[ahmadfaizadnan]

got mine paired with matrix x-sabre. My hd6xx is alive again!

 

[Pharmaboy]

My Liquid Carbon arrived ~1 month ago, but I wasn't really planning to use it until my balanced cable (Forza Audio Works HCP Noir) arrived. But then a local Head-Fi bud generously loaned me his ZMF balanced cable. That let me burn in the LC balanced, then listen to it & compare to the V281, also in balanced mode.

I am SO impressed with the LC!! This little box is modest/unassuming in appearance; runs fairly hot; and doesn't inspire confidence w/massive construction or multiple bells & whistles, as the V281 does. But man, can that thing drive planar headphones! The sound w/my ZMF Ori is really something special.

What I hear is a somewhat warm amp, top to bottom, but not sacchryine-sweet or "get-in-the-way" warmth, more of a slight sonic flavor. Beyond that, the big surprise is how great the bass is. This little box has real power & authority in the low- and mid-bass registers. Not boosted or V-shaped, real power. If you listen to a symphony orchestra, your head totally feels all those cellos playing en masse. I listen to string bass or electric bass in well-recorded jazz, and those instruments are right there, sounding real & like themselves. I never dreamed the LC would so good in the lower registers.

Top to bottom, the sound is slightly warm and rather impactful. The LC has excellent dynamics and "jump factor." It also has really excellent soundstaging, with sounds coming at your ears from all directions (L/R, top/bottom) and a noteworthy sense of depth, spaces around notes, etc.

The LC has more than enough power for the Ori, a true power-hog planar. I can barely get the volume knob to 11:30 or 12:00 before crying uncle--and that's in the lower gain setting. I can't imagine ever needing the high setting.

I have lots more listening to do on the LC, but so far, it's a home run--also a fascinating contrast to the V281, which is spectacularly good in some of the same sonic characteristics as the LC, but still sounding rather different (and amazing).

 

[Stillhart]

Welcome to the club! Now you know why some of us are constantly recommending it as a great amp for the price.

 

[Skyyyeman]

Pharmaboy, it would be interesting to hear your comments about a comparison of the LC with the Violectric V281, which is certainly a top flight amp but not one that we see often used in comparisons. Usual LC comparisons are with Schiit and others in that price range.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Pharmaboy, it would be interesting to hear your comments about a comparison of the LC with the Violectric V281, which is certainly a top flight amp but not one that we see often used in comparisons. Usual LC comparisons are with Schiit and others in that price range.

Well, life is unscriptedespecially audio life:

• Once I got a balanced headphone (ZMF Omni/Ori), I suddenly got interested in balanced amps. To me, the most obvious candidate was the LC. It was affordable, and I'd been in it for awhile based on several positive reviews, including one by @Aornic
  
• So I looked for several months for a good used LC...no luck.
• In the meantime, I was lusting over the V281, not just because it's balanced, but also because it's an endgame HP amp that doubles as a preamp (I really have a thing for amp/preamps...now have 3, down from 4 when I also had the Burson Soloist)
• When I realized a used LC wasn't happening, I began searching for a used V281 (& scrutinizing my bank accts & scheming how to pay for it!). But again, no luck on a used one.

6 weeks ago I realized Cavalli still had stock on the 3rd production run of the LC. I pounced & got one of the last ones, if not THE last one.

Literally 1 day after ordering the LC, a Head-Fi'er PM'd me out of the blue, offering his V281 F.S. It had everything I wanted, incl. remote + the 128-step motorized pot (I also have a thing for stepped pots...don't ask). So although it was INSANE to buy this whopper just 1 day after ordering the LC, I bought it.

And for once in my life, I'm on winning streak. Both the LC & V281 are amazingly good, though in somewhat different ways. The LC proved to be an impressive balanced source for the Ori. Not only that, but it aligns so well w/my sonic preferences as to be a little bit spooky (like Dr. Cavalli was reading my mind when he designed it).

And the V281? Well, I won't derail this thread. Let's just say it's like having Superman on your desktop. It can do anything (there is seemingly no end to its power reserves), and does everything extremely well. It drives the Ori like a government mule.It's also the best amp/pre-amp I've ever used on the desktop (orders of magnitude better than any others). While not being bright or "clinical," it also doesn't sound especially much like the LC (though the V281 has a welcome smidgeon of warmth in its own way).

There are good times. if I count the Ori (which I just love), I'm a real winning streak here.

PS: I have another amp that's more comparable to the LC in price & design aspirations (the Lake People G109-A, a very fine, sounds-good-with-everything amp). But it's not balanced, so comparing it vs LC is kind of unfair...

 

[Aornic]

The synergy with the HD800 is pretty necessary out of all the amps I currently own.

 

[jerico]

Just wanted to give a little shout out to Terry at Cavalli for awesome customer service. I had to send a new LC in for repairs and the experience so far has been top notch (though the waiting is killing me!).

Justin

 

[doctorjazz]

How long Have you been waiting, @jerico? I sent my v1 back for a channel imbalance issue that I sent them almost 2 months ago, wondering what to expect.

 

[jerico]

How long Have you been waiting, @jerico? I sent my v1 back for a channel imbalance issue that I sent them almost 2 months ago, wondering what to expect.

Hi Doc -

Erm, they literally just went out on Thursday - they haven't even arrived back at Cavalli yet. Mine had a channel imbalance issue too (left channel was super loud even at 0 volume, while right was controllable). It was fine at first, then during a listening session the left side just started getting louder and louder.

Sucks for me - I've got 2 headamps out for repairs (the other is a WA22, and I got the LC as a low-fuss alternate - a plan which hasn't worked out all that well!).

 

[doctorjazz]

Sorry to hear that... I had a similar story, my MicroZOTL2 went bad at the same time, so I decided to send it to Mojo Audio for repair and mods. That came back a few weeks later, still waiting on the LC (but for a while there, didn't have either of my good amps).

 

[Pharmaboy]

For what it's worth, I loaned my LC (which works perfectly) to a good Head-Fi bud whose regular amp is SE. Even though I have another balanced amp that's really wonderful (V281), I'm starting to miss the LC. It has a very distinctive, warm/friendly sound. It's also way more powerful than you'd expect.

 

[jerico]

I didn't have the LC for long before it borked itself, so minimal break in time and all that - but I think it gives my WA22 a run for its money with the LCD3, which is impressive given the price difference. Can't wait to get it back!

 

[Skyyyeman]

How long Have you been waiting, @jerico? I sent my v1 back for a channel imbalance issue that I sent them almost 2 months ago, wondering what to expect.

I just spoke with a friend of mine who told me he has had his LC sitting at Cavalli for over 2 months -- approx. 9 weeks. And it's still there.

 

[doctorjazz]

OK, sounds like nothing is happening in the immediate future. It's been about 6-7 weeks on my end.

 

[jerico]

OK, sounds like nothing is happening in the immediate future. It's been about 6-7 weeks on my end.

Doc - how long did it last before needing the repair?