month and use a [size=11.0pt]Giottos AA1900 Rocket Air Blaster to chase the dust away. [/size]It even is the same color scheme as the LF!
 

 

[Clayton SF]

Quote:

You guys do realize that blown dust will resettle somewhere else. Best thing is a Dyson cordless vac.
 
House-wide HEPA air filtering combined with a weekly cleaning service using charged wipes will also do. I just hate dust.

 
Not if you keep blowing and blowing an then grab the LF and run into another room before the dust settles!
 

 

[Icenine2]

What I do is unplug it and let it sit for about an hour.  Then I take it outside and blow it out.  Otherwise it would be like blowing out the desktop computer(well..........not that bad) and the dust will go everywhere in the room!  I'm religious about vacuuming the room and house.  Some things just attract dust however.  The top of my desktop amp too.  Dust it everyday.  Black, electronic static generator?

 

[googleli]

Make sure you don't vacuum clean your headphones or speakers as they will be damaged easily by the suction effect.