[sacd lover]

I hope the sound is not to clear my ears tend to interpret that as sterile sounding. When you say bite I hope you don't mean sharp in the treble. I do not like anything amiss in the treble especially sibilance.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

I hope the sound is not to clear my ears tend to interpret that as sterile sounding. When you say bite I hope you don't mean sharp in the treble. I do not like anything amiss in the treble especially sibilance.

The balanced headphone output is none of those things you're worried about. It is a lot like the single-ended output, just with less distortion, better bass, more power, better sound. The sound qualities and performance with the balanced headphone output is what the amp was designed for. If you like how the amp sounds with the single-ended headphone output you'll like it even better when you try the balanced headphone output.

 

[sacd lover]

I keep reading the amp is best balanced and I keep waiting on the Hart cable so I can listen myself. Thank you for the reply.

 

[mformoriarty]

Just finished modding the LP, replaced 6 capacitors. Worked great on first boot. I can't keep track of how it sounded before the mod because of the obvious time difference between tests and because I can't A/B test. That said, wooow. This sounds absolutely incredible. The mod wasn't too hard if you have experience with a soldering tool and a solder sucker. Leaving it on for a few hours to make sure everything is working fine, but so far so good.

 

[D00M]

Having had LP 3 days now, I have some additional observations:

On LP, turning up the volume goes straight to dynamics, impact, and energy. It sounds so good with high volume. I'm constantly trying to limit the volume consciously, just don't want to have long term hearing loss. On the other hand, when I crank up the volume on THX AAA amp, it is not pleasant; there is a glare or harshness to the sound. Previously, I thought THX AAA One is running out of power on HE6se V2, which is probably true. But that glare and harshness is on other headphones also as I crank up the volume, so it is not just solely power dependent.

On different headphones, LP emphasis is different. Not sure why or how.

• On HE6se V2, I most notice the bass punch/slam/impact.
• On HD660S, it's the separation and layering that stand out.
• On HD560S, both separation and bass impact are noticeable. I mainly use HD560S for gaming. Rarely for music. LP gave HD560S a new life for music.

I have to update my EQ by amp, and by headphones (of course). LP boosts the low-end and mid more than treble. So my old EQ seems to be not optimal.

 

[BShaw]

Having had LP 3 days now, I have some additional observations:

On LP, turning up the volume goes straight to dynamics, impact, and energy. It sounds so good with high volume. I'm constantly trying to limit the volume consciously, just don't want to have long term hearing loss. On the other hand, when I crank up the volume on THX AAA amp, it is not pleasant; there is a glare or harshness to the sound. Previously, I thought THX AAA One is running out of power on HE6se V2, which is probably true. But that glare and harshness is on other headphones also as I crank up the volume, so it is not just solely power dependent.

On different headphones, LP emphasis is different. Not sure why or how.

• On HE6se V2, I most notice the bass punch/slam/impact.
• On HD660S, it's the separation and layering that stand out.
• On HD560S, both separation and bass impact are noticeable. I mainly use HD560S for gaming. Rarely for music. LP gave HD560S a new life for music.

I have to update my EQ by amp, and by headphones (of course). LP boosts the low-end and mid more than treble. So my old EQ seems to be not optimal.

Mine arrives tomorrow, and since I already sent my Jot 2 on to its next home, I've been without for a few days! I have to agree with your experience with the THX. I bought a THX AAA 789 a couple years ago, and found it to be very clear but completely unengaging and flat. It was handsome though I thought. I'm expecting the LP to be a completely different animal, and a lovely progression from the Jot, which I really liked a lot.

 

[Apoq]

Well, I bit on the sale price. Got the LP yesterday. Was thoroughly impressed with the clarity, imaging, and sound signature. Four hours in it let out the magic smoke and threw itself into the red LED safety status. (bad burning smell, smoke from one of the sides) It took almost a minute for the light to go back white and then there was no sound.

Sent an email to Monoprice this morning. We'll see how they respond. I've seen plenty of claims in this thread and others about early deaths of this amp, but I thought I'd post about it because four hours has to be a new record. It almost makes me wonder if I got sent a well cleaned refurb. I can't imagine how it could burn itself out that fast. It was being run at 12:00 volume position, driving Sennheiser HD650 out of the 1/4" jack. Power supply plugged into a sine wave UPS so it should have been getting clean power, too.

