As mention earlier, the Asgard 3 is a killer deal at $199.00. I haven’t heard one personally, but I have Never read a bad review on it.
You don’t need balanced. It is just that if you buy a balanced amp, you should use the balanced output as it will be the better option.
Perfect. I’ve made both purchases (Liquid Platinum + XLR cables)! Will report back how it all sounds once I have a good listen!
Thanks all for your recommendations!
You mean XLR headphone cable right?
Yeah, these:
My Topping E30 has a preamp… can I just use that? What would you suggest I reduce the dB by?
There is no set answer for this question. Set it to what works best for you. I use an XLR switch to switch between an SMSL SU-8 DAC and an iFi Zen DAC, both of which have preamp functions. The SU-8 has 38 volume intervals and I have it set it 30. The Zen has a potentiometer and I leave it at about 2:00. Those settings smooth out the LP’s volume jump between about 11:00 and 12:00 fairly well.
Gotcha. I’ll play with it to see what best reduces the volume jump between 11-12.
Thanks!!
Have you ever used a tube amp before? (technically the Liquid Plat is a tube hybrid) I don’t know if the tubes in your used unit will be fully burned in. If you listen right away you may notice a channel imbalance and/or a harshness to the sound. These oddities are normal in tube amps until the tubes have had sufficient time to stabilize into their normal electrical behavior. You may get lucky with a used unit and have pre-burned-in tubes or you may not. If things sound weird at first, leave the unit powered on with something playing (you can turn the volume down so you don’t constantly hear things) for at least 48 hours. Only if things sound weird much past that should you worry.
This is exciting! Do let us know how it turns out for you.
I’m new to the audiophile scene, so yea, this is my first tube amp. If I notice any abnormal sounds, I’ll give it 48 hours burnin… hate having to wait that long though 
Yeah, understandable. Chances are the LP arrives first because of Prime. Using it’s SE headphone output will be sufficient for burning it in while you await the balanced cable’s arrival.
10-4! Thanks @WaveTheory - you’ve been a great help. Hope it all turns out well… or you have to buy all the gear I just bought from me 
Yes, if your Topping has a preamp feature, then you should be able to use that. For the LP, you set its volume to its unity gain level (1:30 as stated on Head-Fi) and use your Topping E30 preamp function. Of course, start the preamp at a low volume and raise it to your comfort level. You don’t want to blow out your ears or headphone driver.
Were you actually dissatisfied with the Liquid Spark? (And what bothered you, if so?)
Or did you just figure the headphone was higher tier, and want to get something more expensive to match?
I wasn’t really dissatisfied, no. I have a budget to spend on higher-end hardware and want to see how far I can push my LCD-X’s in terms of sound quality. I don’t have any reference to compare the Liquid Spark, so hearing the Platinum will let me know what I’ve been missing for good or worse 
Perfect, I’ll do that. Thanks!
If you buy direct from Monoprice, I think they offer 30d returns for items that you are unsatisfied with them.
In your position, I think I’d have done the same thing!
So, I just got the LP in the mail! It looks like it’s in brand new condition. I’m curious why the original buyer sent it back, but guess it doesn’t matter since I got it for $150 off MSRP
I’ve been testing it out w/ single ended since I don’t have my balanced cable yet, and man, this thing sounds substantially better than Liquid Spark! The bass is so much more refined and just has a lot more oomph. So far, I’m extremely satisfied with my purchase!!
Will give another update once I get the balanced cable in since apparently that makes this amp even better.
Is it OK to leave this amp on 24/7 or should I turn it off when I’m not at my computer? I’d think leaving it on all the time would reduce the tube’s lifespan, but could be wrong.
Only if you want to keep your room warmer by a couple of degrees.
Lol, you ain’t lyin’. These tubes get HOT.