[catmansound]

It all started with a used pair of Red Wine Audio 70.2's just over 4 years ago that I found on Audiogon, and that Vinnie graciously, and for a small fee of course, upgraded to tube stage. So impressed was I, that I bought the Isabella to match and sold my Sim Audio gear that I had, and loved, for many years. Fast forward a few pair of speakers later, and I contacted Vinnie for some upgrades, and that's when he told me about a 'new' concept he was working on. SLA's just weren't good enough I suppose. Ultra Capacitors and a new concept of plug and play modular system certainly enticed me. I seem to have this bent towards new technology, always moving forward. I was one of the early adopters of the LIO with Input Selector, Phono Stage, MOSFET Amp, RVC and Tubestage. As if that wasn't enough, I subsequently upgraded, yet again. Swapped out the RVC and Tubestage for the newer and more resilient AVC/Tubestage module, which was like night and day, and why not, go for the gold, swapped out the MOSFET for the newer VR120 Amp. So now you're caught up. If that doesn't speak volumes of my devotion to this line of products. Let me share my musical thoughts.

I'm not as proficient with the lingo that goes around in the audio trade rags, so I'll just keep it simple. For CD's I own an Esoteric X0-1 and for Digital I pump Sonos through Schiit Bitfrost. Speakers are DALI Epicon 8's. I'm not too sure, but I think the VR120 came about because I kept hounding Vinnie for more power to fill the room with my hefty sounding DALI's, as efficient as they are. What I mean is that when I had the 35 Watt MOSFET plugged in, the sound was spectacular through my speakers, even at really low volume. Rich, deep and broad in imaging. So what prompted me to want more power, particularly when there are so many audiophiles looking for low wattage? Probably just the way my brain is wired I suppose, who knows.

So, I couldn't have been more satisfied. Well, just so happens that a few weeks ago, I had my good friend Shane Tenace, of Tenacious sound, come over with some serious sound measuring equipment that consisted of a weird looking microphone and techie software run from his laptop. After a few attempts at moving some furniture around, shifting the speakers this way and that, and adjusting the software, we tuned the room so that, well what can I say, I thought I had hit gold before.

Bass is something I have had a lot of trouble with in my house, either too much or not enough. But the lesson I learned form Shane was that the bass in relation to the mid and highs was really my problem. I should say that I also swapped out cabling. My Acoustic Zen Double Barrel speaker cables and Silver Reference interconnects seemed to suck the mid rage out of the system, thus increasing the impression of the bass. Had a pretty good bass, but mid range just wasn't there. I decided I'd had enough spending oodles of money on cabling. So I gave James Schmitt a shot. I purchased several cables from him last year for my AV system downstairs in the TV room,and I was super impressed with the sound quality I got out of my Arcam AVR450 at his really great price point. This time I hit him up for his best bi-wire speaker cables and interconnects throughout, and BAM! there it was. All of a sudden Vinnie's system in conjunction with the X0-1 and DALI's came alive. So well balanced in mid's and highs, the bass sounded sweet, something one probably doesn't associate with bass, but that's my impression. Can you figure that, for a tenth the cost for cabling, I had a vast improvement in really sweet highs, clear and concise, mid range that had Annie Lennox singing "Summertime" and "You belong to me" right in my living room.

LIO is amazing in two ways. I can swap out modules and have some fun with different configurations. The sound quality of the LIO in the configuration I now own is superior to anything I have ever owned. The system really meets my expectations. I'm thrilled!!! And best of all, Vinnie... He's just so darn friendly and responsive. I don't know how he finds the time to respond not just here but with personal emails with all the innovations and trade shows he's got going on.

Thank you for a great experience!



PS> I still own the Red Wine Audio gear hooked up to a small pair of Vienna Acoustics in my work studio, jamb all day while I work.

