Having been listening to the Amiron Home for 10 hours today, it's safe to say these are easily the T90 we always wanted. They are smooth, articulate, punchy, and warm. If you've heard the T90, these are nothing like it. These fix the terrible treble on the T90's, add some midrange warmth, and give the bass more body.
 
The treble is so damn smooth you'd think you're drinking the finest craft beer. It's just as smooth as the HD650, but far more articulate and detailed. Extension and air is top notch along with exceptional detail. There is absolutely no hint of glare or strident tones whatsoever. If anything some of the upper frequencies might be a bit diminished, but that's mostly due to beyer's new damping material they added, but it's not as if there's a sharp roll off. More so that the highest frequencies are a bit hush, like you got home and have to be quite lest you wake the youngins.
 
The midrange is open, detailed, rich, and quite realistic. Where the T90 was a bit subdued or thin, these are up front like a singer in a metal band. Detail in the midrange is quite good and the added warmth adds a bit of an extra sweetness to the sound. Vocals are very good without and harshness, also pretty convincing. Guitars are textured and every pluck of the strings is distinguishable from the last and there is no congestion or muddiness. Bravo beyer!
 
The bass hits hard when needed and reaches deep with great control and extension. Bass texture is every bit as good as the T90, but now there's more quantity. The bass is never intrusive to the midrange and can be quite powerful depending on the music. An example would be when playing Infected Mushroom, bass notes hit hard and extend down really deep. Then on some older metal, 'Blizzard of Oz' by Ozzy Osbourne, bass is tight and controlled yet still punchy. Kick drums have excellent presence with great weight and slam.
 
The soundstage is nearly the exact same as the T90. Very wide and deep with excellent laying and imaging. If you've not heard the T90, then think of a DT990 in terms of size. You get a good sense or air around instruments and the imaging is quite accurate. Playing something like 'Symphony in F minor' by Ernst Mielck is really something else. The soundstage with this type of music is very wide and larger than life. Expansive yet coherent. Imaging with large scale operas is really a treat.
 
The Amiron Home is a massive improvement over the T90 and what a revamp should be. Beyerdynamic fixed all the issues that I had with the T90 (terribly peaky/strident treble, and somewhat thinner sounding midrange, and MOAR BASS). These are exceptional headphone that are nothing like any other beyer headphone. If you could relate them to another headphone, their presentation is like that of the HD650. While not exactly, they have similar characteristics to the HD650.
 
I am quite happy with them and applaud beyer with this new sound signature they have gone for. If this is how their future Tesla drivers will sound, I will be incredibly happy.
 
AMPS USED:
- Violectric V200
- SPL Auditor
- SPL Phonitor Mini
 
DAC:
- Violectric V800

I just got these in from Koss today and initial impressions are incredibly positive. These are Koss' second best headphone available that I have tried (DJ100, DJ200, PRO4AA, PRO4AAT, PRO4AAAT, and MV1). The overall tone of these is warm, detailed, and bassy. The tone is in ways similar to the DJ100, with them being bassy and warm, but these are more detailed and airy. They are more like a DT990 junior, but don't have the dip in the mids and have a smaller soundstage. They honestly stomp the DJ100 into the ground from my testing. 
 
DETAIL/TRANSPARENCY
Detail and resolution is quite good, much better than the DJ100 and even their older MV1 (which wasn't all that great a headphone, ouch!). Right now I am comparing them side by side with the KRK KNS8400, and they are on par when it comes to detail retrieval and transparency, but have added warmth and much more bass.
 
TREBLE
Treble is really nice on this headphone, and while I would consider it bright, it is never strident or sibilant. The treble is quite smooth and articulated, something that is noteworthy for this headphone considering the price. Extension is quite good but rolls off at the upper most registers. 
 
MIDRANGE
The midrange is surprisingly not lacking like the PRO3AAT, but not quite as full bodied as the DJ100. They are noticeably warmer and forgiving than the KRK KNS8400. But don't let that make you think they aren't as detailed, they sure are. I noticed the lower mids blend in nicely with the bass and never seems muddy or out of place. At least they aren't like the Fidelio L1's lower mids where they bleed into the upper mids.
 
BASS
Oh yeah the bass, it thumps a ton! Not quite DT770 levels, but a ton more controlled with good extension. Still quite pronounced, at least as much bass as the Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro on the third adjustment notch. Still very well controlled and never feels bloated, even with bass heavy music like Dubstep and Rap. Quite a feat indeed.
 
SOUNDSTAGE
My main gripe is their soundstage isn't that big. It's rather small, perhaps smaller than the DJ100 and most certainly smaller than the KRK KNS8400. But it's not terrible or flat, just more narrow. This gives these headphone a more Grado-esque presentation, as they are a more forward headphone with the treble and bass. 
 
Overall I am incredibly surprised by these. I'd wager that they are better than the KRK KNS8400. These however are not "studio" headphones. They are not neutral as Koss marketed them. They are warm and bassy. But now the question is how do they compare to the ATH-M50? Well I don't have one to compare to but these are easily the best under $200, perhaps more than that. I really, really like them, and I rarely like stuff from Koss.
 

 

​

 ​

 
 

Hi all, Zombie-X here again with another review for the good boys and girls of Head-Fi.org. Up today I have the SPL Auditor, one of SPL's own high end headphone amplifiers that is intended for studio use. I've had this amp for about 6 months and it's quite impressive. Truly it's sound is high end. But you want to more, don't you?
 
I would love to give a big thanks to both Robert at Aphrodite Cu29, and all the employee's at Front End Audio for supplying the SPL Auditor as well as information and guidance. These guys are really helpful and have a lot of insight into the unit's. I'd also like to give a shout out to SPL for supplying me with more information as well as granting me the use of images in this thread.
 
During this review I will be comparing to my other amps: Audio-GD ROC, Woo Audio WA3+ (modded), and the Musical Fidelity X-CANV8P. Each amp will be compared quite extensively and will be tested with a wide variety of headphones. The Audio-GD ROC and SPL Auditor will utilize the XLR output from my Violectric DAC V800 while the WA3+ and X-CANV8P will be feed by the RCA Output from the DAC V800. The RCA output will be using Audioquest RCA splitters and the XLR output will be going through the SPL Auditor to the Audio-GD ROC.
 
 

SPL, or Sound Performance Lab, is a leading manufacturer of studio gear based out of Germany. All their equipment runs on their famous 120V technology. They manufacture lots a gear ranging from equalizers to headphone amps, even software plug-ins. All of their gear is high end and is for studio use, but does not seem to exhibit the typical studio sound, that being the music is dull, lifeless, and clinical. In fact from the gear I have tried their stuff is pretty natural sounding.
 
 

 
 

Auditor Headphone Monitoring Amplifier
The Auditor is our interpretation of a high-end headphone amplifier. We strictly followed a purist approach to achieve the highest sound quality.
 
The basis for such high-end developments is our proved 120 volts reference technology. Core elements are the handmade SPL SUPRA op-amps running on 120 volts – it corresponds to approximately twice that of most modern analog audio semiconductor technologies. Through such 120 volts circuitry and processing we reach performance levels far beyond conventional designs in dynamic range and distortion levels, and such technical specifications exceed all known analog or digital standards. In other words: simply sounds.
 
