[GDuss]

I never seen an amp that only output balanced from balanced in.

balanced in and balance out, on a headphone amp, are two different types of balanced. I know it’s confusing, but there is not relation between them.

Thanks for the details. Admittedly I have never run an amp balanced, either in or out. None of the DACs and amps I have are balanced.

I'm curious about this amp, as well as the Cavalli sound (which I haven't heard). Thanks to all of you early adopters for providing feedback on it.

 

[Pharmaboy]

I never seen an amp that only output balanced from balanced in.

balanced in and balance out, on a headphone amp, are two different types of balanced. I know it’s confusing, but there is not relation between them.

Balanced audio is a complicated topic. Balanced in vs balanced out are different things, as you say. The biggest factor is not balanced wires per se, but how the amp is designed & how it accomplishes its balanced headphone output (and perhaps also its balanced preamp output).

I have 2 amps that I routinely run SE/in & balanced out (V281 & LC v2). In each case, it's possible to run balanced in, but I can't do that, because the DACs are single-ended. And in each case, I've compared the SE HP outputs to the balanced outputs, and balanced wins every time, albeit in rather subtle ways you have to listen for.

I plan to use the LGX with SE input & balanced output, just as do those other amps.

 

[Odin412]

Still not really clear - on dynamic headphones how would you say sound signature compares to LP. If you've had both stock and upgraded tubes might want to detail experience with each VS LGX

Sorry I don't have the Liquid Platinum hooked up right now so I can't do a direct comparison. Hopefully other Liquid Platinum owners will chime in with their impressions soon.

 

[ruinedx]

I never seen an amp that only output balanced from balanced in.

ECP DSHA series

 

[sahmen]

Balanced audio is a complicated topic. Balanced in vs balanced out are different things, as you say. The biggest factor is not balanced wires per se, but how the amp is designed & how it accomplishes its balanced headphone output (and perhaps also its balanced preamp output).

I have 2 amps that I routinely run SE/in & balanced out (V281 & LC v2). In each case, it's possible to run balanced in, but I can't do that, because the DACs are single-ended. And in each case, I've compared the SE HP outputs to the balanced outputs, and balanced wins every time, albeit in rather subtle ways you have to listen for.

I plan to use the LGX with SE input & balanced output, just as do those other amps.

I'd really like to hear your impressions regarding how the Liquid Gold X stacks up against the V281, sq-wise.

 

[Allanmarcus]

ECP DSHA series

Isn’t that only balanced in and only balanced out?

i was trying to say for amps that have both have SE and Bal in, and SE and bal out, I‘ve never seen one that didn’t convert between the two.

that said, a well designed balanced out uses 4 amps, so often there is more power. Also, the conversion from SE to bal can be crap. IIRC, cavalli amps do a great job of converting SE to bal, and also the bal out generally sound better on cavalli amps.

a wise man on another site said in general, balance > SE, but good SE > crappy balanced.

 

[Pharmaboy]

My LGX just arrived. Unpacked, connected, haven't yet turned it on.

Question: where would I get the driver for the DAC? There's no mention of it in the manual or on the website. I know from experience with Windows 7 Professional that a driver will be required.

?

(thanks)

 

[Ham Sandwich]

My LGX just arrived. Unpacked, connected, haven't yet turned it on.

Did your LGX come with a printed manual? Mine didn't.

 

[ruinedx]

My LGX just arrived. Unpacked, connected, haven't yet turned it on.

Question: where would I get the driver for the DAC? There's no mention of it in the manual or on the website. I know from experience with Windows 7 Professional that a driver will be required.

?

(thanks)

There may not be drivers for win7 (eol), nearly everyone uses Windows 10 now and that has built-in drivers for USB Audio Class 2 devices such as DACs.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Did your LGX come with a printed manual? Mine didn't.

Nope. I downloaded the manual. It's a little disconcerting not to get the printed manual, but no biggie as it's available here:

https://downloads.monoprice.com/files/manuals/38967_Manual_200908.pdf

 

[Pharmaboy]

There may not be drivers for win7 (eol), nearly everyone uses Windows 10 now and that has built-in drivers for USB Audio Class 2 devices such as DACs.

Well, I'll be mighty pissed off if that is the case. There are still a shtt-ton of people using Windows 7 or 8, probably as many if not more than use 10. If no driver for Win7Pro, this will be a return for refund, sad to say...

Here's an update on my driver quest:

• You can't call Monoprice, only chat or email. So I did chat
• Customer service agent referred me to someone who does technical inquiries
• That person informed me that they couldn't simply sent the driver or give a download URL. For that I have to email to support@monoprice.com.
• Which I just did, giving them all the info they could possibly need.

Note that I've been at this for >1 hr and of course have no sound from the unit--it can't make sound w/o a driver being installed.

BTW, when I first turned it on w/DAC & USB inputs selected, I got a little Windows pop-up notification that the driver installation would begin--the a few seconds later got the expected pop-up saying driver installation failed.

Conclusion: I'm not yet an unhappy Monoprice customer, but I'm well on my way to that result. Fingers crossed that I get a suitable response (any response at all, in fact) from Support.

 

[ruinedx]

Well, I'll be mighty pissed off if that is the case. There are still a shtt-ton of people using Windows 7 or 8, probably as many if not more than use 10. If no driver for Win7Pro, this will be a return for refund, sad to say...

Here's an update on my driver quest:

• You can't call Monoprice, only chat or email. So I did chat
• Customer service agent referred me to someone who does technical inquiries
• That person informed me that they couldn't simply sent the driver or give a download URL. For that I have to email to support@monoprice.com.
• Which I just did, giving them all the info they could possibly need.

Note that I've been at this for >1 hr and of course have no sound from the unit--it can't make sound w/o a driver being installed.

BTW, when I first turned it on w/DAC & USB inputs selected, I got a little Windows pop-up notification that the driver installation would begin--the a few seconds later got the expected pop-up saying driver installation failed.

Conclusion: I'm not yet an unhappy Monoprice customer, but I'm well on my way to that result. Fingers crossed that I get a suitable response (any response at all, in fact) from Support.

Not sure what you expect, not even microsoft who made the operating system supports it since it's so old.

If I developed a dac and released today I wouldn't include win7 drivers either

 

[Rattle]

It really is worth it to go through w10 if you're gonna use a usb dac. It's much better and flawless as far as usb audio is concerned.

 

[ruinedx]

It really is worth it to go through w10 if you're gonna use a usb dac. It's much better and flawless as far as usb audio is concerned.

Yes microsofts win10 usb audio class 2 drivers are flawless. If you are going to use pc audio it's worth upgrading for this alone. I use them on my MX DAC

You can get a win10 upgrade license for practically nothing so there is not much excuse other than being stubborn

 

[sahmen]

I think @Hansotek might be a good person to ask about the drivers, given his relatively more extended experience with the LGX as a reviewer.