[anicca]

I’ve had my LIO since last Sept. and listen to my audio system every day.  First thing I do after hitting the bathroom in the morning is fire up the LIO.  I live in a small 800 sq. ft. house in Asheville, NC, so my living room is my listening room.  And I can hear the music anywhere in the house, so when I’m not doing “hot seat” critical listening, the presence of music is still always there.  Yes, I am a music addict.  If I am at home, music is playing.  I listen to all kinds of music.  Often times, I have Radio Paradise playing.  Right now I don’t subscribe to any streaming music services.  That will change.   Tidal and Roon are beckoning.  Mostly I enjoy jazz, jazzgrass, bluegrass, world music, reggae, rock, americana.  Love the eclectic mix on Radio Paradise.
   My LIO is configured with the mosfet amp and the AVC/Tubestage.  I replaced the RCA Input Module with the Balanced Input Module.  It was a tight fit and after a quick call to Vinnie, who gave me a tip, it was a breeze to insert the Bal Module.  After letting the stock J&J tubes settle in with perhaps 100 hr., I replaced them with a pair of Telefunken E88CC tubes from Upscale Audio.  The LIO sits on a platform on the floor between the speakers.  My equipment  rack is situated about three ft. to the right of the right speaker, so the LIO is around 8 ft. from the rack.


 
      Source : Squeezebox Touch w/Channel Island linear power supply, ethernet connected to an Apple Extreme wireless router.
                      AIFF files stored on an external HD connected to my Mac Mini in the bedroom
                        Oppo 93 DVD player (for movies and the occasional CD played)
           DAC : Neko Dac
           Cables : 3M Grover Huffman Empress balanced IC (DAC to LIO)
              DIY VH Audio CheLA speaker cable w/WBT bananas
                        Pangea AC 14 XL power cord (Squeezebox, DAC)
                        Pangea AC 9 SE power cord (dedicated line outlet to PS Audio Duet power conditioner)
                        Lifatec Silflex Toslink glass cable (Squeezebox to DAC)
              AudioQuest .75M ethernet cable (between ethernet hub and Squeezebox)
All my CD’s are ripped to AIFF files, with some downloaded hi rez files.   
   The LIO is driving a pair of Tekton 8 Ohm, 94 dB Lore-S speakers. And the sound is sublime.  What’s most striking for me is the tonal balance at any volume level.  I listen a lot at lower volumes when I’m not doing critical listening, and the presentation can still make me stop what I’m doing and tell myself “this really sounds good”.  My previous amp was the Red Wine Audio Sig 30.2.  As nice as that amp was, the LIO  excels at letting the music come through in a natural, non fatiguing, robust way.  There is a body to the music, a density that is simply addictive.  From top to bottom, a cohesiveness.  Just a real pleasure to listen to music through the LIO.  And of course with the Ultracapacitor power supply, the unit is dead quiet.  I couldn’t be happier.  And the 25 wpc is more than enough power for my needs.  I really don’t get the AVC much beyond 30 on the digital readout.
 
   I hope to replace my DAC and speakers sometime down the road.  And the Sonore Signature Rendu may be the next source.  But the LIO is here to stay.
Well done Vinnie.   

[zybar]

Not yet ready to post a big formal review, but wanted to provide my initial impressions.

Let's start with ordering, packaging and documentation:

Ordering was simple and straight forward and I liked that I had the option to complete it online.   

Packaging is excellent and the LIO arrived with zero issues in perfect condition (as expected).

Documentation is printed out and inside the box in a nice folder.  It is well written, easy to understand and follow, and guides the user in a very logical manner.  My only possible suggestion is to add a trouble shooting section.

Build quality and ergonomics:

The LIO is very well built and will be at home in ANY system.  Inside it is immaculately laid out and executed.  The inputs/outputs are well labeled and easy to access in the back.  The front panel provides basic functionality (on/off, source selector, volume) and is very intuitive.  The metal remote provides all the functions you need plus some nice features (balanced control, phase and filters for the DAC module) that others may or may not provide.

Stay tuned for pics and my initial listening impressions from this weekend...

George

[trcks]

Hi all,

Have had the LIO now for 7 months and could not be happier.
Configuration is AVC/Tubestage, MOSFET & headphone amp + DAC.
The LIO is driving Zu Def mk4's speakers and MrSpeakers Ether C headphones.
The system is in our family room which is roughly 20'x20' in size; listening distance is ~12'.
The LIO has replaced a Bakoon AMP-12R integrated amp, Bakoon DAC-9730 & PS Audio P10 Power Plant + Triode Wire power cables.
The Bakoon is an amplifier of extremely high clarity and natural tone.
The LIO, right out of the box, trumped the Bakoon on clarity - which was amazing - both for speaker and for headphone listening.
However, to my ears, the biggest improvement was how the LIO fleshed out the sound.