Why Headphones?
There is more than meets the eye in working with headphones. For example the modern audio production is often a decentralized process, maybe recording and track laying in one studio and mixing in another and as a result a production often take place in acoustically questionable rooms. In such circumstances, a mix might occur in an acoustically deficient ambiance (for example, in an extremely modal room), and employing headphones then begins to make sense when a successful mix would otherwise turn out to be impossible. Another fact is that many musicians or producers might wish to – or be able to – mix at home (to say nothing of having to). Then the headphone becomes a clear must, enabling an evening or late night session that can only take place thanks to its being unhindered by the local acoustic environment.
 
Acoustic Magnifier
But also when working with full range monitors in the studio, headphone monitoring is an extremely important alternative to loudspeaker monitoring: analytical monitoring via headphones offers a very high precision to observe details. Headphone monitoring is like working with an acoustic magnifier, excluding external room influences. Working with the magnifier effect of headphones has the advantage of safely hearing clicks or similar defects and helps in fine tuning crossfades or to judge tonal problems in individual tracks.
 
The End of Ear Fatigue
With headphones, ear fatigue can begin relatively soon, and there are several causes. First, some cans themselves may not be that comfortable to wear...
 
Moreover, a standard headphone amplifier is often an additional important reason for premature ear fatigue. Almost without exception, present-day headphone amplifiers employ comparatively undemanding IC’s. In the best cases they might work with symmetrical voltages of +/-15 V to +/-18 V, and in less favorable cases, with only a simple supply of 9 or 12 V from cheaper external “wall-wart“ power supplies. But the voltage level acts in circuitry much like the cubic inch capacity to the productive power of a combustion engine: Cubic inch capacity is replaceable with nothing but more cubic inch capacity – and in the productive power of electronics, voltage level functions similarly.
 
For some years, now, SPL has addressed this issue in all of its mastering product series through its own specifically developed 120 volt technology. Consoles and signal processors of the SPL Mastering Series appear as central elements in installations of today’s most renowned mastering houses (e. g. Bob Ludwig’s Gateway Mastering & DVD in the USA, Simon Heyworth’s Super Audio Mastering in Great Britain or the Galaxy Studios in Belgium). This 120 volt technology is based on discrete operation amplifiers from SPL’s own production, developed and perfected over many years by SPL’s co-founder and chief developer, Wolfgang Neumann. The SUPRA OPs have a signal to noise ratio of 116 dB and offer a 34 dB headroom – that yields an unequalled 150 dB dynamic range.
 
The musical result is not to be mistaken: Regardless of the monitoring means, regardless of how loud you monitor – the Auditor always remains a distant, impartial factor unaffected when used to capacity and beyond being overloaded. The phase stability is always perfect, its THD next to immeasurable. The SUPRA OPs cannot be stressed in the most stressful circumstances, and for precisely this reason its musical sound is always relaxed and spacious. All frequencies are reproduced in balance, basses are stable and tight, mids are clear and differentiated and highs remain transparent and soft.
 
Such supreme and heretofore unreachable neutrality in audio reproduction is the direct consequence of our technical approach and basis in 120 volt technology: Possible disturbances from such as noise or distortion are so slight that we even arrive at the boundaries of the best measuring equipment, and what remains is quite simply unaltered musical sound.

Click to expand...

 
 

 
 


After getting this amp from Front End Audio, I noticed the size of the box itself. It's quite big actually! The amp is housed in a specially designed box, and you have to open it up a certain way. In my anxiousness I just used a razor blade and sliced the box open. The amp itself is quite big and despite it's size it's not that heavy at all. The finish of the amp is quite nice and the matte finish looking striking to say the least. The Alps potentiometer is buttery smooth and feels "right" when you turn it. All the jacks in the back are of high quality and use Neutrik parts, notably the XLR in puts and outputs. The power switch on the back  is also nice and had a good click to it when you flip the unit on.
 
When turning the unit on, have the volume all the way down and make sure no headphones are plugged in. When powering down the unit be sure to lower the volume and disconnect the headphones before power down. Not doing so will result in no damage to the headphones or gear, but the amp will discharge residual voltages which will  make the headphones "beep" a few times or until all the voltage has been discharged. Like I said this will not harm your gear at all but it's a nice precaution in doing so. I always do this.
 
The XLR outputs in the back are for a direct output, so a line level signal. They are independent from the volume control and are quite useful if you plan on daisy-chaining a couple amp or other equipment together. You can also use RCA cables on this amp but they will require the use of an adapter. Using the RCA cables with give you have the voltage of a normal XLR cable so the volume will have to e turned up more. I have tried it both ways and using RCA input will hinder this amp as it's designed for taking a balanced signal. I recommend a balanced DAC or other source if you plan on suing this amp.
 
You can also initiate a "Unity Gain" mode by turning the volume to 0. This will give you a non-attenuated signal, but you need another way of adjusting the volume earlier in the chain. Unity Gain mode will give you an unaltered signal and as such sounds a tad more full and slightly slower sound. It's a nice feature but is dependent on something else to adjust the volume before hand.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

This amp in a few words is neutral,  transparent, and faithful. There is nothing added or subtracted from the sound at all. No treble spikes or dips in the treble. The typical studio sound, as described earlier, is cold and analytical. Well you know what? If doesn't have any of those issues. It maybe ultra transparent and very neutral, but despite those it is quite natural sounding. Also there is a stigma that German gear tends to sound bright and thin and clearly this amp does not exhibit these issues at all. The amp will only sound colored if the source or DAC is colored. If your DAC is clinical, the amp will sound clinical. It really shows the flaws in anything higher in the chain. You can even hear if your other gear is not up to snuff. Quite a nice feat and in my opinion the amp should be the last thing in the chain to color the sound.
 
This amp has an output impedance of 9Ohms, and as such requires a headphone of 72Ohms or more. This is usually the case but not this time it seems. I have tried numerous IEM's and portable, low impedance headphones and they did perform nicely. One thing I have noticed is that the impedance mismatch causes the sound to become fuller sounding, but it's not bad in anyway. In fact I like how this amp sounds with my Shure SRH-440 (with SRH-840 ear pads). It gives the Shure more bass impact without sacraficing control. Typically the sound of a mismatch between amp impedance and output impedance makes the sound muddy but I ahve not heard this with this amp as of yet.
 
The amp itself is geared toward 600Ohm, which according to SPL, is the industry standard. As such the amp can output 1.7W into a 600Ohm load and can swing 120V. That's a huge voltage swing and this amp can drive the 600Ohm beyer dynamics quite well. The 600Ohm Premium headphones are typically quite hard to amp as they needed a much higher than normal voltage to get loud and retain control. I'm glad to say this amp drives them all quite well, no that's an understatement. It drives them effortlessly and perfectly. The DT990 needing a bit more power than the DT880 in order to retain control over the bass, and this amp delivers. The bass remains tight and punchy without sounding muddy or bloated. In fact this amp may be the best $1,000 choice for the 600Ohm beyerdynamic models.
 
The K501 sound exceptional from this amp. As many know, the K501 is quite hard to drive well as it is lower sensitivity and higher impedance. Safe to say this amp gets them loud and then some. The volume is only at a bit over 1/4 of the way up and the headphones are quite loud. It's not gain, but pure voltage that gets them there so fast. On my other amps the volume has to be almost half of the total volume the amps could do. The SPL Auditor really delivers the bass on this headphone as well. When properly amped the K501 has quite a bit of bass, and it's deep, tight, and controlled. The whole sound opens up and the soundstage expands further.
 
