[Softable]

@Dan Lee My brother apparently just uses a mixer of some kind at church, and at home apparently he doesn't monitor himself at home, he just plays along to songs. I think on some guitar amps there is a headphone out, but I don't know much about guitars. Sorry.

 

[Softable]

Hey guys, so the guy I was going to buy the iFi iCan Pro from already sold it, so I was wondering should I wait until another one comes up for sale, or buy a Jotunheim and Lyr 3, or buy a iFi micro iDSD black, something with a lot of power like the Emotiva A-100, some Audio GD? Or some other amplifier for around ~$1200 ish? I don't know..

Thanks

 

[801evan]

Hey guys, so the guy I was going to buy the iFi iCan Pro from already sold it, so I was wondering should I wait until another one comes up for sale, or buy a Jotunheim and Lyr 3, or buy a iFi micro iDSD black, something with a lot of power like the Emotiva A-100, some Audio GD? Or some other amplifier for around ~$1200 ish? I don't know..

Thanks

I've been recommending the Bakoon HPA01 on this thread. It can pair well with the Fulla DAC because the Bakoon works well where you max the volume on the Bakoon then adjust the volume on the Fulla.

I use the LCD3 with it and the combo sounds better than an LCD 4 on the Hugo 1 or 2. So I'm excited to save up and pair it eventually with the LCD 4 (or 5).

I've tried so many combinations on the Bakoon with my laptop chain and I used to like it max volume, low gain then adjust the volume on the Hugo 2. Then after some discussions on this thread, I appreciated setting the volume on the DAC end at 1v and doing high gain at 10'o clock. Any more and I can hear the congestion /noise on the upper mids. Now, I've achieved a chain with low noise that I'm setting it on high gain at max volume and the DAC on very minimal volume that's for sensitive iems.

The sound now is very stretched/pulled apart with the details and the realism is too good that I feel blessed to be enjoying such a setup. I had a weird fluke of where powering the Dell laptop with it's external power companion and when the monitor goes to sleep that the soundstage goes super wide and natural and more depth. It was enough for me to experiment and try running the LCD3 straight to the Hugo 2 and it does sound pretty good and clean.

And with that, I can stand corrected and understand what 4 people were saying here. The last time, I said the Hugo 2 tt wasn't that great in driving planars due to it feeding more voltage than current and whatever. Now, I realize that distortion is due to the noise coming from the USB source. This is how I was able to up from low gain to high gain and max volume and experience more SQ. Going back to the Bakoon from the Hugo 2, I can hear how the Bakoon does a good job with depth and realism. Sounds better than a 2 channel setup that cost as much as a Porsche Carrera.

 

[801evan]

The Bakoon HPA 01m fits your budget too.

 

[syn959]

Hey guys, so the guy I was going to buy the iFi iCan Pro from already sold it, so I was wondering should I wait until another one comes up for sale, or buy a Jotunheim and Lyr 3, or buy a iFi micro iDSD black, something with a lot of power like the Emotiva A-100, some Audio GD? Or some other amplifier for around ~$1200 ish? I don't know..

Thanks

I read a few pages back that you were looking for a DAC as well. Some AMP/DAC combos I can recommend are RME ADI-2 DAC FS and Benchmark DAC3 HGC. The RME amp section drives the LCD-4 pretty well, but Benchmark amp section is better. Benchmark amp section drives with more authority, better imaging, and layered presentation. Benchmark cost a lot more or slightly more depending on if you're buying new or used. RME have a lot of features like EQ to customize sound. Both have very good implementations of DAC chips used and both have balanced out to external amp if you decide you need one later.

 

[astrostar59]

I can also recommend the Violectric V281, as it drives my LCD4s very well indeed.

 

[Dan Lee]

@astrostar59 I am genuinely interested in the V281 and how it would pair with TOTL planars. I have been intrigued by it since the first time I read a review on it. I ended up going with the iCAN because I like the bass boost and 3D features on occasion 3D not so much anymore, but bass boost is nice from time to time. That being said how would you compare the V281 to other amps you have heard?

