[Random Lunatic]

Having bought this amp on the day it was released it’s time to share some further impressions.
There’s been some discussion on this thread about the differences between the single-ended and balanced outputs. I definitely prefer the balanced output. It’s not that the single-ended output sounds bad, but to my ears the treble is a bit less smooth and clean on the single-ended output. Depending on the track and headphones that I listen to I sometimes find that the treble on the single-ended output bothers me a bit. I’m very treble-sensitive, so YMMV here. This is a different experience than with my Liquid Carbon and Liquid Platinum amps, where I prefer the single-ended output for most headphones. So, if you’re considering the Liquid Gold X you owe it to yourself to invest in balanced cables for your headphones. I’m not into cables so I just buy cheap balanced cables, but how much you want to spend is up to you.
I’ve also found that while the Liquid Gold X isn’t a panacea that makes all headphones sound good, with the right headphones it sounds spectacular. My MrSpeakers Aeon Flow Open and Closed (1st generation) and Audeze LCD-2 sound fantastic with this amp. Especially the LCD-2 sounds better than I’ve heard it with any other amp that I have. I’ve often heard a bit of treble edge on the LCD-2 that bothered me, but that’s gone when I use it with the Liquid Gold X using the balanced output. Well done!

Thank you for giving a snippet of what its like!
The balanced vs. single end is simply due to both the Gold and Platinum's architecture being inherently balanced, so they really aren't meant to be used single ended, theoretically, its just there for convenience.

 

[Klmahnn]

Just found and about to watch - whatever he says, at least there's another review out there!

 

[Random Lunatic]

Just found and about to watch - whatever he says, at least there's another review out there!

He said literally nothing... spent half an hour saying absolutely nothing, other than he likes it... no real explanation why.

Just Zeos doing what he does best I guess

 

[Ham Sandwich]

Z really needs to read the manual for the gear he reviews before reviewing the gear. It is obvious he has never read a manual for any of the gear he owns or has reviewed. Almost every question and concern he had about the Liquid Gold X was answered or addressed in the manual.

First one I'll get out of the way is that you should not casually plug and unplug RCA cables while the gear is powered on. It is too easy to accidentally short the connection by touching the center pin to ground and fry something in the source gear or amp gear. Or if you're lucky just blow a fuse in the gear. Yes you can hot-swap RCA, until that one time where you can't and you fry something. Don't do it. Power off the gear and then plug in the RCA cables. Then power the gear back on. The manual for the Liquid Gold X actually mentions this and says not to make any electrical connections while the amp or source are on. It is less risk to hot-plug XLR cables because it is more difficult and less likely to cause a short while plugging in an XLR cable compared to an RCA cable. You can get away with hot-plugging XLR compared to RCA. But should still power down the gear if you're not willing to risk frying the source or amp. This is common knowledge that someone like Z should know and demonstrate. He's a bit sloppy. I have a Schiit multibit DAC. I power it down and the amp whenever making cable changes. Even though the DAC takes some time to recover after being turned off.

The manual also mentions that there will be a small DC transient on the output when changing the gain setting. This is to be expected. It is not a fault. The manual also says that if your headphones are very sensitive or if you are worried about the DC transient that you should turn the amp off before changing the gain setting. Then turn the amp back on.

The manual also mentions that best practice is to disconnect and connect headphones while the amp is off. The amp has checks during the power on sequence that check for DC offset and prevent any DC offset from hitting the headphone output during the power on sequence. So it is safe, and preferred, to have the headphones connected when the amp is being turned on. Some amps will say not to have headphones connected while powering the amp on. Some amps will say to have the headphones connected while powering the amp on. It is very beneficial to read the manual and find out what the designer of the amp suggests and recommends. Cause you can't always assume. RTFM.

The manual also mentions that plugging in and unplugging headphones while the amp is powered on can trigger the DC offset or ground fault protection that the amp monitors. So plugging in a headphone or unplugging a headphone while the amp is on could trigger the amp to detect a fault and power off. This is more likely to happen with the single-ended TRS connection than the balanced 4-pin XLR connection. So with this amp the best practice is to avoid hot-plugging headphones while the amp is on. If you must hot-plug then the balanced connection is less risk.

