The All Purpose Advice Thread

Thanks for your time Claritas! I think I might have made a huge mistake with the leap for a LC (I'm still not sure if the package will be full of rocks as it hasn't arrived, but at least I've bought it under PP's buyer protection), I thought it might be really good with a wide range of cans, including HD650s, so I don't have to get into tube rolling. I've attempted to look for more about LC pairings, haven't found anything on the thread here except that people found it good with TH-X00s, and I guess I won't go through 400 pages on HF to barely get anything relevant, just seems too tiring to be worth it. I guess I'm gonna wait for it first and then see if it works. Ugh it might have been the itch to get it quick since they're rare.

 

The LC is a good pairing for a modded HD650. Claritas is right that the polite treble on the stock HD650 and the LC might not be a great pairing, source and taste preference depending. I had an associate ask about the HD650/LC pairing a few months back and here's a slightly modified version of that message:
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The Carbon pairs well with the HD650 on a number of fronts. It's not as simple as a "good" or "bad" pairing though.

Pros: It doesn't have a "typical" solid-state sound (read: incisive, sometimes hard sound with over-defined edges). It has a wider stage, which helps with the HD650's staging. The LC's balanced output drives the HD650 with authority - which means that it's not particularly limp-dick sounding. It's a very musical, hard slamming solid-state amp that doesn't have any of the worst deficiencies of typical SS amps.

Cons: At the same time, the LC's polite top end IMO pairs better with the HD600 and less well with the HD650. The HD600's relatively elevated upper mids and lower treble could use the politeness where the last thing that the HD650 needs is a easier going treble region. The big make or break for most people on the HD650/LC combo is going to be this: The Liquid Carbon isn't the most resolving or detailed amplifier at it's price point. Over long-term listening with JRMC > Gungnir Multibit, I found it less clear and detailed with the HD650 than even a couple of amplifiers at lower price points – at the top of my list, the Valhalla 2 and the Leckerton UHA-6S.MKII (others too). Note: The microdetail difference with the HD650 is only going to matter if you already have a pretty solid DAC.

Further Counterargument: Sure, maybe with the LC doesn't fish plankton better than the Leckerton and Valhalla 2, but those amps have their own trade-offs. With the Valhalla 2, you have a very slight dryness to the sound that persists regardless of tube choices and swaps. The Valhalla 2's low end also isn't as tight, punchy, or well extended as the Liquid Carbon's. The Leckerton is more incisive in the treble than the LC (though, still good for a solid state design) and the Leckerton also doesn't do bass as well as the LC. The Leckerton's biggest issue is that it sounds fairly closed in with the HD650 compared to the LC (and the Valhalla 2). With the Leckerton, for extended listening sessions, I often lean on crossfeed to mitigate the collapsed staging where that isn't really necessary with the other two.

Takeway: Whether or not the LC is right buy for the HD6X0 series really comes down to whether or not you plan on only using the HD6X0 series. The Liquid Carbon is a very good all around amp for the easier to drive Orthos (especially the HD560 and Ether, where I think it's the best amp for them below $950) *and* Sennheiser dynamics. It's lightweight, versatile, and highly engaging. It's also not that expensive, especially for a balanced SS amp.

It's all about use case (imagine a flowchart):

- If I believed that all "transparent" amps sounded the same and that hi-fi audio was just a case of mass delusion and self-deception perpetuated by old white men, then I'd just buy an O2;
- If I were just going to use an HD650 and have no orthos in my stable, I'd buy a Valhalla 2, some decent aftermarket tubes, and pocket the rest of the cash;
- If I were just going to use an HD650 and I could DIY, I'd stretch my budget a tiny bit and pickup a Torpedo III kit with Cinemags (even without having heard it myself);
- If I needed portability and I didn't give two shits about staging, I'd get a Leckerton UHA6S.MKII. (Or, an Apex Glacier if I wanted a larger stage and better quality bass);
- If I could swing another $400 comfortably, thought I might run orthos or other interesting phones in the future, and I didn't need portability, I'd get a Mjolnir 2;
- If I wanted a single balanced solid state amplifier that can do most everything competently, sounds good, and doesn't cost more than $650, I'd get the Cavalli Liquid Carbon;
- If I wanted a transportable (but not necessarily portable) amplifier that sounded good, I'd get a Liquid Carbon.

Addendum: Notice what I'm not doing? I'm not comparing the LC to the Schiit Ragnarok, ECP Black Diamond, Bryston BHA-1, GSX MkII, Headroom BUDA, Krell KSA-5 Klone, the Eddie Current offerings I've heard (a ZD and an unmodded Super 7), the DNA audio amps I've heard, the couple Moth amps I've heard, etc. etc. The LC is a good amp that fills an important market gap in $500-900 range, but it's not a world-beater.

 

This should definitely go on top of the thread for visibility ! I think it answers a lot of potential questions one could think of. There seem to be a lot agreeing that one of its forte's is bass improvement. I could just avoid the hassle and probably get a hd650, I've been pondering a lot between other cans such as a K712 or a TH-X00, but it seems to be a major disadvantage that it would be close to impossible to get them balanced in EU (or at least, I'd probably have to spend over 300 bucks to get a K712 balanced, I'm assuming it's more for a TH-X00 hence we're talking about Japan). I'm not sure if balanced input would be a major upgrade because I haven't tried it; however, the LC seems to gain a lot in that league. Again, this is just a perspective based on what I could grasp from the forums. Kudos for showing us the great review !

