It's hard to say if the micro-detail is due to the V280, the HD 800 S, or the Gumby. Most likely, it's a combo of the 3. My setup is also fully balanced from the DAC to the amp, and from the amp to the headphones, so that alone makes a HUGE difference. Are your HD 650s balanced? If not, I would...

Ok, more than 24 hours in with the Gumby + V280 combo and I am now in audio heaven. I finally see why everyone raves about the Gumby. The music is just plain amazing! I've been listening to Disturbed - Live at the RedRocks using Tidal, so it's their Masters edition. Absolutely incredible.

The Gumby came in today and has been on for about 4 hours now. I can already tell that the highs are starting to mellow out just a tad. The combination with the V280 and the HD800 S creates a pretty beautiful sound.

I am excited to hear your impressions are you continue to burn it in. Mine will be here tomorrow, so I am pretty excited to plug it in a get everything going. I even made my own XLR cables to use with my fully balanced V280 amp. :)

Thanks for all of the encouraging words guys! I just got my notice this morning that my order has shipped, so I am ecstatic about receiving my new Gumby!

Nope, it still hasn't shipped. According to the website, orders placed now won't be shipped until about February 22nd. I'm not thrilled on this shipping timeframe to say the least.

Yeah, when you said that you got the shipping notice I began to get excited, thinking I may get one too :) In good time though... I know it is going to be worth every penny. BTW, I have finally discovered the power of having a DAC, even a lower quality one. As I listen to the following chain I...

I just keep thinking of the possibilities if I had just placed my order in the morning of the 23rd instead of the evening ;)

Ah you are so lucky! I bought a Violectric V280 amp to go with my Gumby, so I've been listening out of the headphone port of my Macbook Air using a stereo to RCA cable. I originally bought the Jot w/DAC combo to go with my HD 800 S, and it was pretty good, but I felt that the V280/Gumby combo...

What amp are you pairing your Gumby with?

Wow, I'm surprised that mine hasn't shipped! I placed my order the same day, only it was in the evening. Who knew only a few hours could make such a big difference in shipping times!

How long ago did you place your order? I placed an order for the Gumby about a week and a half ago, but got an email from Schiit yesterday saying that it could be up to a few weeks before my order ships. This is a copy of the email: Thank you for your order and we are sorry for the delay. The...

Thanks for that piece of advice! However, I canceled my order for the MJ2 and decided to go with the Violectric V280. I am going to return the iFi tubes to Amazon

Oh man, I can't believe that I pulled the trigger and picked up the Gumby with a Violectric V281. I won't say that I'm not thrilled, but I seriously hope this is a real upgrade to my current jotunheim with built-in DAC. From what I've read, it seems that it will be. Making the custom XLR cables...

I got the cable from Ebay and the Neutrik connectors from Amazon.

Ok, I just didn't want to forgo something that was needed in order to use to cables. I figured they were just for color coding, but in this world of hi-fi audio you never can be too careful haha. Thank you very much for your input. I went ahead and ordered the connectors as well as the Sommer...

So are the red rings necessary, or could I just leave the black rings on there that the connectors come with? It's a nice touch, but I personally don't need the color coordination for my setup.

I have some experience with soldering. I built a Bottlehead crack w/ Speedball upgrade a few months back, so I don't see soldering to be too big of an issue. Do you have a website recommendation where I could buy all components in one go? Also, I'm not sure which sommercable I'd have to buy. I'm...

Fantastic. Thank you for the recommendation. I currently have the Schiit Jotunheim paired with the HD 800 S, but I just find it to be too bright. It is my hope that this forthcoming setup will tone the highs back just ever so slightly, while introducing a wider soundstage and better imaging.

Thank you very much for your input. Do you have a recommendation for a pair of XLR cables to connect the Gumby to the V280 by chance?

Awesome! Ok, so I think I've finally decided on what I'm going to do. Seeing that I do not need the preamp features of the V281, I find it better (for my wallet) to opt for the V280, which is basically the same amp as the V281, except for the preamp feature. Is that right?

That's good to hear. Their website led me to believe that you had to choose a DAC option. This is a slightly obscure question, but have you had the chance to listen to a HDV 820 amp/DAC combo? If so, what are your thoughts on how it compares to the V281?

Hey all, I've been trying to decide which amp to buy for my HD 800 S phones for some time now. I'm leaning towards either HDV 820, Schiit MJ2 with Gumby, or the V281 with Gumby. Can someone please chime in on this problem that I've created for myself? I will be strictly using the balanced XLR...

I've been hearing some amazing things about the V281. Is there a model that doesnt have the internal DAC though? I'd really like to pair it with the Gumby and not have to pay extra for the V281 with DAC built in.

Thank you so much for the quick replies. This information is very helpful. Does anyone have any other amp recommendations for HD 800 S besides MJ2 with the Yggdrasil? I really want this to be my end game set up. Thanks.