The manual also mentions that the balanced headphone output is the best quality and if you're evaluating the amp for review purposes or audio quality purposes you should judge the amp based on the balanced output and not the single-ended output. Z kinda ignored that advice.

Similar for balanced XLR inputs versus the single-ended RCA inputs. If you're being critical in reviewing or listening you should use a balanced DAC to review if you actually care about finding out what the amp is capable of. The single-ended RCA inputs do work find and sound fine. But the balanced XLR inputs do sound a little bit better. At the level and quality this amp is playing at that little difference makes a difference.

Z pretty much ignored or was ignorant of almost every bit of advice or best practices stated in the manual. He really should know better by now considering how much gear he's reviewed. The review was pretty much an example of everything not to do.

One thing I do agree with about the review is that Liquid Butter is a good way to describe the amp. Liquid Gold is also a good way. The sound is buttery gold good.

 

[Klmahnn]

Z really needs to read the manual for the gear he reviews before reviewing the gear. It is obvious he has never read a manual for any of the gear he owns or has reviewed. Almost every question and concern he had about the Liquid Gold X was answered or addressed in the manual.

First one I'll get out of the way is that you should not casually plug and unplug RCA cables while the gear is powered on. It is too easy to accidentally short the connection by touching the center pin to ground and fry something in the source gear or amp gear. Or if you're lucky just blow a fuse in the gear. Yes you can hot-swap RCA, until that one time where you can't and you fry something. Don't do it. Power off the gear and then plug in the RCA cables. Then power the gear back on. The manual for the Liquid Gold X actually mentions this and says not to make any electrical connections while the amp or source are on. It is less risk to hot-plug XLR cables because it is more difficult and less likely to cause a short while plugging in an XLR cable compared to an RCA cable. You can get away with hot-plugging XLR compared to RCA. But should still power down the gear if you're not willing to risk frying the source or amp. This is common knowledge that someone like Z should know and demonstrate. He's a bit sloppy. I have a Schiit multibit DAC. I power it down and the amp whenever making cable changes. Even though the DAC takes some time to recover after being turned off.

The manual also mentions that there will be a small DC transient on the output when changing the gain setting. This is to be expected. It is not a fault. The manual also says that if your headphones are very sensitive or if you are worried about the DC transient that you should turn the amp off before changing the gain setting. Then turn the amp back on.

The manual also mentions that best practice is to disconnect and connect headphones while the amp is off. The amp has checks during the power on sequence that check for DC offset and prevent any DC offset from hitting the headphone output during the power on sequence. So it is safe, and preferred, to have the headphones connected when the amp is being turned on. Some amps will say not to have headphones connected while powering the amp on. Some amps will say to have the headphones connected while powering the amp on. It is very beneficial to read the manual and find out what the designer of the amp suggests and recommends. Cause you can't always assume. RTFM.

The manual also mentions that plugging in and unplugging headphones while the amp is powered on can trigger the DC offset or ground fault protection that the amp monitors. So plugging in a headphone or unplugging a headphone while the amp is on could trigger the amp to detect a fault and power off. This is more likely to happen with the single-ended TRS connection than the balanced 4-pin XLR connection. So with this amp the best practice is to avoid hot-plugging headphones while the amp is on. If you must hot-plug then the balanced connection is less risk.

The manual also mentions that the balanced headphone output is the best quality and if you're evaluating the amp for review purposes or audio quality purposes you should judge the amp based on the balanced output and not the single-ended output. Z kinda ignored that advice.

Similar for balanced XLR inputs versus the single-ended RCA inputs. If you're being critical in reviewing or listening you should use a balanced DAC to review if you actually care about finding out what the amp is capable of. The single-ended RCA inputs do work find and sound fine. But the balanced XLR inputs do sound a little bit better. At the level and quality this amp is playing at that little difference makes a difference.

