[Phantaminum]

Socket savers are probably desired before rolling. Not sure about adapters.

There definently needs to be an LP tube rolling thread.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/monoprice-liquid-platinum-tube-rollers.898852/

 

[Zachik]

There definently needs to be an LP tube rolling thread.

You mean like this one ?
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/monoprice-liquid-platinum-tube-rollers.898852/

 

[SilverEars]

Everyone seem to forget my positive comments on the LP and focusing only on my critical ones. I never said it is a bad or bad sounding amp. It is a beautiful, liquid sounding amp with great mid-range performance. To my liking, and compared to the other two amps I was talking about, the LP sounds very polite and thin, which is the most obvious in the not very powerful and agile low-end performance. As everything in this hobby, my comments are also very relative and very subjective. Take it with a grain of salt, since we all have different preferences.

I like it much better than the THX 789 (which I found to be a bit bright and not all that technical as hyped up to be), but I'd have to listen a bit more to get a decent idea. Significant difference in price I know (which is obvious).

There is a similar characteristic of CTH, with more refine-ness to the sound with balanced. Definitely an improvement.

Does Cavalli have a house sound? It seems to be a bit of warmer low-end? Which jives with me, but don't like too much of it. Tonally, this is the kind of sound I find more realistic compared to what people consider 'neutral?'

Balanced certainly is an improvement over single-ended, but I can't be totally certain because I'm using a different single-ended DAC. I'm feeding Gumby balanced, and it does seem to output good ambient feel to live recordings compared to the single-ended DAC. It does seem to match well with Gumby balanced.

The way I characterize this amp is, it has slight V-shaped response with headphones. It sounds to raise bass up a bit with treble articulation (not bright). Warmth with treble articulation raise (mainly warm). It outputs rich meaty mids. I can't criticize this amp that much (it seems for the most part a good sounding amp), but only slight improvement it can have is in the low-end, perhaps more articulation there with tiny bit reduction in warmth (that's all).

And obvious design flaw is lack of a gain reduction switch. With balanced input or high voltage SE, the headphone output has a bit more gain than people would listen to. This is a big draw-back and there's got to be a revision for this feature.

So yes, I would say this amp is the point of actual hi-fi sounding equipment past the usual sounding solid states (although tubes are a bit different).

 

[SilverEars]

It generally sounds warm, it seems Cavalli seems to smoothen out the treble in a way.

 

[betula]

It generally sounds warm, it seems Cavalli tunes to smoothen out the treble in a way.

It is a bit warm but not too much. To me the LP was surprisingly neutral and transparent for a hybrid amp. It has a very subtle, polite, gentle and smooth character but it definitely lets other parts of the audio chain to shine through.

 

[SilverEars]

It is a bit warm but not too much. To me the LP was surprisingly neutral and transparent for a hybrid amp. It has a very subtle, polite, gentle and smooth character but it definitely lets other parts of the audio chain to shine through.

I could imagine this amp to work for headphones of high treble like the HD800 without it being fully tube. It warms up the lower-mids a bit, which I find to be it's characteristic.

 

[rockytopwiz]

I like it much better than the THX 789 (which I found to be a bit bright and not all that technical as hyped up to be), but I'd have to listen a bit more to get a decent idea. Significant difference in price I know (which is obvious).

There is a similar characteristic of CTH, with more refine-ness to the sound with balanced. Definitely an improvement.

Does Cavalli have a house sound? It seems to be a bit of warmer low-end? Which jives with me, but don't like too much of it. Tonally, this is the kind of sound I find more realistic compared to what people consider 'neutral?'

Balanced certainly is an improvement over single-ended, but I can't be totally certain because I'm using a different single-ended DAC. I'm feeding Gumby balanced, and it does seem to output good ambient feel to live recordings compared to the single-ended DAC. It does seem to match well with Gumby balanced.

The way I characterize this amp is, it has slight V-shaped response with headphones. It sounds to raise bass up a bit with treble articulation (not bright). Warmth with treble articulation raise (mainly warm). It outputs rich meaty mids. I can't criticize this amp that much (it seems for the most part a good sounding amp), but only slight improvement it can have is in the low-end, perhaps more articulation there with tiny bit reduction in warmth (that's all).

