My Liquid Spark arrived (@antdroid beat me to this, as you can see here). This was not something I was going to really play with, but having briefly gotten my ears on the Liquid Platinum at CanJam this weekend, I was sufficiently intrigued to give this little guy a try.
Two days later, and here it is … paired with something a bit unconventional (for me) …
Note that running the D50 at -3 dB seems to reduce the level of hash and grain I hear with it when run at 0 dB (especially when dealing with lossy content - which I try not to do). It’s a much more enjoyable listen run this way than at 0 dB … which is counter to my normal experiences in which I do NOT want digital/software control involved … especially when there’s an analog amplifier in the chain.
I generally consider the D50 to be rather on the bright and tetchy side of likable (other issues not withstanding), so I was very surprised to see how rich, warm and generally smooth this combination sounded … even when paired with a neutral headphone (Focal Clear).
I will let this sit and play for 100 hours or so and then come back and see if I still hear it the same way. As well as pairing the little Spark with some other headphones and sources.
So far, though, it’s quite an engaging little thing …