Review and Measurements of Monoprice Liquid Spark Headphone Amp

[flipflop]

I really love the design and build quality of the LS but I can't say that I am a fan of a warmer signature.

This is not "warm":

 

[iazriel]

This is not "warm":
View attachment 30214

I am quite a newbie so thanks for clarifying that. Why is then that people say that the Atom is more accurate whereas the LS is a bit warmer?

 

[flipflop]

Why is then that people say that the Atom is more accurate whereas the LS is a bit warmer?

Because they didn't do the listening comparisons blind and level-matched, so their psychological biases trick them into thinking the amps sound different.

 

[iazriel]

I see. Thanks for your help!

 

[AndrovichIV]

I am in the same position at the moment... I am expecting my DT 770 pro 250Ω and I am torn between the Atom and the LS. I really love the design and build quality of the LS but I can't say that I am a fan of a warmer signature. I also recently purchased the HiFiman Sundara so I am also torn between which amp to choose.....

Honestly, it's a close match but get the atom. It runs so much cooler and you can stack a DAC on top. Also, the atom goes really well with the dt 770 250 ohm. So I retract my previous position, get the Atom

 

[iazriel]

Thanks, although pricey in the EU, close to 200€ Ι managed to find it at 150€. I hope my onboard high end DAC is sufficient for my needs otherwise an external DAC will be bought.

 

[Jimster480]

This is not "warm":
View attachment 30214

I can tell you that this isn't always accurate with a headphone load.
My friend has a Liquid carbon amp and amir measured it to have a totally flat frequency response.
We tried it prior to him testing one out and the amp definitely is warmer overall. Testing side by side with a RCA switcher... its clearly warmer at every volume with the same headphones.

 

[JohnYang1997]

There are a few possibilities
the power supply noise can make things warmer
high amount of noise can sound warm as well
the noise also can make things sound less glossy more loose and grainy and lack transient impact

 

[Cahudson42]

The only way to know is to use a different supply and see if it goes away. Let me see if I can do that.

For now, our threshold of hearing at 30 Hz is many, many decibels higher than that so it is not an audible concern and hence the reason you don't hear it.

Atomicbob replaced the supplied ps temporarily with a BK1623A linear bench supply, and the 30 HZ hump disappeared.

Question is: Would replacing the supplied ps with a cleaner LPS make a noticeable difference in performance, or sound perception?

 

[Cahudson42]

Atomicbob replaced the supplied ps temporarily with a BK1623A linear bench supply, and the 30 HZ hump disappeared.

Question is: Would replacing the supplied ps with a cleaner LPS make a noticeable difference in performance, or sound perception?

Yes, it could be placebo. Volume mismatch, whatever. But I can't find any 'portable' setup - NX3s, Xtrem1, es100, BTR3 that comes close to my LS/D10 combo with HE400i.

IMO, it performs above the -99db measured SNR - that is apparently that because of the 30Hz ps spike..Without the ps hum it looks like 2nd harmonic only dominates at about -112. The right of the 1kHz test tone looks exceptionally clean after that - compare to certain R2R DACs, for example.

The more I listen, the more I like it. Power rules! And a great match with, and in reality a slightly better performance than a D10 preceding it.

So, for those of us with an LS rather than an Atom - no need to apologize - or 'upgrade'

 

[JohnYang1997]

It's just poor design. Good design is power supply independent.

 

[staticV3]

Hi, just a quick question: would either the Atom or the Spark be able to deliver >2W at 16ohm? If so, how much more?

 

[john5220]

No one knows. Sadly while his website is up, you can't send him any messages (I tried).

I know this is a long shot but have you heard anything about NwAvGuy since you last tried to get into contact with him? do you know how he is doing and if he is ok? This NwAvGuy armed with his impressive electronics engineering skills is largely responsible for us having amazing audiophile tier DAC/Amps for budget money he proved that much of the audiophile world is a scam which is why he was so hated by the losers on head fi who continued to "review" $500 cables that "improved bass" and when people wasted their money on these rubbish cables the losers "65 year old senior head fi audiophiles" then claimed the cables need "burn in"

I know Jude claimed multiple times that YOU are NwAvGuy and I know it is a rubbish claim he made to discredit you but sometimes I wish that the dishonest Jude was right and YOU really are NwAvGuy.

I will just pretend you are NwAvGuy so it makes me sleep better at nights.

It is thanks to audiosciencereview, I no longer fall for the scam of subjective reviews on head fi and I realize objective review is the proper way forward.

 

[JohnYang1997]

I know this is a long shot but have you heard anything about NwAvGuy since you last tried to get into contact with him? do you know how he is doing and if he is ok? This NwAvGuy armed with his impressive electronics engineering skills is largely responsible for us having amazing audiophile tier DAC/Amps for budget money he proved that much of the audiophile world is a scam which is why he was so hated by the losers on head fi who continued to "review" $500 cables that "improved bass" and when people wasted their money on these rubbish cables the losers "65 year old senior head fi audiophiles" then claimed the cables need "burn in"

I know Jude claimed multiple times that YOU are NwAvGuy and I know it is a rubbish claim he made to discredit you but sometimes I wish that the dishonest Jude was right and YOU really are NwAvGuy.

I will just pretend you are NwAvGuy so it makes me sleep better at nights.

It is thanks to audiosciencereview, I no longer fall for the scam of subjective reviews on head fi and I realize objective review is the proper way forward.

Amir can't be NwAvGuy. If amir were to make those they shall perform a lot better. And from multiple traces Amir is not familiar with the design of o2 and dscope from Prism which NwAvGuy uses. It's not a knock on any one, or discredit on anybody. Just from my observations. I too hope NwAvGuy is doing good and wish him coming back. His documentation is really really great for starters.

 

[makmeksam]

The only way to know is to use a different supply and see if it goes away. Let me see if I can do that.

For now, our threshold of hearing at 30 Hz is many, many decibels higher than that so it is not an audible concern and hence the reason you don't hear it.

Can these kind of inaudible noises affect the performance of the speaker/headphone at the end? I was wondering that because this noise can still cause mechanical movement in the speaker/headphone diaphragm and maybe that will have a negative impact on the final sound that we hear? What do you think?

 

[Sgt. Ear Ache]

Quick question. If I want to run my Topping d10 through the Liquid Spark, and then the pre amp outs on the Spark into a line-in on my main system amp, where should I set the volume on the LS in order to get a standard line power level? Should it be maxed?

 

[gino1961]

Hi it could be that the amp has a low power supply noise rejection. A better power supply can improve that. But not the THD of course ... that depends on the internal circuit.

 

[Gamemaker]

My Liquid Spark blew out yesterday. I turned it on and the power LED started going on and off very rapidly. Then smoke started coming out from the rear of the amp. I didn’t change anything from before it was working. Still was hooked up the same way. Has anyone had this problem with their Liquid Spark? Thanks for any replies.

 

[Jimster480]

My Liquid Spark blew out yesterday. I turned it on and the power LED started going on and off very rapidly. Then smoke started coming out from the rear of the amp. I didn’t change anything from before it was working. Still was hooked up the same way. Has anyone had this problem with their Liquid Spark? Thanks for any replies.

Sorry to hear about that. Did you try contacting the company (Massdrop I think)? Maybe they can replace it for you.

 

[Gamemaker]

Sorry to hear about that. Did you try contacting the company (Massdrop I think)? Maybe they can replace it for you.

I’ve had it over a year, bought directly from the Monoprice website. I believe there is a company that repairs Alex Cavalli products. Don’t have my receipt either. Guess the amp may just be a throwaway.