With the Bakoon I had to use Dirac room correction through Amarra to avoid hollowed out / flat sounding mids (wasn't flexible to move the speakers around much in the family room).
The LIO now is driven directly from an Aurender X100L music server and does not require any DRC.
With the LIO, the Zu Def mk4's now project music with the right warmth that makes classical music sound natural, yet maintain excellent clarity and impact for all sorts of music.

I experimented with different tubes in the LIO tube stage, including Mullard CV2492, and settled on the Telefunken E88CC/6922.
The Telefunkens provide a beautiful liquidity and naturalness of sound through the entire frequency range.
I felt that the extra mid-range emphasis of the Mullards was not needed in the LIO/Zu Def mk4 system and that the Mullards added some slight opaqueness to the upper mids - which can be a problem area for the Zu's anyway and they can sound a bit muffled there if not driven properly - as if a damper is used on the violin. Violin chamber/solo music actually is great way to bring out this effect.
The Telefunken tubes did not show this upper mid opaqueness and there is a wonderful open sound now from the Zu's through the entire spectrum approaching the crystalline mid clarity of Harbeths yet having better impact. Pretty satisfied right now with the system - but cannot wait for the DHT module 

Thank you, Vinnie!

[Vinnie R.]

All,

I'm very glad to have started this thread and want to thank you all again for posting!

Keep 'em coming! 

Vinnie

[Srajan Ebaen]

A friend of mine and I recently did a parallel experiment involving a €13'500 R2R DAC with "67-bit FPGA-based digital volume" versus the same DAC in fixed output mode running into Lio as AVC passive preamp (just the Slageformers, no tubes). His speakers are 104dB efficient, mine were 85dB, i.e. a huge difference in how much signal cut/attenuation was required. In his space, adding Lio and one more interconnect was decisively better than running DAC direct. In my setup using 12dB of cut (the DAC maxes out at 1.4V out), digital volume vs. Lio was pretty much a wash but using higher attenuation, Lio was better.

A reasonable conclusion to be drawn from that is that, a/ Lio as autoformer passive is bloody transparent aka invisible and b/ that outside an even very high-resolution digital control's non-lossy window of attenuation, Lio's volume control either is superior per se; or c/ that its drive of longer cables becomes superior to a digital VC as more attenuation is engaged. Hopefully this is useful to some who consider Lio as a purist preamp with comprehensive remote control 

[coldfogey]

  LIO =  RVC/Tube stage, DSD/PCM Dac, Mosfet Amp and headphone Amp.  Headphones = LCD2, Senn 650
and Grado HF2. Speakers are Vandersteen  3A Signature. 

I am retired so I have plenty of time to listen to music. I would say average time is 8 hours a day 7 days a
week except for football season then its only 4 hours on Sunday. 

I still cannot believe how great my system sounds with the 25 wpc of the Mosfet Amp. I must admit that at
my age the music that I listen to is not very demanding. If you wish to reproduce a rocket launch or a
thunderstorm in your basement you may need a little more power.  I listen to mostly  Vocals, solo instruments, small jazz groups, blues and some big band.  I do listen to the speakers most of the time.

When I do listen to my headphones, I find that the headphone Amp is outstanding.  I listen to the headphones at night and find my self just  drifting away.  If you really want to hear the Senn 650's shine,
come off the output of the mosfet amp and connect it to a balanced plug then run the 650 in a balanced
mode. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.  I prefer it to the LCD2.  My LCD2 is a Rev 1. A comfort
factor may also be a reason for the 650 choice.  Another reason is the Impedence factor.  The 650 is
300 ohm and the LCD 2 is 70 ohms. 

It wont be long now and the DHT tube board should be ready to ship.  I cant wait.  Hey Vinnie, do you
think that will make them headphones SING?  I know my Sig 3's will like it.

