[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

Thanks for the update. I think I explore further in the stereo amp section, while waiting for a new bigger, bolder V2xx. Do we really need a V200+? No, but what is the fun in that.

I'm listening the the V200 and the LCD-3 at the moment.  The V200 still shines.  

 

[Loevhagen]

That sounds promising. Then you an MH are  aligned.
 
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What I've found out is that if your amp is great with the LCD-2s, it will be a great match for the LCD-3s.

 

[Minh3184]

Quote:

I'm listening the the V200 and the LCD-3 at the moment.  The V200 still shines.  

I envy you lol

 

[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

I envy you lol

 
  A friend also sent me his Lyr to try out.  Yesterday I finally ordered a tube amp, the Liquid Fire.

 

[musicman59]

Quote:

 
  A friend also sent me his Lyr to try out.  Yesterday I finally ordered a tube amp, the Liquid Fire.

You will be very happy with the LCD-3 and LF. Just let the LF burn-in for at least 200 hours. When I started listening to it I was not impressed but as time went buy and the burn-in process was going it kept sounding better and better.
 
 

 

[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

You will be very happy with the LCD-3 and LF. Just let the LF burn-in for at least 200 hours. When I started listening to it I was not impressed but as time went buy and the burn-in process was going it kept sounding better and better.
 
 

 
Well I'm using a borrowed LCD-3 but I have the LCD-2 r.2.   

 

[Blurpapa]

Quote:

 
  A friend also sent me his Lyr to try out.  Yesterday I finally ordered a tube amp, the Liquid Fire.

I will await eagerly for your review of the differences between the LF and the V200! Was it the Lyr which nudged you to place the order? From the Lyr, do tube amps sound significantly better/ warmer / more dynamic? Thanks. 
 
 

 

[musicman59]

Quote:

I will await eagerly for your review of the differences between the LF and the V200! Was it the Lyr which nudged you to place the order? From the Lyr, do tube amps sound significantly better/ warmer / more dynamic? Thanks. 
 
 

I think the comparison needs to take in consideration price/performance ratio since there is a huge discrepancy in parice between those two headphones. I own the V200 and demoed the LF in house for 3 weeks.  I really like the V200 but IMO the LF is superior sounding. It all depends on your budget. If youare limited the V200 is a great option but if you have hte funds for the LF I would go for it.
 
 

 

[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

I will await eagerly for your review of the differences between the LF and the V200! Was it the Lyr which nudged you to place the order? From the Lyr, do tube amps sound significantly better/ warmer / more dynamic? Thanks. 
 
 

 
The V200 sounds excellent.  Nothing about the V200 made me look for another amp.  I don't think there is another solid state amp at it's price that can come near it and I think you would have to pay a lot more money to do better and I don't know what that better amp might be.   My goal has always been to get one SS amp and one tube amp so that I cloud orbit between the two worlds, tube and solid state, just to have a change off every now and again.   The V200 was an easy choice in solid state because it is a clear winner and a favorite among its owners.  But in terms of tube amps the landscape was not so clear for me.  I've been researching tube amps since June, maybe even longer.    So I looked long and hard at tube amps.  First I looked at everything in the 1K range. Lots of nice amps in that price range.  Almost all of them had had owners that loved or hated them.  Then I grudgingly moved up to the 2K, a limit I set and said I would not surpass.  There are some very nice amps in that range, both pure tube and hybrid.  But as I looked deeper I found that most of these had one sort of description from their owners that I did not like, different depending on the model.  Every amp is a compromise to some degree, the ones I read about I knew would eventually dissatisfy me in the long run.  
 
 I was  unsure intuitively what to do.  I came close to making a purchase a few time with a few different amps but at the last moment I felt like I was compromising and pulling the trigger too early.  So I sort of floated around in research limbo.   I had read all the posts and reviews of the Liquid Fire and found that all the owners of this amp loved every moment of it.  Every owner is very exuberant over it.  Having read nearly every post for months on end on numerous amps the exuberant posts didn't feel like infatuation to me.  But the Liquid Fire was way out of my range and so I would not consider it.  
 
So I came close again to buying one 2K amp but stopped at the last second, then again with another amp but stopped again realizing the same thing. They each had something I knew I would not like in the long run.    I didn't want to buy something only to sell it again later for something that had want I wanted.   I realized I had to buy the Liquid Fire. Owner after owner kept telling how much they loved the amp and all of them had had very good tube amps in the past.   So finally I realized I had to try it and had to reverse my stance.  I could find nothing about it from anyones description that I did not like and many things I knew I would enjoy.  Of course I still have to hear it.
 
As for the Lyr, if all you can afford is $449 then you absolutely cannot go wrong with it.   It has its plus and minuses but like I said if $449 is your limit the pluses outweigh the minuses for sure and it is going to deliver many hours of sonic pleasure.

 

[Blurpapa]

Quote:

I think the comparison needs to take in consideration price/performance ratio since there is a huge discrepancy in parice between those two headphones. I own the V200 and demoed the LF in house for 3 weeks.  I really like the V200 but IMO the LF is superior sounding. It all depends on your budget. If youare limited the V200 is a great option but if you have hte funds for the LF I would go for it.

 
Hi musicman! Thanks for your response and I fully agree with you that I am comparing apples and oranges. The LF is definitely an option but there's a $2k barrier mental block which I can't get past without having a listen first. For most big brands, we do get to audition most equipment before we buy them here in Singapore. But these boutique brands are hard to come by and at least for me, the purchase requires a leap of faith. 
 
