I never thought amps made much of a difference...until I got a Liquid Spark

Submitted by givemeyournews t3_1253se7 in headphones

Ok, cables, amps, Dacs, for the most part, all sound pretty much the same to me from what I have used. Sure, there are minor differences, and a source chain can impact sound, but it's always been a negligible difference to my ears.

My current sources start with MacBook Pro 14" into an RME ADI-2 FS. I use this as the DAC and amp most of the time, but also have a Drop THX AAA 798 and my Liquid Spark hooked up to the outputs of the ADI-2. Additionally, for portable use I have an Apple lightning dongle, an older FiiO E12A Mont Blanc (for IEM) direct out of the headphone out of the Macbook Pro, and an Ear Studio ES100MKII.

IEMs used include Blessing 2 Dusk, Truthear Hexa, Zero and Hola, Tin HiFi T2 and T4, and 7hz Zero. Headphones are HD 6XX and Modhouse Argon.

For all intents and purpose the outputs of the 789 and RME ADI-2 FS sound the same. They are clean, resolving and seem to have no real coloration on the sound. And really, the same goes for the Apple dongle, E12A, and ES100MKII. The Liquid Spark on the other hand is noticeably warmer and more bassy. While not blind, I did some basic A/B comparison between the 789 and the Liquid Spark using the ADI-2 as the DAC. With both the Blessing 2 Dusk and the HD 6XX (my most commonly used items), the Liquid Spark sounds pretty much the same as the ADI-2 with a +3db bass boost active. What is gong on with the Liquid Spark? Does it use some type of different topology, or just "unique" component choices maybe?

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maXXXjacker t1_je2q5gp wrote

It's likely the so called "Cavalli house sound" that you are hearing.

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1018/Monoprice_Monolith_Liquid_Spark_Headphone_Amplifier_Review.htm

Link above kind of goes into it a little.

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givemeyournews OP t1_je2sx2d wrote

Thanks for the link. I’ve saved it to read later.

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maXXXjacker t1_je2uw0p wrote

No worries, it is an interesting read but the cliff notes is it basically validates your discovery and that Cavalli products typically have a certain 'warmth' to them. Having the 788 flavor of THX and the Liquid Spark myself, the LS does have some warmth to it in comparison.

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[deleted] t1_je4pvc7 wrote

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maXXXjacker t1_je68ae5 wrote

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

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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

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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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Aracari_LoA t1_je3geab wrote

I also found the spark to sound warm but I can't stand it in high gain. Staging is way off to the point of being obnoxious. In low gain it sounds fine though. I would say it's all just placebo but I can say with confidence the treble is noticeably less fatiguing than what I'm used to. So much so I can listen to my edition 10 at mid/high volume without EQ on it and it's bearable, something that's impossible to do on my other amps.

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Dust-by-Monday t1_je2motq wrote

I can't tell a single difference running my 6XX out of my Mac (3V RMS) and my iPhone 12 Mini. None.

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sustained_vibrations t1_je39a6t wrote

I can’t be the only one who hates the THX 887/789. Only amp I’ve ever heard that makes the 6xx sound bad.

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givemeyournews OP t1_je3fqh5 wrote

That’s the beauty of preference. I do like the HD6XX with the 789 but I add 3db of bass boost to it most of the time.

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FourOpposums t1_je3id1p wrote

I agree with both of you and think that it shows that amps really don't matter because that amp is not neutral. There's nothing wrong with that, I also buy tube amps precisely because with the right tubes they are gooey and do not sound neutral either.

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StableSilent t1_je3tiyx wrote

When I switched from the liquid spark to the a30 pro I was genuinely impressed with how different they were. I knew the spark leaned warm but I didn't know exactly how warm it was in comparison to a truly reference neutral. (My only other experience was on my phone or the xduoo xp-2pro which also have a little bit of a warm tilt)

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[deleted] t1_je2beoz wrote

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givemeyournews OP t1_je2bvtq wrote

I would agree, but did volume match with in a pretty close margin. It's not louder (or really any better as I do prefer the 789 and ADI-2 more), it just has more bass and warmth. I may have to get a proper A/B switch and have the wife help me with a blind test.

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bbuky01 t1_je2k41o wrote

I agree with you the Spark does have a bit of warmth to it so might seem to bring out the bass a bit more maybe not for sure. I have a couple of other amps comparable in power and price ( JDS Labs Atom and Schiit Magni 3 ) and while I think they both sound pretty similar the Spark definitely sounds warmer. I’ve always liked the Spark as I was on the pre sale list for the original which was to be a portable amp .

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