                                              Thanks Vinnie,  you done good.
 

[BobRex]

The LIO is landed!  I'd discuss packaging and manual, but George already covered that, so all I can do is agree.

One minor ergonomic "issue" is that Alex (Wywires) uses the large Cardas spade lugs, and guess what doesn't fit that well on the Cardas binding posts.

Otherwise, the power cord (wall to xformer) is a dinky 18g thang.  Now I know that it's fine, but I have spare 14g cords, so what the hey!

Besides that, I may have to reposition things.....

I'm charging the caps now.

[LARRY KYOTO]

こにちわ{Konichiwa}- Hi all! Lio took up residence in my home last October: AVC/Tubestage, MOSFET & headphone> { OPPO 3 } amps, DSD/PCM DAC, RCA Input Selector and the absolutely awesome external "VR" module - more on that in a moment.

My speakers are rather rare & esoteric 1993 Linaeum Model 3 {very few pairs were produced with piano grade black lacquer finish}. And I also swap out for nearer field (I'm in Japan housing) listening a pair of 1992/3 Linaeum LFX/C Corian speakers; often referred to when they were released as as "bookshelves" that think they are "high end" speakers...well with LIO they truly are!! 

As others have more eloquently preceded my exact thoughts and many far exceed my hi-fi jargon vocabulary, I'll just say that anyone reading this who is considering a LIO system can read most previous posts which cover my general experiences. For one at random, a few posts up by 'annica': Been listening to LIO about the same time, live in small dwellings and love internet Radio Paradise.

I'd rather share how LIO has positively effected my life. My wife ( like my mother before her ) often tells me to turn down the music, even when I'm playing her favorites. Shortly after setting up LIO, she asked me to play Tears For Fears, Duran Duran & Art Pepper. I set the AVC to what I understood was her upper limit...for the first time EVER, she asked me to crank it up. Said that Art was playing sax in our living room - this is the finest testimonial for LIO I can offer right now. When she goes to sleep before me, I can set the volume way down 1{yes sometimes}<15 and still enjoy. The HPA for when I want louder is wonderful..a few days ago listening to Floyd there was a sound effect of a door opening/closing loudly - I ripped off the OPPO's to find out what was wrong... bedroom door was closed, she was asleep... it was only LIO realism in my head

And about that awesome "VR" external module I mentioned: The would be Vinnie Rossi. When you buy a LIO you gain access to a man/business of the utmost integrity and blazing intelligence who can clearly explain his system (designed for demanding audiophiles) to a non-hobbyist, freely gives non-sponsored unbiased advice on components/peripherals when asked, goes out of his way to build modifications...I could keep going on. And while the LIO has Ultra-Caps as it's heart, the "VR" module has Alexis!

And I love the hefty satiny feel & simplistic power of the remote control...but this is probably best suited for a different forum     

[ddark65]

Ordered my LIO   3-4 weeks

line-level INPUTS
Autoformer Volume Control and Tubestage)
front panel color: black
top panel color: black
knobs color: black

[ddark65]

Can anyone tell me what  the LIO headphone module brings to the table ? I use a modded WA22 now but would add the hp module if it is in the same league. Am I asking to much

Source Totaldac Twelve

line-level INPUTS
Autoformer Volume Control and Tubestage)
front panel color: black
top panel color: black
knobs color: black

[hubi]

I've purchased my LIO last summer. I have searched for an comfortable solution for my audio demands. First I have choosen the PSI AUDIO A21-M active monitor as my favorite loudspeakers in a custom finish. I have choosen this speakers, because my living room is acoustically not ideal, so I could configure a „nearfield“ zone. So I needed a preamp for my active speakers.

I decided for the LIO because of the possibility to change things later and my space is very limited, my LIO is in a sideboard. I prefered a „real“ preamp with the option of a dac instead of a DAC with preamp-function.

My LIO configuration:

• AVC with Tubestage
• DAC
• analog Inputs
• balanced Output Module
• headphone amplifier

I have an auralic aries mini as source for my digital Audio (NAS-Library and Tidal, Quobuz) on USB, TV with Bluerayplayer on the analog inputs.

