[jonathan c]

I must say that the sound from Liquid Platinum, when ‘tubed’ with 12AU7s on adapters, vaults an unbelievably high bar. And when atop aftermarket feet, LP runs only moderately warm - even after several hours.

[Tubes are NOS Tesla ECC802S pair.]

[The price shown is for ‘each set of four’.]

 

[jonathan c]

got tubes back in my life again, i like it

… judomaniak57 remaster of song #13 on

Got To Get Tubes Into My Life

 

[TheRealDz]

I must say that the sound from Liquid Platinum, when ‘tubed’ with 12AU7s on adapters, vaults an unbelievably high bar. And when atop aftermarket feet, LP runs only moderately warm - even after several hours. [Tubes are NOS Tesla ECC802S pair.] [The price shown is for ‘each set of four’.]

I can attest to the same situation; with tube savers and aftermarket footers, my LP is barely above room temperature.

This is what I am using:

US $16.20 19%OFF | New 4Pcs HIFI Audio Speakers Amplifier Chassis beads Anti-shock Shock Absorber Foot Pad Feet Pads Vibration Absorption Stands
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mtcdyfm

 

[jonathan c]

no switch is fine. i unplugged everything and came back an hour later and now it works.

I have the LP power supply plugged into a simple wall unit surge suppressor. When not in use, I unplug the LP power supply from the wall unit. Otherwise, it would stay on - which I do not want . No operating issues, with this precaution.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

I must say that the sound from Liquid Platinum, when ‘tubed’ with 12AU7s on adapters, vaults an unbelievably high bar. And when atop aftermarket feet, LP runs only moderately warm - even after several hours. [Tubes are NOS Tesla ECC802S pair.] [The price shown is for ‘each set of four’.

As of 6/4/2023 just saw that Monoprice has the Cavalli Liquid Platinum in stock again after listing on their Website (several weeks ago) that the LP had been discontinued. I wonder if they just found a few left over units or if they have gone back into production again?

 

[equalspeace]

As of 6/4/2023 just saw that Monoprice has the Cavalli Liquid Platinum in stock again after listing on their Website (several weeks ago) that the LP had been discontinued. I wonder if they just found a few left over units or if they have gone back into production again?

Wow, yea it's back at the normal price. Good move at any rate for Monoprice if they're back in production. This amp rocks. I will be purchasing another down the road.

 

[PixelSquish]

Where do you guys get your socket savers for this amp? I've seen a few options but none have seemed high end enough, if that is a thing.

Don't suggest pulse tubes as I had a horrible experience with that guy and I will post about my experience, just keep getting too busy to post a long thread. I have the email chain and everything saved. Don't want to give that guy a penny of my money ever again.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

Where do you guys get your socket savers for this amp? I've seen a few options but none have seemed high end enough, if that is a thing.

Don't suggest pulse tubes as I had a horrible experience with that guy and I will post about my experience, just keep getting too busy to post a long thread. I have the email chain and everything saved. Don't want to give that guy a penny of my money ever again.

Never found the need to use them... Listening through the LP now with a pair of Hifiman HE4XX..
Locatelli sounds very nice indeed.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

Wow, yea it's back at the normal price. Good move at any rate for Monoprice if they're back in production. This amp rocks. I will be purchasing another down the road.

Yep, the LP is a great amp!

 

[Chastity]

Interesting question, what would be an upgrade from the MLP? As far as amps go, it's got some chops, and smooth at the same time. Where does one go from here? I would think upgrading the headphones is the best choice, and I'd like to try out a R2R/Multibit some day. Otherwise, the only thing that comes to mind is trying new headphone tech, like AMT.

Going estats changes the whole setup.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

Interesting question, what would be an upgrade from the MLP? As far as amps go, it's got some chops, and smooth at the same time. Where does one go from here? I would think upgrading the headphones is the best choice, and I'd like to try out a R2R/Multibit some day. Otherwise, the only thing that comes to mind is trying new headphone tech, like AMT.

Going estats changes the whole setup.

The LP really is a great sounding headphone amplifier. I think you'd have to spend a lot more to get a significant improvement.
I had just received my LP in late 2021, and coincidentally, had a DNA Starlett on hand which I was demoing at the time, to compare to the LP.