And obvious design flaw is lack of a gain reduction switch. With balanced input or high voltage SE, the headphone output has a bit more gain than people would listen to. This is a big draw-back and there's got to be a revision for this feature.

So yes, I would say this amp is the point of actual hi-fi sounding equipment past the usual sounding solid states (although tubes are a bit different).

Nice objective write-up. This is more in line with what I hear, but I don't pick up on the v-shape or treble sparkle. Compared to my other amps it smooths the treble for me. Also, I actually think it brings the mids forward which helps my he-1000. I love the warm and natural tone.

 

[SilverEars]

Nice objective write-up. This is more in line with what I hear, but I don't pick up on the v-shape or treble sparkle. Compared to my other amps it smooths the treble for me. Also, I actually think it brings the mids forward which helps my he-1000. I love the warm and natural tone.

Yes, in another perspective we can look at it as smoothing the treble. With pop music I was noticing sparkle, but it seems it's more recording response related than the amp. It does have meaty mids, and I can imagine it improves tonality of HEK. Same for HD800 I mentioned above. Both a bit diffuse responses. I find it to put out a bit of a low-end to the mids, warm tilt.

 

[betula]

Nice objective write-up. This is more in line with what I hear, but I don't pick up on the v-shape or treble sparkle. Compared to my other amps it smooths the treble for me. Also, I actually think it brings the mids forward which helps my he-1000. I love the warm and natural tone.

The LP is definitely a mid-centric, mid-forward amp. Couldn't be further from a V shaped sound. Mids are pronounced, bass and treble are subdued in comparison.
The LP is a phenomenal amp for its asking price. But it definitely doesn't punch above its price range.

 

[SilverEars]

The LP is definitely a mid-centric, mid-forward amp. Couldn't be further from a V shaped sound. Mids are pronounced, bass and treble are subdued in comparison.
The LP is a phenomenal amp for its asking price. But it definitely doesn't punch above its price range.

If could add another characteritic is, it's a pleasant sounding amp. You know how you have easy listening headphones (ie. HD650), this is like an amp version of that characteristic. I don't think I have ever in the past really looked at an amp that way before, not in a way I start to characterize them.

Bass is not subdued.

 

[rockytopwiz]

The LP is definitely a mid-centric, mid-forward amp. Couldn't be further from a V shaped sound. Mids are pronounced, bass and treble are subdued in comparison.
The LP is a phenomenal amp for its asking price. But it definitely doesn't punch above its price range.

We get it, you don't like it.

I disagree with most of what you have said. I do not find the LP as being polite like you seem to keep going back to. I also disagree that it does not punch above it's price range. It smokes my old hdva600.

We all hear things differently. If you don't like it move along, there are plenty here that do. I think you are steering people away from a great amp.

 

[SilverEars]

We get it, you don't like it.

I disagree with most of what you have said. I do not find the LP as being polite like you seem to keep going back to. I also disagree that it does not punch above it's price range. It smokes my old hdva600.

We all hear things differently. If you don't like it move along, there are plenty here that do. I think you are steering people away from a great amp.

I don't see what is wrong with polite. I prefer an easy listening over not with something that comes off a bit offensive with some headphones. Is it not bright enough, I dunno what is meant with polite?

@betula what is something that is not polite, and why do you like it? Is polite meant to be something that doesn't jive with you?

 

[TK16]

Only stock tubes.

That might of been the problem, the EH 6922 was the stock tube I got a few years ago with my dac. Wound up giving the pair away for free. Remember them sounding decent, but nothing special. Definitely not bad or terrible sounding. But easily surpassed with better NOS tubes.

 

[SilverEars]

That might of been the problem, the EH 6922 was the stock tube I got a few years ago with my dac. Wound up giving the pair away for free. Remember them sounding decent, but nothing special. Definitely not bad or terrible sounding. But easily surpassed with better NOS tubes.

By better what is it doing differently?

 

[TK16]

From what I remember of the EH, they were highly detailed like the Reflektor 6N23P, but on the harsh side with the equipment I had at the time. Not a fan of the 6N23P in general. But a big fan of the Foton/Reflektor 6N3P triple Micas that require an adapter.