Recently I'm testing headphone listening. I have now the balanced headphone connection. It pleases me extraordinarily – I'm too often all night on for my listening sessions. I've have had a chance to try the Audeze LCD-3. - Puuhhhh – That was the top matching headphone – I'm saving on and hope to be able to buy one in the future.

My LIO works always perfectly, although there are small inconveniences: the switch of the capacitor banks is heard, when you listen on quiet volumes. The LIO is always little warm, I don't know how much power it needs in standby (ecologically concerns).
The remote is very high quality and a joy to use, it would be great to use an app as am addon control point, especially when you use apps for the control of your playback.

Sound is outstanding and he customer support of Vinnie is unparalleled.
Sonically the LIO is for me the ULTIMATE SOLUTION!!! I've had never before a comparable unit. I'm impressed and Vinnie thank you very very much.

I'm curious, what extensions for the LIO woud be available in the future.

Hubert

[nnck]

My turn-

I received my LIO in the summer of 2015 and have been quite pleased from the start. I initially had intended to be an early adopter for LIO at the end of 2014, but as soon as I heard rumblings of a then-future option of getting the AVC + Tubestage, I waited it out in the background for a bit. I believe I was one of the first to get on-board with this combo option when it became available. In addition to AVC + Tubestage, my LIO came with Phono Stage with Remote Cartridge Loading, Input Select Stage, and MOSFET Amp (which currently is mainly used as a back-up amp; more on that later). So I mainly use this LIO as a preamp, and it was replacing a Modwright LS100 with built-in phonostage. The sources I use include primarily an Acoustic Solid Wood MPX turntable (Benz Micro Ace H and Ace M, Soundsmith Carmen), as well as a Logitech Squeezebox and Arcam CD Player. The amp I have been using most with the LIO is a Music Reference RM200II-T with 4 KT88 tubes, and my speakers are Daedalus DA1.1 floorstanders with sensitivity of 97db. I’ve also briefly used a Modwright KWA100SE amp together with LIO with great results.

I have been exceedingly happy with the performance of the LIO with all of the equipment I have used with it. I was more than happy with the equipment I was using prior to LIO as well, to be honest. While the Modwright LS100 preamp worked very well with the other 2 amps I own and has fantastic sound as well, it has a slightly different sound signature to the LIO. I think it may be the choice of 6SN7 tubes in the LS100, but I’d say the sound is a bit on the warmer side. LIO on the other hand, offers a blacker background and a lower noise floor. There is no tube hiss whatsoever from the LIOs 6922 tubes; this is one of the only components I’ve owned that I would characterize as sounding truly ‘transparent’.

My favored choice right now is to use my LIO with the Music Reference RM200IIT amp. This is the only tube amp I’ve ever owned, and I would say this current configuration is the best sound I’ve ever gotten out of this system. However, for some time I did use the LIO MOSFET module while my RM200II was waiting on new tubes, which made me realize that the sound difference between the tube amp and the LIOs own MOSFET module is fairly subtle. I was pleased once again (maybe even shocked!) that the sound from my system when using LIO in a fully integrated mode was fantastic on it’s own. I now know that some day if/when I decide to downsize my equipment somewhat, I already have one of the best integrated amps around that I can be really happy with for the long-term.

Additionally, although I realize it’s only an accessory, as others have mentioned, the remote that comes with LIO is leaps and bounds above any of the others I have owned. However, I have been another one that has been continually bugging Vinnie about the mobile app for LIO that we were initially expecting. As much as I love the remote, there are times when I just wish I could control things with the device that is in my hands at the time. Still hoping this will finally become a reality.

Collecting and listening to music (mostly LPs) is about the only hobby I have that I am passionate about, so I use my LIO quite a bit every day. Right now as I’m writing this, I am 5 lps into a listening session, and I hope it doesn’t have to end any time soon. That’s what I love most about LIO as a component. Others have described the sound better than I could perhaps, but I just like that LIO gets out of the way completely, letting me enjoy the music with phenomenal sound and no listener fatigue. I also tend to listen to music very late at night. Oftentimes, I listen at very low volumes. It has been a joy to listen to, even with LIOs volume set to 1. I was initially a little concerned with the sound of the switching capacitor banks as well. But this turned out to be a non-issue. I’d describe it as the typical sound of a relay switch (like the sound you hear from your thermostat when your furnace or air-conditioning unit comes on). Although much/most of my listening is in a very quiet dedicated room, I just don’t really hear it unless I am trying to.

