[Sven]

Hi all
 
This is my first post in this forum, but i am reading here for quite a while. And i want to thank the community for all the great reviews and tips.
 
I am enjoying my Audeze LCD-3 since january and i am very pleased with it. It is the best headphone i have ever heard. But as always in our hobby, the better your rig gets the more you want. That in mind i want a new headphone amp.
 
The usual suspects to me were:
The Dark Star
Cavalli Audio Liquid Fire
Red Wine Audio - Audeze Edition
 
My problem is that there is absolute no way to listen to one of them in my hole country. To compare them and pick the best one for me is impossible. I think there should be some better kind of distribution because here in germany is a small but growing community of headphone enthusiasts. Some of them own the Cavalli but thats it.
 
Yesterday i ordered the  Red Wine Audio - Audeze Edition because i read good reviews here and at innerfidelity and i like the concept of the whole package "Headphone Amp-DAC-Cable"
 
And very important to me: a 30 Day money back-guarantee. I think it is a big risk to pay 3000-4000k (plus german taxes, and thats a lot) for an amp i never heard. The other two companies sadly didn't offer this service. 
 
Don't get me wrong, i believe these three amps,  as different as they are, they are all TOTL. So i hope i made the right decision.
 
So my question is: Who have heard this amp?
Could you feed me with some impressions ?
 
I have to wait a couple of weeks til the Red Wine will arrive, and i am really excited.
Thx in advance....
 
CU
Sven 
P.S. Apologies for my bad english
 
 

 

[Devarika Woulf]

They discussed it here. Reviews were on the poorer side with the LCD-3.
 
Your English is fine, btw.

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

They discussed it here. Reviews were on the poorer side with the LCD-3.
 
 

That isnt how I read Skylab's excellent review of the Red Wine offering - his only concern was whether they would find enough customers willing to put down the cash for such a pricey offering, and you'll have to take that up with Vinnie. 

 

[m0gwai]

Hey,
 
The good news is that you're absolutely safe and you can return it, no questions asked and get a full refund, Vinnie is offering a fantastic customer service.
 
I owned one and I didn't liked it that much with my LCD-2, so I sent it back for a refund, I never had the RWA and the LCD-3 at the same time but I would be surprised if it suddenly became fantastic when switching headphones.

 

[dyl1dyl]

Worth a try imo. I've heard the Audez'e Edition with my prior to RMA LCD-3s and they sounded pretty good together if not my favourite pairing. YMMV though so just give them a shot.

 

[mwilson]

I briefly had the RWA along with the LCD-2. In a nutshell, if your recordings are perfect, the sound will be good. Otherwise, forget about it - it's one brutally revealing amp.
 
And, on second thought, plunking down that much cash and being stuck with only the built-in DAC does not compute. That there killed it for me.

 

[mrarroyo]

I own the larger sibling, the Isabella with the balance headphone amp as well as the two dacs. The unit IMO sounds superb and it is a pleasure to listen for extended periods. The two cans I used the most with the combo are the K1000, K501, HD580 and the HE500 all in balanced mode. Vinnie is a great guy with wonderful customer service, enjoy your new unit.

 

[Sven]

Hi all
 
Thx for your comments. And some liked the Red Wine Audio...and some not that much.
 
The most "good" reviews are on the Cavalli Liquid Fire and i would have bought him right away but there are 2 drawbacks for me:
 
1. First of all, and that seems to be just a little thing,  are the bright LED's. I once had a USB hub with 5 really bright green ones and they bothered me so much that i couldn't stand it. The amp will rest just 2 feet away on my desk next to my mac and there would be 11 !!! LED's...and they are BRIGHT, so some people say.
 
2. But the main reason of course is the missing "money-back-guarantee" by Cavalli Audio and Emmeline (Dark Star).  Without the possibility to audition them "live" in my country and a big possible loss when selling then second hand in germany the risk appears to high for my wallet.
 
So i hope i will not only like the Red Wine sonic signature, i really hope it will be the best i ever heard. Nothing less to wan't from a 4.000$ Amp/DAC.
 
And i read purrins negative review as i read the good one from skylab. So i searched there older reviews for equipment i knew from my own hearing experience and most (not all) of the time i agreed with skylab's point of views.
 
Do i regret the order? ...NO. Am i afraid picking the wrong one...sure i do
 
thx again for your comments...more opinions would be appreciated .
Now i have to wait a couple of weeks i guess... (don't know exactly for how long, haven't heard from Red Wine Audio yet)
 
I'll keep you posted.
CU
Sven

 

[mwilson]

Sven,
 
The RWA is a good amp, pure and simple. Are there better amps that can be had? Yes, just like there are less good amps. And Vinnie is top-notch when it comes to customer service; always reachable, quick to respond to emails, it's been a pleasure throughout dealing with him. This in fact made my decision to return the amp that much more difficult - he really believes in, and stands behind his products. In the end, it wasn't a match for me, but let me reassure you it's a good amp. If you think you won't want to experiment with different and better DACs, then it just might be the right one as well for you. It is also one of the few (that I'm aware of) sporting a remote control.
 
The lack of money-back guarantee was what made me initially hesitate going with the LF, but I'm glad I took the risk. Those LEDs... don't get me started on them again. Just when I thought I made peace in that regard... you pull me right back in. At least they're not blinkenlights, though Alex with his background may very well have been exposed to such in the early days.
 
EDIT: one more thing. Do your ears a favor and toss the stock JJ tube. For less than $100 you can get a NOS Mullard or a Siemens.

 

[Icenine2]

Mr. Wilson.  Why don't you just aim the LF sideways?  No LED's

 

[mwilson]

Firstly, the LEDs have already done damage to your eyes - there's no R in my user name, just mwilson. Not mrwilson. Secondly, my OCD can't put up with misaligned equipment. All must follow perfect, plumb lines.
 
Quote:

Mr. Wilson.  Why don't you just aim the LF sideways?  No LED's

 

 

[estreeter]

Vinnie was a regular poster on Head-Fi a couple of years back, but I suspect we wore him out. He gave of his time unselfishly, and I admire him for that. 

 

[Maxvla]

Surprised you didn't look natively for amps and DACs. Surely there were good options in Germany or greater European area? Hope you like the Audeze edition. I felt it was clearly sub-par to everything else I heard the LCD3s on.

 

[estreeter]

Not much going on in Germany,   

 
http://www.meier-audio.homepage.t-online.de/
 
http://www.violectric.de/Pages/en/what-is-violectric.php
 
http://www.lehmannaudio.com/
 
(This is the part where juvenile Head-Fiers chime in with their schoolboy German - if you want to impress me, post something in Khmer or Lao)
 
 

 

[Maxvla]

That's surprising given some of the best headphones come from Germany. I guess they can make them but not power them. The Vioelectric V200 is pretty well regarded around here, though.

http://www.head-fi.org/products/violectric-hpa-v200