The K400 is even harder to amp than the K501 and this amp does not disappoint at all. It drives the K400 effortlessly and without fuss. The K400 requires a bit more power than it's K501 sibling, but this amp handles it no problem. You immediately hear the bass is tight and punchy, the mids are detailed, and the treble is extended and grain free. The soundstage opens more, same as with the K501. When the K400 is underamped it can sound anemic in the bass but when most bass heavy of the current AKG audiophile headphone line.
 
TREBLE:
The treble on this amp is very well extended and never bright or strident. Completely grain free and smooth. The treble itself is quite clear and highly detailed. Out of my other amps this amp amp certainly has the most refined treble an is the most detailed treble. Extension is quite high and although you can't quite hear that high, you can tell it's extended. 
 
MIDRANGE:
The midrange is this amps strong point no doubt. It's easily better than my other amps in this regard, and you don't even loose or sacrifice anything. The midrange itself is highly detailed and resolving. I can hear stuff in the mids that I have yet to  hear before. Examples would be coughing in the background of tracks, light breathing, or someone else talking in the background. Guitar's are more, what's the word, distinct. You can clearly hear how complex some riffs are and even light tapping of the fret board is easily heard.
 
BASS:
Bass, bass, and bass. The amp has some of the deepest and most controlled bass I have yet to hear. It reaches really deep and grabs you by the throat. Remember this amp is neutral, but the bass is so pure and can sound visceral. The texture and ability of resolved complex bass passages of guitars is quite astounding to me. If your music is heavy on the bass, this amp will deliver it in gobs, but if light then it will give you light bass.
 
SOUNDSTAGE:
The soundstage is really good on this amp, yet again it has the biggest I have ever heard. Quite easily the most open of my headphone amps, though my ROC does come close. It's pretty three dimensional and has excellent depth, height, and width. Everything snaps into place when listening to music and sounds coherent and distinguishable.
 
 

 
VS. AUDIO-GD ROC:
The SPL trumps the ROC in almost every way. The ROC itself is a warmer sounding solid state amp that is toted as being a "wire with gain" amp by Audio-GD. For the most part they are right, but the amp is slightly warm with a slight emphasis on the mids and bass. The ROC falls short in terms of transparency and micro detail. With the Auditor, small details like light footsteps and faint breathing can be slightly masked. The amps itself is still quite good but is not as detailed and resolving as the Auditor. When comparing the two it's as if you are looking through a slightly tinted window with the ROC, but with the Auditor it is like the window is open. The bass on the ROC is deep and tight with a slight bump to it and a little "roundness" in it.
 
Another thing is how the ROC handles various loads. The ROC is optimized for 100-300Ohm loads from it's power output chart, but it does a better job with low impedance headphones such as IEM's. The ROC has better control of these headphones due to it's lower output impedance. The SPL Auditor has a 9Ohm output impedance and as such has a lower damping factor which makes it more suitable for higher impedance headphones of 80Ohms or more.
 
VS. WOO AUDIO WA3+ (MODDED):
These amps sound totally different. The SPL Auditor is dead neutral and transparent while the Woo Audio WA3+ is really warm and generally has a more lush and smeared sound. Smeared may be a bad word to use but what I mean is that the sound more or less blends together, aka smear. The WA3+ is very musical and warm, but it loses detail and extension on both ends due to the tubes. The tubes hinder the treble a bit and cause it to roll off. Even when using the neutral 7236 tube type the sound can still sound warm. It's just the nature of the amp. The amp also adds more bass to the mix and is a typical tube bass that sounds more rounded, aka full. The soundstage is still quite good but the ability to pin point stuff in the stage can be difficult as tubes blend the sound a bit. Besides that the soundstage is rather large.
 
The WA3+ is OTL by nature and that means it has a high output impedance. The OTL design will give you a higher voltage swing and the higher output impedance will make a good damping factor for high impedance headphones. The WA3+ does not do all that good with low impedance gear as the output impedance in the ballpark of over 60Ohms, and the amp can't manage much current output. The sound on low impedance headphones will sound mushy and bloated. In this case the SPL Auditor is a better choise, but still not ideal.
 
VS. MUSICAL FIDELITY X-CANV8P:
The X-CANV8P is one of the most versatile amps I have heard. It has an output impedance of less than 2Ohms, which means it can drive most headphone with a very linear sound. The sound of this amp is warm and musical, no doubt it's from the tubes inside. The amp is a hybrid design, in which the sound passes through the tubes and then goes through a solid state output buffer to the headphones. You get the tube sound and power of solid state. The amps also suffers from the tube smear as described above in the WA3+ description.
 
The amp also has a high damping factor and is good for low impedance gear. It fairs well with higher impedance headphone like the HD600 but falls flat with the 600Ohm DT880 and DT990. It sounds good with them but doesn't have enough voltage. With low impedance headphones this amp really shines. It can power all my IEM's really well and give the Shure SE215-K a boost in bass control and definition. The T1 also sounds nice on this amp but it doesn't sound that dynamic and more flat.
 
The soundstage is good but not great. When using the stock power supply it's only good at best. When using the Little Pinkie V3i PSU from Rock Grotto the soundstage becomes much bigger and precise. Still smaller than the SPL Auditors giant soundstage but still rather good.
 
 

The SPL Auditor is darned good amp for the price of $999. It has one short coming and that's the high output impedance and ability to properly drive low impedance headphones effectively. They don't sound bad, but it's not ideal to have that high of an output impedance for low impedance headphones. If you are in the market for a solid state amp that can drive your 600Ohm beyers effectively and without fuss, then this is the amp for you. It drives them all incredibly well, even perfectly I would say. It's easy for me to recommend this amp to anyone that has a 300Ohm-600Ohm headphone, especially if the 600Ohm headphone in question are DT770, DT880, or DT990.
 
 

 


 

 



 

Hi all, Zombie-X here again with another review for the good boys and girls of Head-Fi.org. Up today I have the Violectric HPA V200, which is developed and manufactured by Lake-People for their subdivision named "Violectric". I have had ample time to listen and compare this amp with my other amps and it's quite a nice amp, but how does it compare to other amps in the price range?

 

I would love to give a big thanks to both Robert at Aphrodite Cu29 for supplying me with the Violectric V200 as well as information and guidance. Robert is quite a nice guy and was ready to send the amps for review, what a guy!

 

During this review I will be comparing to my other amps: Audio-GD ROC and SPL Auditor. Each amp will be compared quite extensively and will be tested with a wide variety of headphones. The Audio-GD ROC and SPL Auditor will utilize the XLR output from my Violectric DAC V800.

 

 



 

Who is Violectric? Violectric is a subdivision of Lake People GmBH from Germany. The parent company, Lake People, manufactures a wide variety of electronics such as other DAC's and headphone amps for studio use or for sound engineers. They aim to produce very accurate equipment and everything is built very sturdy, just like all German engineering. All their gear is incredibly rugged and sturdy.

 

Even though the Violectric line is aimed at consumers, the performance and behavior of the gear is still very studio quality. Clearly their studio roots couldn't be lost but is that good or bad? From what I have heard in this DAC this is still very much a studio unit and is not far off prom their professional offerings. Well you're going to find out soon enough on how it actually sounds and compares. Brace yourself!!