Z pretty much ignored or was ignorant of almost every bit of advice or best practices stated in the manual. He really should know better by now considering how much gear he's reviewed. The review was pretty much an example of everything not to do.

One thing I do agree with about the review is that Liquid Butter is a good way to describe the amp. Liquid Gold is also a good way. The sound is buttery gold good.

Good to know! Funny because he has stated previously he’s “a balanced whore” or something along those lines... and then he goes ahead and does that ha. Also can’t believe he kept subjecting his drivers to those transients over and over again... my OCD was going overdrive!

 

[Klmahnn]

Good to know! Funny because he has stated previously he’s “a balanced whore” or something along those lines... and then he goes ahead and does that ha. Also can’t believe he kept subjecting his drivers to those transients over and over again... my OCD was going overdrive!

Also was nice (and not so nice) that he confirmed that the dac was basically a throwaway add on and not a real bonus feature.

 

[newtophones07]

Just found and about to watch - whatever he says, at least there's another review out there!

Sounds like it's a great sounding amp, but that gain structure appears to be problematic, like on the original LP. I have 24 and 32 ohm cans. I want one, as I like the sound of his amps, , but the fast volume scale makes it unusable. This review was mainly SE, I can only imagine how bad the volume is using the preferred balanced output.

 

[Odin412]

Sounds like it's a great sounding amp, but that gain structure appears to be problematic, like on the original LP. I have 24 and 32 ohm cans. I want one, as I like the sound of his amps, , but the fast volume scale makes it unusable. This review was mainly SE, I can only imagine how bad the volume is using the preferred balanced output.

I didn't watch the review (Z's videos make me seasick), but I use the balanced output and have no problems with the volume control. I use low gain with headphones like the Audeze LCD-2. BTW @Ham Sandwich is right about the gain switch - I once used it while playing and was rewarded with a painfully loud click in my headphone. Best to unplug the headphone before changing the gain setting.

 

[Random Lunatic]

Z really needs to read the manual for the gear he reviews before reviewing the gear. It is obvious he has never read a manual for any of the gear he owns or has reviewed. Almost every question and concern he had about the Liquid Gold X was answered or addressed in the manual.

First one I'll get out of the way is that you should not casually plug and unplug RCA cables while the gear is powered on. It is too easy to accidentally short the connection by touching the center pin to ground and fry something in the source gear or amp gear. Or if you're lucky just blow a fuse in the gear. Yes you can hot-swap RCA, until that one time where you can't and you fry something. Don't do it. Power off the gear and then plug in the RCA cables. Then power the gear back on. The manual for the Liquid Gold X actually mentions this and says not to make any electrical connections while the amp or source are on. It is less risk to hot-plug XLR cables because it is more difficult and less likely to cause a short while plugging in an XLR cable compared to an RCA cable. You can get away with hot-plugging XLR compared to RCA. But should still power down the gear if you're not willing to risk frying the source or amp. This is common knowledge that someone like Z should know and demonstrate. He's a bit sloppy. I have a Schiit multibit DAC. I power it down and the amp whenever making cable changes. Even though the DAC takes some time to recover after being turned off.

The manual also mentions that there will be a small DC transient on the output when changing the gain setting. This is to be expected. It is not a fault. The manual also says that if your headphones are very sensitive or if you are worried about the DC transient that you should turn the amp off before changing the gain setting. Then turn the amp back on.

The manual also mentions that best practice is to disconnect and connect headphones while the amp is off. The amp has checks during the power on sequence that check for DC offset and prevent any DC offset from hitting the headphone output during the power on sequence. So it is safe, and preferred, to have the headphones connected when the amp is being turned on. Some amps will say not to have headphones connected while powering the amp on. Some amps will say to have the headphones connected while powering the amp on. It is very beneficial to read the manual and find out what the designer of the amp suggests and recommends. Cause you can't always assume. RTFM.

