Monoprice Monolith Liquid Platinum Headphone Amplifier by Alex Cavalli

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by Vtory, Apr 4, 2018.

  1. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    I think with the right tubes it does well enough. Those new production tubes in particular take a solid 100 hours to break in (and IME may take longer to subjectively warm up). I also would remind to not confuse incisiveness with transparency, details, clarity, dynamics, etc. the LP isn’t the most incisive amp around, but it is plenty transparent, detailed, and so on. It just doesn’t make itself immediately apparent in that regard.
     
  2. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    Well, it depends on the headphone, too.

    I certainly can hear the Liquid Platinum as being more detailed than, say... THX AAA or MCTH, but that's only with HD800. With HD650, I honestly can't tell if Liquid Platinum is giving me more details or not, and it just sounds like... very sleepy. Maybe it's the Amperex tubes, but I think you know what I mean.

    It's like a very shy person. You gotta take some time to understand how they are, and then you can tell they are actually very intelligent and interesting to be with. But... they still won't try to outsmart you unless you ask them the right way.

    And I think an amp shouldn't be judged on "what could be done to make it sound better", but more like "how does it actually sound to begin with". Just so people don't get the amp and go "WTF, this sounds boring as heck".
     
  3. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    The Amperex tubes are a little too bassy on the LP, if I had to simplify, when using the HD650. I think the stock tubes work much better here.
     
  4. lcmusiclover

    lcmusiclover Friend

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    Different opinion here. With LP/Brimar CV-2492/Silver cable, my HD-6xx sounds very enjoyable — certainly not ‘sleepy’. This is the first chain that allowed me to really appreciate them. HD-6xx also likes Gungnir Multibit A2 more than Pontus.
    Yep, tube swapping doesn’t totally change the sound of LP, but can definitely nudge it in the right (or wrong) direction.
     
  5. dBel84

    dBel84 Friend

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    The THX AAA patent makes for some interesting reading.

    [​IMG]

    Transparency due to multiple feedback loops and differential signal splitting providing excellent measured performance.

    I will personally stick with the platinum and not only because Alex is a friend of mine. Probably the reason I like PASS amps and have a general dislike for a lot of modern gear too.

    .. dB
     
  6. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    No, I mean... I do love the amp.

    And yes, @Hands, I agree that the Amperex are very bassy tubes. Not really a good fit with any headphone that's already bassy, but then again, I can hardly say the stock tubes are a "better fit" for HD650.

    Not saying tube rolling and component matching won't help Liquid Platinum either, but... I'm saying, the amp in its stock form (considering stock tubes) is not really a good fit for something like HD650 IMO, or at least not when someone wants that "immediately transparent" or "incisive" sound.

    Not going to say THX AAA is the "better fit" either, since that's a whole different discussion but honestly, can any of you guys say stock LP with stock tubes is a better fit for HD650 versus, say... THX AAA, or Jotunheim?
     
  7. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    I haven’t heard the THX, but, yes, I would absolutely prefer the LP with stock tubes over the Jot (early unit, if sound change rumors are true) with the 650.
     
  8. Skyline

    Skyline Double-blindly done with this hobby

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    *shrug*

    I find Amperex tubes with the 650 (stock) to be pretty glorious, honestly.

    Maybe it's the DAC. Maybe not all Amperex tubes are made the same. Maybe my ears just suck.

    That said, it's been ages since I've tried the stock tubes so maybe I'll give them another shot sometime to refresh my memory. I remember them being a tad lean and dry which the Amperex tubes solved quite nicely.
     
  9. Goh77

    Goh77 New

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    So today while listening to my LCD 2 through xlr, the amp just went off. I turned it off and plugged my headphones to another amp and thankfully they are fine. The amp won't turn on again? what could be the problem? I'm using the stock power supply and the stock tubes
     
  10. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    it's broken. contact their support department.
     
  11. lcmusiclover

    lcmusiclover Friend

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    Similar experience here. Turned it on one day, LED turned red, went white after the normal 30 seconds, then almost immediately went off. Unplugged everything, plugged back in, LED didn’t come back on. Then I noticed that the the Power supply green LED was fast blinking. Tried to get some trouble-shooting help from Mono, but ended up only hearing ‘return it’. Did, and new amp is fine.
     
  12. GanGreinke

    GanGreinke Friend

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    Monoprice does not have a repair center or technicians who could give you help beyond some of the most basic advice (i.e. make sure you plug the tubes in all the way), so if it is still under warranty, your best bet is to send it back for a replacement.