 

The following text is quoted directly from their website:

 

Quote:

Established in 1986, we have since become your partner for professional audio electronics. Following our  motto “tools - not toys”, we  achieved highest  reputation during the past years amongst our customers. These are private studios, broadcasters and TV companies. Also airports, congress and exhibition centres count on the reliability of our products made in Germany. This all began under the roof of Rosgartenstrasse 13 in the city of Konstanz. Here, three young guys started with the development and manufacture of limiters and noise gates  but not too success-fully … The commercial survival on a very low level was made possible by the production of headphone amplifiers. From 1989 on, the production range was extended to level matching and balancing amplifiers such successfully, that it came essential to move to larger premises.

 

Since 1991, the new address read: Haidelmoosweg 52. Due to the developement of the first german 20-bit A/D and D/A converters in the beginning nineties, the name Lake People re-sounded throughout the land. Suddenly, the company was regarded as a high-tech brand, with a highly positive effect on its public reputation. The growing know-how led to many new products in the analog and digital domain during the following years. Although some pro-jects turned out to be flops, most devices met the customers' re-quirements, with the effect of continuous growth of the company.  By the end of the nineties, the number of employees had in-creased to ten, and the 140 m² of Haidelmoosweg 52 went cramping. Again, a move to new premises came necessary. As it was obvious that rental facilities would not meet the demands, we decided to put up our own building. The company site was constructed in 2000 in a new industrial park in Konstanz, Turmstrasse 7a, just a hundred metres from the lake. Also in 2000, Lake People was transformed into a Ltd. company.

During 2004, nearly the entire production range underwent re-engineering. This concerned both circuitry as well as mechanical design. At the same time, new digital converters were - now being the 4th generation. Another ambitious unit is our innovative digital peak meter, with its new and sophisticated detail solutions.A very speciality of Lake People is the development and modification of audio processing units according to customer specifications.

Click to expand...

 

 

 



 



 



This amp, like the DAC V800, is built like a tank! The housing is made from machined aluminum is coated with a material called Nextel. The inside of the amp has machined ridges on the underside of the top part of the case. The amp is small, compact, but quite hefty for it's size. All the jacks as high quality parts from Neutrik. The headphone jacks are nice and snug which means you get good contact. The RCA I/O sockets are a tad bigger than normal RCA's and they in turn give you a tighter fit. This can be god or bad, and in my case I find the RCA I/O sockets somewhat iffy. With certain cables you will get distorted sound, like there is a short in the cable.

 

This is the newest revision of the amp, which now includes a stepped potentiometer. This type of POT give the most accurate channel balance next to digital, but it does have drawbacks. The main draw back is that when using IEM's, one click may be too quite and the next click will be too loud. That's where the pre-gain setting comes in and I recommend lowering the gain by -6db or -12db for IEM's and lower sensitivity headphones. The gain dip switches are located on the back of the unit and adjust the volume by: -12db, -6db, +6db, +12db. The RCA cinch socket can be configured as input or output via internal jumpers located towards where the USB DAC board would connect to the main board.

 

The insides of the amp are quite nice and the amp has a hearty build indeed. You will find capacitors, resistors, OP amps, dip switches, jumpers all throughout the inside of this little guy! From the inside of the amp you can adjust various settings such as the RCA I/O, cut-off, and ground lift. The dip switches on the back f the amp are nice as they adjust the internal gain of the amp. Be sure the power is off before touching them though, as gear generally does not like sudden changes in voltage.

 

 

           

 

 



The V200 is a high powered headphone amplifier and it's sonic signature is warm, smooth, and powerful. Maybe I should elaborate more. What I mean is the sound is very tube like with the warmth and smoothness to it, but has more pronounced bass that makes it sound "more in charge" or powerful. I have yet to experience this type of signature in a solid state headphone amp. The amp is still quite detailed but more forgiving of lower quality sources. I think it's quite a achievement in that respect, but because of this smoothness and warmth, some details are smeared over and the soundstage is smaller than it should be. When I used my T1 with the amp, initially with the first unit I had, the sound was distorted and there was a lot of clipping. So the review was shelved. Now I have a properly working unit and here's the low down.

 

The amp alone is very beefy and can drive everything I threw at it without a hitch. Even the difficult K400 was no problem for it at all. I don't have any orthodynamic models on hand to try out but the specs alone say it should be able to drive most of the HiFiMan ortho's without and fuss. It can put out nearly 3W into a 50Ohm load!

 

It also has a 10Ohm output impedance which means you should not use IEM's with it. I briefly tried the SE215-K and the result was bloated bass. The CX500 also had the same issues. The headphones sued should be no less than 80Ohms.

 

Thanks to Fried, Lake-People CEO, I have been informed that the output impedance is actually 0,0625Ohms. It seems I misread the technical data and gave some wrong info. I'd like to apologize for any confusion this may have caused. As such I will give impressions of some of my low impedance headphones from this amp. Hopefully this may sway people away from my initial findings.

 

1. With the Beyerdynamic T1's  I find this amp to mate extremely well with them. It's has the power to drive them with complete authority and ease. So don't worry about pairing the T1 with the amp. The warm and smooth sound complements the T1's warmish/neutral tone quite well. The T1's become more intimate and intoxicating. Treble is slightly rolled and smoothed out thus giving the T1's a more mid-centric sound. The added bass is really nice as well and gives the T1 more "oomph". The bass is very well controlled and tight. The soundstage however sounds more confined.
    
2. The Sennheiser HD600's (300Ohms) are already quite warm and forgiving. The amp intensifies this. The HD600's treble is further smoothed out and the mids gain a nice full body feel to them. The bass is more powerful, and as with the T1, is very well controlled. The treble detail is a bit masked by the warmth of the amp, though it's not that bad. The amp is able to drive the HD600 perfectly and it sound superb. The soundstage issues are not as noticeable as with the T1 but they are still there.
    
3. The AKG K501 (120Ohms) on this bad boy sounds glorious! If you thought the K501's mids were lifelike before, then you will bet a nice surprise from this amp. The mids take on an ethereal quality to them. They are fuller and even more realistic sounding. The treble does not to be subdued or rolled off like what I heard with the previous headphones, it's smoother sounding for sure. The bass fills in nicely and makes this headphone sound even more balanced and I do appreciate the extra bass, and it's not distorted or bloated. You can notice that the soundstage is more constricted as it's like going from a concert hall to a movie theater.
    
4. The AKG K400 (120Ohms) benefits nicely from the amp. It already had a sound signature that I would call "right" but the amp intensifies it. More bass, smoother treble, more liquid mids. Also the V200 has no trouble driving the K400 at all. The midrange is more liquid and smooth and even more engaging. The treble is slightly rolled but gives way to a more analog type presentation. The bass is still tight and controlled, just there is more of it now. I have not heard one bit of clipping or distortion from the amp at all. The soundstage suffers bit and sounds more congested but nothing that is too bad.
    
