It's made for the LP by who?
Hey I'm fine if you want to do whatever with your amp but when the guy who engineered the amp says not to use the specific product you are using when it was showed to him because of "definite risk" of damage, it is something you should warn others of when recommending the product as they might not know.
Lower noise and total black background is what I think I'm hearing with the LPS-36.Keeping in mind UsoppNoKami's post, I still have to recommend against using an LPS, as per earlier comments from AtomicBob and me.
One has to ask, what advantage am I getting when I use an LPS? Most of the advantage that one thinks one is getting is higher current capacity and lower noise.
On the noise issue, measurements have shown that the Plat has a very low noise floor. Not much improvement, if any, with an LPS. Certainly no audible improvement bc noise floor can't be heard.
As for current, the SMPS that mates with the Platinum can deliver much more current than the amp can ever use. It is over specified. Thus, any additional current capacity that one might get from an LPS is not useful.
The risk is that the higher current capacity is in the form of big electrolytics at the output of the LPS and lack of current limiting on startup (as already discussed). And this is exactly what you don't want dumping into the control circuit of the Platinum.
So, MHO, is that there is little, if anything, to be gained, and definite risk of damage.
Have you SPECIFICALLY tried the LPS-36 with the LP. I didn't know I was gonna raise such a firestorm, but I guarantee you that I will make reports to the community every 100 hours of use... and I will definitely tell the community how my LP is behaving with the LPS-36.Keeping in mind UsoppNoKami's post, I still have to recommend against using an LPS, as per earlier comments from AtomicBob and me.
One has to ask, what advantage am I getting when I use an LPS? Most of the advantage that one thinks one is getting is higher current capacity and lower noise.
On the noise issue, measurements have shown that the Plat has a very low noise floor. Not much improvement, if any, with an LPS. Certainly no audible improvement bc noise floor can't be heard.
As for current, the SMPS that mates with the Platinum can deliver much more current than the amp can ever use. It is over specified. Thus, any additional current capacity that one might get from an LPS is not useful.
The risk is that the higher current capacity is in the form of big electrolytics at the output of the LPS and lack of current limiting on startup (as already discussed). And this is exactly what you don't want dumping into the control circuit of the Platinum.
So, MHO, is that there is little, if anything, to be gained, and definite risk of damage.
At least you are in a position of tweaking your wife. My wife is trying to tweak me! Enjoy for liquid platinumI have now used the LPS-36 Linear Power Supply with the LP Headphone Amp for 100 hours.
Disclaimer: I am not trying to get anyone to buy the LPS-36, rather I am just posting my opinion of what it does for the LP according to my stock ears. I have no idea if the LP will last another 100 hours... or for a year or two or whatever. I also did not know if the good caps mod would shortcut the life of the LP, but I sure like what that mod does for the sound of the LP... how about all you who have bought that mod? I don't know the Head-Fier who does the mod... I've not personally met him or read a resume of his ability to modify an amp like the LP. I guess I took a chance... but, I sure don't lose sleep over whether my LP will make it past this day. To me, it's exciting to be able to tweak out a little more from this already good amp... and the caps mod and the LPS-36 sure does that in Spades... in my humble opinion!!
It's about like when I was a USMC aviator... why not be satisfied landing my A4 Skyhawk on an 8,000' concrete stationary runway... why have to go try to hit a moving 300' runway bobing up and down in the ocean? That's a lot more dangerous... it could have sure shortened my life span... but it sure was exciting!! But, I don't recommend you trying it... just take my word for what it did for me!
OK... now for my 100 hour report on using the LPS-36 made by a manufacturer I don't know personally... just like I didn't know Dr. Cavalli personally... just had a Head-Fier to tell me there is such a mod made specifically for the LP. So, I went to eBay and bought it. So far, I'm sure glad I did! To my ears... but maybe not to yours... the sound took on a blacker background with no noise at all. It also made a more definite focus... no fuzziness whatsoever... tight imaging with no overhang between instruments or voices. It really made an impact on the bass... very well defined. But, I also hear a little more definition on the upper end.
