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maXXXjacker t1_je68ae5 wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in I never thought amps made much of a difference...until I got a Liquid Spark by givemeyournews

In the case of the THX 788/789 and comparing against the Liquid Spark, it wasn't until comparing here that this 'warmth' was noticed, just like what OP noticed. It is what it is.

Going a step further for shits and giggles, comparing the Liquid Spark to a Magni 3 (non +) with a Modi MB 2 as the DAC using a HE-400se. Attempting to volume match as close as possible with a dB meter stuffed into the earcups then sealed to measure. On to subjective listening, the Spark has a slight bump in bass by a dB or two and what sounds like smoothness going on in the treble, subtle but still noticeable. I don't think most will give a shit about the differences when comparing side by side and if you can/can't pick up on them, it's all good because at the cost of this amp you can still have your cookie and a pat on the ass.

As for the 'house sound', I don't have any other Cavalli gear to compare besides a Liquid Platinum to get a consensus on if 'warm/smooth' are subjective/objective traits that is shared across the product line and I don't care to find out but from the articles/reviews and using my own ears to judge with the LS, seems plausible enough. YMMV.

*shrugs*

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[deleted] t1_je6aiwz wrote

[deleted]

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maXXXjacker t1_je6f6jr wrote

You do you is all I have to say on that one. If graphs say one thing and my ears tell me another, it is what it is. I can only relay the findings as a matter of opinion vs fact. If it happens that my opinions align with others findings whether this be reviews, other owners, graph data or whatever gets your nipples erect then so be it but with all opinions professional or otherwise they should all still be taken with a grain of salt until you can get your hands on the gear for yourself.

Half the fun of coming onto these reddits is to share personal findings and opinions, nothing scientific about that.

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[deleted] t1_je6h8dz wrote

[deleted]

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maXXXjacker t1_je6vtmg wrote

I value both fact and opinion.

How you personally choose to accept opinion and what you end up doing with that is up to you. It's okay to disagree.

Without railroading the conversation any further which it ends here between us, I heard minor nuances between amps. What I heard is not backed by any factual data or rigorous testing criteria and was never intended to. Just a dude on reddit casually commenting on a few amps and reflecting upon what was heard.

Since I had the Liquid Spark, the 788 AND for the sake of being able to contribute and form an opinion that isn't 100% spewing out of my ass by going off memory or looking at somebodies review I made an effort to physically sample the amps and it just so happens that I had a shared experience as the OP. How I compared the amps is about as simple as you can get it which in short is hooking the two amps up to a line switcher to the same DAC, do your best to keep to the same volume level and let it rip on a few songs and then switch to the next amp, sometimes at different intervals. This isn't ASR levels of conclusions or findings but the simple mans way of comparing something as you'll get on reddit.

As for the 'house sound' topic pertaining to the review piece linked, I said this seems 'plausible' based on my own time spent with the Liquid Spark and going through these simple little exercises. Whether it's nonsensical or not, I don't really care as there is no value in me taking a deep dive into a budget amp to find out why or what. I'm not curious and if you say that what I'm hearing is a placebo, then so be it, I'll continue enjoying my placebo effect.

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