5. The KRK KNS-8400 (38Ohms) benefited the most of the other headphones. They are quite lean sounding to begin with and this amps makes them sound a lot fuller. The mids on the stock model were somewhat thin sounding with elevated treble and somewhat distant bass. I'm glad to say that the bass is upfront, the mids are filled in, and the treble is toned down a notch. Really nice! These 8400's seemed harder to drive than the SRH-440. I had to turn the volume up to double of the SRH-440 so that their levels matched. But the amp still drives them fine. I should note that the bass improved a lot. It become much tighter and gained more punch... oh wait a sec..
    
6. Lets see, the Shure SRH-440 (38Ohms) sounded pretty nice from the amp but it wasn't as big of a change as with the others. I could definitely hear more bass and smoother highs and more mids, but it was not a huge improvement. The bass was more prominent but not bloated or mushy. The midrange was the best improvement as they a bit thin in the mids before and now they are warm. The 440's are already very easy to amp so they did not need much power. They just didn't improve as much with amping as I expected. I suspect that they are far to easy to drive and don't scale that well.
    
7. Next up is the Sennheiser CX500 (16Ohms) does not require that much power. The sound by itself is a bit muddy with too much bass and rolled highs with a somewhat iffy sounding midrange. The V200 adds an unnecessary amount of bass and the highs can be overly smoothed out a bit. The bass becomes quite bloated and the highs are muffled sounding, like you are listening to a HD650. The midrange is quite better than what it was when unamped. Their soundstage is further narrowed . This pairing is not good at all IMO. I don't know what the headphone could sound good on it's own but worse with the amp. I'd say it's just not synergizing with it.
    
8. I have the Shure SE215-K here. This headphone has improved quite a bit with my other amps, especially on my ROC and X-CANV8P. It seems they need s a lot of current to have their potential unlocked. With the V200 they become a lot more intimate and resolving, but also have a more gripping and powerful sound. I always thought they were bassy, but the V200 brings them into the realm of bass heavy. The bass gets more body but remains tight and punchy with good extension and texture. I have yet to hear it loose control and get bloated. The headphones didn't have much soundstage and the amp further narrows it. I think it's similar to a Grado's soundstage now, but a tad larger.

 

 

TREBLE:

The treble on this amp is very similar tot hat of tube amps. It's smooth, non fatiguing, and slightly rolled off. The treble on this amp is quite extended but does roll off a tad. Because of the roll off and smoothness, some details of the treble are obscured or blurred. It's still really good treble, but of a different flavor. It's also not as airy as the Auditor or ROC. The highs aren't blurred at all and are still present, but slightly softer.

 

MIDRANGE:

The mids are this amps specialty. They are lush and engaging without being shouty or congested. Yet again they remind me of tubes and are rich and detailed. Some details are more subdued in the mids, perhaps from the treble being slightly soft? In any case they do add new life to certain music. Guitars and vocals are more life like than ever before. Vocals sound more natural and pleasing while guitars are smoother and less grating on ones ears. Take a listen to Alice in Chains: MTV Unplugged and you'll get where I'm coming from

 

BASS:

Bass is presented in a way that it's fuller and has more impact but not bloated or mushy. It's tight, controlled, and fast. It reaches deep and grips you. It's almost visceral in nature and adds more life to the mix. Bass details aren't covered by the rest of the sound not does the bass "bleed" into the midrange at all. It's separated and exclaims 'Here I am!". Bass guitar's have more heft and weight to them. The whole sound gains this weight to it that can be intoxicating, to me it is at least.

 

SOUNDSTAGE:

Here's is the amps weakness. It sounds compressed on some material or headphones. On the T1's it did sound compressed and was more intimate. Imaging was slightly off because of this and picking spots in the music can be hard on some headphones. I was initially disappointed by this, but grew to enjoy the smaller stage. It brought everything into focus and more upfront. 

 

 



VS. SPL AUDITOR:

These amps sound vastly different from one another. The SPL being dead neutral with perhaps a tiny touch of warmth, and the Violectric being very warm and smooth. The V200 can sound a little smeared when you do a direct comparison between the two amps. The V200 has rolled treble which makes it sound softer or even ill defined in comparison, but it's not downright dull. The V200 has plenty of treble, just that the upper registers are rolled off.

 

The mids of both amps are very different as well. The V200 being lush and the Auditor being neutral. The V200 has a more pleasing coloration in the midband than it's neutral brother that can make some music sound boring. I find the Auditor to have more natural mids as they are not boosted. Both are equally detailed and engaging when in comes to guitars.

 

The bass on both of them are similar in regards to how far it extends and the only major difference is that the V200 has more bass body and impact. This does not negatively effect the bass at all though as it's not bloated or distorted. Still in line with the Auditor I would say. The Auditor also has more control over the bass and is tighter.

 

VS. AUDIO-GD ROC:

Yet again they sound different, this time the ROC is warmer. The ROC is warmer than the SPL Auditor and is smoother in it's presentation. The treble is not rolled at all though. It's still extends high up there and is very detailed. It just sounds more fluid or liquid than you would expect. The V200's treble is fluid as well and just seems to flow out without being harsh or strident. As stated earlier it is slightly rolled off and the treble can suffer from this. The highest details in the treble are present on the ROC, but not the V200. 

 

The midrange of the ROC is not as detailed but also can sound more organic. The V200 in comparison has a very warm midrange that is organic, but not in the way the ROC portrays it. The ROC has more texture to the midrange, but not more detailed. The V200 is still a lot more detailed in it's midrange than the ROC is and is more pleasing. There is just something about the ROC's midrange...

 

The bass on the is quite tight and I'd have to give the nudge to the V200. It reaches deeper and has more control over the bass. The bass is also more textured on the V200. The ROC's bass is still very good but lacks some texture and control. I guess you can say it sounds a tad loose in direct comparison.

 

 



Having this amp for some time and using it with a large variety of headphones, I have to tip my hat to Violectric. They packed a lot of power and finesse in this amp. It can drive everything I throw at it easily. The sonics are nice and warm, great for any tube lover, especially if one does not want to deal with tubes but loves their sound. Probably the warmest solid state amp I have ever heard and I think you'd be hard pressed to fins anther solid state amp with this signature again. The main reason the review is 4 stars is due to how the treble is presented and how it kills some details, and how the soundstage is presented. If those issues were not there then the amp would easily get a 5 star rating from me.

 

This amp can drive absolutely anything short of the K1000 and some orthos.

 

 



 

 

​

 ​

 ​

 ​

 

Hi all, Zombie-X here again with another review for the good boys and girls of Head-Fi.org. I've been playing around with this DAC for about a month now and I figured it's time to give you all a nice, straight to the point review of it. 
 
I would like to take the time before this review to give a shout out to Robert at Aphrodite Cu29 for supplying this DAC for review. He's a good guy in the crazy audio world and knows his stuff. I was swayed to get the DAC, not by his words of praise (well maybe a little), but rather by how it sounds.
 
I would like to say that during this review I will be comparing this DAC to my Music Hall DAC25.2 and Benchmark DAC1. I will be using a variety of headphones and amps n this review and I will make it clear when a certain piece of gear is being used.
 
On another note this DAC costs $1,299 USD brand new. That's much more expensive than the Music Hall DAC 25.2 and Benchmark DAC1 (non USB). Is it worth the price you ask well you're going to have to read the review and find out now aren't you?
 
Also this is my first review of a DAC so I will try my best to describe what it sounds like as best as possible. 
 