 

Yeah.. Austin absolutely NAILED it with that post. I've owned the Valhalla 2, HD650, UHA-6S MKII, LC.. and he literally took the words out of my mouth if I was asked to describe them in the context requested.

 

Awesome reading, Austin. The kind of post I'll keep coming back to.

 

I have just myself acquired an amb m3 with OPA627APs and have to admit I'm quite blown away by the sound quality with my gear (hd800, he5le, ex1000).
Now I'm looking for a similar sound signature, bass... overall sound signature, soundstage.... but in a portable amp.......

I've narrowed down my options to:
1. alo rx iem
2. uha6 mk2 with either opa627 or opa4627
3. portaphile micro
4. portaphile shohin

Which ones would you guys recommend? Any thoughts?

thanks for your help!

 

Great post Austin!! The only thing that I would add is that there seems to be some variation with regard to the signature of the amp between early production and later. My very early production doesn't seem to have much roll off on the top end and makes an A+ match with my hd650. I have a friend that bought one of the last LC to be sold. His sounds more like what you are describing regarding the top end.

Please add the Cavalli announced a lifetime warranty on these amps!! Wow...

 

Indeed, that makes it an even better deal. I mean how many manufacturers offer you a lifetime warranty ? Heck, I thought Bryston's was ridiculous (20 years). All the respect for that !

 

It's a great deal for the people who bought them originally. According to the thread on HF, the warranty doesn't transfer when the amp is resold.

 

A lifetime transferable warranty at that. Which is pretty damn nice! (I'm pretty sure that Warren said he'd do it right here, at least for now.)

When I mentioned a polite treble, it wasn't so much that the treble was "rolled off" as either poor extension or as lower non-linear volume, but more in its texture, timbre, and leading edge. No hardness, bite, or digital artificiality. (I've actually owned two production LC's, heard two others at meets, and heard two pre-production models. I didn't hear too much variation between the ones that I've heard, but it's certainly possible that variation just didn't appear in my sample size.)

 

Oh, I didn't see that Warren was willing to transfer the warranty on a case by case basis. That's great news!

 

It's weird. I am just not digging the LC with my HD 600. And to my ears it is definitely not particularly thick sounding or have a wide soundstage or great bass impact with those headphones. To me, it seems a little lightweight or lacking body, but not necessarily thin or bright. It doesn't sound bad to my ears, just unexceptional. It does sound very good though with my PM-2, and the thick/strong bass impact does seem to apply there. I know planars and high output impedance dynamics are different beasts, but given the impressions of others re LC and H 6x0 I am a bit surprised by my impressions of that combination. It could be that my frame of reference if off because my HD 600 sound particularly full off my high output impedance SS integrated amp (but still fairly neutral to my ears). That said, I have given the LC the better part of a week to acclimate to its sound, let it fully burn in and get the other amp sound out of my head, and the LC is just not doing it for me with the HD 600.

 

Hey everyone,

I am not sure how many members here have a smartwatch for their phones (Android in particular) - but a friend of mine wants to purchase one for his Samsung Galaxy S5 and asked me for advice. I do not own a smart phone so I have no experience with this - but I told him I may be able to get some advice from friends and members here who may know something about Android Smart watches.

He wants to spend anywhere from $80 to $150 on one. He said it doesn't have to be super-nice or anything, and it can be a used or refurbished one, just one that has some decent functions.

He told me he was interested in these three from eBay:

Motorola Moto 360 - Stone Grey Leather Smart Watch, Stone Grey, Leather - $135
http://www.ebay.com/itm/231815052970


New Samsung Galaxy Gear Live R382 AMOLED Display Android SmartWatch - Black - $94.95
http://www.ebay.com/itm/391339147160

Sony SmartWatch 2 SW2 Bluetooth Water Resistant Wristband For Android Black - $81.99
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251927874875

I have no experience or knowledge about Smart Watches as I do not even have a smart phone so any advice would be extremely helpful. Also, if there is another Android Smart Watch that anyone recommends between the prices of $80 and $150 please post (remember they can be used or refurbished) - I would appreciate any help anyone can give.

Thanks!

 

If he has no plans of switching from Samsung phones, the Samsung smart watches will be the most closely integrated.

 

@Merrick So you think he should go with Samsung Galaxy Gear Live R382 AMOLED Display Android SmartWatch?

I was reading up on the moto 360 and it seems good too but you think the Samsung Galaxy Gear Live R382 AMOLED Display Android SmartWatch is better for his galaxy S5?

 

I'm not an expert. I have an iPhone and an Apple Watch. I know Android allows more root access than Apple does. So in function, the Moto 360 may be equal to the Samsung offerings.

However, I know that Samsung makes their watches to only work with their phones, not other Android phones, which tells me they likely have optimized performance for use with their phones.

I don't know the particulars of that exact Samsung smartwatch, but I do know the Moto 360 is the first and thus now the oldest Android smartwatch (unless there's one I'm forgetting). I'm not saying new is always better, but with a new product category like the smartwatch, chances are the newer models are likely better purchases than the first ones.

But I haven't used either, so this is based off of what I've read from tech blogs and sites.

 

thank you for your advice @Merrick

If anyone else has any more advice or perhaps even a different smartwatch they recommend, please post. Since I am doing this for my friend, I don't want to steer him wrong

 

thank you @zerodeefex - I will let my friend know your advice -so he can save his money