[Terriero]

I listened to the Volot for a couple of hours today and did a brief comparison to the Formula S and Powerman. Initial thoughts are that the tonality is similar between the two but the Formula S sounds a bit larger in stage depth and width.

I'm going to continue using the Volot as my main amp for a while and come back to using the Formula S and Powerman once the Volot has "burned-in". I haven't noticed big changes with burn-in before but it won't hurt to use the Volot for a while longer before comparing to the XIAudio stack.

Sound impressions of the Volot are similar to my first time around with this amp. It sounds very real, with excellent dynamics (I think perhaps a bit better in the bass department than the Formula S). Stage seems a bit small but maybe that will change with time, I think @Fafner mentioned this in their impressions. I just need to spend more time with this amp to figure out it's sound and how it compares to my other gear. If you have any specific questions about it and the sound I can try and answer those.

I would refer to my earlier impressions if you want some more in depth thoughts about the amp for now as I still stand by what I said earlier.

Do you know what Flux Labs improved inside your Volot to don't have issues in the future? After all, you got a free Volot, so good business for you and, at end, I think Flux lab did the best possible way in your case. Now you have two TOTLs AMPs (one for free) and I see you are thinking of upgrading DAC (the rabbit hole is gobbling you)

 

[cangle]

They sent me an email about this replacement board too saying that it was developed using the Volot that I returned to them. Here's a quote from their email to me on the 3rd of September that might be helpful:

"The amplifier in low gain and mid gain modes could lose stability. This did not always happen, only under certain conditions. This problem led to a sharp increase in energy consumption, which ultimately led to the failure of the power transformer. At the same time, the amplifier itself was not damaged and after replacing the transformer it worked normally. There was no risk for the headphones either, and the amplifier is additionally equipped with headphone protection. At the moment, an upgrade kit will be sent to all buyers from the first batch, which will eliminate all risks. Installing it does not require soldering and does not require special skills."

So @Aibek the new protection circuit will be sent to everyone who ordered a Volot from the first batch (not sure how to tell who is in the first batch though)

@Terriero here's a link to a post I made a while back about the upgrade module.

 

[MAURO16164]

The huge capacitors of the Volot need frequent charging and discharging to get the maximum. The burn in can be quite long but when it is finished the Volot will express the maximum potential. Keeping it on for only a few hours and then turning it off will not bring the Volot to its full potential. I recommend many hours of turning it on and then turning it off, then turning it on again for many hours and then turning it off, preferably from morning to evening.

 

[Terriero]

@Terriero here's a link to a post I made a while back about the upgrade module.

I have missed it, thanks. What do you think of the Volot with your HD 800S? Have you tried the Senns with tubes?

The huge capacitors of the Volot need frequent charging and discharging to get the maximum. The burn in can be quite long but when it is finished the Volot will express the maximum potential. Keeping it on for only a few hours and then turning it off will not bring the Volot to its full potential. I recommend many hours of turning it on and then turning it off, then turning it on again for many hours and then turning it off, preferably from morning to evening.

A lot of us want to listen music all day, but the job, the kids... you know... And if you are not using it, nowadays electricity goes upper and upper in costing...

 

[MAURO16164]

A lot of us want to listen music all day, but the job, the kids... you know... And if you are not using it, nowadays electricity goes upper and upper in costing...

True, but a perfect burn in, as well as having immediate effects for the amp will also be for the future. The 4 supercapacitors of 63vots and 22000µF are not seen every day on a headphone amplifier. integrated (my pathos Inpol2, 45 watts in class A mounts 3) need frequent charging and discharging to then get the best possible sound.

 

[cangle]

I have missed it, thanks. What do you think of the Volot with your HD 800S? Have you tried the Senns with tubes?

Haven't tried them yet. I actually haven't used them in a little while since I've been enjoying the 1266 and LCD-5. It's definitely another headphone for me to try on the Volot but I worry it won't keep up with the other two. I'll update with my thoughts on the Volot and 800S once I try it.

I haven't tried the 800 on tubes, would like to at some point. After upgrading my dac I'd like to look into getting a tube amp.

 

[dermott]

As a former FA-12 owner, how much do you lose by not going up to something like the Volot? Ya know, funds and desk space being considered....

 

[XVampireX]

As a former FA-12 owner, how much do you lose by not going up to something like the Volot? Ya know, funds and desk space being considered....

Volot is $2549 without Pre-Amp (Pre-Amp version will be open for sale shortly)
Desk Space I'm guessing at least 1.5 times bigger if not 2x.

 

[dermott]

Volot is $2549 without Pre-Amp (Pre-Amp version will be open for sale shortly)
Desk Space I'm guessing at least 1.5 times bigger if not 2x.

I guess I should have been more specific. I can do the math on dollars and dimensions, I was hoping more for, in terms of sound quality, how much of a step down from the Volot is the FA-12. @cangle being a previous owner of the FA-12 I thought he could speak to how much better he feels the Volot performs vs the FA-12. Is the FA-12 still considered a smart buy and holds a nice place on the law of diminishing returns curve?

