Cavalli Audio Liquid Gold User manual

Liquid Gold
Balanced Differential
Solid State Dynamic
Headphone Amplifier
®
Cavalli audio
Cavalli audioCavalli audio
Cavalli audio
Copyright © 2013-2015 Cavalli Audio, LLC
All Rights Reserved
®

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Copyright © 2013-2015 Cavalli Audio, LLC Page 3 of 16
Congratulations! You’re now the proud owner of the Cavalli
Audio Liquid Gold
®
Solid State Headphone Amplifier!
Amplifier Brea -In
Most amplifiers eed at least 150 hours of co ti uous use, playi g music, to reach their full
sou d sig atures. We recomme d at least 200 hours for the Liquid Gold.
Your Liquid Gold® Amplifier has bee playi g music for at least ____________ hours at ear full
volume. Co firmed by _______________________________.
If this umber is less tha 200 hours we recomme d that, whe you’re ot liste i g, you leave
the amp o co ti uously with your CD player i loop mode for e ough hours to reach the 200
hour poi t. It is ot ecessary to leave headpho es attached. I fact, we recommend that you
disconnect your headphones whe ot liste i g duri g this break-i period.
At this poi t - a d ot before this poi t – will the amplifier reach the level of performa ce
e abli g you to accurately judge its sou d quality a d to determi e whether it meets your
critical liste i g sta dard.
Before you judge the sound quality of the amp please follow this procedure!
Return Policy
You may retur your Liquid Gold® amplifier withi 30 days of delivery. Retur i g the amp
withi this time period will i cur a 30% restocki g fee.

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Important points to remember about the Cavalli Audio Liquid
Gold
®
Solid State headphone amplifier
The Liquid Gold® is a fully differe tial, bala ced solid state Solid State headpho e amplifier. It is
especially desig ed with very high power levels for today’s hard-to-drive pla ar mag etic
headpho es, but it does well with almost a y dy amic headpho e. Its fully differe tial topology
takes adva tage of all the be efits of differe tial operatio , i cludi g high commo mode oise
rejectio . The differe tial circuit desig of the Liquid Gold disti guishes it from some other
bala ced amplifiers which operate two separate cha els co ected together (bridged) at their
outputs.
The amp has both si gle e ded (RCA) a d two fully bala ced (XLR) stereo i puts. The i put type
is selectable with a 3-positio fro t pa el toggle switch. The si gle e ded i put has a i ter al
solid state buffered phase splitter to create a bala ced sig al to drive the amp fully bala ced.
The amp has two gai setti gs to help with the wide ra ge of dy amic headpho e impeda ces
a d se sitivities. The high gai is 8X a d the low gai is 4X. The Liquid Gold® circuit allows you
to hot switch the gai usi g the fro t pa el toggle switch.
Liquid Gold® has 4 outputs: 4 Pi XLR, Pair (L/R) of 3 Pi XLR, a d two TRS (sta dard ¼” pho e
plug). O e of the TRS jacks (Low) has gai reductio resistors for situatio s where the
headpho e se sitivity is very high. These resistors should help i ma y i sta ces of low
impeda ce, high se sitivity headpho es, but may ot satisfy all co ditio s.
Power is co trolled by a sta dby power circuit activated by a custom made Piezo power switch.
Operatio duri g power up is i dicated by two LEDs below the power switch butto . The power
supply has a co trolled startup seque ce to protect the output devices a d their drivers from
high startup tra sie t curre ts.