 

Who is Violectric? Violectric is a subdivision of Lake People GmBH from Germany. The parent company, Lake People, manufactures a wide variety of electronics such as other DAC's and headphone amps for studio use or for sound engineers. They aim to produce very accurate equipment and everything is built very sturdy, just like all German engineering. All their gear is incredibly rugged and sturdy.
 
Even though the Violectric line is aimed at consumers, the performance and behavior of the gear is still very studio quality. Clearly their studio roots couldn't be lost but is that good or bad? From what I have heard in this DAC this is still very much a studio unit and is not far off prom their professional offerings. Well you're going to find out soon enough on how it actually sounds and compares. Brace yourself!!
 
The following text is quoted directly from their website:
 
Quote:

Established in 1986, we have since become your partner for professional audio electronics. Following our  motto “tools - not toys”, we  achieved highest  reputation during the past years amongst our customers. These are private studios, broadcasters and TV companies. Also airports, congress and exhibition centres count on the reliability of our products made in Germany. This all began under the roof of Rosgartenstrasse 13 in the city of Konstanz. Here, three young guys started with the development and manufacture of limiters and noise gates  but not too success-fully … The commercial survival on a very low level was made possible by the production of headphone amplifiers. From 1989 on, the production range was extended to level matching and balancing amplifiers such successfully, that it came essential to move to larger premises.
 
Since 1991, the new address read: Haidelmoosweg 52. Due to the developement of the first german 20-bit A/D and D/A converters in the beginning nineties, the name Lake People re-sounded throughout the land. Suddenly, the company was regarded as a high-tech brand, with a highly positive effect on its public reputation. The growing know-how led to many new products in the analog and digital domain during the following years. Although some pro-jects turned out to be flops, most devices met the customers' re-quirements, with the effect of continuous growth of the company.  By the end of the nineties, the number of employees had in-creased to ten, and the 140 m² of Haidelmoosweg 52 went cramping. Again, a move to new premises came necessary. As it was obvious that rental facilities would not meet the demands, we decided to put up our own building. The company site was constructed in 2000 in a new industrial park in Konstanz, Turmstrasse 7a, just a hundred metres from the lake. Also in 2000, Lake People was transformed into a Ltd. company.
 

During 2004, nearly the entire production range underwent re-engineering. This concerned both circuitry as well as mechanical design. At the same time, new digital converters were - now being the 4th generation. Another ambitious unit is our innovative digital peak meter, with its new and sophisticated detail solutions.A very speciality of Lake People is the development and modification of audio processing units according to customer specifications.

Click to expand...

 
 

 
 

 

 

Upon getting the DAC from Robert at Aphrodite Cu29 I was awe struck by the build quality of this little guy! The chassis is made of thick aluminum and has a special coating on it that prevents any interference from creeping in. The inside of the case has tiny ridges, almost like those of a heat-sink. The unit has some heft to it and is much heavier than you would think from looking at it. Buttons have a nice "click" to them and the XLR's are sturdy and XLR cables lock in perfectly and are snug. The volume dial is nice and smooth with no resistance whatsoever. Ultra smooth is more like it and it does feel oh so nice!
 
When hooking up the DAC to a PC you get a USB Audio TE7022 Interface with S/PDIF in the the audio output device list. From here you could choose the sample rate, bit depth, and channel balance as well as volume. When hooking up the the PC I would suggest leaving the Windows volume setting to max and then using the music playback software to adjust volume as needed. I would also recommend that all the sampling settings are checked off and have the bitrate set to 24 bit in the device options tab. Make sure you give the unit "priority" access via the options as well.
 
Signal lock on with the DAC is instantaneous and you are able to use the front panel to select from Optical, USB, Coax, and XLR. You can also choose to mute the music via the "Mute/Error" button and even select from no resampling all the way up to 192hz. All the buttons have a nice feel to them and click nicely, but wait I said that before, didn't I?
In my opinion, I would leave the sampling off as resampling the sound does nothing at all. From what I understand it would just add more noise and artifacts to the data stream or even further attenuate them. Not good if you want the purest sound. 
 
The insides of the DAC are populated by capacitors, resistors, operational amplifiers, and a over sized transformer. Wait did I say an over sized transformer? Well the description of the DAC from Violectric states this but all I see is this tiny transformer. Well it doesn't mean it'll sound bad so we will wait in see. Now you can also adjust the gain from the inside of the DAC via the internal dip switches, which can been seen in the last image below. The stock unit comes with the settings set to +15db but can be adjusted to lower such as +6db and higher being +18db and +24db. I currently have my unit set to +18db.
 
         
 
        
 
        
    
                                              
 
 

Before we get into the performance of this DAC I will take briefly on how it sounds. You'd think from a major manufacturer of studio gear that this DAC would sound clinical, thin, or even bright sounding. Well toss those notions out the window becasue this DAC is none of that. It has a very neutral sound that is not clinical at all nor is it warm sounding. It's a flat sounding DAC, as one should be. Giving no attention to certain frequencies and staying true to the source material is what this DAC does. No more, no less. Just pure uncolored or tweaked sound reproduction. After all the DAC, IMO, should be the most neutral piece of gear in ones set-up, then use amps and other gear to color the sound from there.
 
For this I'll be using my PC via the USB input on the DAC. Since we are going to be using USB you should know that you won't need any special drivers. It installs the needed Windows drivers right away. You could always get ASIO USB drivers but they are not free at all and I find them not to improve over the ASIO output from foobar2000. Free bit perfect is better than not free. So I will be using foobar2000 for this review along with the WASAPI output with the buffer set to 1000ms and have the sound set to 24 bits at 96Hz.
 
I find no need to use a S/PDIF converter with this DAC as the amount of jitter is low enough. I suppose if you were to use a high end converter such as the Audiophilleo or SonicWeild Diverter the sound would most probably improve much more but for this review it will jusut be the plain USB input. On my Music Hall DAC25.2 I had to sue the Pop-Pulse USB -2-S/PDIF II because the DAC itself had too much jitter and gave the sound a slight "edge" to it. So without the converter on the Music Hall the sound was brighter and also thinner sounding.
 
 
TREBLE:
The treble on the DAC is very clean and very extended without added grit to it. Some perceive the added "grit" as more detail but it's just noise and tends to add more garbage to the sound. I know with the Music Hall DAC25.2 there is this added "grit" but not much of it but enough to make the amp sound brighter. I should define grit more so you know what exactly it is. Grit, as I call it, is added distortion to the treble and can sound like added detail but really it It's just distortion. But moving on back to the treble. Like I stated earlier it is very clean and detailed. Much more detailed than what my Music Hall DAC25.2 was and certainly more detailed than the Benchmark DAC1 that I demoed. It's highly transparent and dare I say slightly sweet? Yeah I would say it is ever so slightly sweet. I found that on poorly mastered recordings that the treble could become a problem but I believe that the DAC is converting the music better and as such the treble can seem more distorted. On material that is mastered good (such as the MTV Unplugged series) the treble can be smooth and articulated with no hint of brightness or any sibilant behavior at all.
 
