Liquid Gold X Balanced Headphone Amplifier from Monoprice by Alex Cavalli

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by jexby, Sep 10, 2019.

  1. JeremiahS

    JeremiahS Almost "Made"

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    purr1n, it is very interesting that you note that the LAu had that kind of characteristics because I knew an acquientance in my local audio community who owned one and says the same thing. In the end he sold it off for a GS-X MK2.

    I wish I can try this Liquid Gold X. It will be interesting to compare with with the GS-X and Beta22, all being classic designs by the earliest veterans in headphone amp design.
     
  2. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    I always wished I could have heard more of the pre-Cavalli Audio amplifiers. The EHHA, SOHA I/II, "Agent Orange" @dBel84 Stacker. I do still have my hybrid eXStata, which is running at Stax 580v IIRC. It unfortunately has a channel imbalance that needs sorted out. I think it is just the 4-gang alps blue that I need to cough up some coin for a new potentiometer.

    I did get a chance to hear two different SOHA II's and they both sounded different. I believe it was part of the appeal. Funch/ @TheloniuSnoop always has wonderful sounding builds. I can't find any of the old photos, but he needs to start a thread here with all his builds (Including my beautiful eXStata)

    HeadAmp has shown a few sneak previews of upcoming amplifiers, but I can't imagine they will be affordable for a commoner like myself :)

    I'm glad Schiit is still in the manufacturing world and there is blood pumping and gears turning. Every amplifier manufacturer has had a witch hunt at some point, but only a few of them are doing what Schiit is doing. Options and fresh blood to our hobby to keep it growing.
     
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2021
  3. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    I’ve heard two EHHA builds and they both sounded totally different. One was boring and honestly sounded like a portable amp. The other was pure magic. I’ve never heard an amp like it. It was fast and ethereal sounding giving electrodynamics snd orthos an electrostatic like quality to them. I wish the one I bought sounded like that one. I have no idea what the difference was, the bad sounding build was actually built by a more experienced builder (very experienced actually).

    my SOHA1 is awesome with very good tone and tons of power but it was a special build. I understand most SOHA1’s are fairly colored and limited.
     
  4. k1arg

    k1arg Facebook Friend

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    This situation also makes me very curious about the DSHA-3, DSHA-4, and Copenhagen, particularly for either planars or high impedance dynamics. But those are significantly more scarce than the DSHA-3F is. In my experience for example the improvement with Utopia from Mjolnir 1 or Ragnarok 1.5 to DSHA-3F is much larger than with LCD-3. Given that the 3F is tailored for the Focal load, I really wonder what the other ECP amps do for Sennheisers and Audezes.
     
  5. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    3F is good with moderate to high efficiency cans of higher impedance. 3F works well with the Sennheisers. Orthos are going in the direction of super low impedance - speaker impedance loads. This is where the MHA150 fits in. Each of the above amps has a niche where they will work best. The BW is the colored amp of the bunch - it's essentially a better Luxman P1u, without the veil and more resolving - but also extremely OOP and thus probably shouldn't even be mentioned.
     
  6. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    The ZD-T (Zana Deux Transformer) holds a special place in my heart. It was one of the few amps Craig brought out to a small AZ Head-Fi meet; and it was also the first time I heard an Aud'eze headphone. Craig also brought out a prototype LCD-1... I was a day 1 LCD-2 purchaser after hearing the LCD-1 and the ZD-T. I have a friend who had more disposable income and got to play around with the newer LCD's and other top notch pairings. I think his heart was on the Balancing Act and a primo pair of LCD3 or LCD2.2. The hobby kinda ran out of ideas about that time in my opinion, but... I think some things are kick starting it back up.

    The MHA150, I like the Autoformer idea... And roon.. What the actual helk! That thing is nice, and that price! It seems worthy of the price though. I could do without the roon and all that ;)
     
  7. Lyniv

    Lyniv New

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    Fyi, shop.com link now showing $999 for me
     
  8. loadexfa

    loadexfa MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Liquid Gold X (Brief) Impressions

    These impressions focus on comparing with the Mjolnir 1 (MJ1) but I also listened to the Liquid Gold X (LauX) by itself for a few days.

    Something in LauX hurts my ears a bit, not sure what. Could be upper mids perhaps? It was harsher when I first got the amp and has softened since but is still enough to hurt. The amp has also smoothed out and opened up since initial use. I guess it has a brief period of break in which I thought wasn't a thing for SS amps. I'm pretty sure this isn't in the realm of brain burn in but it's hard to be 100% sure since I don't have "factory new" vs "used for X hours" amps to directly compare.

    It's worth noting that I'm a fatigue weirdo, on paper the LauX should be less fatiguing than the MJ1 but the opposite was true for me.

    Chain
    Roon (Rebook/Qobuz) -> Pi2AES -> Pavane (L3) -> Freya S (passive mode) -> MJ1 | LauX

    Clear
    • LauX: Pairing is OK, something is missing but I can't quite describe it. With the proper amp these are fantastic but without ... mediocre.
    • MJ1: Not my favorite pairing and despite the MJ1 being more slammy. The presentation is a bit more rounded too. Not quite as bland as the LauX but I wouldn't recommend this as a Focal amp.

