Cavalli Audio Liquid Lightning

[Pars]

mosfets are wonderful...

 

in power supplies that is.

 

unless your name is nelson pass.

So what does nelson do to get away with using mosfets (in pretty much everything he does, preamps included) that seems to escape others?

[kevin gilmore]

for one thing, low voltages.

 

for another, lots and lots of standing current. at least an ampere.

 

his newest stuff is silicon carbide jfets for the output. Very

different devices from mosfets.

[spritzer]

The Cob is also less of an issue with dynamic drivers. 

[luvdunhill]

More current the better...

[Audiojunkie]

Don't look now, but the Studio Six is being pushed hard now on HF. 

[DefQon]

Schiit posted pictures of the Ragnarok. Really nice stuff.

Obviously built to be repairable. And a layout that makes

sense.

+1, me being bit picky I don't dig the red PCB colour though. :/

 

 

DefQon, you have been banned at HF. Can I have your autograph? 

 

Yeah only temporarily.

[spritzer]

Don't look now, but the Studio Six is being pushed hard now on HF. 

 

We knew that was coming.  I do wonder if any of those people have ever heard any good amps at all as this one is shit.  Look at the pics here and tell me if it is worth it:

 

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/studiosix/1.html

 

So the cheapest transformers on the market, nice enough parts that won't make up for the crappy amplifier design, being pushed by shills as nobody with any sense would ever buy it... yup that has to be ALO. 

[shellylh]

"That said here we are staring doggedly at a $5.000 6-bottle headphone amp that can drive four cans at the same time. "  

 

Well, that's quite a deal, only $1250 per headphone. 

 

Seriously, who the fuck wants to use 4 headphones at a time.  I guess this must be for a family of four.  But wait, what if you have 6 kids....

[Audiojunkie]

We knew that was coming.  I do wonder if any of those people have ever heard any good amps at all as this one is shit.  Look at the pics here and tell me if it is worth it:

 

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/studiosix/1.html

 

So the cheapest transformers on the market, nice enough parts that won't make up for the crappy amplifier design, being pushed by shills as nobody with any sense would ever buy it... yup that has to be ALO. 

 

I would bet they've never heard anything better. Is it just me, or does this amp look like a poor man's Woo (and that's not saying much). At least Woo gives you some nice looking gear at less than half the price (the circuitry on the other hand is a different story). Aren't the transformers like some of the most important components on a tube amp?

[Audiojunkie]

"That said here we are staring doggedly at a $5.000 6-bottle headphone amp that can drive four cans at the same time. "  

 

Well, that's quite a deal, only $1250 per headphone. 

 

Seriously, who the fuck wants to use 4 headphones at a time.  I guess this must be for a family of four.  But wait, what if you have 6 kids....

 

Then you'll need a Studio Eight? Or just buy speakers.

[Rotijon]

I actually think alo stuff is pretty nice looking. But no idea why so many different tubes though.

[shipsupt]

"That said here we are staring doggedly at a $5.000 6-bottle headphone amp that can drive four cans at the same time. "  

 

Well, that's quite a deal, only $1250 per headphone. 

 

Seriously, who the fuck wants to use 4 headphones at a time.  I guess this must be for a family of four.  But wait, what if you have 6 kids....

 

Right!!!

 

Every time I think about listening to headphones with 4 people I think SPEAKERS!  

[aerius]

I actually think alo stuff is pretty nice looking. But no idea why so many different tubes though.

 

Probably just uses whatever tubes are on clearout from his suppliers and/or trendy and kludges an amp around it.

[grawk]

the use for 4 headphone amps from 1 source is in a studio, for monitoring.  Where you don't need fidelity, so you use the behringer thing.

[spritzer]

I would bet they've never heard anything better. Is it just me, or does this amp look like a poor man's Woo (and that's not saying much). At least Woo gives you some nice looking gear at less than half the price (the circuitry on the other hand is a different story). Aren't the transformers like some of the most important components on a tube amp?