I found that the Starlett was clearly better with high impedance dynamic headphones (as it should be given its $2200 price tag), however, with planars it was a toss up. I paid 399 for my LP on sale and was really impressed with its performance at the time. Well over a year later, I still am. I ordered a Starlett for use with my dynamic headphones because I have never heard a better sounding headphone amplifier for high impedance dynamic headphones at anywhere near its $2200 price. But for planars, I'll stay with the LP. It's that good.

The LP with some of its chums.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

Where do you guys get your socket savers for this amp? I've seen a few options but none have seemed high end enough, if that is a thing.

Don't suggest pulse tubes as I had a horrible experience with that guy and I will post about my experience, just keep getting too busy to post a long thread. I have the email chain and everything saved. Don't want to give that guy a penny of my money ever again.

I'm using the PulseTubeStore socket savers that I ordered from India and also added a pair of tubes to that order that PulseTubeStore stocked but TubeMonger didn't. Easy transaction. Got exactly what was ordered. No problems. All good quality. Shipped FedEx with tracking and well packed for the shipping journey. And the socket savers from PulseTubeStore are the exact right height for the Liquid Platinum. Perfect fit.

Also have ordered tubes twice from TubeMonger. Tubes that were stocked in the US and shipped from the US. Got exactly what was ordered and in perfect condition.

I've had no issues with either PulseTubeStore or TubeMonger. Would order from them again.

 

[Chastity]

The LP really is a great sounding headphone amplifier. I think you'd have to spend a lot more to get a significant improvement.
I had just received my LP in late 2021, and coincidentally, had a DNA Starlett on hand which I was demoing at the time, to compare to the LP.

I found that the Starlett was clearly better with high impedance dynamic headphones (as it should be given its $2200 price tag), however, with planars it was a toss up. I paid 399 for my LP on sale and was really impressed with its performance at the time. Well over a year later, I still am. I ordered a Starlett for use with my dynamic headphones because I have never heard a better sounding headphone amplifier for high impedance dynamic headphones at anywhere near its $2200 price. But for planars, I'll stay with the LP. It's that good.

The LP with some of its chums.

When you compared the Starlett and the LP, did you use SE headphones or balanced? The MLP does a wonderful job of driving my HD-580 over XLR connection. I see the DNA has some nice ohm matching options.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

When you compared the Starlett and the LP, did you use SE headphones or balanced? The MLP does a wonderful job of driving my HD-580 over XLR connection.

I used both. According to Donald North, the balanced feature on the Starlett was included specifically for the Sennheiser HD800 (which I don't own and have never heard). Unlike the LP, which makes much more power in balanced mode than single ended, the Starlett makes the same power with either balanced or single ended.

I tried the following headphones with both headphone amplifiers: Sennheiser HD6XX, HD600, AKG K240 Sextett, Hifiman HE4XX, Fostex T60RP, Audioquest Nighthawk
Carbon. They all sounded great with both amps. IME, the LP was every bit as good as the Starlett with the planars, but the Starlett was noticeably better resolution wise with the high impedance dynamic headphones. Of course, this is all subjective.

 

[jonathan c]

The LP really is a great sounding headphone amplifier. I think you'd have to spend a lot more to get a significant improvement.
I had just received my LP in late 2021, and coincidentally, had a DNA Starlett on hand which I was demoing at the time, to compare to the LP.

I found that the Starlett was clearly better with high impedance dynamic headphones (as it should be given its $2200 price tag), however, with planars it was a toss up. I paid 399 for my LP on sale and was really impressed with its performance at the time. Well over a year later, I still am. I ordered a Starlett for use with my dynamic headphones because I have never heard a better sounding headphone amplifier for high impedance dynamic headphones at anywhere near its $2200 price. But for planars, I'll stay with the LP. It's that good.

The LP with some of its chums.

The output impedance of the LP via XLR input / output is only 0.14 ohms. The ‘damping factor’ when driving a nominal 300-ohm dynamic headphone (Senn, ZMF) > 2140 !! Those headphone drivers could be deemed to be somewhat over-controlled by LP…they sound that way to me.