[SonnyMarrow]

I just acquired a Liquid Platinum and am having an interesting issue. The amp will only work if the case is off and there's no pressure on the XLR output port. If I take the case off, I can trigger the protection relay (white to red light) by pressing on the port. I can't seem to figure out exactly what's happening because it's inconsistent. Sometimes I need to push the port to trigger the relay back to white. Nothing obvious is wrong with the port.

EDIT: I've narrowed down the problem to the relay next to the XLR port. If I barely touch the case, it triggers. Should I replace this relay?

 

[ksorota]

I just acquired a Liquid Platinum and am having an interesting issue. The amp will only work if the case is off and there's no pressure on the XLR output port. If I take the case off, I can trigger the protection relay (white to red light) by pressing on the port. I can't seem to figure out exactly what's happening because it's inconsistent. Sometimes I need to push the port to trigger the relay back to white. Nothing obvious is wrong with the port.

EDIT: I've narrowed down the problem to the relay next to the XLR port. If I barely touch the case, it triggers. Should I replace this relay?

If by acquire you mean purchased second hand, then that is a good place to start. Likely a bad connection and you are getting a short. If this keeps occurring you could do some lasting damage to the amp.

If you purchased from Monoprice then you should just give them a call and they will sort you out.

Monoprice may even try to help you out if you are not the original purchaser, they are pretty good when it comes to CS.

 

[SonnyMarrow]

I bought it second hand for cheap. I knew it would be broken, just wanted to have fun repairing it. I bought a new one of the relays and will swap that out and see how it goes. Tried reflowing the joints of the relay stock relay, and it still cut in and out when the PCB flexed. Had it working for a bit, but the right channel didn't work when using XLR-out. 1/4" worked fine though. I have to wait a few days for the part, then I'll mess with it again.

 

[cglin222]

I received my LPS-36 Low noise Linear Power Supply for Monolith Liquid Platinum Cavalli Headphone Amp yesterday from the Chinese manufacturer... it's been hooked up and making music for about 20 hours now... really good sound! It is very well built and It definitely makes the sound of the LP better in all aspects... "Just what the doctor ordered!" Definitely worth the price!
I will wait until I burn it in for 150 hours and then I will give a more detailed review on how it powers the LP.
My system: 2018 Mac mini with Audirvana Plus > balanced Topping D90 DAC > balanquid Platinum Headphone Amp w/ LPS-36 LPS > Hifiman Arya Planar Headphones > my ears.

Where did you get the riser feet under the LP?
I found it rather hot sitting on top of my dac, so looking for a good riser feet that'll stand the heat from LP
Thanks!

 

[PoSR77]

EDIT: Disregard. I have decided to get a Flux Lab Acoustics amp.

 

[SonnyMarrow]

I replaced the XLR jack and the relay next to the jack to no avail. The LP powers on and eventually clicks white, but then a few moments later back to red. What's odd is that if I touch one of the pins of the relay, it will trigger. It's the pin farthest from the XLR jack, connected to R303.

EDIT: Another oddity, when using the XLR out, only the right channel works. The 1/4" jack works fine (when the amp works).

 

[ksorota]

Does anyone have any long term impressions of the HE-6 with the LP. I have been interested in grabbing a Senn HD800S to keep with the LP, but am wondering if I should jump back into the HE-6 realm which I really enjoyed...actually more than Auteur somehow.

I have not heard Auteur on the LP, so that might change things but unfortunately I sold it off earlier this year.

I am currently using JAR HD600 daily (sounds really fantastic), but want something as a compliment. HD800 might be too similar and maybe I need to go back to ZMF but I keep seeing HE-6's on the market and wonder. I have heard that planars and tubes do not always go well together...but just looking for impressions.

 

[jaker782]

Does anyone have any long term impressions of the HE-6 with the LP. I have been interested in grabbing a Senn HD800S to keep with the LP, but am wondering if I should jump back into the HE-6 realm which I really enjoyed...actually more than Auteur somehow.

I have not heard Auteur on the LP, so that might change things but unfortunately I sold it off earlier this year.

I am currently using JAR HD600 daily (sounds really fantastic), but want something as a compliment. HD800 might be too similar and maybe I need to go back to ZMF but I keep seeing HE-6's on the market and wonder. I have heard that planars and tubes do not always go well together...but just looking for impressions.

I ran my HE-6se from the LP, and honestly thought it was a pretty good pairing! I think the high gain of the LP really helps and never felt like it wasn't providing enough juice to make the 6se sing. For reference, I don't think I ever went higher than 1pm or so on the volume pot. If you are pairing with a balanced dac, it might work even better since you'd be getting 4V into the LP instead of the standard 2V for a single ended dac. Now, I have not heard any megabuck speaker amps so my frame of reference on what the HE-6 is really capable of is rather limited, but did feel the LP was on par with the Flux Labs FA-10, which provides up to 16W into 32 ohms. I would recommend a warmer sounding tube though, especially with your modded LP as the highs can be a bit much on the stock 6/6se. Hope this helps!

 

[ksorota]

I ran my HE-6se from the LP, and honestly thought it was a pretty good pairing! I think the high gain of the LP really helps and never felt like it wasn't providing enough juice to make the 6se sing. For reference, I don't think I ever went higher than 1pm or so on the volume pot. If you are pairing with a balanced dac, it might work even better since you'd be getting 4V into the LP instead of the standard 2V for a single ended dac. Now, I have not heard any megabuck speaker amps so my frame of reference on what the HE-6 is really capable of is rather limited, but did feel the LP was on par with the Flux Labs FA-10, which provides up to 16W into 32 ohms. I would recommend a warmer sounding tube though, especially with your modded LP as the highs can be a bit much on the stock 6/6se. Hope this helps!

