[warrenpchi]

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The Liquid Carbon Upgrade Guide & Impressions Tour​

 

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As many of you know, Cavalli Audio has recently announced that all Liquid Carbon owners are eligible for an exclusive discount on any one of our premium amps.  At the same time, we are now collecting orders for one final production run for these premium amps (this ordering period closes on April 18th, 2016).  Taken together, this is fantastic opportunity for you to get your hands on one of our premium amps at a truly significant savings!
 
However, there is one question that many of you have been asking:  which premium Cavalli amp should I get?
 
Of course we understand this dilemma.  Though we are making an effort to be at every major show between now and April 18th (CanJam SoCal 2016 and AXPONA 2016), many of you are unable to attend these shows, and thus cannot audition our premium amps.  And so, the question of which premium amp to get remains unanswered.  A few weeks ago, I was having lunch with @Stillhart and this exact topic came up.
 
And the answer we came up with was a very special product tour.
 
Essentially, your fellow Liquid Carbon owners will be spending some time with our premium amps before AXPONA 2016.  They will be gathering and posting comparative impressions between their Liquid Carbons, and whichever premium Cavalli amp they have been assigned.  They have also generously agreed - within reason - to answer your questions regarding how specific headphones from their collections fare with both amps.
 
And so, a few days ago, at the close of CanJam SoCal 2016, our demo amps were shipped off to the first of several Carbon owners participating in this tour.  Some of these amps have now reached their destinations, and we're now ready to open this Liquid Carbon Upgrade Guide & Impressions Tour thread!
 

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Before we begin, I'd like to note several important things about the tour/thread:
 

1. While I am happy to answer any questions regarding product information, I will not be offering any of my own impressions herein.  This thread is intended to serve as an open and impartial dialog between you and your fellow Liquid Carbon owners.
2. I am not now, nor have I been, in charge of who is participating in this thread... nor have I decided which units they have received.  @Stillhart has graciously offered to administrate the tour on our behalf, and he will be doing just that without any interference from us.
3. None of the people on this tour are offered any compensation whatsoever for doing this.  They have volunteered their own time, for which they have our appreciation and gratitude.

 

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Okay, with that all out of the way, I'm going to hand this over to @Stillhart so that he can introduce the tour in more detail.  I hope that this helps all of you make a better decision on whether you should upgrade from your Liquid Carbons... and if so... to which one of our premium amps!  

 
-Warren

 

[Stillhart]

Hello, everyone!  
 
As Warren mentioned above, he asked me to put this tour together after we were talking about how many people had questions about the big amps compared to the Carbon.  The problem is simply that not enough people have heard both.  So the idea was to do a quick tour before the pre-orders on the big amps close so that more people can contribute impressions.
 
Warren gave me some parameters (number of amps, dates, etc.) and I came up with a list of users who I thought would be good to have on tour.  With some advice from Warren, who left the final decisions to me, I made the final selections and sent off the invites.
 
I do want to apologize in advance to anyone who may feel left out.  There are very few amps available to tour and there are only a few weeks left before pre-orders close.  That means each amp gets to two people and then has to be in Chicago for AXPONA.  
 
With that out of the way, here are the folks who will be helping you decide which amps to get:
 
Liquid Crimson:  @x RELIC x, @goldendarko, @musicman59, @doctorjazz
Liquid Glass:  @Stillhart, @Hansotek
Liquid Lightning 2T (SS):  @Stillhart, @Hansotek
Liquid Gold:  @reddog, @mscott58, @pippen99, @bearFNF
 
(Some, like myself, have other Cavalli amps than the ones on tour, so bonus!)
 
So there you go.  Anyone with questions, concerns, impressions, advice, comparisons and/or praise for any of these amps, come in and discuss.  We have until the end of April 18 to place our orders!
 
Don't forget, if you have a Liquid Carbon, you get $600 off your big amp.  If not, you can still take advantage of the Canjam Socal coupon code until the end of March 27 to get 10% off.  (And no, these don't stack.)
 

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Quick note: It was Warren's idea to put me on the tour.  That was his only input into who gets the amps and it was a suggestion, not a requirement.  I swear I didn't just put myself on the tour or I'd have ALL TEH APMZ!

 

[Stillhart]

Reserved

 

[goldendarko]

Subscribed.

Hey guys, I'll be one of the people posting impressions of the new Crimson soon. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions or comparisons you'd like me to make. I should be receiving the loaner unit around April 4th so I'll be back around then to start posting impressions. Looking forward to hearing this beautiful looking amp.