MIDRANGE:
The mid range, in comparison to my Music Hall DAC25.2, is a lot cleaner and transparent with more detail. There is no added midrange body but the midrange can sound a tad withdrawn on some material. Such material is some metal, old recordings, or recordings that are overly compressed. When fed with quality stuff the midrange will be so revealing and transparent it like going from looking through a lead/glass window to no window at all. It really is that much better. You can clearly hear more stuff in there. An example would be from Alice in Chains "MTV Unplugged" album. On my DAC25.2 you could hear them plucking the strings on their acoustic guitars but on the V800 you can hear the the pluck more easily and it's sharper as well. You can now hear the leading edge of the pluck (if that's how it's described) a lot easier. Vocals can soudn eerily surreal and crisp. I tossed in Rick Wakemans "Return to The Center of The Earth" CD as it has a lot of narration. Patrick Stewarts voice is is so defined and clear. You can hear him back away from the mic, take a breath, and came back to speak some more.
 
BASS:
Now the bass. I would say compared to my DAC25.2 the bass can seem to have less body but in fact ti is much tighter and defined. I found the bass to sound very firm and present but not overbearing. I will admit this DAC does have less bass than either the Music Hall DAC25.2 and the Benchmark DAC1, but it makes up for it in how tight the bass is and how deeply it can extend. The bass is much more extended and the texturing is well beyond that of both of the other DAC's. Rage Against The Machines first album, entitled "Rage Against The Machine", has some of the most visceral and hard hitting bass I've heard from rock and metal music that is still produced nicely. The song, entitles "Take The Power Back", has so much slam and the bass is so tight that it's eye popping good. The bass is also fast and has a more realistic decay as the other two DAC;s seemed to either have too little decay or too long of a decay. Bass notes hang in the air for just the right amount of time.
 
SOUNDSTAGE / IMAGING:
Well well well what do we have here? I thought I was sitting at home but from what I hear it sounds more like a convert hall. Yes the sound stage is much better than on the Music Hall as it sounded slightly compressed in comparison. The ADC1 was close but seemed to have less depth to it as well as the imaging was kind of compressed. So this test I fired up some binaural music (the album was "Explorations in Space and Time" from HD-Tracks) and WOW were both of those DAC's lacking! Before the imaging was just off on both of them (though like I said the ADC1 was close) and now I can clearly pin-point were sounds are. on the song "Wind" I can hear where the instruments are and can also judge the depth of the sound better. Really there is more depth now, especially with music recorded this way.
 
 EDIT: 
As an update I did try this DAC's other inputs and they all sounds very similar. They have a slight edge over the USB input, but it's still very good. I was quite surprised at how well the USB stacks up. I also have gotten an Audio-GD Digital Interface USB audio converter and it further improved the sound by quite a bit! I guess the sound from the USB input was good already, but after that signal was converted to Coax/Optical/XLR it really came into it's own. It's liek all my descriptions before hand but more fleshed out and detailed!
 
 

All in all the DAC is a great performer at this price. I find it to be superior to the Benchmark DAC1 and Music Hall DAC25.2 in every way. It has more extension on both ends of the frequency range, a lot more detail than either of the other DAC's, much better PRaT, and even tighter and defined bass. I find no reason to choose the Benchmark over this. Even the Benchmark DAC1 USB can not compare. Really I didn't find any major faults with this DAC other than it sometimes being slightly thin sounding but other wise it's exceptional. Really it trumps anything under $1,000 quite easily in many regards. It's hard to find such a good performer in the category and the V800 DAC by Violectric company, a subdivision of Lake People GmBH. Great works guys and I am looking forward to the rest of yuor gear in the future. This DAC is a knockout! Feed it good material and you will be very pleased!
 
Now go buy one! Robert is awaiting your order!
 

Hi guys,
 
Now I am not a speaker guy by any means and mostly have crappy stock speakers around here (although I just upgraded my surround speakers for my NAD T747 to some Harmon Kardon 30BQ's) and this will be my first attempt at reviewing speakers.
 
SET-UP:
Source: PC via PopPulse SPDIF II (foobar2000 via ASAIO), Marantz VC6001
DAC: Music Hall DAC25.2 (NOS Mullard E881CC, upgraded OPA's, upgraded caps)
AMP: Audio-GD ROC (Via XLR from the DAC > ROC > RCA Pre-amp output)
 
 
INTRODUCTION:
To start off I was using some 8 year old Altec Lansing 221's which do sound good, but not mid-fi at all, but are rather lower on the scale. They just had a to boomy bass response to my more refined ears. They are a great set for rock/rap because of the boosted bass and treble, but they had sibilance issues and had a very small soundstage, if you could even call it one.
 
So I had been researching new PC speakers for a couple of months and looked into some from Klipsch and Harmon Kardon, but then I saw these on Music Direct's website and they caught my eye. I looked into them a bit more and saw that Stereophile game them a great review (I trust their speaker reviews far more than headphone reviews). I looked around the net and read tons upon tons of great reviews and thought I would try them out.
 
So here we are with the Audioengine A2B powered desktop speakers. They are much smaller than one would thin from pictures of them but don't let their size fool you. They toss out a much bigger sound than you would think in this price range, but more on that later.
 
Inside their cardboard box you will find two silk like pouches that rest on a foam insert and contain the accessories/supplies. The little silk like bags look and feel like they are much more expensive and also give you the idea that these speakers are high end. So now what's in the top two pouches? They come with a power supply, two lengths of mini-mini cables, and speaker wire. Now time to take the foam out and once you do that you see two more larger pouches that are resting in foam. These are the famed speakers.
 
The speakers themselves look and feel high quality and are incredibly sturdy looking and are built very well. They are a hefty little speaker and look most impressive. The back of the left speaker has two inputs, one being a 1/8" input (from Ipod's, Zune's, and other devices that sue this jack size) and the other being RCA inputs. You'll also be presented with a volume knob as speaker binding posts and the power input from the PSU.
 
 
SOUND SIGNATURE:
I would say these speakers offer a very neutral and largely uncolored sound, but perhaps a bit on the warm side with smoother highs, warmer mids, and defined bass. Not that warm at all so still mainly neutral
 
After the initial set-up is done I decided to try them out with some light stuff such as Rebecca Pidgeon's 'Spanish Harlem'. Wow these speakers sound so open and airy with great extension on both ends and the midband is just right and not recessed or congested. Overall the sound is very neutral. The sound that flows from these is so effortless and liquid. You want to know more though, right?
 
I then tried out something heavier and played some COLD and played some songs from their album 'A Different Kind of Pain'. I chose this album as it's not really heavy, but not light either. I wanted to see how these speakers faired with rock. I must say they do a great job with rock. Guitars a clear and have a great full sound to them. Symbols crash just right and the bass is fast and punchy. The highs are also very open, though modern rock has slightly boosted treble. 
 
TREBLE:
The treble on these speakers is essentially grain free and extremely open and airy with no sign of sibilance or exaggeration. Really they are just crystal clear and smooth sounding with enough sparky to not sound dull.
 
MIDRANGE:
The midband is very very good. It's very resolving and detailed and not honky or congested. It lets guitars rip and scream and lets vocals shine with body and emotion. The mids are nicely detailed and can be called neutral with a hint of warmth.
 
BASS:
Oh man the bass. I was not expecting bass out of these but I must say they really satisfy me. The bass is not heavy or prominent but in no way light. It's fast, punchy, and very deep with great extension. It gives good weight to instruments and drums sound very good on these. Rap music can sound a bit underwhelming as these don't muster up the bottom end for that genre, but rock and metal do just fine.
 