Copyright © 2013-2015 Cavalli Audio, LLC Page 5 of 16
Operation
Your Liquid Gold® amplifier has bee operated for at least 50 hours for quality co trol a d to
give the compo e ts a opportu ity to break i . However, most amplifiers do ’t fully settle,
ope up, a d “relax” u til they are played for at least 100 to 150 hours of operatio . The Liquid
Gold® also follows this timeli e up to 200 hours (see page 3). Your ew amp will co ti ue to
improve with regard to bass impact, more ope sou d, warmth, a d “sweet ess,” so we
stro gly recomme d that you accumulate these importa t hours o your Liquid Gold® Solid
State headpho e amplifier by playi g it as much as possible so that you may fully e joy its
performa ce as soo as possible.
Your power i let has bee set for the voltage you specified.
1) I sert the power cord.
2) Flip the standby switch o the power inlet at the rear of the amplifier. The power switch
on the front panel should light white.
3) Pushi g the power switch tur s the amp o (see otes below about “The Power Switch”).
The white LED to the left a d u der the power switch will light red i dicati g that the amp
is o . This LED is marked “W” for “Wait.”
4) The power circuit will delay a ywhere from 1-2 mi utes depe di g o your li e/mai s
voltage before e abli g the outputs. Whe the first delay is fi ished the “W” LED will tur
from red to white.
5) The seco d LED, labeled “H” for Headpho es will light red.
6) Duri g this time the various se si g circuits will wait u til the DC offsets at the outputs have
stabilized to the poi t where o damage to your headpho es ca occur.
7) Whe these se si g circuits are ready, the “H” LED will light white. At this poi t the amp is
ready to use.
8) We recomme d that you let the amp warm up for about 15-30 mi utes before co ecti g
headpho es a d liste i g (although this is ot required).
9) You ca leave the amp i sta dby mode (power switch lit) for a y le gth of time.
Important - Power Supply Internal Protection
The Liquid Gold’s power supply has a automatic shutdow feature. The power supply
mo itors the li e/mai s voltage. If it drops too low for satisfactory operatio of the amp the PS
disco ects the headpho es. Whe it does this the “H” LED will go from white to red i dicati g
the disco ect.

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If your amplifier regularly tur s itself off u der ormal co ditio s this i dicates a problem. Do
ot co ti ue to cycle the power a d please co tact Cavalli Audio at [e-mail].
Power Cycling
The power circuit i the Liquid Gold will ot allow you to i sta tly tur the power off a d the
o agai . If there is power interruption at the line/mains the Liquid Gold will turn off and stay
off. This also protects the amplifier agai st rapid power glitches that ca otherwise damage the
electro ics.
Headphone Outputs
The Liquid Gold® Solid State Headpho e Amplifier is equipped with o e 4 Pi XLR output, two 3
Pi XLR outputs (Left/Right), a d two TRS (Pho e) jacks. The 3 Pi XLR a d TRS jacks are
co tai ed i two combi atio jacks o the fro t pa el.
4 Pin XLR
This jack supports headpho es wired with a 4 Pi fully bala ced co ector. This jack is
labeled above the jack with the letters “Bal.”
CA TION: do not connect headphones with a 4 Pin XLR which has a common ground (3
wire) connection to the headphones. This will absolutely damage the amplifier and
void your warranty.
3 Pin XLRs
Some headpho es are equipped with two 3 Pi XLR co ectors for i depe de t left a d
right cha el operatio . These are labeled above the jacks as “Left” a d “Right”.
TRS Jac s
There are two TRS jacks combi ed i to the 3 Pi XLR jacks (Neutrik combo jacks). These
are labeled below the jacks as “Low” a d “High”.
Jack High is co ected directly to a si gle e ded output of the Liquid Gold’s power
sectio . Use this jack for headpho es which eed higher power.
Jack Low is co ected through a set of resistors to reduce oise/power output for
se sitive headpho es to the opposite si gle e ded output. Use this jack if you have
se sitive headpho es a d ca ot get e ough rotatio o the volume co trol for useful
operatio .

Copyright © 2013-2015 Cavalli Audio, LLC Page 7 of 16
Recommended Mode of Operation
The Liquid Gold amplifier ca ru with si gled e ded i put a d
si gle e ded output or a combi atio of si gle e ded a d
bala ced. However, to get the best performa ce from this
amplifier we recomme d that you operate i fully bala ced
mode from i put to output .
Extended On Time (please read this)
The Liquid Gold® amplifier will be efit from some warm up time, about a half hour to a hour.
We do not recommend, however, that you leave the amp o for exte ded periods of time
whe ot liste i g. Leavi g the amp co sta tly o will shorte compo e t life a d will ot
(after the i itial break-i period) be efit the so ic character of the amp. We do ot
recomme d, for example, tur i g the amp o Friday eve i g a d tur i g it off Su day eve i g
if you pla o liste i g for o ly a few hours each day.