 

[pippen99]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/801264/music-city-meet-volume-5-nashville-tn-spring-2016-april-9-2016Subscribed
 
Thanks to Warren and Dan for this opportunity.  I will be auditioning and offering impressions of the Liquid Gold(Lau).  If you are considering upgrading to the Lau and want to hear it I will be bringing the Lau to the Nashville spring meet for
all to hear this fine amp. Join us for a great time with great people and great equipment April 9 in Nashville!

 

[reddog]

Hello everyone I am one of the lucky few, chosen to listen to the Liquid Gold. I also own the Liquid Carbon, Crimson and Glass, so please let me know, what comparison you would like. I will be getting the loaner LIquid Gold, around April 4 and I will start posting my impressions then, unless you have any questions. I can not wait to hear the Mighty Liquid Gold ( Llau).
Please see my profile for the headphones I will be using.
P.s I would like to thank Warren for allowing me to participate in this Tour.

 

[mscott58]

Seems like I should follow my brothers here and call out that I'll be on the LAu tour. Have listened to the Gold many times at shows, but will be really special to have it in my personal rig for a while. Also looking forward to comparing it head-to-head with my Liquid Carbon.

Thanks to Dan and Warren and to all of you in the Head-Fi community.

Cheers

 

[Hansotek]

I have the Carbon and Crimson, and I got to spend a month with the Gold after the Chicago meet before sending it out to SoCal for CanJam. Got to jam the Glass and Lightning a bit yesterday at Stillhart's abode during my extended stay in Cali. Definitely looking forward to spending more time with this great gear.

Consider me a resource for your purchase decisions. All I care about is helping people find the right gear for their needs, tastes and budget. More than happy to help.

 

[bearFNF]

Hey guys. Just got home from SoCal 2016. Liquid Gold will be set up tonight I'll start my listing Impressions over the weekend and if you guys have any questions feel free to ask. I also have the Liquid Lightning SS and liquid carbon. I'll also be putting the Blue Hawaii special edition into the mix. For you Winnipeggers, if you guys want to swing on by (its only a two hour drive to Roseau) to listen to all these amps, let me know.

 

[reddog]

Hey guys. Just got home from SoCal 2016. Liquid Gold will be set up tonight I'll start my listing Impressions over the weekend and if you guys have any questions feel free to ask. I also have the Liquid Lightning SS and liquid carbon. I'll also be putting the Blue Hawaii special edition into the mix. For you Winnipeggers, if you guys want to swing on by (its only a two hour drive to Roseau) to listen to all these amps, let me know.

Glad you made it home safely Bob. I did not know you had the Liquid Lightning, that is sweet. I need to try out a electrostatic headphone and find out why some consider Electrostats to be the best sounding cans. Hope you have a great weekend jamming out.

 

[bearFNF]

Thanks, I'm resting from the trip right now. Will start unpacking in about a half an hour or so.

 

[ejong7]

Hello everyone I am one of the lucky few, chosen to listen to the Liquid Gold. I also own the Liquid Carbon, Crimson and Glass, so please let me know, what comparison you would like. I will be getting the loaner LIquid Gold, around April 4 and I will start posting my impressions then, unless you have any questions. I can not wait to hear the Mighty Liquid Gold ( Llau).
Please see my profile for the headphones I will be using.
P.s I would like to thank Warren for allowing me to participate in this Tour.

Oh shieeeeetttt you basically have the motherload. Like every non-electrostatic amp. Would be cool to hear what you say about the Ether and the C with them.

 

[reddog]

Oh shieeeeetttt you basically have the motherload. Like every non-electrostatic amp. Would be cool to hear what you say about the Ether and the C with them.

I would be happy to give my impressions on the ETHER and ETHER C, and how they sound through the LAU.

 

[pippen99]

so II would be happy to give my impressions on the ETHER and ETHER C, and how they sound through the LAU​

My test headphones will be the LCD-X and ETHER so I will be adding my impressions as well

 

[austinpop]

 
This should be fun!
 
I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a LAu order before the CanJam SoCal 10% discount ran out, but I am really looking forward to your impressions.
 
Please, please also post your impressions of the Cavalli amp under review (CAUR) in comparison to any and everything you have on hand. I'd also love to hear intra-Cavalli comparisons - e.g. Crimson vs. Gold, or Gold v. Glass.
 
But hey - no pressure!