[Aleatorius]

Hey Liquid Crimson fans, did you hear about the new prototype Cavalli amps they were showing at Socal last weekend?  One of them is a new fully balanced Liquid Crimson that's much smaller and half the price (~$1500 estimated)!  As a Crimson owner for some time, I can say that it sounded pretty darned close (though I haven't been able to A/B).  As someone who had to sell the Crimson to fund real life, this thing has me SUPER excited!!

That's extremely tempting, I was going to ask you if you've had a chance to give it a listen and now a blind purchase is more reassuring once it's released.

 

[longbowbbs]

Both of the new amps sounded wonderful. The intended price points are reasonable too.

 

[Luckbad]

Has anyone tried a 5670/396a/2c51 tube via an adapter with the Liquid Crimson?

Unless I'm getting taken with a cross-country purchase (always an unfortunate possibility), I have one on the way either this or next week!

Excited, nervous, happy, worried.

The Cavalli Liquid Crimson has been right at the top of my list alongside amps like the DNA Stratus and Eddie Current Super 7 for quite some time since hearing one at a meet a while back.

 

[reddog]

Has anyone tried a 5670/396a/2c51 tube via an adapter with the Liquid Crimson?

Unless I'm getting taken with a cross-country purchase (always an unfortunate possibility), I have one on the way either this or next week!

Excited, nervous, happy, worried.

The Cavalli Liquid Crimson has been right at the top of my list alongside amps like the DNA Stratus and Eddie Current Super 7 for quite some time since hearing one at a meet a while back.

I have never used a tube adapter with my Crimson. The Crimson is amazing, and like it best with my NOS Telefunken tube, although, for just watching video or a game, I use the gold lion tube.

 

[Hansotek]

Has anyone tried a 5670/396a/2c51 tube via an adapter with the Liquid Crimson?

Unless I'm getting taken with a cross-country purchase (always an unfortunate possibility), I have one on the way either this or next week!

Excited, nervous, happy, worried.

The Cavalli Liquid Crimson has been right at the top of my list alongside amps like the DNA Stratus and Eddie Current Super 7 for quite some time since hearing one at a meet a while back.

I haven't tried those types of tubes either. My favorite tube I tried with it was the "Holy Grail" Reflektor 6n23p. The mids were just to die for with that tube in the Crimson.

 

[reddog]

I haven't tried those types of tubes either. My favorite tube I tried with it was the "Holy Grail" Reflektor 6n23p. The mids were just to die for with that tube in the Crimson.

I need to get that holy grail tube on my crimson

 

[Jozurr]

The adapters are not known to work at least on my Cavalli Liquid Glass - Ive tried a bunch of tubes with 6SN7 adapters but they always trip the security in the amps and shut them down - Im assuming its going to be the same for the Crimson

 

[Walderstorn]

Haven't tried and seriously find no need for another type of tubes in this amp.

 

[Luckbad]

I've wanted a Cavalli Liquid Crimson since they came out. I've heard one a few times, always in non-ideal situations. Even so, I knew the amp was special, it was just way beyond what I was willing to spend on an amp.

A few months ago I bought one. Or so I thought. I got scammed and lost the money.

I finally have one on the way from a trusted source.

This will be the first time I've owned two high end amps simultaneously. I'll compare it to the Eddie Current Super 7 and will be selling the one that doesn't work as well for my setup.

 

[longbowbbs]

I was able to review the Crimson. It is a sweet amp. I will be interested to see how it compares with the Super 7.

 

[reddog]

I've wanted a Cavalli Liquid Crimson since they came out. I've heard one a few times, always in non-ideal situations. Even so, I knew the amp was special, it was just way beyond what I was willing to spend on an amp.

A few months ago I bought one. Or so I thought. I got scammed and lost the money.

I finally have one on the way from a trusted source.

This will be the first time I've owned two high end amps simultaneously. I'll compare it to the Eddie Current Super 7 and will be selling the one that doesn't work as well for my setup.

Congratulations may you Liquid Crimson put a big old smile on your face.

 

[Luckbad]

First impressions time! Remember that these are first impressions from 1.5 hours of listening. I've heard so many amps that I can form reasonably cohesive first impressions according to my own baseline rather quickly. Extended listening will be required for a deeper analysis.