The manual also mentions that plugging in and unplugging headphones while the amp is powered on can trigger the DC offset or ground fault protection that the amp monitors. So plugging in a headphone or unplugging a headphone while the amp is on could trigger the amp to detect a fault and power off. This is more likely to happen with the single-ended TRS connection than the balanced 4-pin XLR connection. So with this amp the best practice is to avoid hot-plugging headphones while the amp is on. If you must hot-plug then the balanced connection is less risk.

The manual also mentions that the balanced headphone output is the best quality and if you're evaluating the amp for review purposes or audio quality purposes you should judge the amp based on the balanced output and not the single-ended output. Z kinda ignored that advice.

Similar for balanced XLR inputs versus the single-ended RCA inputs. If you're being critical in reviewing or listening you should use a balanced DAC to review if you actually care about finding out what the amp is capable of. The single-ended RCA inputs do work find and sound fine. But the balanced XLR inputs do sound a little bit better. At the level and quality this amp is playing at that little difference makes a difference.

Z pretty much ignored or was ignorant of almost every bit of advice or best practices stated in the manual. He really should know better by now considering how much gear he's reviewed. The review was pretty much an example of everything not to do.

One thing I do agree with about the review is that Liquid Butter is a good way to describe the amp. Liquid Gold is also a good way. The sound is buttery gold good.

It’s not new, it’s not uncommon that he is so oblivious to the product he is reviewing that is almost surprising he even manages to use is. He has done reviews stating completely wrong prices, technologies, etc.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

I'm listening to the new The War On Drugs "Live Drugs" album right now with the Liquid Gold X. This is the perfect amp for this album. Chain is LCD-2 Classic, Gungnir MB A1, Liquid Gold X. Perfect.

"Live Drugs" is a live album and the vocals are mixed forward as is typical for live sound. The Liquid Gold X has a set-back and more open midrange which is able to present the vocal in a way that doesn't sound so forward. Switch over the Liquid Platinum and that vocal gets pushed more forward. Switch back to the Liquid Gold X and ahhhh, just right. The album is compressed. DR is in the range of DR5 to DR7. But the Liquid Gold X is able to make the most of that dynamic range and allow you to hear ambiance and subtlety that you wouldn't expect from a recording compressed to that degree. Does that trick better than the Liquid Platinum.

I hear the Liquid Platinum and Liquid Gold X as being two different styles of the wonderful liquid style Cavalli sound. The two amps complement each other. One doesn't replace the other. They live together in harmony. Both delivering a delivering a slightly different take on the Cavalli liquid sound.

 

[elwappo99]

Price has dropped to $800 for cyber monday. https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38967

I don't remember the LP dropping that soon after release. Unfortunately they shot themselves in the foot by dropping the price of the LP by 50%. Now everyone's expecting the same on the LAu at some point.

 

[Klmahnn]

Price has dropped to $800 for cyber monday. https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38967

I don't remember the LP dropping that soon after release. Unfortunately they shot themselves in the foot by dropping the price of the LP by 50%. Now everyone's expecting the same on the LAu at some point.

Yeah, I was expecting a bigger discount tbh. There almost certainly will be a steeper one in the not so distant future and hopefully by then more reviews.

 

[Odin412]

I decided to try my HD 650 with the Liquid Gold today and the HD 650 sounds more spacious than I can recall having heard it before. I'm really liking the Liquid Gold - HD 650 combo - and this is using the single-ended output.

 

[XERO1]

He said literally nothing... spent half an hour saying absolutely nothing, other than he likes it... no real explanation why.

Just Zeos doing what he does best I guess

How anyone can stand to listen/watch any of his pointless, garbage reviews, I will never know.

As far as 'things that should've never become popular but somehow did' go, he's up there with The Teletubbies and mumble-rap.

 

[geoffalter11]

How anyone can stand to listen/watch any of his pointless, garbage reviews, I will never know.

As far as 'things that should've never become popular but somehow did' go, he's up there with the Teletubbies and mumble-rap.

Well said. He is pretty awful. I used to find it entertaining, but that wore off pretty quick.