Review: Violectric HPA V200 - Page 2

 Wow - talk about lifting the Head-Fi standard for reviews Zombie!

 Bit of desktop publishing flair here or there and this review no longer belongs in the domain of the amateur enthusiast,

 it would happily find a place on the pages of any Hi-Fi magazine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zombie_X 

Thanks Gwarmi,

 

I try to do the best I can and give an good review.
 

 

 Have to agree with your observations concerning sound stage width - it can sound a little constricted at times,

 overall I've been beyond happy with the V200 but ever since my PS1000 landed on my desktop - the search for a

 more suitable dedicated 'PS1000-only' amp has begun.

 I'm after a slight contradiction really :-) - a more forward presentation and yet a little more sound stage width.

 Just on a random side note ~ would anyone know the output impedance of the Ray Samuels Raptor?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwarmi 

 

 I'm after a slight contradiction really :-) - a more forward presentation and yet a little more sound stage width.

 

the apex peak/volcano is the finest amp i have heard with grados.

the speed, timbre, and soundstage are just remarkable.

i never thought grados could sound WIDE.  however, with the peak, they do.  they really do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheWuss 

the apex peak/volcano is the finest amp i have heard with grados.

the speed, timbre, and soundstage are just remarkable.

 

i never thought grados could sound WIDE.  however, with the peak, they do.  they really do.

 

I'm getting the Apex Peak + Volcano in shortly. I've heard wondrous things about it.

Damn! I had planned to buy V200 for my incoming LCD-2's. It really seems like it would be a very bad combination with lcd-2 because of the output impedance and audible properties.

Do you know about any good neutral headamps with high output, and which is suitable for high- and low impedance headphones (such as LCD-2's)? 

Why in he.. does Violectric say that the dampingfactor on this amp is 800 at 50ohms? Thats ridicoulus if the real output impedance is 10ohms (which is just as BAD as my present Asus Essence STX)?

Thank you for a really great review by the way, absolutely outstanding! 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Labbetuss 

Damn! I had planned to buy V200 for my incoming LCD-2's. It really seems like it would be a very bad combination with lcd-2 because of the output impedance and audible properties.

 

Do you know about any good neutral headamps with high output, and which is suitable for high- and low impedance headphones (such as LCD-2's)? 

 

Why in he.. does Violectric say that the dampingfactor on this amp is 800 at 50ohms? Thats ridicoulus if the real output impedance is 10ohms (which is just as BAD as my present Asus Essence STX)?

 

Thank you for a really great review by the way, absolutely outstanding! 

 Works pretty well in real life - V200 + LCD2 - many people auditioning back to back with the Burson 160 - stump up the extra cash for the sleek German after

 a few listens.

 The 160 is for those seeking ultra warmth in a solid state package. Add +6dB on both V200 channels and you're away.

Don't fret, the V200 + LCD-2 is an excellent combo.  No hesitation in recommending.  
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Labbetuss 

Damn! I had planned to buy V200 for my incoming LCD-2's. It really seems like it would be a very bad combination with lcd-2 because of the output impedance and audible properties.

 

Do you know about any good neutral headamps with high output, and which is suitable for high- and low impedance headphones (such as LCD-2's)? 

 

Why in he.. does Violectric say that the dampingfactor on this amp is 800 at 50ohms? Thats ridicoulus if the real output impedance is 10ohms (which is just as BAD as my present Asus Essence STX)?

 

Thank you for a really great review by the way, absolutely outstanding! 

Very good review Zombie, I like your nice pictures

I am still debating if i should get the V200 for my incoming HD800. The soundstage problem....hmmm ... , i will be using it with an Audiolab 8200CD , please give some opinion 

Thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by Labbetuss 

Damn! I had planned to buy V200 for my incoming LCD-2's. It really seems like it would be a very bad combination with lcd-2 because of the output impedance and audible properties.

 

Do you know about any good neutral headamps with high output, and which is suitable for high- and low impedance headphones (such as LCD-2's)? 

 

Why in he.. does Violectric say that the dampingfactor on this amp is 800 at 50ohms? Thats ridicoulus if the real output impedance is 10ohms (which is just as BAD as my present Asus Essence STX)?

 

Thank you for a really great review by the way, absolutely outstanding! 

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenom60 

Very good review Zombie, I like your nice pictures

I am still debating if i should get the V200 for my incoming HD800. The soundstage problem....hmmm ... , i will be using it with an Audiolab 8200CD , please give some opinion 

 

Thanks

The V200 and the LCD-2 r.1 & r.2 is an excellent pairing. There are many Head-Fiers who own this combination and absolutely love the combination as I did.   There are also many HD 800 owners who have this combo and feel the same way.  The best thread to read concerning the V200 and the various headphones it has been paired with and the satisfaction of these pairings is the oldest and original V200 review thread which at this current time is already up to 76 pages.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/551173/review-violectric-hpa-v200-amp

You'll find far more in depth coverage of the V200 and the headphones it has been paired with amongst the users in that thread which is already approaching its one year mark.  

The output impedance from V200 is definetely 0,0625 Ohms as can be seen in the technical data.

As there is no standard defining the load whilst calculating the damping factor Violectric assumes the load to be 50 Ohm.

The damping factor is: load / output impedance or 50 / 0,0625 = 800

Violectric shares the opinon that the output impedance from an amp should be as low as possible.

This is the only measure to control (low impedance) headphones in order to minimize interacting load and charge effects which may color the sound.

Greetz

Fried

I was going to post here last night but ran out of time.... I wake up this morning and Fried has already beat me to it. I was going to point out that the output impedance of the V200 (and all Violectric amps it seems) is extremely low, as in way less than 1 Ohm. But now that the actual designer has stated it is .06 Ohms we have the definitive answer. I'd say an update on the original post is probably in order. 

ZX -- well done review, it echoes many of my own thoughts on the subject. WarriorAnt already linked to my review from last year so people can see my take - I personally don't seem to have as much of an issue with the soundstage presentation. It's not the most expansive I've ever heard, and I use my tube amp for that if I want to achieve it. But it is certainly not "bad" by any stretch. I guess we all have different priorities for the various attributes of an amp so that may be higher up on your list. 

I didn't care for the Phonitor/Auditor sound as much as you did - it was pretty nice with my higher impedance beyers and Sennheisers, but fell flat with my Grados, Audio Technicas, Denons, Ultrasones, Kenwoods, and all my IEMs. If I could pair the interesting tone controls from the Phonitor with the versatility and power of the V200, that is something I'd be intrigued by.