 

[TropicalChemist]

Hey guys, so the guy I was going to buy the iFi iCan Pro from already sold it, so I was wondering should I wait until another one comes up for sale, or buy a Jotunheim and Lyr 3, or buy a iFi micro iDSD black, something with a lot of power like the Emotiva A-100, some Audio GD? Or some other amplifier for around ~$1200 ish? I don't know..

Thanks

In that budget you’ve got quite a few options, Bryston HPA-1, Violectric V280, MJ2, Ragnarok, and a whole bunch more. Happy hunting

@astrostar59 I am genuinely interested in the V281 and how it would pair with TOTL planars. I have been intrigued by it since the first time I read a review on it. I ended up going with the iCAN because I like the bass boost and 3D features on occasion 3D not so much anymore, but bass boost is nice from time to time. That being said how would you compare the V281 to other amps you have heard?

Can’t speak for @astrostar59 but I do love my V280 with the LCD-4’s. The only better pairing I heard was my friend’s DNA Stratus. Haven’t tried a HeadAmp GSX-2 or HPA4 though. Definitely better than an MJ2, it’s just wonderfully competent across the whole powerband. It’s got a lot of ‘grip’ (high DF and slew rate) which really highlights the LCD-4’s texture and accuracy in the low end. And still aplomb and juice to let the LCD-4 sparkle up top which makes it a great pairing imo.

 

[astrostar59]

@astrostar59 I am genuinely interested in the V281 and how it would pair with TOTL planars. I have been intrigued by it since the first time I read a review on it. I ended up going with the iCAN because I like the bass boost and 3D features on occasion 3D not so much anymore, but bass boost is nice from time to time. That being said how would you compare the V281 to other amps you have heard?

I would say it is near the top of SS headphone amplifiers. The only way to get above it IMO is go for tubes, and you need a powerful tube amplifier to do that. As for the bass, the LCD4 on the V281 with balanced cable is a bass monster, as good as the Abyss, and beyond pretty much anything else IMO. The V281 is slightly warm, so that helps with a lot of DS DACs, ensures they don't get too bright or fatiguing.

The other aspect of the V281 is it has a huge power range, so you can adjust it to suit HD800s, or Susvara. And it has lots of power on tap to drive pretty much any headphone. There is a review on it driving the HE6, so that gives you an idea. My opinion, buy it!

 

[PointyFox]

@astrostar59 I am genuinely interested in the V281 and how it would pair with TOTL planars. I have been intrigued by it since the first time I read a review on it. I ended up going with the iCAN because I like the bass boost and 3D features on occasion 3D not so much anymore, but bass boost is nice from time to time. That being said how would you compare the V281 to other amps you have heard?

I had the V281 with the LCD4. I couldn't detect a difference between it and my other amps. The LCD4 sounded a bit muffled to me and wasn't as good as my Stax so I sold it. It was also very heavy and hurt the top of my head. I don't recommend the V281 for anything sensitive because there is a lot of transformer noise present. I could hear it on the V200 and it is about double on the V281 since it is essentially a double V200 with two transformers.

 

[Dan Lee]

I appreciate the insight on the V281 guys. Have any of you had a chance to listen to the iCAN? I had the MJ2 for a while like one you as well. I sold it in favor of the iCAN because this thing was so much more analytical and dynamic. It was not a subtle difference in my opinion either, but very noticeable. I have heard a great deal of fantastic things about the 281 and also the 280 but if it wouldn't be a huge leap from the iCAN then I can be quite content with this unit. I will say @PointyFox you are one of the few I've heard that didn't like it and the first I have heard to suggest it was noisy. That is rather interesting. Have either of you who praised it heard the noise issue and if so what have you used to combat it?

 

[sahmen]

Another + for the v281 paired with the LCD-4s.

