[reddog]

Easier in what sense? Physically easier to insert tubes? More tubes available? Easier to find a good combination? 

Although god, if I got into tube rolling, the amount of money I would probably spend on tubes.....

Shoulda stuck with my Apple Earbuds....

Yes its physically easier to insert the tubes on the MJ2. On the Liquid Crimson, one must unscrew 4 screws and remove a lid/ hatch; and then remove, a horizontally placed tube. But once placed, the amps hybrid design, seems to create a synergistic composite sound. No fuss no muss. Moreover with amps designed like the Lyr series and the MJ2, rolling out tubes is just easier.

 

[zachawry]

Yes its physically easier to insert the tubes on the MJ2. On the Liquid Crimson, one must unscrew 4 screws and remove a lid/ hatch; and then remove, a horizontally placed tube. But once placed, the amps hybrid design, seems to create a synergistic composite sound. No fuss no muss. Moreover with amps designed like the Lyr series and the MJ2, rolling out tubes is just easier.

Clearly the only way to make final determinations is to get both! 
 
Thanks for the input, though. Maybe next year....

 

[dBel84]

The reason behind this is because the tubes are not meant to be rolled , rather if new tubes needed to be placed, it would be easier to remove the access cover than to open the entire amp. 
 
The crimson's sound signature is not nearly as dependent on the tube as for example, the glass ( which in turn was designed to be the tube rollers dream amp ) 
 
I am equally to blame when it comes to rolling tubes in this design though, it is an itch that needs to be scratched , luckily the  urge eases over time. 
 
..dB

 

[reddog]

Clearly the only way to make final determinations is to get both! 

Thanks for the input, though. Maybe next year....

Good luck on your quest. I got both amps and like a greedy gus I decided to keep both. And the MJ2 and Liquid Crimson do not compare to the magical Liquid Glass. This hobby is incredibly irrational and tends to make your wallet sob in despair.

 

[reddog]

The reason behind this is because the tubes are not meant to be rolled , rather if new tubes needed to be placed, it would be easier to remove the access cover than to open the entire amp. 

The crimson's sound signature is not nearly as dependent on the tube as for example, the glass ( which in turn was designed to be the tube rollers dream amp ) 

I am equally to blame when it comes to rolling tubes in this design though, it is an itch that needs to be scratched , luckily the  urge eases over time. 

..dB

+1 Well said sir. I have only rolled one tube. And no longer want roll again. And regrettably I prefer the stock Gold Lions than the tube I put in.

 

[zachawry]

Good luck on your quest. I got both amps and like a greedy gus I decided to keep both. And the MJ2 and Liquid Crimson do not compare to the magical Liquid Glass. This hobby is incredibly irrational and tends to make your wallet sob in despair.

There's the rub. I would love to eventually get something I would basically never need to upgrade, like a Gold or a Glass. This would take me a few years to save up for, realistically. But during that time I would keep wanting to buy things like the Carbon, or the MJ2, that would be really nice but not of the same caliber. And a single purchase like that per year over the course of a few years would keep me from getting my Gold or Glass down the line. 

 

[Stillhart]

  I only have 20 or so hours on my LC, but I was wondering if anyone else is noticing recessed male vocals like I am.  I'm suspecting the DAC and not the LC, but was wondering if anyone else noticed the same thing?
 
And yes I know, its not burned all the way.  I am seeing improvement even after this short period, so I'm assuming it will be gone at hour 150.  Or, as I already said I need to get off my duff and get a better DAC...

 
I never noticed any recessed male vocals on the pre-production unit or my production unit.  Of course, I didn't listen to the production unit while it was burning in so I can't say if it's something that the burn-in fixed.  
 
It could definitely be the DAC.  You were using it as an all-in-one before and it could have a colored amp section to complement the weaknesses of the DAC section?  One of the nice things about all-in-one units is that you can do that kind of thing to make an otherwise subpar DAC and subpar amp sound good together.
 