The other thing I want to mention about my experience with LIO is regarding Vinnie Rossi’s service. Frankly, I couldn’t ask for better. Every question I had prior to purchase (and there were dozens, including a few rather long phone calls) were answered with patience and with an ear obviously bent towards really trying to help me. I would say he is among the top 2 or 3 most courteous and responsive people I’ve worked with in audio.

I’d be happy to answer anyone’s questions concerning my experience with LIO as well.

[ddark65]

I've purchased my LIO last summer. I have searched for an comfortable solution for my audio demands. First I have choosen the PSI AUDIO A21-M active monitor as my favorite loudspeakers in a custom finish. I have choosen this speakers, because my living room is acoustically not ideal, so I could configure a „nearfield“ zone. So I needed a preamp for my active speakers.

I decided for the LIO because of the possibility to change things later and my space is very limited, my LIO is in a sideboard. I prefered a „real“ preamp with the option of a dac instead of a DAC with preamp-function.

My LIO configuration:

• AVC with Tubestage
• DAC
• analog Inputs
• balanced Output Module
• headphone amplifier

I have an auralic aries mini as source for my digital Audio (NAS-Library and Tidal, Quobuz) on USB, TV with Bluerayplayer on the analog inputs.

Recently I'm testing headphone listening. I have now the balanced headphone connection. It pleases me extraordinarily – I'm too often all night on for my listening sessions. I've have had a chance to try the Audeze LCD-3. - Puuhhhh – That was the top matching headphone – I'm saving on and hope to be able to buy one in the future.

My LIO works always perfectly, although there are small inconveniences: the switch of the capacitor banks is heard, when you listen on quiet volumes. The LIO is always little warm, I don't know how much power it needs in standby (ecologically concerns).
The remote is very high quality and a joy to use, it would be great to use an app as am addon control point, especially when you use apps for the control of your playback.

Sound is outstanding and he customer support of Vinnie is unparalleled.
Sonically the LIO is for me the ULTIMATE SOLUTION!!! I've had never before a comparable unit. I'm impressed and Vinnie thank you very very much.

I'm curious, what extensions for the LIO woud be available in the future.

Hubert

" the switch of the capacitor banks is heard, when you listen on quiet volumes "   how often do the banks switch ? also whats considered quiet volume

[kruspe4]

Life with LIO
Before life with LIO I started life with Vinnie by sending my Astell & Kern AK 120 for his modification. Then LIO came along followed by the VR120.  Parts of my audio system date back to the 1960s My amplifier was one of the early solid state amplifiers the Marantz model 250.  It still works very well but a little power supply noise has shown up in one of the channels.  My speakers are high efficiency Electro Voice units  based on the Patrician 800 and Stereon 850 systems. I drive 13 speakers including one 30-inch subwoofer in a Patrician cabinet (a large corner horn where frequencies below 100 Hz are combined from both channels). Because of this I ordered the VR 120 first. No amplifier noise in the speakers now.

I followed this with the LIO preamp.  This replaces my very fine Adcom GTP-550 tuner/preamp.
First thing you notice is the remote which is a thing of beauty. Solid metal with real switches.  I pair these Rossie units with a Cary CD 303/300 cd player and of course my Astell & Kern. I look forward to adding the phonostage since I have a rather large vinyl collection.

I am a 95% classical music listener the other 5% being classic jazz (Ramsey Lewis Et. Al.). I haven’t had my LIO very long but I am very pleased so far.
My music preferences include all areas of classical music composed before the 1950s with some exceptions.  Grand opera is lowest on my list, but liturgical choral music such as that by "The Sixteen" in England is some of my favorite.

[Vinnie R.]

Thank you all for your recent posts and sharing your LIO experience here! 

This thread is hoppin'! 

