I just realized we dont have a thread for these yet. With some recent discussion of other models as well as having a few LAu owners here I figured it was time to make one
8 Likes
There are two sets of sockets. One for octals and one for novals. They are situated like that so that you can only use one set of tubes at a time. the LG also has switchable tube and heater voltages on the front panel (feel like these shouldnāt be in a place thats quite so easy to bump as changing while the amp is on = tubes go boom, but as it goes). Ultimately the LG is designed to be the ultimate tube rolling amp with an obscene amount of tube options.
I believe the LG is roughly the same size as the OG LAu (as compared to the smaller LC and LF) which is a shame, but as it goes.
2 Likes
For the amount of love Cavalli gets elsewhere, this is one short thread.
What is the story behind cavalli, why did he quit making amps?
3 Likes
Short version he went from DIY builder to manufacturer, in the end he didnāt enjoy running the business, and he retired.
9 Likes
Yeah pretty much he retired so he could spend more time with his family and grandchildren. can respect that.
As for the short thread, likely just due to the rarity factor. Not many people have access to his amps, after all they were relatively limited and itās been 7 years since cavalli audio closed shop.
I owned a Liquid Gold myself for 6 months and It was every bit as capable as solid state amps of today. I hope I get the chance to hear/own a Liquid Glass someday though.
8 Likes
4 Likes
Dang. Super cool design. Which I could buy it. Loved my Liquid Platinum so damn much I could totally see myself getting another calvalli design again. Woo audio and calvalli for the rest of my life.
2 Likes
Thats a pretty sweet one with a white face.
I thought there was more to his story, something about other manufacturers giving him a hard time for his designs. Slight forum disagreements or something.
It seems he put a lot of thought into circuit safety. I know there is a company that repairs his designs now, i wonder why he didnt sell the design and slow roll in royalties.
From what i read he seems like a cool guy.
1 Like
In effect he did, both Massdrop and monoprice have paid for his designs, I believe he has final say on component quality at monoprice, though Iām sure they are built to a price.
There was some annoyance when he retired, the OG guarantees on Cavali components was lifetime, and that ceased to be true when he retired.
I owned an OG liquid Gold, and Iād put it up there especially if you like the 1266, probably my favorite amp for that headphone.
7 Likes
I hear a lot about the Gold for sure. I am hoping to hear the crimson via @Draaly semi soon.
They are seem like they were carved out of the black monolith block from Space Odyssey.
2 Likes
For those that have heard both, what are the thoughts on comparing an OG Gold and a Crimson?
I suspect good synergy with a 2.2pf and possibly the 24 but any extra thoughts are welcome. Any decent synergy with the Utopia or is the focal better served elsewhere?
3 Likes
The utopia is passable on the liquid gold, probably the best ss Iāve heard it with, but it does end up sounding a little too aggressive for my tastes and harsh in some instances. You end up losing alot of the naturalness and unique stage presentation compared to something like the Studio B.
4 Likes
Thoughts from the current owner. It is interesting how contrasting it is to others here. I do get the impression it is a more laid back sound signature, but i do wonder if his main use case (harder to drive audeze) just was too much in one direction, or just not his preference. Where @Towa and the Utopia may be too much the other way.
One Person's Impressions
Itās kind of sleepy, dull, slow and boring. I actually think the Monoprce Liquid Gold X sounds better with Audezeās. I bought this second og Liquid Gold because it came up for sale and I couldnāt believe this is what it was supposed to sound like, so I thought maybe the hand built version sounded like Cavalli intended. And it does sound better, but still meh.
I wouldnāt recommend spending so much on the amp I think the power numbers and how unbelievably sexy it is has just got stupid head-fiers hearing things that are not there.
I do agree, Cavallis are sexy sexy looking amps. I first thought maybe he was trying to deter me in favor of someone else but it seems he just feels that way or is just being plagued by the dowmarket. Great for someone that loves the LAu but wants a bit more or wants the cool handmade OG of OGs aspect.
1 Like
My exact inpression of holo dacs. But yah. The amp needs some heavy handed energy. Weiss works very well but dave isnt fair enough imo. Its ljke a 13r taken even further signature wise
Fwiw, the fact that you can fix that trait with rolling is the primamry reason i think LC is so viable
1 Like
I can see where his impression comes from, but it is one of my favorite SS amps.
Itās very much the Cavali sound, and I happen to like that.
If you love the sound of say a Benchmark amp, or the grit of some entry level amps, itās not the amp for you. I also wouldnāt pair it with a DAC that already skewās warm.
To me it has authority and control, I can see an argument that says the treble is smoothed or rolled off, but it really isnāt if you listen to it. It stages well and while itās not a detail monster is more detailed than you think at first blush. I also wouldnāt class it as slow.
Was my favorite amp with the 1266 (I liked it better than the wa33 for that), and it was good with the Susvara.
I enjoyed mine while I had it, mostly got rid of it because I couldnāt use it and the WA33 on the P3 when I added that to my system.
3 Likes
I dont think this is a fair way to put it. The āgritā that LAu is lacking isnāt the same kind of āgritā that cheap amps have. Instead itās just an energy to the texture that lots of high end amps miss out on (13R, ahb2, and ferrum are also missing this, but to a lesser extent imo). Hell, the whole reason I even like AIC and am not fond of 13R is because AIC has this grit.
IMO this is just objectively false. The amp isnāt utter goo, but it is quite smooth, and treble is absolutely rolled. There is nothing wrong with liking that and several dacs can help alleviate this (IMO one of the main reasons rockna ā bakoon/enleum works so well), but saying that the amp isnāt on the smoother side and that extension isnāt rolled is just false IMO.
Ultimately there is nothing wrong with liking the amp (I personally went less technical in favor of flavor more to my liking with the AIC as well) but I really think you are glossing over the downsides of this amp in a pretty major way, and I say this even as someone who thinks itās a fairly easy recommendation at the 3k price range.
1 Like
As Iāve said before you and I hear things very differently.
5 Likes
I would say itās a smoother leaning amp, I donāt think Iād say itās rolled off though, at least my unit wasnāt with what I paired it with. Itās a pretty sensitive unit to dacs, so with the wrong pairing it can be fairly unsatisfactory. Despite itās signature/voicing Iād actually consider it somewhat transparent to the source which is interesting. Honestly Iād consider it less smooth and a bit more extended than the 13r in treble, but still on the smoother side of things
In terms of the energy, I think thatās also entirely dependant on the dac being paired, I donāt think Iād compare it to the lack of energy in things like the ferrum or benchmark because while dac pairing can improve those as well, they still never really get it right, but I think the gold can fully alleviate those issues with the right pairing. But itās also not the most energetic option, and if youāre looking for max energy itās not going to do well.
The 13r is a good comparison point because I think thereās a decent amount of similarities to draw there, but Iād say itās a decent bit less forgiving and more transparent to source than the 13r, but the 13r will offer a bit higher technical level. I think it would come down to pairings, one thing the 13r is meh at from my experience are higher impedance cans letās say 800s, and the lau is a pretty different beast there, but Iād rather listen to a susvara on a 13r. Either way though both are relaxed and smoother leaning, but Iād be inclined to say the bakoon is moreso than the liquid gold, again at least given my unit and pairings.
6 Likes
Also, this is why some prefer the liquid glass, because it had a decent bit more lower level energy that the gold and crimson donāt
3 Likes