    You could sent it to Avenson Audio for repairs, but since they are a third party repair place you'd have to pay for the repairs yourself.
     
  13. Skyline

    Skyline Double-blindly done with this hobby

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    Mine's been rock solid, thankfully, but the 5-year warranty played a very large part in my purchasing decision.

    For what it's worth, it sounds like a PS failure @lcmusiclover , but hey...if they want the replace the whole thing then no complaints here :p
     
  14. Ksaurav402

    Ksaurav402 Friend

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    Not sure why they don’t sell the spare PS, even for PS brick failure they ask for the whole unit to be sent back
     
  15. GanGreinke

    GanGreinke Friend

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    I would imagine that because they don't do repairs, they don't have extra parts just sitting around to ship out. It would probably be more of a hassle for them to order a power supply from their supplier than to just send one of the amps they already have sitting in their warehouse.
     
  16. Ti_Leo

    Ti_Leo Almost "Made"

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    Looks like the inner part which gets the power was blown, sorry I suck at electric stuff, so I don't know the name of the thing. If your power supply works fine (LED glowing) when the amp is off, and then turn on the amp would lead to the LED flashing and there's clicking sound coming from the power supply, I guess your unit has this problem.

    My unit had the same problem and I saw 2 other people had this on HF and there used to be a unit selling on eBay was the same. I'm in China so I sent my unit to same local repairs. I think it's an easy repair, as the guy who fixed my amp didn't take much time.
     
  17. Goh77

    Goh77 New

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    Monoprice customer service is great!! I was expecting them to take forever to replay and I was expecting that I will be paying for shipping since it's an international order, but they are paying for shipping. My amp is already on its way back and hopefully I'll get a new one soon
     
  18. Baten

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    Guys you saw latest monoprice product news? https://widescreenreview.com/news_detail.php?id=21942
    Liquid gold to follow the liquid platinum huge success :) :)


    Monolith Liquid Gold Balanced Headphone Amplifier and DAC by Alex Cavalli ($999.99)

    · A smaller version of the Cavalli Audio’s Liquid Gold Amp, The Liquid Gold X is a fully balanced, differential front-end, solid state amplifier.

    · Although the amp is smaller, the sound quality remains the same.

    · Introduces Monoprice’s new MCU based products with computerized control of all features - including turn on sequencing and DC offset detection.


    Others
    Monolith by Monoprice THX AAA Balanced Headphone Amplifier featuring THX AAA 887 Technology ($399.99)

    · THX Achromatic Audio Amplifier (THX AAA™) promises high fidelity audio with infinitesimally low levels of noise and distortion.

    · Capable of powering even the most demanding headphone

    Monolith M1070 Headphone ($399.99)

    · Featuring a 106mm planar driver, a wide padded headband, 2.5mm connectors and an open back design

    · Produces a stunning aural landscape and resolves minute sonic detail from the best hi resolution tracks.

    · Spectacular imaging, low distortion, and perfectly balanced sound.

    Monolith M1570 Balanced Planar Headphone ($599.99)

    · Featuring a 106mm planar driver, a wide padded headband, 4 pin balanced connectors and an open back design

    · Delivers uncompromising audio performance, exceptional transient response, and a holistic soundstage.

    Monolith M570 Planar Headphone ($299.99)

    · Features a 97*76mm planar magnetic driver enclosed in an gorgeous wood, open back housing, with a plush, padded headband and earcups for comfortable listening over an extended period.

    · With an extended soundstage, lush, rich sound, and excellent build quality, the Monolith M570 brings a massive price to performance ratio to the headphone market.
     
  19. Sqveak

    Sqveak Friend

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    The product page is already up:
    https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38967

    Regarding the DAC:
    EDIT:
    A cursory search on monoprice also turn up two new Cavalli DACs.

    Monolith by Monoprice Liquid Platinum Balanced DAC by Alex Cavalli (AKM4499)
    https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38966
    Monolith by Monoprice Liquid Spark DAC by Alex Cavalli (AKM4493)
    https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38965

    Calling @dBel84
     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2019
  20. elwappo99

    elwappo99 Friend

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    Looks like the liquid platinum made a jump to $800 as well.

    $1k is getting pretty high and I hope those are inputs on the back and not DAC outputs.


    Has Monoprice figured out a repair system for these units left? I kept asking on the platinum and Alex said there would be a place for repair, but I haven't seen any follow up. Does Avenson have the ability to repair them?
     

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