 

The output transformers do the majority of the work in an amp like this so they should be the most expensive piece in the bloody thing.  There is also another issue, when connecting many different headphones (with different impedance or even many of the same value) then the load on the transformer is fucked up.  Any transformer coupled amp for headphones has to have an impedance selector and this one should have six different settings to fine tune the output to suit the headphones.  Now this steaming pile of fail is done on the cheap so they would never do that. 

 

When ever Kevin and I can agree on what tubes to use and sit down and design a SET amp for dynamics a wide range of impedance selection is a crucial design point for us. 

 

I actually think alo stuff is pretty nice looking. But no idea why so many different tubes though.

 

Each one of those tubes has it's role to play.  One tube rectifier for the B+ (high voltage line feeding the tubes), two regulator tubes for the power supply, then we have the solo input tube for the amplifier and the two output tubes. 

 

What's truly lacking in this amp (and should be there for the price) are custom transformers all around, DC heaters for everything except the rectifier tube, no electrolytic caps anywhere in the amp of HV psu (as in all film caps) and some impedance matching setup. 

[Knuckledragger]

I have a 1U 19" rackmount Rolls headphone amp that has six outputs with mono/stereo selection on each and talkback capability.  I've used it in field recording for independent/student films for years.  It's great because I can communicate with the boom op, and give the director a pair of cans and keep the MFer off my back let him/her hear the mix directly.  I think it cost $150 12 years ago.  

[Jon L]

"$4.900 with Solen polypropylene caps, $5.100 with Solen Teflon caps"

 

Wow, I did not even realize Studio Six sells for this type of money  

 

Who designs ALO amps?  I recall a time when they were just a cable/recabling company not too long ago...

[Pars]

I think it is Vinnie Rossi (sp?). He started out giving mod advice on audioasylum... oops, that is red wine audio.

 

Ken Ball founded ALO audio. I think most of us thought he was a douche when we dealt with him for Chicago Can Jam, at least I did. I doubt he does the designs though.

Edited November 9, 2013 by Pars

[Rotijon]

http://www.audionote.co.uk/comp/trans/trans_02_output.shtml

Mother of all transformers. 10k GBP silver transformers. Explains why their high end SET starts at 170k. No sure how does silver transformers outdo copper ones though.

[DefQon]

Silver trafo's eh?

 

Sounds almost like Audio Consulting's silver line trafo offering for CD/SACD/DVD transports few years back. I don't think the silver provides any difference to sound compared to regular copper, it might just made more strictly to spec with the near perfect windings required for matching specifications. 

[spritzer]

No idea who designed the Studio Six but they are right to not advertise it. 

 

Transformers wound with silver is a good way to waste money but I'm far more interested in the core shape, material and winding techniques.  Now if all of those aspects are already taken care of then why not drop a few thousand on silver transformers.  They did it in the Manhattan Project after all...

[DefQon]

I have to admit AN's double C-core's are very nice looking. 

 

Maybe some for future stat amp builds? 

 

[commtrd]

On ‎10‎/‎22‎/‎2013 at 10:04 PM, oldies said:

Saying you do this to many companies does not make it the right thing to do. If you're truly attempting to help, why not contact the manufacturer directly and offer advice. Your sense of truth and professionalism is a bit skewed spritzer. I mean common man, who the hell opens up an amp and posts what you post. You spent a month of your life talking about this minor project in open forum in an attempt to come across as some self proclaimed expert and at the same time attempt to discredit the manufacturer, you said it yourself in the first post. So you swapped a few parts in an existing amp- Your'e a damn hero man!

 

I take it you could care less if others are hurt in the process. It's all about you anyway, isn't it?

Man you are ate the fuck up. So it's OK if Cavalli sells shit for big bucks and you are OK with that? These knowledgeable guys are doing us a FAVOR. Yep that's it: Another confirmed leftist bugger-eating-moron.

 

[spritzer]

Ok... 

To think this was 5 years ago is nuts. 

[Voltron]

About as nuts as unearthing a five year old thread and arguing with a ghost about a dead company.