It wont be long now and the DHT tube board should be ready to ship.  I cant wait.  Hey Vinnie, do you
think that will make them headphones SING?  I know my Sig 3's will like it.

Hi coldfogey,

LIO DHT PRE is on schedule to make a pre-production showing at AXPONA in a few weeks, and I believe we'll be in production
early May.  YES - it makes the speaker output, headphone output, and preamp outputs SING like they have never sung before! 

Otherwise, the power cord (wall to xformer) is a dinky 18g thang.  Now I know that it's fine, but I have spare 14g cords, so what the hey!

Hi Bobrex,

Yes, it is a basic 18awg power cable.  Feel free to use a beefy one if you wish - but it does not / cannot make a difference with LIO's fully isolated ultracapacitor power supply. 

Power conditioners, power cords, power outlets, etc. make no difference with LIO or VR120 (which was a very intentional design goal!) 

Can anyone tell me what  the LIO headphone module brings to the table ? I use a modded WA22 now but would add the hp module if it is in the same league.

Hi ddark65,

LIO HPA is awesome and has been mentioned in quite a few reviews and feedback from the headfi shows I've been to, and by LIO customers who love listening to headphones (as well as loudspeakers).  It is a no-brainer to try.

The thing with LIO is once you pay for the LIO base unit ($2495), ALL of the modules are no-brainers and really punch miles above their price points.  So if you are looking for a dac, phonostage, HPA, etc. - you really should give them a try (30-day refund policy applies to any and all modules) and compare to what you are currently using.  They were all individually designed for serious performance and their factory-direct pricing makes them too good for what they cost! 


I'll post more soon - thanks again to everyone who has posted their LIO experience so far!


Vinnie

[hubi]

" the switch of the capacitor banks is heard, when you listen on quiet volumes "   how often do the banks switch ? also whats considered quiet volume

Hi ddark65
In my configuration the switch of the powerbanks occurs between 20 - 30 minutes. It's no really issue, the switch is clearly hearable, it's just there. In the meantime I got used to it and don't
consciously perceive it. The switch is hearable till normal speech volume. But I've a nearfield setup an so I'm relative close to lio for listening (max 2 m), with headphone I don't hear it.

I use my lio almost daily (nightly  ) with great satisfaction.

with kind regards,

Hubert

[writersblock]

I've had my LIO since summer 2015 in my main system, originally as a DAC/Phono Preamp, and recently added the AVC/tubestage. I like doing some light tinkering with electronics (building my own computers, etc.) and was sold on the mix and match concept Vinnie brought to the table.

I'm a former Signature 30.2 owner and having dealt with Vinnie on both upgrades and repairs, had complete confidence in being an early-ish adopter of a new concept. Although we're ultimately in this hobby for the music, knowing that the manufacturer has your back is immensely comforting. Even among some stiff competition, I've had hands down the best customer service experiences for my Sig 30 and LIO. Thanks again!

Both the DAC and phono preamp are the best I've heard, with a special shout out to the phono section, which blew away what I thought to be a best in class/value Ray Samuels number. I need more time with the AVC (comparing with/without tubes and getting more listening time in general), but compared to the Decware preamp that I had been using before the upgrade, the two words to best describe the upgrade are transparency and granularity, which it has in spades. My main system now consists of the following:

VPI Prime with Zu Denon DL-103 and upgraded Soundsmith Ruby cantilever
FLAC rips served through a MS Surface Pro
LIO for DAC, Phono and Preamp
First Watt J2 amplifier
Zu Essence with upgraded drivers



I switch amps between the J2 and a Decware Torii Jr., which adds a healthy serving of tube warmth when the mood strikes. This system is pretty much a keeper now. I may eventually trade up for a newer flavor of Zu, but with the driver upgrade I think the Essence is holding up its end.

Here's the thing about the LIO. My personal hierarchy of importance in the chain has always gone speaker->amp->preamp->DAC.  I've tried a couple pricier DACs/phonos/preamps and have always been disappointed by the relatively marginal gains, reinforcing my prior biases. Now the LIO sits in that exact area, is the single most expensive component I have, and I'm HAPPY with it.