The Violectric V281 drives the LCD-4 with aplomb, and all my other cans as well. I have never heard any type of noise on it at all, but then again, that is probably where the DAC that is attached to it, or some other link in the component chain become important. The way any amp sounds depends on the DAC it is associated with in the same chain (there is no getting around that), as it depends on transducers, and even on interconnects, and often too, the headphone cables one is using (I could even go into power cables, and the electrical field, but let's just keep those aside for now). In other words, the sound of any amp, at any given time, is a product of the system synergy of the amp, together with other components and cables that are deployed in the same chain... What will make or break that chain, with regard to its sonic performance, is always the weakest link in that chain, whatever that link is (and that link is not necessarily, and not always the amp).

My Violectric V281 is deployed--because of its great versatility with input/output and sound-controlling options-- as one sort of center-piece in three different chains of components, two of which are feeding headphones. The third chain serves the front tower speakers of my 2-channel Stereo/HT systems.

1. Ultra-rendu (Roon-endpoint)==>> Schiit Yggy A2 ==>> V281 ==>> Headphones

2. Metrum Acoutics Ambre (Roon endpoint) ==>> /Metrum Onyx/Schiit Yggy A2 ==>> V281 ==>> Headphones

3. U-rendu/Ambre (Roon endpoints) ==>>Onyx/Yggy A2 ==>>> V281 ==>> Emotiva XMC1 (pre pro) ==>> Polk Audio LSIM 707 towers.

The V-28i has been in these chains for three years now, although some of the surrounding components that are currently listed are replacements of others that were in similar positions in prior arrangements of essentially these same overlapping chains...

I have used the following headphones on V281 at the same or different times: Hifiman He 500/He-6/He-1000/He-1000SE, Sennheiser HD-600/6XX/700/800, Audeze LCD-X/LCD-MX4/LCD-i4/LCD-4.

I guess you could say that it has been thoroughly tested over these years, and it has always sounded as clean as a whistle, no matter what I have thrown at it. None of these headphones has sounded "bad" in anyway on it, but some of them scale better on it than others, and I can confidently tell you that the LCD-4 is among those which scale the highest on the V281 in these chains.

Again, it has been used in this way for 3 years, and has produced no noise whatsoever : zero, zilch, nada. Of course this account is based my own listening experiences, on the components I have listed in the above chains, and others I have not cared to... YMMV

 

[sahmen]

I appreciate the insight on the V281 guys. Have any of you had a chance to listen to the iCAN? I had the MJ2 for a while like one you as well. I sold it in favor of the iCAN because this thing was so much more analytical and dynamic. It was not a subtle difference in my opinion either, but very noticeable. I have heard a great deal of fantastic things about the 281 and also the 280 but if it wouldn't be a huge leap from the iCAN then I can be quite content with this unit. I will say @PointyFox you are one of the few I've heard that didn't like it and the first I have heard to suggest it was noisy. That is rather interesting. Have either of you who praised it heard the noise issue and if so what have you used to combat it?

I have not personally heard the ICAN, but @project86 (John Granberg) has, and he is also an excellent and reliable reviewer of Amps and cans who is very familiar with the V281 as well. You can PM him for in-depth comparative impressions on both the ICAN and the V281.

 

[Dan Lee]

I was curious as to whether that noise might have been source or chain related as well. I used to have random noise issues that drove me insane. They were primarily more noticeable on lower end sources as higher end sources tend to implement a lot of noise dampening forces. I eventually put a power conditioner at the beginning of my chain and have found a great deal of noise reduction just from that one piece. I researched it so much I found that power fluctuations in neighborhoods were rather common. You would have better sound with less noise during the day when most people are gone and at night it would be noisier. Once I got the conditioner I didn't have this issue anymore. Not to mention the higher I have gone up in regard to sources and amps the clearer my sound has become. I now have some custom XLR interconnects on the way and am curious to see if I will be able to detect any difference from that addition.

 

[Dan Lee]

I have not personally heard the ICAN, but @project86 (John Granberg) has, and he is also an excellent and reliable reviewer of Amps and cans who is very familiar with the V281 as well. You can PM him for in-depth comparative impressions on both the ICAN and the V281.

Thank you for this info my friend I will do that.