Oh no... With my gear that's the absolute last thing I need to hear. Burn in doesn't fix everything though it seems like ppl report it does.

 
This is the first time I've seen it mentioned so I wouldn't worry about it too much just yet.

 

[mscott58]

So have worked my way through the burn-in period (using balanced input and output) and have to say this amp to me can be summarized in one word - TRANSPARENT. It's like you're looking through a window to the soul of the music, and an incredibly clean window at that. Nothing is obscured, nothing is reflected - what's there is there, what's not is not.

The Liquid Carbon allows the Geek Pulse X Infinity to really show off what Larry Ho has done with this fine DAC. Not that the Pulse Infinity has a weak amplifier section, it's just that the LC makes it shine that much more.

Great stuff Alex and thanks for admitting so many of us to the exclusive "Club Cavalli"!

 

[doctorjazz]

Back to burn in, let it go most of this week, then listen again...

 

[Stillhart]

Back to burn in, let it go most of this week, then listen again...

 
You're burning it in with this song?  I wonder if burning-in with a Frozen song makes it take longer...
 

 

[doctorjazz]

Doesn't take any longer, just SEEMS like a thousand years...

 

[singleended58]

Back to burn in, let it go most of this week, then listen again...

Have you noticed any changing of sound after each burning-in session? Mine has almost 150 hours but I have noticed the soundstage is getting huge with more bass and details and separated music instruments, etc... especially the musicality's presentation is more tube-like sounding...!!!

 

[doctorjazz]

Haven't listened a ton during this period...got the Airist Audio Heron 5 on tour, 10 day listen, burn in set up in another room, also family stuff, family over for Thanksgiving, visiting, Friday, more family over Thursday (thankfully, none of the kids did any damage to any of my gear ). Initially I felt there was a bit of forwardness to the presentation, not noting it now, top end seems smooth (have the MicroZOTL2 to compare it to, ZOTL better sounding on out of the box listen to the LC, but will wait until it has the full burn in treatment to compare again. Wouldn't be shameful for the LC not to best the twice as expensive (almost) ZOTL...in quick listening I've done to the LC, it does have good body, PRAT, nice stage. Also have the RSA HR-2, would also make an interesting comparison, both solid state, HR-2 a bit more expensive then LC ($875), in the middle price wise between ZOTL and LC. Now, have to Let It Go...

 

[grizzlybeast]

Haven't listened a ton during this period...got the Airist Audio Heron 5 on tour, 10 day listen, burn in set up in another room, also family stuff, family over for Thanksgiving, visiting, Friday, more family over Thursday (thankfully, none of the kids did any damage to any of my gear ). Initially I felt there was a bit of forwardness to the presentation, not noting it now, top end seems smooth (have the MicroZOTL2 to compare it to, ZOTL better sounding on out of the box listen to the LC, but will wait until it has the full burn in treatment to compare again. Wouldn't be shameful for the LC not to best the twice as expensive (almost) ZOTL...in quick listening I've done to the LC, it does have good body, PRAT, nice stage. Also have the RSA HR-2, would also make an interesting comparison, both solid state, HR-2 a bit more expensive then LC ($875), in the middle price wise between ZOTL and LC. Now, have to Let It Go...

How did you compare them. Did you compare the SE lc to the SE zotl or balanced lc to SE Zotl. ZOTL is not balanced

 

[doctorjazz]

No, ZOTL is not balanced...since LC is really designed to be at its best balanced, I compared ZOTL single ended to LC balanced. My HE-1000 has a Norne Zoetic balanced cable, with a snap on adapter for single ended use, so it just involved popping the adapter off and on. It was the out of the box LC, so don't get too worked up about it yet. But, as I've noted before, LC is still built to a price point, which involves some compromises. No one expects it to be better, or equal to, say, the Liquid Gold. "Better" could also just reflect my preferences, what I like better. More later...