[Ultralight]

Now that the LIO has been out for a little while, it may be interesting to find out what speakers owners are matching to the LIO.  For example, Vinnie matched the LIO with the Harbeth HL5 at shows. Perhaps a list of the previous source/amp you were using before the LIO make this thread even more interesting.    It would be wonderful to see the diversity of how owners integrate LIO into their systems.

UL

[brh]

Well, I'll chime in here. I've been using LIO since its release (I was one of the first orders, I'm sure) with Audience 'The One' loudspeakers, in a desktop setting. I have since moved, and I have a crappy temporary setup with my set of Audience 2+2 loudspeakers in a nearfield setting. For those not in the loop, all Audience speakers use the same driver, and all are one-way (full range driver) configurations, just with more or fewer of the same driver in various configurations. 'The One' uses one of their drivers front-firing, with a rear-firing passive radiator, and a big wad of corrugated cardboard in the middle for damping etc. It's a single piece acrylic box. The 2+2s have two front-firing drivers and two rear-firing drivers in a bipolar configuration, with a side-firing passive radiator.  In a nearfield/desktop setting, the 'The Ones' tend to work better, I hazard, because of the way one can position the radiator vs. a wall. The 2+2s work better when you can kind of knock them in a corner or toward side walls.

LIO performs spectacularly with these drivers. Prior, my RWA Sig 16 was the best thing I had to feed them, and it did a great job. LIO handily bests it. My backup amp is an AVA Media Maestro 50. It's a good amp for its size and all, but very clinical and sharp compared to either of Vinnie's offerings. I use QED Silver Micro cables, source right now is a Mac Pro 6,1; iTunes; USB. Telefunken E88CC, RVC.

Anyway, LIO (and RWA Sig 16) really get along well with Audience speakers. For anyone looking for a full-range driver solution… this one works…

[Srajan Ebaen]

I'm desktopping LIO with the Boenicke Audio W5se, a 3-inch widebander plus sidefiring long-throw 5.25" woofer plus tiny rear-firing tweet, solid wood, rear-firing port with curved rectangular line. USB in for Spotify+, Qobuz and Tidal 16/44 streaming, Sennheiser HD800 for private sessions. Fabulous!

[karastav]

Boenicke W5se as well. My LIO arrives any day now - will post impressions after break in. The Boenickes have blown me away. Sold my big vinyl rig and wanted something small and portable - laptop -> LIO --> W5se : can fit on a carry on and play in Europe or US.

[DavidH]

I don't yet have a LIO (yet) and I currently have Volti modified Klipschorns but I am upgrading to the full Monty Vittorias shortly which is why am keen to see a low wattage Class A module. The LIO is a pretty new concept and I am getting recommendations for various SET offerings notably Border Patrol which has been very successfully paired with the Vittorias at several shows.

http://www.borderpatrol.net/amplifiers.htm

http://www.voltiaudio.com/borderpatrol.shtml

The power supply of the BPs seems to be what sets it apart and I wondered if anyone can shed some light on whether that is correct and how the LIO could reasonably be compared to this option.

I am keen on a LIO config of AVC + tubestage and the planned Class A module.

Regards David

[Vinnie R.]

You can expect LIO MOSFET AMP to work well with a wide variety of speakers, as long as you are not
asking for it to output more power than it can.

Speakers with impedance dips down to 2-ohms will still be ok and should sound fine - again, until you are trying to
push out more power than the output stage can deliver.  LIO's MOSFET AMP has low output impedance (< 0.1 ohm)
and a very high current power supply - so it may trick you into thinking there are more ponies under the hood.

When I visted ALO Audio in Portland last month, we connected LIO to the massive Gamut RS9's (89dB, 4-ohm, dips to 3.2 ohm)
and they sounded stunningly good!   We were easily breaking 90dB peaks and feeling the punch. 

I also have a customer who was using a much more power amp (> 200wpc) into Vandersteen 3A's, and he
decided to try the LIO's MOSFET Amp and he was surprised how good it sounds and allowed him to
play at the same listening levels that he normally does. 

At the other extreme, I expect Omega's and other single-driver, high efficiency types to work great with LIO.

LIO sounds mighty impressive with Harbeth 40.1s and I have been using my pair in a near field arrangement and
get amazing results!

DARKO tested LIO with KEF LS50s and Zu Soul MK2's (naturally, the Zu's will allow you to play louder for rocking out
at higher dB's).