 

[XLR2XLR]

I guess I should have been more specific. I can do the math on dollars and dimensions, I was hoping more for, in terms of sound quality, how much of a step down from the Volot is the FA-12. @cangle being a previous owner of the FA-12 I thought he could speak to how much better he feels the Volot performs vs the FA-12. Is the FA-12 still considered a smart buy and holds a nice place on the law of diminishing returns curve?

I'll try to answer you question, since I'm the person who almost sold his Volot after the first week of owning it, and the FA-12 was the reason. The guys at Flux Labs made that smaller amp too good for its price – I find it significantly undervalued. Keeping in mind that the Volot costs $2.5, I think the price of the FA-12 should have been somewhere in the $1.5–1.8 range, to reflect the comparison of sound qualities of these amps more accurately.

Anyway, I'm very happy I gave that bad boy a second chance. It turned out that one week of burning in wasn't enough for its huge components. In the beginning it sounded a little bit harsh and lean compared to the FA-12, but over the second week of listening, the Volot has blossomed. It became more fluid and musical and now it beats the FA-12 in all the categories, especially in terms of soundstage and detail retrieval. It provides more air around each instrument on the stage which makes the sound bubble around your head much larger in all directions. I can say for sure that after the 2 weeks of burning in, the Volot is the best sounding amp I've ever heard.

It's huge, heavy and takes up a lot of space on my desk, but it's definitely a keeper now. I still prefer the look and form-factor of the FA-12, but I'll probably put it up for sale soon.

 

[cangle]

I guess I should have been more specific. I can do the math on dollars and dimensions, I was hoping more for, in terms of sound quality, how much of a step down from the Volot is the FA-12. @cangle being a previous owner of the FA-12 I thought he could speak to how much better he feels the Volot performs vs the FA-12. Is the FA-12 still considered a smart buy and holds a nice place on the law of diminishing returns curve?

Once you step up to something like a Volot it can be hard to go back to something cheaper like the 12 especially with demanding headphones like the 1266. Sound qualities that I found on the Volot that I don't get on the 12 is bass slam and texture, music sounding more real, and just a more alive/dynamic sound. The Volot is not 4x better than the 12 but if you make the jump I'd say it's worthwhile. Then again if you haven't heard a nicer amp it can be hard to imagine what these qualities sound like.

 

[XVampireX]

I'll try to answer you question, since I'm the person who almost sold his Volot after the first week of owning it, and the FA-12 was the reason. The guys at Flux Labs made that smaller amp too good for its price – I find it significantly undervalued. Keeping in mind that the Volot costs $2.5, I think the price of the FA-12 should have been somewhere in the $1.5–1.8 range, to reflect the comparison of sound qualities of these amps more accurately.

Anyway, I'm very happy I gave that bad boy a second chance. It turned out that one week of burning in wasn't enough for its huge components. In the beginning it sounded a little bit harsh and lean compared to the FA-12, but over the second week of listening, the Volot has blossomed. It became more fluid and musical and now it beats the FA-12 in all the categories, especially in terms of soundstage and detail retrieval. It provides more air around each instrument on the stage which makes the sound bubble around your head much larger in all directions. I can say for sure that after the 2 weeks of burning in, the Volot is the best sounding amp I've ever heard.

It's huge, heavy and takes up a lot of space on my desk, but it's definitely a keeper now. I still prefer the look and form-factor of the FA-12, but I'll probably put it up for sale soon.

Now that's the kind of reaction I was expecting !

 

[XLR2XLR]

Now that's the kind of reaction I was expecting !

Apologies for the delay. Please blame the FA-12.

 

[dermott]

I'll try to answer you question, since I'm the person who almost sold his Volot after the first week of owning it, and the FA-12 was the reason. The guys at Flux Labs made that smaller amp too good for its price – I find it significantly undervalued. Keeping in mind that the Volot costs $2.5, I think the price of the FA-12 should have been somewhere in the $1.5–1.8 range, to reflect the comparison of sound qualities of these amps more accurately.

Anyway, I'm very happy I gave that bad boy a second chance. It turned out that one week of burning in wasn't enough for its huge components. In the beginning it sounded a little bit harsh and lean compared to the FA-12, but over the second week of listening, the Volot has blossomed. It became more fluid and musical and now it beats the FA-12 in all the categories, especially in terms of soundstage and detail retrieval. It provides more air around each instrument on the stage which makes the sound bubble around your head much larger in all directions. I can say for sure that after the 2 weeks of burning in, the Volot is the best sounding amp I've ever heard.

It's huge, heavy and takes up a lot of space on my desk, but it's definitely a keeper now. I still prefer the look and form-factor of the FA-12, but I'll probably put it up for sale soon.

Thanks for the feedback. I am trying to commit to getting a FA-12, and this in the kind of push I need!

 

[XLR2XLR]

Thanks for the feedback. I am trying to commit to getting a FA-12, and this in the kind of push I need!

You're welcome!
You won't be disappointed with the FA-12, it's a well balanced and enjoyable amp.