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Front
Panel
Controls and Jac s
This diagram shows the power switch o the left, the power o wait LED (W), the offset detector LED (H), the 4 Pi XLR Output Jack (Bal), the two Combo Jacks which provide 3 Pi XLR (Left, Right) a d S-E (TRS Low/High) jacks. The gai switch (High/Low) a d i put selector switch (B2, B1, S) are o the right. TRS Jack Low is for low impeda ce, high se sitivity headpho es.

Copyright © 2013-2015 Cavalli Audio, LLC Page 9 of 16
Rear Panel Jac s and Power Inlet
This diagram shows the i put jack arra geme t. The leftmost jack is the si gle e ded RCA i put, ext is bala ced i put #1, the bala ced i put #2. Power i let has a sta dby switch.

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The Front Panel Power Switch
Your Liquid Gold® Headpho e Amplifier is equipped with a Piezo power switch. Piezo switches
virtually ever wear out from either mecha ical or electrical failure. However, Piezo switches
operate differe tly from mecha ical switches a d touch switches. The actio of a Piezo switch
is somewhere i betwee a touch switch a d a mecha ical switch.
Touch switches require o ly a touch to the se sitive surface of the switch to cause it to
respo d. Touch switches, obviously, are se sitive to early a y ki d of touch a d will
sometimes activate eve whe you do ’t wa t them to. A mecha ical pushbutto switch
requires that you cause the switch mecha ism to make some amou t of travel as you push it.
A Piezo switch is similar to a touch switch i that there is o detectable mecha ical travel, but
there must be some small deflectio of the fro t face of the switch. Thus, a Piezo switch feels
like a touch switch where you must apply some small amou t of pressure to activate the
switch. This pressure is low, but ot zero. Take some time to u dersta d a d feel how your
Piezo switch works a d the it should operate without issues for the life of your amplifier.
Ventilation
The Liquid Gold® dissipates close to 50W of power. It is very importa t that you DO NOT
OBSTR CT THE AIRFLOW ARO ND THE AMPLIFIER, especially from the bottom to the top a d
i to the sides. Do ot put a ythi g o the top of the amp that blocks ve tilatio holes. Do ot
put the amp o a surface that might block ve tilatio or reduce airflow from the bottom. Do
ot restrict the airspace arou d the amplifier. Leave at least 10” at the top and 3” at the sides
if possible. The top cover of the amp will ru hot a d the volume k ob will be warm!!

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What about those twea y things li e cables, power cords, better
feet and such that I’ve heard so much about?
Everyo e has a opi io o this o e, a d we ca say without a doubt that at this level of
performa ce every cha ge makes a differe ce. The exte t to which this cha ge is a
improvement is, of course, the subject of much debate. Such is the ature of high-performa ce
audio.
O e of our closely-held opi io s with regard to the e tire matter of “What makes ‘better
sou d’ better?” ca be summed up i a few short words – “if the musical result of the cha ge
MOVES YOU, the it is worth co sideri g. If ot, spe d those discretio ary fu ds obtai i g
more of your favorite music!”
OK, so ow comes that time whe we require you to read some verbiage writte i legalese. If
you u dersta d all of it, you’re probably a attor ey. If you do ’t u dersta d all of it, you’re
o e of the rest of us who does ’t like readi g this a y more tha we like requiri g that you read
it….but here it is…..