My immediate impression was: Wow is this thing clean! I've never owned an amplifier this clean before, and it struck me immediately.

Compared to almost every amp I've ever owned or even heard, this is incredibly resolving, detailed (micro and micro), and dynamic. It's really quite neutral. Some people might consider it a bit warm, but my amp experience has been pretty warm and I don't perceive it as at all warm. With the stock tube, it's a little crisper and brighter than I prefer for extended listening (I'm allergic to treble and love bass).

I swapped the stock tube for a 6N23P-EV after an hour because I tend to like those tubes and had one laying around (bigger bass than the Genalex. I was a little disappointed in the good-but-not-great slam of the LC until I swapped tubes).

The loop out makes A/B testing with the Eddie Current Super 7 fairly easy. I didn't volume match, just set the knob to my preferred listening volume for both.

Cavalli Liquid Crimson compared to almost every amp I've ever heard:

• Better in every way.

Cavalli Liquid Crimson compared to the Eddie Current Super 7 (with my mods and tube complement):

• A little bit more detailed
• Better blackground
• Cleaner
• More aggressive
• Brighter
• A bit thinner
• Slightly inferior timbre
• A bit dryer
• Soundstage not quite as deep
• Crisper
• Marginally less slam with the 6N23P-EV

From the bullet points, you might expect me to have a clear preference for the Super 7. Note that I have this paired with a Sonic Frontiers SFD-1 MKII SE+, which has marginally relaxed treble and nice slam. My headphones are the Sennheiser HD650 and JVC HA-DX2000, both noted for their slightly dark tilt as well as a bit of thickness to the sound. It complements my gear quite well.

I could rewrite the bullet points coming from the other direction.

And I will.

The Super 7 compared to the Liquid Crimson:

• A little less detailed
• Slightly grayer background
• A bit less clean
• More laid back
  
• Darker
• A bit thicker
• Slightly better timbre
• A bit wetter
• Soundstage is slightly deeper
• Smoother
• Marginally more slam

I have no idea which amplifier I prefer.

The cleanliness of the the Liquid Crimson is out of this world. It has an unbelievable blackground with a total void between notes. Inky blackness would be absolutely the wrong description--that implies there is something occupying the space between notes. The empty spaces in music are devoid of all matter. The Liquid Crimson presents music from an absolute vacuum.

It's very unlikely that I'll be able to convince my wife to let me keep both amplifiers for more than a couple of weeks. I've now spent retail on a Cavalli Liquid Crimson after getting scammed on one a few months back, and my Eddie Current Super 7 now has enough mods and tubes that it ought to be worth a fair bit more than I originally paid.

Since all I need to do to listen to either of the amps is flip the switch on, the ultimate test will be: Which amp do I use the most over the next week or two?

 

[Hansotek]

I’m glad you finally found one, @Luckbad

Not sure which 6N23P you mean (EV? - forgive me if I’m an idiot.) - I had the ‘74 reflektor 6N23P “Holy Grail” in there, and the treble was very smooth. I also found that the power cable makes a pretty noticeable difference with all the high-end Cavalli amps. I started using the Wireworld Electra 7 with it and noticed a pretty sizable jump in clarity, resolution, impact and treble smoothness.

Just a few ideas in case you decide to do some further tweaking. Congrats on your purchase!

 

[Luckbad]

The tube is just one of the 6N23P variants and has the EV designation (longer life, more durable). It's a Reflector 6N23P-EV (looks like 6Н23Π-EB). I've used it in a couple of other amps and DACs and liked it.

I have a nice power cord connected already and agree that they make more of a difference than you might expect (as does cleaning up the power before it even gets to the cable).

 

[Luckbad]

A couple weeks later and I'm in love with this amplifier. It is officially my favorite amp I've ever owned.

While my first impressions still hold true, I actually prefer it over the Super 7 overall, even if the latter is more enjoyable for certain music.

Thank you @runeight for this glorious headphone amp. Enjoy your retirement. I enjoy retiring after a long day of work with my cans plugged into the Liquid Crimson.