But having very little experience with tube amps, may I know your opinion on their main advantages over SS amps please?

 
 

 

[Blurpapa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WarriorAnt /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Then I grudgingly moved up to the 2K, a limit I set and said I would not surpass.  There are some very nice amps in that range, both pure tube and hybrid.  But as I looked deeper I found that most of these had one sort of description from their owners that I did not like, different depending on the model.  Every amp is a compromise to some degree, the ones I read about I knew would eventually dissatisfy me in the long run.  
 
 I was  unsure intuitively what to do.  I came close to making a purchase a few time with a few different amps but at the last moment I felt like I was compromising and pulling the trigger too early.  So I sort of floated around in research limbo.   I had read all the posts and reviews of the Liquid Fire and found that all the owners of this amp loved every moment of it.  Every owner is very exuberant over it.  Having read nearly every post for months on end on numerous amps the exuberant posts didn't feel like infatuation to me.  But the Liquid Fire was way out of my range and so I would not consider it.  
 
So I came close again to buying one 2K amp but stopped at the last second, then again with another amp but stopped again realizing the same thing. They each had something I knew I would not like in the long run.    I didn't want to buy something only to sell it again later for something that had want I wanted.   I realized I had to buy the Liquid Fire. Owner after owner kept telling how much they loved the amp and all of them had had very good tube amps in the past.   So finally I realized I had to try it and had to reverse my stance.  I could find nothing about it from anyones description that I did not like and many things I knew I would enjoy.  Of course I still have to hear it.
 

 

Hi WA,
 
Thanks for sharing that. Up to now, I've only experience with SS amps and am very curious about the benefits of a tube setup. I came close to pulling the trigger on commissioning the build of a beta22 with some extra options but realized that for less money the LF was within my range, and so was the well reviewed Leben which brings along the advantage of driving speakers too.
 
I really need to read and learn more before making a decision. Thanks WA.
 
 

 

[musicman59]

Quote:

 
Hi musicman! Thanks for your response and I fully agree with you that I am comparing apples and oranges. The LF is definitely an option but there's a $2k barrier mental block which I can't get past without having a listen first. For most big brands, we do get to audition most equipment before we buy them here in Singapore. But these boutique brands are hard to come by and at least for me, the purchase requires a leap of faith. 
 
But having very little experience with tube amps, may I know your opinion on their main advantages over SS amps please?

 
 

Well, SS amps to me are more convenient and practical than tubes and a good SS design can sound excellent like the Apache or Dark Star. IMO tube amps produce a sweeter and more analog sound plus you can change the sound a bit rolling different tubes in order to taylor the sound to your taste. 
 
The LF is really a hybrid amp so it really gives you the best of the two worlds. As I said, I auditioned the LF for about 3 weeks in my house and at the beginning I had my doubts and I was not full convinced but as it burned in kept liking it more and more. I do believe it does not that full juice needed to make the HE-6 really shine but they sound good with it. On the other hand it really excelled with all my other dynamic  headphones.
 
 

 

[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

 

Hi WA,
 
Thanks for sharing that. Up to now, I've only experience with SS amps and am very curious about the benefits of a tube setup. I came close to pulling the trigger on commissioning the build of a beta22 with some extra options but realized that for less money the LF was within my range, and so was the well reviewed Leben which brings along the advantage of driving speakers too.
 
I really need to read and learn more before making a decision. Thanks WA.

I considered the Leben long and hard.  But recently a number of people have reported problems with recent productions of Lebens so I backed off.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/575746/lebens-owners-request-what-i-found-inside-my-leben-cs-300x-limited
 
 
 

 

[Blurpapa]

 
Quote:

Well, SS amps to me are more convenient and practical than tubes and a good SS design can sound excellent like the Apache or Dark Star. IMO tube amps produce a sweeter and more analog sound plus you can change the sound a bit rolling different tubes in order to taylor the sound to your taste. 
 
The LF is really a hybrid amp so it really gives you the best of the two worlds. As I said, I auditioned the LF for about 3 weeks in my house and at the beginning I had my doubts and I was not full convinced but as it burned in kept liking it more and more. I do believe it does not that full juice needed to make the HE-6 really shine but they sound good with it. On the other hand it really excelled with all my other dynamic  headphones.
 

Hey Musicman and WA! Thank you both for explaining this stuff to me. I gather from Musicman's description of your LF trial vs your V200 that the difference between the LF and a cost equivalent SS amp is not vast? The reason I am leaning towards a SS amp is because I don't see myself as being a pure audiophile. That is, one who will spend hours acquiring and tweaking with tubes, wires, psu units etc to get a marginal improvement in sound. This is also amplified by the fact that I really think my ears are not sufficiently trained to pick up the slight variations. 
 
Ok then. I'm putting aside a flexible 2K budget for a good ss amp and while not a deal breaker, would actually prefer one which has balanced outputs. Looks like for the time being, the V181 or the Beta22 are good contenders, unless the Lake People decide to surprise us with a V282! Any other SS suggestions would be really appreciated. 
 
Thanks again guys! I really appreciate the time you all spent with my queries. 
 

 

[Blurpapa]

Quote:

I considered the Leben long and hard.  But recently a number of people have reported problems with recent productions of Lebens so I backed off.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/575746/lebens-owners-request-what-i-found-inside-my-leben-cs-300x-limited
 
 
 

I have faith that only a very small number of faulty units slipped through the Leben QC division unless they've moved production from the land of the rising sun to the great land of China?