Figured I'd toss an update on this.
I got an auto-generated case number response from them when I sent the email on 3/19. The email said "... a customer service representative will follow up with your request shortly."
Shortly, my rear. I let that sit for two days, sent a follow-up email to ask if there was any progress. I got no response. Later that day, I went and opened up a chat with Monoprice via the website. After about 10 minutes of chatting, and getting funneled to a technical support person, I had to send in the invoice to prove my purchase (because I purchased from Target, not directly through Monoprice). They had to submit all of this stuff to their Target-specific team, to get me a return label. It took a day and a half until I got the label. Mailed the whole thing back, and got the delivery confirmation yesterday.

They told me when they submitted the RMA shipping label: "Please be aware that it takes 3-7 business days from the date received to process your replacement as all returned items undergo warehouse and inventory checks first."

Soooo I'm still waiting. I took pictures of the serial number etc because I'm really curious if they'll fix the one I bought and send it back, or if they're going to send me a brand new one.

I'm a little salty by how long it's taking to get things moving, and how much I had to chase them to make things happen, but it's mostly driven by how much I want a working LP back in my hands. I spent three years rolling tubes in my Bottlehead Crack (/w speedball) that I built... and yet I massively preferred the sound of the LP right out of the box with stock tubes. I need it baaaaack.

When I do get it back, I'm sure my desire to upgrade from my trusty HD650 is only going to increase... Until then, I just get to wait.

Overall, I'm trying to frame this that I'm sad that mine broke right away, but not necessarily angry about it because I knew what I was getting into before I bought it. I hope others have had better luck with the recent batch than I did. Statistical anomalies exist in every corner of tech.

 

[mformoriarty]

Figured I'd toss an update on this.
I got an auto-generated case number response from them when I sent the email on 3/19. The email said "... a customer service representative will follow up with your request shortly."
Shortly, my rear. I let that sit for two days, sent a follow-up email to ask if there was any progress. I got no response. Later that day, I went and opened up a chat with Monoprice via the website. After about 10 minutes of chatting, and getting funneled to a technical support person, I had to send in the invoice to prove my purchase (because I purchased from Target, not directly through Monoprice). They had to submit all of this stuff to their Target-specific team, to get me a return label. It took a day and a half until I got the label. Mailed the whole thing back, and got the delivery confirmation yesterday.

They told me when they submitted the RMA shipping label: "Please be aware that it takes 3-7 business days from the date received to process your replacement as all returned items undergo warehouse and inventory checks first."

Soooo I'm still waiting. I took pictures of the serial number etc because I'm really curious if they'll fix the one I bought and send it back, or if they're going to send me a brand new one.

I'm a little salty by how long it's taking to get things moving, and how much I had to chase them to make things happen, but it's mostly driven by how much I want a working LP back in my hands. I spent three years rolling tubes in my Bottlehead Crack (/w speedball) that I built... and yet I massively preferred the sound of the LP right out of the box with stock tubes. I need it baaaaack.

When I do get it back, I'm sure my desire to upgrade from my trusty HD650 is only going to increase... Until then, I just get to wait.

Overall, I'm trying to frame this that I'm sad that mine broke right away, but not necessarily angry about it because I knew what I was getting into before I bought it. I hope others have had better luck with the recent batch than I did. Statistical anomalies exist in every corner of tech.

Sad to hear your unit died so quickly. I just modded mine and it's still working like a champ after desoldering and soldering some capacitors. Hope they get your unit fixed fast.

I'm in the process of building a Crack for my high impedance headphones, looking to replace my TA-26 for something more unique since it's a fun diy project. The LP is gonna stay as my main desktop amp for all my devices tho. It pairs excellent with all my gear, including planars. I haven't even rolled the tubes yet, still on the stock EH. From what I read here on the forum, other people hate them but I think they work very well.

 

[TheRealDz]

I received mine today. Quick observations after only a few minutes of listening:

At least equal in sound quality to my pretty highly regarded Singxer SA1 amp across the board, but already with better separation and layering.