Other reviews are in the works, and they have the LIO MOSFET AMP to report about. 

I hope other LIO owners will chime in and post what they are using for speakers.  Thanks for all your posts so far!

Vinnie

[Ultralight]

Yes, I do expect that the Lio, with its high current capacity, to work well with a great range of speakers belying its 25 watts rating into 8 ohms.  This thread is meant to be a confirmation of that as more and more users report in. 

Thanks!
UL

[Srajan Ebaen]

Another speaker giving a very good showing of itself on the desktop with LIO right now is the Coin Audio Mansion Compact, a 6" down-ported two-way with a 6-ohm nominal impedance and 86dB efficiency. Volume (USB in) is always below 40 on the dial so plenty of headroom to do real damage. 

[Srajan Ebaen]

Having moved a few things around for a current review, here's a terrific speaker combo with the LIO which goes beyond the desktop to a standard free-standing setup. These speakers are the Italian Albedo Audio Aptica, a 6" 2-way Accuton-fitted transmission line floorstander. Used for video, +/- 40 on the dial of an available 63 is all we manage. LIO's contributions here are absolutely awesome bass power and extension which you'd not believe looking at the speaker's svelte form factor and size. It's a very clever implementation of a TL, with two built-in Helmholz resonators to cancel the primary organ-pipe resonance of any open line. It does however respond noticeably to *current". Here LIO goes beyond other amps we've used here. And btw, this speaker is a low 85dB! Last night we did Jupiter Ascending (confused story line, too much disparate action crammed into a movie that shoulda been a short TV series instead) and we kept having to turn down the volume when things got boisterous as LIO really expanded the dynamic range (and the mastering engineers keep cranking up the gain whenever there's some explosion only to depress it again when there's dialogue - really bad).

Long story short, LIO aces this load so no need to think of its 25wpc 8-ohm rating as marginal when it comes to the right speakers...

[Vinnie R.]

Hi Srajan,

Thanks for the posts.  Both sets of speakers look interesting and I'll have to check out your preview/review pages on those.
And as always, nice pics and arrangement!   

Vinnie

[matthewpartrick]

Joseph Audio Pulsars.  Excellent soundstage.

[TomS]

My LIO is fully loaded now (Phono/RCL, Input Select, RVC, Tubestage, DSD DAC, MOSFET amp), driving a pair TAD Evolution 1's. They are a 4 ohm load, 88db sensitivity (2.83v @1m), but known to require BIG power to sound best, such as with the big TAD amps at shows. I've been very pleased using AI Atsah monoblocks (700w @4 ohm) with them for a long time.

So far, I've found the LIO MOSFET amp (45w @4 ohm) drives the TADs comfortably to very satisfying levels, max about 45-50 on the attenuator in a large space. There is no sign of strain, though I haven't pushed it past that point as I didn't see the need. Oh, and for those wondering about the "noise floor" when LIO is configured as a full integrated, it's just not there. Incredibly quiet, even with a tube stage

[Vinnie R.]

My LIO is fully loaded now (Phono/RCL, Input Select, RVC, Tubestage, DSD DAC, MOSFET amp), driving a pair TAD Evolution 1's. They are a 4 ohm load, 88db sensitivity (2.83v @1m), but known to require BIG power to sound best, such as with the big TAD amps at shows. I've been very pleased using AI Atsah monoblocks (700w @4 ohm) with them for a long time.

So far, I've found the LIO MOSFET amp (45w @4 ohm) drives the TADs comfortably to very satisfying levels, max about 45-50 on the attenuator in a large space. There is no sign of strain, though I haven't pushed it past that point as I didn't see the need. Oh, and for those wondering about the "noise floor" when LIO is configured as a full integrated, it's just not there. Incredibly quiet, even with a tube stage

Hi TomS,

Wow, that's quite the change in power - from 700w into 4-ohms to 45w into 4-ohms! 

I was equally surprised and impressed when we tested LIO with a pair of Gamut RS9's - LIO MOSFET AMP really
made them sing as long as you didn't push it into clipping.  But within its power range, it sounded glorious!

Thanks for sharing!

Vinnie

[yardbird4]

My LIO is fully loaded now (Phono/RCL, Input Select, RVC, Tubestage, DSD DAC, MOSFET amp), driving a pair TAD Evolution 1's. They are a 4 ohm load, 88db sensitivity (2.83v @1m), but known to require BIG power to sound best, such as with the big TAD amps at shows. I've been very pleased using AI Atsah monoblocks (700w @4 ohm) with them for a long time.