After listening for about 25 hours, I swapped out the tubes. What I had as my favorite before the LPS-36, is now not my favorite... so be prepared to do more tube rolling if you go for the LPS-36. Tubes are another thing that is personal... everybody has their own liking. OK... why not be satisfied with the stock tubes that came with the LP? Did Dr. Cavalli pick them out as being the very best for his LP? I have no idea.
I am really happy with the sound I now have coming from Audirvana music program on a 2018 Mac mini, going to a Topping D90 DAC, going to the LP Headphone Amp, going to Hifiman Arya Headphones, going to my ears and brain. Does that mean that Dr. Cavalli fell short in his design of the LP? Absolutely not!! I appreciate his design... and I wish he had manufactured it also. I could have lived with the LP as it was straight out of the box... a very good tube hybrid headphone amp! But, it's even better now!
Warning: as others have said, it is most important to start up by first starting up the LPS-36, and then start up the LP. And, in shutting down, it is most important to shut down the LP first, then shut down the LPS-36.
And, I'll tell you folks a little secret... my wife wishes I would leave things alone. She says, "Honey, why can't you be satisfied with what you have?" Well, I've been married to this woman for 57 years... and I'm still trying to tweak her! I think she is better now than what she was straight out of the box! Semper Fi...
I have now used the LPS-36 Linear Power Supply with the LP Headphone Amp for 100 hours.
Disclaimer: I am not trying to get anyone to buy the LPS-36, rather I am just posting my opinion of what it does for the LP according to my stock ears. I have no idea if the LP will last another 100 hours... or for a year or two or whatever. I also did not know if the good caps mod would shortcut the life of the LP, but I sure like what that mod does for the sound of the LP... how about all you who have bought that mod? I don't know the Head-Fier who does the mod... I've not personally met him or read a resume of his ability to modify an amp like the LP. I guess I took a chance... but, I sure don't lose sleep over whether my LP will make it past this day. To me, it's exciting to be able to tweak out a little more from this already good amp... and the caps mod and the LPS-36 sure does that in Spades... in my humble opinion!!
It's about like when I was a USMC aviator... why not be satisfied landing my A4 Skyhawk on an 8,000' concrete stationary runway... why have to go try to hit a moving 300' runway bobing up and down in the ocean? That's a lot more dangerous... it could have sure shortened my life span... but it sure was exciting!! But, I don't recommend you trying it... just take my word for what it did for me!
OK... now for my 100 hour report on using the LPS-36 made by a manufacturer I don't know personally... just like I didn't know Dr. Cavalli personally... just had a Head-Fier to tell me there is such a mod made specifically for the LP. So, I went to eBay and bought it. So far, I'm sure glad I did! To my ears... but maybe not to yours... the sound took on a blacker background with no noise at all. It also made a more definite focus... no fuzziness whatsoever... tight imaging with no overhang between instruments or voices. It really made an impact on the bass... very well defined. But, I also hear a little more definition on the upper end.
After listening for about 25 hours, I swapped out the tubes. What I had as my favorite before the LPS-36, is now not my favorite... so be prepared to do more tube rolling if you go for the LPS-36. Tubes are another thing that is personal... everybody has their own liking. OK... why not be satisfied with the stock tubes that came with the LP? Did Dr. Cavalli pick them out as being the very best for his LP? I have no idea.
I am really happy with the sound I now have coming from Audirvana music program on a 2018 Mac mini, going to a Topping D90 DAC, going to the LP Headphone Amp, going to Hifiman Arya Headphones, going to my ears and brain. Does that mean that Dr. Cavalli fell short in his design of the LP? Absolutely not!! I appreciate his design... and I wish he had manufactured it also. I could have lived with the LP as it was straight out of the box... a very good tube hybrid headphone amp! But, it's even better now!
Warning: as others have said, it is most important to start up by first starting up the LPS-36, and then start up the LP. And, in shutting down, it is most important to shut down the LP first, then shut down the LPS-36.
And, I'll tell you folks a little secret... my wife wishes I would leave things alone. She says, "Honey, why can't you be satisfied with what you have?" Well, I've been married to this woman for 57 years... and I'm still trying to tweak her! I think she is better now than what she was straight out of the box! Semper Fi...
