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?
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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 
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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.
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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.
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Only if you want to keep your room warmer by a couple of degrees.
Lol, you ain’t lyin’. These tubes get HOT.
You are correct in you thinking here. Definitely not recommended to leave tube amps on.
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Could you tell if these tubes had been opened before? Burned in?
Glad to hear you’re already enjoying even before the balanced cable! 
Honestly, the tubes look brand new as well as the packaging for them. I’m sure they’ve been used, just not sure how used. Either way, I’m not noticing any pre-burn in issues. Sound is very clear and precise.
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He’s got the bug! Welcome to the rabbit hole, Alice 
I actually have been trying out some different tubes on the LP lately, yes. I got a couple of sets, including those Gold Lions. I need more time with the new tubes before I can say anything meaningful. I’ll post some thoughts in the official LP thread when I’m ready (edit: I should mention that you should move LP questions to the LP thread from here on out, especially since the LP does not appear in this thread title).
However, there’s no reason NOT to try new tubes if you’re curious and have the money. Tubes can change the sound subtly or dramatically depending on what you want and where you get them. I’m still learning the ins and outs of tubes so I won’t be of huge help on that yet. If you buy brand new tubes though, you’ll need to burn them in. Burn-in times can also vary wildly. Just keep that in mind.
I upgraded them from the stock Electro Harmonix. They’re better, slightly better in every way. Worth the upgrade? Probably not if your stock tubes are still good. But yes, they are better. BTW, you can do better pricing than that. I recall I paid around $70ish for a platinum matched pair.