So far, I've found the LIO MOSFET amp (45w @4 ohm) drives the TADs comfortably to very satisfying levels, max about 45-50 on the attenuator in a large space. There is no sign of strain, though I haven't pushed it past that point as I didn't see the need. Oh, and for those wondering about the "noise floor" when LIO is configured as a full integrated, it's just not there. Incredibly quiet, even with a tube stage

Speaking of power I used to drive my Spendor FL 9's (3 way tri-wires; 8 ohms; 89 db sensitivity) with Parasound JC 1 monoblocks 400 watts into 8 ohms; fully class A for the first 25 watts. The Placette Passive Line Stage.  I received my LIO on 8/7/15 current fitted with the AVC + Tube Stage, Amp, DAC, Phono etc. 

While I have no doubt that the Parasound JC 1's would drive the Spendors to higher absolute volume levels, I don't believe, for my purposes that they have any advantage over the LIO in terms of usable volume levels (levels that don't threaten your hearing with constant listening).  Having to turn the dial higher on the clock to get to your particular preference is meaningless to me.

But this is what is most striking to me at this earlier stage in my LIO experience.  The LIO power supply has a clear and unmistakable advantage over the Parasounds (which I WAS quite fond of) in bass definition, control, and extension.  This is simply amazing when you the Parasound Monoblock can output 400 watts into 8 ohms as opposed to LIO's 25 watts.  I used 2 Rel Storms with the Parasound Monoblocks.  While I will try them with the LIO because good subs offer more than simply more bass, I have yet to hook them up.  In other words the ultra capacitor power supply obviously is a game changer.

[Vinnie R.]

Hi yardbird4,

Thank you for your post, and you bring up a very good point here:

But this is what is most striking to me at this earlier stage in my LIO experience.  The LIO power supply has a clear and unmistakable advantage over the Parasounds (which I WAS quite fond of) in bass definition, control, and extension.  This is simply amazing when you the Parasound Monoblock can output 400 watts into 8 ohms as opposed to LIO's 25 watts.

Yes - having more max output power does NOT necessarily mean that the perceived quality of the bass is better than an
amplifier with a lower power rating.  In other words, while an amplifier with higher rated output power should play a give pair of speakers to louder SPL's before clipping, its higher power does not necessarily give attributes such as better bass control, extension, definition, etc.
There are other factors at play, such as output impedance of the speaker output stage, and power supply characteristics (output impedance of the power supply), etc.

In other words the ultra capacitor power supply obviously is a game changer.

That was the goal - thank you     

Cheers,

Vinnie

[Ultralight]

I do hope to eventually do a short review but I had the privilege of listening to the LIO with a pair of Omega Alnico XRS.  I will say that the pairing is fantastic - best I've heard in my room.  I do note that though for me, I would still want a sub to extend frequency to 20s.  In addition to the amp out, all the outputs are still active and tied to the volume control so you can connect a pair of subs and control the volume from the LIO.  It is just a wonderful setup.   Dollar for dollar, the LIO and Omegas both do seem to provide very high returns.

UL

[wilsynet]

The Devore Fidelity Orangutan O/93 with the LIO (AVC + tube stage, MOSFET amp, DAC).  It's early yet, but my impression so far is that the pairing is right up there with the very best I've heard in my living room.

[decur]

I have the devore 096 and want to hear the lio! Im looking forward to seeing vinnie and alexis @ rmaf this weekend

[Vinnie R.]

The Devore Fidelity Orangutan O/93 with the LIO (AVC + tube stage, MOSFET amp, DAC).  It's early yet, but my impression so far is that the pairing is right up there with the very best I've heard in my living room.

Hi wilsynet,

Those are some fantastic 1st impressions!    Thank you!

Hi Decur,

See you at RMAF! 

I'll have the fully loaded LIO and the VR120, so you can hear the difference between the LIO MOSFET AMP module and
the VR120 driving the new Harbeth 40.2s 

Vinnie

[TomS]

...

I'll have the fully loaded LIO and the VR120, so you can hear the difference between the LIO MOSFET AMP module and
the VR120 driving the new Harbeth 40.2s 

Vinnie

Ok, sign me up for that one