All buttons work as they should. Zero channel imbalance issues. On my Grados (which are pretty sensative), preferred listening level is between 9 and 10 o'clock - so an outboard volume attenuator is not needed.

Pretty impressive so far...

 

[Shane D]

Figured I'd toss an update on this.
I got an auto-generated case number response from them when I sent the email on 3/19. The email said "... a customer service representative will follow up with your request shortly."
Shortly, my rear. I let that sit for two days, sent a follow-up email to ask if there was any progress. I got no response. Later that day, I went and opened up a chat with Monoprice via the website. After about 10 minutes of chatting, and getting funneled to a technical support person, I had to send in the invoice to prove my purchase (because I purchased from Target, not directly through Monoprice). They had to submit all of this stuff to their Target-specific team, to get me a return label. It took a day and a half until I got the label. Mailed the whole thing back, and got the delivery confirmation yesterday.

They told me when they submitted the RMA shipping label: "Please be aware that it takes 3-7 business days from the date received to process your replacement as all returned items undergo warehouse and inventory checks first."

Soooo I'm still waiting. I took pictures of the serial number etc because I'm really curious if they'll fix the one I bought and send it back, or if they're going to send me a brand new one.

I'm a little salty by how long it's taking to get things moving, and how much I had to chase them to make things happen, but it's mostly driven by how much I want a working LP back in my hands. I spent three years rolling tubes in my Bottlehead Crack (/w speedball) that I built... and yet I massively preferred the sound of the LP right out of the box with stock tubes. I need it baaaaack.

When I do get it back, I'm sure my desire to upgrade from my trusty HD650 is only going to increase... Until then, I just get to wait.

Overall, I'm trying to frame this that I'm sad that mine broke right away, but not necessarily angry about it because I knew what I was getting into before I bought it. I hope others have had better luck with the recent batch than I did. Statistical anomalies exist in every corner of tech.

Mine went pretty smoothly. I requested an RMA on Sunday and got it on Tuesday afternoon. I shipped it back today.
Hopefully it gets there early to mid next week and then they send out my replacement.

 

[maheeinfy]

I received mine today. Quick observations after only a few minutes of listening:

At least equal in sound quality to my pretty highly regarded Singxer SA1 amp across the board, but already with better separation and layering.

All buttons work as they should. Zero channel imbalance issues. On my Grados (which are pretty sensative), preferred listening level is between 9 and 10 o'clock - so an outboard volume attenuator is not needed.

Pretty impressive so far...

Does this mean they fixed the volume knob gain structure

 

[Shane D]

I received mine today. Quick observations after only a few minutes of listening:

At least equal in sound quality to my pretty highly regarded Singxer SA1 amp across the board, but already with better separation and layering.

All buttons work as they should. Zero channel imbalance issues. On my Grados (which are pretty sensative), preferred listening level is between 9 and 10 o'clock - so an outboard volume attenuator is not needed.

Pretty impressive so far...

How was the packing material? Was there any? Or just a few air packets?

 

[Natarian]

How was the packing material? Was there any? Or just a few air packets?

Mine had zero air packets, just the box inside a much larger box.

 

[mformoriarty]

Mine had zero air packets, just the box inside a much larger box.

Weird. Seems like Monoprice is very inconsistent with their shipping. Mine had a lot of air packets. The LP box itself arrived undamaged. To be fair, they could shop the LP box on its own and it should arrive well. It has a lot of foam to keep everything the amps/tubes/psu safe even if it's dropped. Any issues outside of that must definitely be QC.

 

[D00M]

My LP's rear XLR plugs do not have push tabs. I see on the product page, there are silver push tabs on top of the XLR plugs.

• Not familiar with these push tabs. Do XLR cables lock with these push tabs?
• And are push tabs on older revision, and I got the newer revision? I hope the tabs are not on newer revision, and I received an older model?

The product box itself is quite solid. There is dense foam with cut out where the unit sits in. 4 sides and bottom has excellent protection. Top side is a bit suspect, as there is no foam covering the top; just an extra cardboard sheet + product box.

The shipping box itself is much larger than the product box. Some air packets are inside, but nowhere enough to prevent the internal box from moving around. I didn't have any issue though. Fedex shipment from Kentucky to California.