    HE 6se (RD modded)
    Most listening focused with the 6se, I've been seeking a good amp pairing.
    • MJ1: Wakes them up quite well. Some female vocals are a bit more forward and crisp. More slam.
    • LauX: Really good too, also gets these going. Very balanced presentation. Sometimes better at handling when there is a lot going on.
    There wasn't a clear winner, my preference varied with different music.

    HD 6XX
    • LauX: Nice synergy, good clarity and balance. I'm also noticing better instrument separation. Not noticing any pain/fatigue issues. I find the 6XX are good for avoiding fatigue in general.
    • MJ1: Good together sometimes lacks magic in comparison to the LauX. Female vocals are more elevated which I like.

    Final Thoughts
    If I didn't experience pain with the LauX, this would be a difficult choice. I preferred the LauX for the 6XX and the MJ1 for the 6se. Each amp is good at what it does. The LauX is more nuanced and hidden, it doesn't push a particular tone or presentation on you. Not to say it is sterile or dry, just subtly very good. The MJ1 on the other hand is OK with letting you know it's there (as I mentioned here, probably some sins of commission), not brash or in your face though. The MJ1 brings some excitement.
     
  9. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    I wrote my review of the LauX using this chain:

    Yggdrasil -> Jensen iso max transformer -> LauX

    I found it to have incredibly perfect tonal balance. Very precise but naturally a bit sweet. No harshness or SS glare.

    I then plugged it straight into the XLR outs of my Yggdrasil with no transformer in the chain. I soon noticed a harshness in the upper mids which I first blamed on my headphone mods, but later realized was coming from the LauX.

    I don't know what is going on here, I am planning on investigating by using both inputs of the LauX, one balanced straight out of the Yggdrasil and one SE with a transformer in the chain so I can be sure there is a difference. Then I'll try my RDAC with no transformer and see if the problem persists.

    Given how perfect the LauX sounds with a transformer in the chain it seems unlikely to me that it actually has harsh upper mids. I'm guessing it may be fussy about DAC output, and maybe the Yggrasill is too hot (and maybe the Pavane too? givien @loadexfa 's impressions).

    It will take me a bit to figure this out because Fedex fucked around with my Yggdrasil LIM for over a week and it finally came today, so I need to warm it up and burn it in for at least a day or a few before I can start trying things.
     
  10. Tachikoma

    Tachikoma Almost "Made"

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    Maybe transformers just sound nice.
     
  11. Jerry

    Jerry Friend

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    Time for us to roll them.
     
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  12. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    We already do. Jensen vs Cinemag.

    They’re generally regarded to cause sins of omission. One theory could be that the transformers are covering up a problem with the amp. But I just doubt that is the case knowing what Cavalli put into the design of this amp.
     
  13. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    I’m surprised to hear of this glare/harshness as the original Liquid Gold had a reputation of being buttery smooth, almost to a fault. I wonder how different the OG amp sounds from the Monoprice version.
     
  14. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    It's just the SE inputs from what I understand. The amp is fully differential and balanced throughout. That means the any SE input will have to go through a phase splitter which would not be ideal. It's best to use these kinds of amps with balanced input and balanced outputs.
     
  15. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    It sounded better to me with a transformer and SE input. I was expecting it to sound better straight out of the Yggdrasil XLR out with nothing in between but that’s when I noticed the (very slightly) harsh upper mids. I need to do more listening with different configurations so take it with a grain of salt I only mentioned it because of @loadexfa ’s review.

    also AFAIK this is the same as the LP where SE in or balanced in should sound the same. Just what a bird told me. ;)
     
  16. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    I maybe shouldn't have said anything because I still need to figure it out, compare to my other amps, make sure it's not my headphones, etc. My intention wasn't to report an issue, but to offer a possible explanation if others are hearing the same.
     
  17. dBel84

    dBel84 Friend

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    No idea why some are hearing an upper mid harshness , nothing apparent in Atomic Bob's measurements would suggest any electrical / signal cause , wonder if it is an odd impedance effect from the driver of some headphones.

    I have one temporarily and am not hearing the glare from either SE or Balanced input , this is with the HD600 ( modded ) or a number of planars - audeze and vintage

    The SE to balanced is a relatively simple buffered chip design - Alex's own and is the same circuit that has been used in a number of products - OG Gold, Lightning etc

    Listening to the LAuX vs LP - the LAuX is technically better in almost every way but they are not too dissimilar. ( to my ears )
     
  18. loadexfa

    loadexfa MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    I only used XLR in and out. I'll try SE today when I get some time.
     
  19. bengo

    bengo Friend

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    @rhythmdevils if you wanted to rule out the Yggdrasil outputs being too hot, you could use digital volume on the source to lower it a bit. Or a quieter recording which doesn't use the full range. If this was the real cause then I'd expect modern highly compressed pop to sound worse than say classical, older stuff, etc.
     
  20. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    id have to use USB to do this and then it raises the question of how Unison usb is affecting the sound. I’m going to just plug my RDAC in and and see how the LauX sounds from both. Probably won’t be for a bit though because I can’t fit the RDAC on top of two Yggdrasils. Gotta let my LIM burn in then remove the A2 first.
     

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