SOUNDSTAGE:
The soundstage really surprised me as well and it was pretty holographic and wide. These speakers can really throw a nice soundstage out in front of you and it's a very precise soundstage at that! Everything sounds where it should be and the sounds are accurate.
 
 
CONCLUSION:
I can not believe these speakers are only $200 and offer such great sound quality for the money. I would say they remind me of a speaker version of the HD600, though slightly brighter and lighter on the bass. But man these speakers really surprised me a lot. I'm not s speaker guy by any means but now I am getting into speakers. I will say just jump on these. They are a bargain at this price and have plenty of power behind them and sound much bigger than they are. If you are into computer audio then these should be on your short list.

[size=small]Hi all, Zombie_X here with another review! This won't be as in depth as the T1's review but I will give you all the needed info.[/size][size=small] [/size]

[size=small]The Beyerdynamic DT880 sound can be classified as being treble oriented with slightly recessed mids (will get tot hat later) and having slow or muddy bass (will get to that as well).[/size][size=small] [/size]

[size=small]___________________________________________________________[/size][size=small] [/size]
[size=small]___________________________________________________________[/size][size=small] [/size]


[size=small]GEAR USED:[/size][size=small] [/size]
[size=small]- Source: PC via Pop-Pulse SPDIF-II (to Optical), Marantz VC6001 CD Player[/size][size=small] [/size]
[size=small]- Amp: Woo Audio WA3+, Audio-GD ROC[/size][size=small] [/size]
[size=small]- DAC: Music Hall DAC25.2 (with NOS Mullard E88CC tube)[/size][size=small] [/size]
[size=small]- IC's : ZXAC custom made RCA and XLR cables[/size][size=small] [/size]

[size=small]___________________________________________________________[/size][size=small] [/size]
[size=small]___________________________________________________________[/size][size=small] [/size]


[size=small]TREBLE:[/size][size=small] [/size]
[size=small]I find the treble on the DT880/600Ohm to be slightly smoother than the 250Ohm and 32Ohm models out there. It's very extended and crystalline in it's presentation. I find it to be harsh on poorly mastered or recorded material but when used with reference grade material the treble is to die for. Very articulate and grain free.[/size][size=small] [/size]

[size=small]MIDRANGE:[/size][size=small] [/size]
[size=small]Many say the DT880 is leaner in the midrange but I have to say they are not. The treble shines over the mids and makes them seem recessed or muted. The mids are very transparent with lots of detail and also have great resolving capabilities. Vocals sound very nice and realistic and guitars have an edge to them which is very nice.[/size][size=small] [/size]

[size=small]BASS:[/size][size=small] [/size]
[size=small]Yet again I hear this talk of the slow and muddy DT880 bass. The 250Ohm has this as well as the 32Ohm, but not the 600Ohm model. The bass is very punchy when needed and is very extended with great texturing and layering. It's is also not sluggish in anyway as long as the recordings bass is not that way. The bass is very tight and well controlled without being to dominant of the sound. Many on [...] have said that the DT880 also has bloated bass which is simply not true.[/size][size=small] [/size]

[size=small]SOUNDSTAGE:[/size][size=small] [/size]
[size=small]The soundstage is very well layered and offers a lot of detail and separation of the various instruments. I find it to be quite accurate and spacious with good air. In comparison to the HD600 it is a bit bigger in terms of width and depth of the presentation. It's not the biggest out there but it is better than others.[/size][size=small] [/size]


[size=small]These 600Ohm headphones need strong amping. I would recommend a nice OTL tube amp for them like my Woo Audio WA3+. They need a significant voltage swing to function properly.[/size]

I won't get too technical or get too in depth int his review. I will just state what I believe these headphones do and how they sound, just very straight to the point.
 
The T1 is beyerdynamics' latest entry into full size open dynamic headphones. This model can achieve one Tesla with it's new driver and magnet system. This allows the T1 to be far more efficient and easier to amp than the DT880/600Ohm by quite a bit. This also means your amp won't strain to power them like some amps do with the DT880/600 (and this is from my experience). 
 
IMO the Tesla 1 is at about the same level of the HD800, but I vastly prefer the T1 as it sounds more natural and dare I say less synthetic than the HD800. The HD800 has a leaner sound with more prominent treble and less bass, though the bass on the HD800 is slightly more accurate.
 
Well onto the sound. I will be comparing to the HD800 in this review as I find them to be in the same league. I will go in sections: DETAIL, TRANSPARENCY, TREBLE, MIDRANGE, BASS, SOUNDSTAGE, CONCLUSION. 
 
DETAIL:
With this headphone you can hear a lot of things you may have never heard before, such as footsteps, raindrops, and even whispering. The detail retrieval is very close to that of the HD800, but rather more subtle sounding. The HD800 seems to revel in it's ability to bring out the smallest details. The T1 still has nearly the same amount of detail as the HD800, but it's just not so painfully obvious. The HD800 makes you want to focus on the details while the T1 is more of actually listening to the music, but that's my view on it.
 
TRANSPARENCY:
Man oh man these cans can reach deep into the music. They are so transparent that you can hear nearly everything that's there. I don't have the HD800 on hand but I would say the T1's are slightly more transparent. The transparency really shines in the midrange where the guitars and vocals are. The guitars are so crisp and clear and you can hear fingers sliding up the fret board and can hear little nuances in the voices of singers.
 
TREBLE:
The treble on the T1 is really great for many reasons. It extends just as high as the HD800, but unlike that headphone it is not as in your face. To me the T1's treble is very smooth without a hint of stridence or harshness. It also sound more natural to me. The treble is also very airy, not as airy as the HD800's, but very close. I also found the treble to be very detailed.
 
MIDRANGE:
The T1 has the best midrange I have ever heard. It has exceptional resolving capabilities as well as being more transparent than the HD800 in my mind. I also found the midrange to be more fleshed out than the HD800's, and though the T1 has neutral mids they are very slightly warmer. This warmness makes music sound more natural and lifelike. To me the HD800's mids were really good, but a little thin and could be somewhat lifeless on certain recordings. 
 
BASS:
The T1 definitely has more bass then the HD800 and this means more body and impact. I also found that the T1's lower most regions are a little rolled off, but not by that much. In fact I think the rolled off bass can make music sound more natural. The T1's bass still extends nearly as deep as the HD800's, but has more body and impact without sacrificing control or tightness. The bass of the T1 is more impactful than the DT770/DT880 but less than that of the DT990. The bass to me is perfect in it tonality and texturing capabilities which are really exceptional.
 
SOUNDSTAGE:
The soundstage is clearly much bigger than any of the DT770-DT990 variants and is also airy. I found it to be almost as big as the K702's soundstage, but has more depth and height to it. It's a really big stage that is nearly as big as the HD800's, but to me the HD800's is a little too big. The T1's is very spacious and provides great reproductions of spatial nuances and separation of instruments as well as providing a more accurate stereo image. Speaking of imaging, it's nothing short of incredible. You can place musicians on the stage really well and little nuances can be picked out really easily.
 
CONCLUSION:
I find the T1 to be a very good headphone and also the best reference all rounds out there. It has a very liquid and natural tonality that is heard to beat at any price. It's easily my no.1 recommendation for those who do not have a budget.
 
 
Also the T1's are very unforgiving of low quality audio and if fed crap, they will spit it back at you. As for me I don't really care as I will use them anyways