Thanks Jake

I previously was running modded HE6SE off of a Vidar with Saga + preamp and the setup was incredible, but it was much too much gear for a headphone setup. I also might have blown the drivers with the setup due to rushing some setup. Luckily HFM was able to warranty swap the drivers, but I was too afraid of that happening again and sold the setup. Before the Vidar I was using a Jot and thought it paired well enough. Part of the reason for selling the HE6SE was that I thought I was supposed to like the Auteur more and held on to it...but then sold it.

I am looking forward to seeing the new Burl Auteurs that should be being released soon, but they are not quite in the budget right now. Honestly I should be happy with the HD600 but have long wanted to try out the HD800S and now that I am getting closer to pulling the trigger, I am having second thoughts on finding something that provides more low end.

 

[jaker782]

Thanks Jake

I previously was running modded HE6SE off of a Vidar with Saga + preamp and the setup was incredible, but it was much too much gear for a headphone setup. I also might have blown the drivers with the setup due to rushing some setup. Luckily HFM was able to warranty swap the drivers, but I was too afraid of that happening again and sold the setup. Before the Vidar I was using a Jot and thought it paired well enough. Part of the reason for selling the HE6SE was that I thought I was supposed to like the Auteur more and held on to it...but then sold it.

I am looking forward to seeing the new Burl Auteurs that should be being released soon, but they are not quite in the budget right now. Honestly I should be happy with the HD600 but have long wanted to try out the HD800S and now that I am getting closer to pulling the trigger, I am having second thoughts on finding something that provides more low end.

The thing is, we are never satisfied! We know we *should* be happy with our current gear (especially if it is cheaper) but the itch to upgrade/hear something different eats at us until we submit! I also sold off my HE-6se after thinking it would be my daily driver and my "keeper" upper tier headphone. The Auteur is one that is definitely at the top of my list to try. Maybe one day!

 

[Slim1970]

@ksorota my HD800S’s should be in hand around mid November. I should be able to answer a lot of questions regarding the sound of the modded LP and HD800S pairing. I also owned the Auteurs and HE6se’s but that was before I got my LP. So I never got to try them out on it. Do I miss them, a little. But I have headphones in my collection that best both of them to my ears. Namely, my HEKse’s, Susvara’s and Abyss TC’s. All of which are driven beautifully by my modded LP. The HEKse’s probably sound the closest to the HD800S’s or at least does similar things when it comes to rendering sound. I can say without out a doubt that the LP is magical with this headphone.

 

[ksorota]

@ksorota my HD800S’s should be in hand around mid November. I should be able to answer a lot of questions regarding the sound of the modded LP and HD800S pairing. I also owned the Auteurs and HE6se’s but that was before I got my LP. So I never got to try them out on it. Do I miss them, a little. But I have headphones in my collection that best both of them to my ears. Namely, my HEKse’s, Susvara’s and Abyss TC’s. All of which are driven beautifully by my modded LP. The HEKse’s probably sound the closest to the HD800S’s or at least does similar things when it comes to rendering sound. I can say without out a doubt that the LP is magical with this headphone.

It would be fantastic to hear your HD800S impressions, or compare notes if I end up picking up a pair sooner

The auteurs were the ones I wanted to love, but the weight became too much during all day listening and I had to let them go...I guess it was somewhat similar with the HE6SE's. I had the Ether 2 for a bit, but the clamp was way too strong and hurt my jawline too much to wear more than a couple hours. I should have tried the old bend the nitinol trick, but didnt think of it until I saw someone else here do it.

 

[Slim1970]

It would be fantastic to hear your HD800S impressions, or compare notes if I end up picking up a pair sooner

The auteurs were the ones I wanted to love, but the weight became too much during all day listening and I had to let them go...I guess it was somewhat similar with the HE6SE's. I had the Ether 2 for a bit, but the clamp was way too strong and hurt my jawline too much to wear more than a couple hours. I should have tried the old bend the nitinol trick, but didnt think of it until I saw someone else here do it.

I want to try the Ether 2's again in my setup. The first time I heard them I don't think I was giving them enough power to properly drive them. Now I believe I have the right mixture of sound and power to get the most out of the Ether 2's. The Auteur's I had didn't really pair that well with the amps I had outside of the Cavalli Liquid Carbon 2.0. I did not like it all that much with solid state amps outside of that one. I'm sure the LP would've done it justice if only I hadn't sold them before I got the try it.

Tomorrow you'll get another surprise to check out against the LP. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the FA-10 vs the LP my friend! It's a beast of an amp.

 

[sahmen]

I want to try the Ether 2's again in my setup. The first time I heard them I don't think I was giving them enough power to properly drive them. Now I believe I have the right mixture of sound and power to get the most out of the Ether 2's. The Auteur's I had didn't really pair that well with the amps I had outside of the Cavalli Liquid Carbon 2.0. I did not like it all that much with solid state amps outside of that one. I'm sure the LP would've done it justice if only I hadn't sold them before I got the try it.

Tomorrow you'll get another surprise to check out against the LP. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the FA-10 vs the LP my friend! It's a beast of an amp.

 

[SonnyMarrow]

I think I made some progress on the LP. I can get the amp to turn on if I tap a particular pin on the relay next to the XLR output. This only worked after I messed with R313 and R314. I bridged them to bypass Q307 just briefly, and now it will turn on fine for the most part. Still no output from the left channel of XLR output though.