Monoprice Monolith Liquid Platinum - By Alex Cavalli
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llcook51
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Agree completely. Brings out the best in my: HEK v2; LCD-4; Ether 2; HD 800S.
Hi, I have 6h30 DP from BAT , can I use them ?
I have found this from Mr Cavalli himself. I thought it might be useful to share:
"The characteristics of the SMPS are part of the design.
Part of its behavior is its current limiting when over loaded. This overloading happens at turn on for a very brief period of time and the SMPS does its thing by limiting the current. The power circuit in the Platinum is expecting this to happen.
Using an LPS that does not current limit or has huge capacitors at its output or can otherwise dump a lot of current into the DC jack is definitely a RISK. It is likely out of the design envelope of the power management portion of the amp.
Though I am not Monoprice I have to recommend that you don't use LPSs with this amp and that you do stick with the supplied SMPS.
It is designed to perform extremely well with this supply.
"
"The characteristics of the SMPS are part of the design.
Part of its behavior is its current limiting when over loaded. This overloading happens at turn on for a very brief period of time and the SMPS does its thing by limiting the current. The power circuit in the Platinum is expecting this to happen.
Using an LPS that does not current limit or has huge capacitors at its output or can otherwise dump a lot of current into the DC jack is definitely a RISK. It is likely out of the design envelope of the power management portion of the amp.
Though I am not Monoprice I have to recommend that you don't use LPSs with this amp and that you do stick with the supplied SMPS.
It is designed to perform extremely well with this supply.
"
atomicbob
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Here are some links concerning SMPS vs LPS.
The warning and power on / off procedure:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/mon...ical-measurements.894843/page-2#post-14641335
Detailed measurement comparison of SMPS vs LPS:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/mon...ical-measurements.894843/page-2#post-14641331
The warning and power on / off procedure:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/mon...ical-measurements.894843/page-2#post-14641335
Detailed measurement comparison of SMPS vs LPS:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/mon...ical-measurements.894843/page-2#post-14641331
I wanted to add my impressions of the Liquid Platinum (LP) amp to this thread as well.
The amp is physically quite a bit larger than the original Liquid Carbon amp, which I also have and love. The LP feels solid and is well built. The buttons have a satisfying click, the headphone sockets feel solid and the motion of the volume control has a nice and creamy feel to it. Inserting the tubes is a bit difficult since the opening holes in the chassis are somewhat small and the tube sockets are recessed quite deeply, but some patience (and avoiding using too much force) is rewarded here. The amp gets quite warm while in operation – not painfully hot to the touch, but close.
This amp (or more likely the tubes) needs a long burn-in before sounding its best. After the first turn-on it sounds a bit grainy in the treble, but it settles down after 100 hours or so. I’ve only used the supplied stock Electro-Harmonix tubes so far. I have to admit that I don’t really find that different 6922 tubes sound that different from one another (and that includes some vintage Amperex and Mullard tubes), but I did like the new-production Gold Lion tubes in my Woo Audio WA3 amp so I’ll try those with the LP at a later time. No doubt aficionados of vintage tubes will strongly disagree with me here, but that’s OK. This is a hobby – it’s supposed to be fun!
So how does the LP sound? It sounds very good to my ears. It has the trademark magical Cavalli liquid midrange and smooth treble, and the bass is deep and juicy. When comparing the LP to my old Liquid Carbon it’s surprising how similar they sound, especially in the bass and midrange. The most obvious difference is that the LP has a more present treble, although it’s very smooth and not at all grating. Yes, I realize that I’m saying that a tube hybrid amp sounds slightly brighter than a solid-state amp, but that’s what I’m hearing. I’m very treble sensitive and the treble on the LP doesn’t bother me (meaning that I notice that the LP has a slightly brighter sound, but it doesn’t sound at all harsh or sibilant), but if you have brighter-sounding headphones the Liquid Carbon may be a better match – depending on your preferences, of course.
One headphone that sounds really good to me with the LP is the HD 650. Yes, the venerable HD 650 – one of the all-time greatest headphones if you ask me. This combo is absolutely fabulous, especially in the midrange. You know how sometimes it can be hard to hear the lyrics on some songs? When using the HD 650 with the LP I find that I can more easily understand the lyrics in less-than-perfect recordings. Last weekend I was listening to some old AC/DC recordings and I finally realized what they were saying. Very cool. The HD 650/LP combo also makes older and poorer sounding recordings enjoyable. It makes it fun to explore my music archive. Like, what audio equipment is supposed to make you do, not just listen to the same old demo tracks.