My upgrade path will likely head in the HPA and, possibly, the remote control loading modules. I'm pretty happy with my current amplification options, but may add the amp module in the future if I reconfigure things to have the LIO drive my desktop speakers with the line out also feeding the main system amplification.

I'm a huge fan of the optionality the LIO provides, as well as the opportunity to grow it as my budget allows.

[zybar]

While I am not quite ready to talk about the LIO's sonic virtues, I do want to provide yet another example of Vinnie's great customer service.

I had a challenge with the XLR input and because I live close by to Vinnie, he made a house call!!

He resolved the issue quickly and did a great job explaining what he was doing as well as how the LIO works.

On top of all that, he noticed a small background noise as we were listening to the system and once that was taken care (not related to the LIO), the msuic got even better!!

Thanks again for such great support Vinnie!!   

George

[CarterB]

April 2015, we got our LIO we pre-ordered the previous November, it is a min-maxed LIO--DAC, phono, headphone amp (balanced out), power amp but none of the bells and whistles (no input module, just RVC, no RCL, tubes, etc). I'm happy to know that we can still get those extras when the time/budget comes.

The system it replaced was very modest. An upgraded by NSMT Lepai 2020 feeding some in-wall speakers with a source of Thorens TD-160S with Ortofon Bronze and an Oppo-103 doing DAC duties. A bit earlier we had an Oppo HA-1 as our preamp for the Lepai, and used Oppo-PM2 cans but the HA-1 had some issues so I sent it back and waited on the LIO and having to manual switch cables between phono pre-amp and oppo player.

Since getting the LIO, we've upgraded the Audience One speakers and my comments will be about them and the PM2. We use the LIO as our home theater (the speaker sit on a console) as well as our music listening. Everything has sounded really great in our system, we have both commented how enjoyable all the music we listen to has been--mostly jazz and orchestral with a smattering of 60s folk and rock. The happiest moment I've had was with the PM2s while listening to Mahler's 4th by Fisher (DSD Channel Classics). I'm not much of a foot tapper, but I noticed I was really moving while listening to the first section of that piece.

The One speakers have a max input of 25W so I feel like LIO's internal amp was made for them. In our 20x11 (feet) room (speakers on long wall about 8 feet from listening) they get plenty loud and we are not even pushing the amp that hard (maybe).

For the PM-2s when I got the LIO, I heard a hiss and called Vinnie to talk it over. He suggested the PM-2s were too sensitive for the balanced output jack and sent me a jumper to install that reduced the gain by 10db or something and that was the perfect solution. So if you have efficent headphones and the balanced out, then consider consulting with Vinnie on the proper settings.

I'm uncertain why no one talks about the simple beauy of the LIO. My spouse is pretty much an unofficial interior decorator. So the ability to customize the color was really important to me--she detests matte black components. When we get the LIO (white with silver knobs), she said we didn't even have to put it in the console but could leave it out. I was floored.

Besides the outstanding service/support, another super advantage that is not mentioned is the 10 (TEN!) year warranty. Who does that? I guess Bryston has 20 years, but are there any other integrated amp makers giving that length of time?

One other initial issue I had was my 2012 mac mini had trouble connecting to the DAC sometimes (wouldn't show up as an output device in OS X). Vinnie even sent me a new USB cable to try AND a new DAC lower-board (the thing to with the inputs connections). So much amazing support from Vinnie. The board replacement was easy to install and I really appreciated not having my system out of commision by having to send parts back. Unfortunately, nothing worked until I got a Schiit Wyrd and since then I've had zero connection issues. So if you have any issues with USB connections, I recommend a Wyrd.

My biggest drawback is I'm not a fan of the remote control. It is heavy and bulky and a bit confusing. Thankfully, there is no need that I've found to use it and so it sits in a drawer. Hopefully, one day the bluetooth remote control app will come out.

If I had to list my favorite parts of LIO in order it would be:

1) The knowledge that Vinnie is awesome--I hope to make an audio show when day and shake his hand.
2) The form factor and upgradability so that as I and LIO grow, I don't have to lost my initial investment.
3) That headphone AMP with the internal DAC is so magical.