HiFlight
Headphoneus Supremus
For quite some time now, I have been using the Virtue One Classic to drive my balanced phones. As all of the Virtue amplifiers are Tripath-based, they cannot be used to drive headphones that use a common ground and therefore lack a traditional headphone jack, but balanced phones, by definition, no longer have a common ground and can be safely connected to the speaker terminals of a T-amp where both negative and positive terminals are actively driven. .
Balancing ones phones opens up a number of interesting amplifier choices. I have evaluated about 6 different speaker amplifiers trying to find a really compatible amplifier to drive my K1000's, finally selecting the Virtue as my preference. ( www.virtueaudio.com )
The first Virtue amp that I owned was the original Virtue One Classic. This diminutive amplifer measures only 5" X 5" X 2.5" but depending upon the choice of power supply can deliver over 40wpc.
The little Virtue was an excellent match with my K1000's, providing plenty of power, great bass and an overall SQ reminiscent of a very good tube amplifer.
I compared the Virtue to both my other T-amps, the Little Dot T_150, RWA Signature 30.2 and Winsome Labs Mouse. Tonally, I preferred the SQ of the Virtue, and have subsequently sold all of my other desktop amplifiers except the Little Dot which I use to drive my Magnaplans..
While my Virtue One sounded great not only with my K1000's, but also with my balanced K340's, K501's and SA5000's, I nevertheless began to fall victim to that contagious disease..."Upgradeitits".
I had been looking seriously at the new Virtue 2.2. The exterior appearance is exactly the same as the Virtue One, but has numerous improvements such as stepped attenuator, larger filter caps, and Auricaps as coupling capacitors. As frosting on the cake, the current Virtue amplifiers can be used safely with battery power instead of a standard power supply. The battery option provides a huge reserve of current and a totally black background.
I had already purchased the Virtue Audio CD player, the Piano M1. This is a beautifully crafted instrument that one can customize during the order process. Not only is it solidly-build player, but more importantly, it sounds stunning. Given its performance and my satisfaction with my Virtue One, I decided to order the Virtue 2.2.
As they are built to order, then burned in for about 24 hours, mine was delivered about a week after placing my order. While the exterior appearance is identical with that of my Virtue One, the new amplifier already sounds superb with all of my balanced phones. I am still getting accustomed to the stepped attenuator, and my battery power supply has not yet arrived, but I am very much enjoying the performance of this little jewel.
According to the Virtue folks, these amplifiers need approximately 200 hours of use to reach their full potential due to the Auricaps taking a long time to fully form.
For those who might be interested in the use of a superbly-engineered T-amp to drive their balanced phones via direct connection to the speaker terminals, the Virtue line of amplifiers are certainly worthy of serious consideration.
Ron
Balancing ones phones opens up a number of interesting amplifier choices. I have evaluated about 6 different speaker amplifiers trying to find a really compatible amplifier to drive my K1000's, finally selecting the Virtue as my preference. ( www.virtueaudio.com )
The first Virtue amp that I owned was the original Virtue One Classic. This diminutive amplifer measures only 5" X 5" X 2.5" but depending upon the choice of power supply can deliver over 40wpc.
The little Virtue was an excellent match with my K1000's, providing plenty of power, great bass and an overall SQ reminiscent of a very good tube amplifer.
I compared the Virtue to both my other T-amps, the Little Dot T_150, RWA Signature 30.2 and Winsome Labs Mouse. Tonally, I preferred the SQ of the Virtue, and have subsequently sold all of my other desktop amplifiers except the Little Dot which I use to drive my Magnaplans..
While my Virtue One sounded great not only with my K1000's, but also with my balanced K340's, K501's and SA5000's, I nevertheless began to fall victim to that contagious disease..."Upgradeitits".
I had been looking seriously at the new Virtue 2.2. The exterior appearance is exactly the same as the Virtue One, but has numerous improvements such as stepped attenuator, larger filter caps, and Auricaps as coupling capacitors. As frosting on the cake, the current Virtue amplifiers can be used safely with battery power instead of a standard power supply. The battery option provides a huge reserve of current and a totally black background.
I had already purchased the Virtue Audio CD player, the Piano M1. This is a beautifully crafted instrument that one can customize during the order process. Not only is it solidly-build player, but more importantly, it sounds stunning. Given its performance and my satisfaction with my Virtue One, I decided to order the Virtue 2.2.
As they are built to order, then burned in for about 24 hours, mine was delivered about a week after placing my order. While the exterior appearance is identical with that of my Virtue One, the new amplifier already sounds superb with all of my balanced phones. I am still getting accustomed to the stepped attenuator, and my battery power supply has not yet arrived, but I am very much enjoying the performance of this little jewel.
According to the Virtue folks, these amplifiers need approximately 200 hours of use to reach their full potential due to the Auricaps taking a long time to fully form.
For those who might be interested in the use of a superbly-engineered T-amp to drive their balanced phones via direct connection to the speaker terminals, the Virtue line of amplifiers are certainly worthy of serious consideration.
Ron