I’m very happy with the LP and look forward to many more house of musical enjoyment.
The amp is physically quite a bit larger than the original Liquid Carbon amp, which I also have and love. The LP feels solid and is well built. The buttons have a satisfying click, the headphone sockets feel solid and the motion of the volume control has a nice and creamy feel to it. Inserting the tubes is a bit difficult since the opening holes in the chassis are somewhat small and the tube sockets are recessed quite deeply, but some patience (and avoiding using too much force) is rewarded here. The amp gets quite warm while in operation – not painfully hot to the touch, but close.
This amp (or more likely the tubes) needs a long burn-in before sounding its best. After the first turn-on it sounds a bit grainy in the treble, but it settles down after 100 hours or so. I’ve only used the supplied stock Electro-Harmonix tubes so far. I have to admit that I don’t really find that different 6922 tubes sound that different from one another (and that includes some vintage Amperex and Mullard tubes), but I did like the new-production Gold Lion tubes in my Woo Audio WA3 amp so I’ll try those with the LP at a later time. No doubt aficionados of vintage tubes will strongly disagree with me here, but that’s OK. This is a hobby – it’s supposed to be fun!
So how does the LP sound? It sounds very good to my ears. It has the trademark magical Cavalli liquid midrange and smooth treble, and the bass is deep and juicy. When comparing the LP to my old Liquid Carbon it’s surprising how similar they sound, especially in the bass and midrange. The most obvious difference is that the LP has a more present treble, although it’s very smooth and not at all grating. Yes, I realize that I’m saying that a tube hybrid amp sounds slightly brighter than a solid-state amp, but that’s what I’m hearing. I’m very treble sensitive and the treble on the LP doesn’t bother me (meaning that I notice that the LP has a slightly brighter sound, but it doesn’t sound at all harsh or sibilant), but if you have brighter-sounding headphones the Liquid Carbon may be a better match – depending on your preferences, of course.
One headphone that sounds really good to me with the LP is the HD 650. Yes, the venerable HD 650 – one of the all-time greatest headphones if you ask me. This combo is absolutely fabulous, especially in the midrange. You know how sometimes it can be hard to hear the lyrics on some songs? When using the HD 650 with the LP I find that I can more easily understand the lyrics in less-than-perfect recordings. Last weekend I was listening to some old AC/DC recordings and I finally realized what they were saying. Very cool. The HD 650/LP combo also makes older and poorer sounding recordings enjoyable. It makes it fun to explore my music archive. Like, what audio equipment is supposed to make you do, not just listen to the same old demo tracks.
I’m very happy with the LP and look forward to many more house of musical enjoyment.
TK16
Headphoneus Supremus
Pardon the old quote bro, have you heard any official/unofficial stance on rolling 2C51/396A, 6N3P? In addition to ECC81, 6201 etc. With adapters? Thanks bro.
TK16
Headphoneus Supremus
They told me they will be back in stock end of January, says out of stock. Been waiting for a replacement pair since October.
DRHamp
100+ Head-Fier
I've rolled 2C51/396A and they work fine with the proper adapter. ECC81/6201 have not worked for me, seems to be gain issue. 12AU7 however work well, again with the proper adapter.
LCMusicLover
Headphoneus Supremus
Wow, I guess I was lucky to catch them in stock — they must have gotten a very small batch.
TK16
Headphoneus Supremus
Is this the one you got?
https://www.tubemonger.com/NOVIB_Socket_Saver_1960s_NOS_British_McMurdo_B9A_p/novib-mcmurdo.htm
There's a similar one with a center screw in stock.
LCMusicLover
Headphoneus Supremus
Yes, that’s the one.
TK16
Headphoneus Supremus
Thanks, sent them a message. They should keep a small number aside for return purposes. Not sell every freaking pair they got and have people waiting months for a replacement. If those Chinese socket savers weren't junk, I'd take my business elsewhere.
bluesaint
500+ Head-Fier
that said, is it a good idea to have 2 adapters going on at same time when using 396a/2c51/5670 tubes? ie. tube>6922 adapter>tube saver > socket?
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