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Monoprice Monolith Liquid Platinum - By Alex Cavalli
Aug 23, 2020 at 9:08 PM Post #3,181 of 5,150
Guidostrunk said:
Tube madness folks. Finally got around to hearing this dac @TK16 . I'll report back later this evening with my thoughts. Initially it's soft and rolled off in the treble compared to my Denafrips Ares. We shall see though.
20200823_090524.jpg
Click to expand...
Tube rolling plays a big part in the sound signature in that dac. I take it that ECC82 work in it, never tried them. Leaving cover off is pretty hardcore.
 
Aug 23, 2020 at 9:31 PM Post #3,182 of 5,150
I'll be drilling some holes in the lid to be able to change the tubes. Lol. I'm sending it off to get a cap upgrade. As of right now it seems veiled , lacks dynamics, transparency, and the bass impact/slam of the Denafrips. Soundstage wise it's bigger but beings what I mentioned above the imaging is suffering.
Hoping the Silmic ii deliver the same results as they did for the LP.
TK16 said:
Tube rolling plays a big part in the sound signature in that dac. I take it that ECC82 work in it, never tried them. Leaving cover off is pretty hardcore.
Click to expand...
 
Aug 23, 2020 at 9:40 PM Post #3,183 of 5,150
Guidostrunk said:
I'll be drilling some holes in the lid to be able to change the tubes. Lol. I'm sending it off to get a cap upgrade. As of right now it seems veiled , lacks dynamics, transparency, and the bass impact/slam of the Denafrips. Soundstage wise it's bigger but beings what I mentioned above the imaging is suffering.
Hoping the Silmic ii deliver the same results as they did for the LP.
Click to expand...
Do you have a conduit knockout punch?
These make great and very clean holes in a chassis lid if they are sharp!
 
Aug 23, 2020 at 9:48 PM Post #3,184 of 5,150
I'm confused... are you talking about the LP Amp or DAC when comparing it to the Denefrips Ares? If you are going to cut into the top of the LP, what about cutting the section out between the tubes?
To swap the tube riser out for the one to use with the ECC82 / 12AU7, I got a pair of vice grips to grab the top of the riser. That's is a pain... but, at least I didn't damage the top of the LP.
 
Aug 24, 2020 at 12:03 AM Post #3,187 of 5,150
more comments on the pot since seems to be a point of concern

This new pot on replacement seems to get louder slightly faster than my old one. on 300ohm HD820 most music I don't make it past 9pm - if i recall it was more like 10pm on my first unit but I don't have them side by side so can't say for sure. On stuff that has a lower recording level I can get to 12pm. either way doesn't seem to be of any concern. for my 38ohm grados I listen around 8pm.

in terms of channel imbalance, there is a very small imbalance to the right when the audio is barely audible but this is relatively normal in my experience. even with 38ohm grado hemp at very low (but normal) listening volumes there is no imbalance. Start to get audio at 7pm and by 7:05pm any imbalance that existed is cleared up.

So in conclusion, yeah the pot you can only use a small range but as long as you are not a total klutz adjusting the volume this appears to be no issue with current production units as the volume knob does seem to be precise in terms of adjustments and even with my most sensitive headphones there is no imbalance at low listening levels. One could use xlr attenuators etc if you want to use more of the range, but I don't see any sonic advantage to this, IMO theoretically I'd want to amplify the signal as little as possible with my full DAC output. As attenuators are not necessary on my 38ohm grados I would assume most mid to high end headphones would not need attenuators.
 
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Aug 24, 2020 at 4:42 PM Post #3,188 of 5,150
I wish they would have a rev 1.1 and drop the gain, or have a jumper to adjust the gain. It is definitely my biggest complaint with the LP. My approach has been to perform -3dB or -6dB reduction in the digital domain.

I wonder whether adjusting the gain is something that could be a reasonable mod?
 
Aug 25, 2020 at 6:29 PM Post #3,190 of 5,150
Give the system about 150 hours of burn in and then let us know what you think. Of course, there can be some variations in musical output depending on your cables and your ears. But, I think you will really like the sound. And, oh yes, after you get those 4 or 5 days of burn in, then you should send it for the caps mod. Might as well go all the way! :L3000:
 
Aug 28, 2020 at 12:26 AM Post #3,191 of 5,150
The volume pot on the replacement LP that I received today is far more linear than the one I sent back, especially with cans that were problematic with the previous LP (e.g. Arya's). There is still a jump between 10-11 o'clock, but it is not as steep as before, far less steep, and the tracking is considerably better and more linear between 8-10 o'clock on the replacement unit. Thankfully, I am not hearing any significant channel imbalance below 10 o'clock with the replacement LP, which was quite jarring with the previous unit. When I filled out my RMA, I explicitly mentioned the lack of linear tracking, the huge jump in volume between 10 and 11 o'clock, and the channel imbalance below 10 o'clock. Early days yet, but the replacement LP looks promising with my Arya's and HD800S.
 
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Aug 28, 2020 at 12:38 PM Post #3,192 of 5,150
sennfan83261 said:
The volume pot on the replacement LP that I received today is far more linear than the one I sent back, especially with cans that were problematic with the previous LP (e.g. Arya's). There is still a jump between 10-11 o'clock, but it is not as steep as before, far less steep, and the tracking is considerably better and more linear between 8-10 o'clock on the replacement unit. Thankfully, I am not hearing any significant channel imbalance below 10 o'clock with the replacement LP, which was quite jarring with the previous unit. When I filled out my RMA, I explicitly mentioned the lack of linear tracking, the huge jump in volume between 10 and 11 o'clock, and the channel imbalance below 10 o'clock. Early days yet, but the replacement LP looks promising with my Arya's and HD800S.
Click to expand...

For most music HD800S around 9-930?
 
Aug 28, 2020 at 4:28 PM Post #3,193 of 5,150
ruinedx said:
For most music HD800S around 9-930?
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Correct. For my ears, 9-930 on the replacement LP's pot is my comfortable listening range for the HD800S.
 
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Aug 28, 2020 at 4:32 PM Post #3,194 of 5,150
sennfan83261 said:
Correct. For my ears, 9-930 on the replacement LP's pot is my comfortable listening range with the HD800S.
Click to expand...
About same on mine as well. Mine has a tiny bit of imbalance when audio is barely audible (and I mean barely audible, as in 1 step above silent) but anything above barely audible is balanced L/R

I think the newer shipments the volume knobs have been better QA'd
 
Aug 31, 2020 at 10:16 AM Post #3,195 of 5,150
Sandifop said:
Whoa. You know the LP is tube, right? That’s high praise from a SS guy.

Glad you enjoy it, and thank you for building mine.
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Liquid Platinum is the first amp with a tube I've loved

I've used mostly solid state for over 20yr

LP is something special (even stock, cap mod not needed), and IMO rivals or exceeds amps that cost many times it's price of any type
 
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