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Warranty
This Cavalli Audio product has a 1-Year warra ty for parts a d labor. Tubes are warra ted for
90 days. Warra ty does ot i clude fully i sured shippi g costs to Cavalli Audio. Warra ties are
ot tra sferable u less pre-authorized i writi g by Cavalli Audio. If the repair is due to
customer damage or eglige ce, repairs will be charged as parts a d labor, which will be
quoted before work is performed. or warranty support please contact
[e-mail] or, if purchased from one of our authorized retail outlets, please
contact the authorized retailer from whom you purchased it.
A y modificatio s to this product which have ot received writte factory approval ullify all
claims a d void the warra ty. Should a modified product be retur ed to the factory for repair
the ow er will be required to pay all ecessary charges for the repair i additio to those
charges required to retur the product to its origi al co figuratio .
Removal or alteratio of origi al Cavalli Audio serial umbers voids the factory warra ty.
Product with altered or missing serial numbers will be considered counterfeit product. Cavalli
Audio will ot repair or i a y way i dem ify a y cou terfeit or clo ed product.
Now that you’ve read all that, a d we assume that you have, i fact, read the above esse tial
verbiage, we’re hopi g a d trusti g that you have fou d readi g this ow er’s docume t to
have bee both useful a d e tertai i g; e ha ci g your ability to e joy your Cavalli Audio
Liquid Gold headpho e amplifier. Now, GET BACK TO ENJOYING YOUR MUSIC!
Standard Warranty Limitations
EXCEPT FOR THE EXPRESS WARRANTIES STATED HEREIN, CAVALLI AUDIO MAKES NO OTHER
REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES AND CAVALLI AUDIO HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER
WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WITHOUT
LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, PERFORMANCE,
SATISFACTORY QUALITY, OR ARISING FROM A COURSE OF DEALING, USAGE OR TRADE
PRACTICE. IN ADDITION, CAVALLI AUDIO DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE PRODUCT WILL
SATISFY YOUR REQUIREMENTS, IS WITHOUT DEFECT OR ERROR, OR THAT THE OPERATION OF
THE PRODUCT WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED. BECAUSE IT MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE FOR CAVALLI
AUDIO TO KNOW THE EXACT PURPOSES FOR WHICH CUSTOMER ACQUIRED THIS PRODUCT,
CUSTOMER ASSUMES FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR CUSTOMERS INSTALLATION, USE AND THE
RESULTS OF THAT USE.

Copyright © 2013-2015 Cavalli Audio, LLC Page 13 of 16
Limitation of Liability
IN NO EVENT WILL CAVALLI AUDIO OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE TO CUSTOMER FOR ANY
CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, OR INDIRECT DAMAGES OF ANY KIND
ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE PRODUCT, INCLUDING LOST PROFITS,
LOSSES ASSOCIATED WITH BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF USE OF THE PRODUCT, LOSS OF
DATA, COSTS OF RE-CREATING LOST DATA, OR COSTS OF PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE
GOODS, EVEN IF CAVALLI AUDIO HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES
AND NOTWITHSTANDING THE FAILURE OF ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF ANY REMEDY. IN NO EVENT
WILL CAVALLI AUDIO’S AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT
OR ANY OTHER THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF USE OF THE PRODUCT THAT EXCEEDS
THE TOTAL FEES PAID BY CUSTOMER FOR THE APPLICABLE PRODUCT AND NOTWITHSTANDING
THE FAILURE OF ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF ANY REMEDY.
If you have a y questio s or comme ts, please co tact us at [e-mail] or at
[e-mail]. We look forward to heari g from you!

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For Your Protection
Ventilation: In order to improve sound quality, your Liquid Gold amplifier ru s warm a d thus
requires free air circulatio of at least 10” at the top and 6” at the sides of the product. Never
place the amplifier i a e closed space with restricted air flow. Never place it ear a other
source of heat. Excessive heat will shorte the life of the product.
Water and moisture: NEVER use the Liquid Gold amplifier ear water. NEVER ha dle the
amplifier while i co tact with water. NEVER let the amplifier come i to co tact with water.
NEVER spill water or other liquids i to it.
Power Sources: Make sure that the voltage/freque cy stated o the back label o your
amplifier is compatible the li e/mai s voltage i your locatio .
Grounding: The electrical grou d i this amplifier is a importa t safety feature. Do not defeat
ground with special plugs, power cords, etc. Doing so will void your warranty.
Power Cords: If you use your ow power cord, use o e that meets the sta dards of your
locatio .
Power and Signal: Cables should ever be co ected or disco ected with equipme t powered
up. Failure to heed this war i g may damage or destroy equipme t.
Servicing: To reduce the risk of fire, electrical shock or other i juries, the user should ot
attempt to service the amplifier beyo d what is described i this ma ual. All other servici g
must be referred to authorized service perso el.

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Cavalli Audio – 3300 Mossy Grove Court – Cedar Park, TX 78613