[Terriero]

I put the switch to off right after the comparison and didn't notice much of a difference. Will leave it in the off state going forward unless I continue to run into hum. I did try the 800S the other day with the Volot and it drives it well and provides some good rumble in the bass. I don't listen to the 800 much as I find it thin sounding compared to my other headphones but the Volot does a fine job with them.

I don't usually sell gear as I like to hoard it so I can make comparisons for people. I'm starting a new job soon so it will make funding the next dac a bit easier

Thanks... Obvious the HD 800S will sound thin comparing to the Abyss beast you have (which I've not tried, but read a lot here about)

I still don't understand why you put the ground "off" instead of letting it on...

 

[Roasty]

A volot vs cfa3 comparison would be awesome..

 

[Majors]

I noticed Flux Labs have many pics on their website where you can see the ground wire is missing. This is on FA units where there's no ground switch.

 

[cangle]

A volot vs cfa3 comparison would be awesome..

Agreed, I'd really like to try the CFA3 myself

 

[cangle]

I still don't understand why you put the ground "off" instead of letting it on...

I asked Flux about this back when I was returning my first Volot and they said: "As for the ground switch. When on, the amplifier chassis is connected to a common ground in the power distribution. To avoid a ground loop, it is recommended to leave this switch in the off state (the amplifier uses double insulation and can be used without grounding), while the DAC should preferably be grounded."

 

[artist777]

I asked Flux about this back when I was returning my first Volot and they said: "As for the ground switch. When on, the amplifier chassis is connected to a common ground in the power distribution. To avoid a ground loop, it is recommended to leave this switch in the off state (the amplifier uses double insulation and can be used without grounding), while the DAC should preferably be grounded."

There is one nuance in your setup. Rotel DAC does not use chassis ground. Therefore, if the DAC has no ground, then the ground on the amplifier must be turned on.

 

[cangle]

There is one nuance in your setup. Rotel DAC does not use chassis ground. Therefore, if the DAC has no ground, then the ground on the amplifier must be turned on.

Ah good point, thanks!

 

[dirtrat]

I sent them a message a few days back through their website about the availability of their Volot but no response. I wonder if the possible Russian invasion has caused disruptions? I would certainly be concerned about ordering from them right now. I already had concerns about placing an order from them but when they don't respond to someone interested in making a purchase this raises red flags for me especially if I ever needed support from them under warranty.

 

[mfgillia]

I sent them a message a few days back through their website about the availability of their Volot but no response. I wonder if the possible Russian invasion has caused disruptions? I would certainly be concerned about ordering from them right now. I already had concerns about placing an order from them but when they don't respond to someone interested in making a purchase this raises red flags for me especially if I ever needed support from them under warranty.

Try their Facebook page - they always respond promptly to my questions there.

 

[XVampireX]

I sent them a message a few days back through their website about the availability of their Volot but no response. I wonder if the possible Russian invasion has caused disruptions? I would certainly be concerned about ordering from them right now. I already had concerns about placing an order from them but when they don't respond to someone interested in making a purchase this raises red flags for me especially if I ever needed support from them under warranty.

They are just really busy, has nothing to do with the Invasion/War that this poop country is waging against Ukraine since 2014.

 

[NickT23]

They are just really busy, has nothing to do with the Invasion/War that this poop country is waging against Ukraine since 2014.

we are being political now. I hope Ukraine is doing alright...

 

[cangle]

curious to know if swapping dacs in the systems yields the same results. thanks

Working on this now. Volot and Pontus II vs Formula S w/ Powerman and Rotel RDD 1580. The cabling is not the same between the two setups and the pontus is getting i2s whereas the Rotel is getting spdif. Should be ok though haven't heard big differences in cabling or digital inputs with my set up.

Again it's very hard to tell the two apart. The bass sounds a bit more rumbly to me on the Formula S. With the Volot on the track Mir (using the same songs as last time) it was somewhat harder to clearly hear the pulsing bass note as it was on the Formula S. But I had to switch back quickly and focus on it to pick that out, it wasn't super obvious at first. I'm hearing a similar quality to the bass on the track Journey by Luss. The Formula S has more rumble down low and is a little more clearly defined. The Volot is a bit less emphasized on the low end. The more I switch back and forth though I feel like the difference is becoming more subtle each time. So I guess the bass is pretty much the same. The general impression I've gotten from comparing the two this weekend and last is that the Formula S can sound a little more rumbly / just has more emphasis in the low end but they are both very close. It really depends on the track when choosing which presentation I prefer and I only have a preference if I'm listening closely.

Testing a more vocal oriented song, I'm listening to Timing by Alisa Amador and Hello by Antigone Rising respectively. Again these are the same tracks as last time. I started on the Formula S listening to Timing then switched to the Volot. My first thought was that the Volot had a bit more body to it but I think that was just a volume mismatch. Turning the volume down and it sounded pretty much the same as the Formula S. On the track Hello, the vocals do seem just a tad more forward then on the Formula S. But they are so close.

After the comparison last time I was worried that the different dacs were causing more of the differences I was noticing. Since my impressions I think are mostly the same as last time especially with regards to the bass with the dacs swapped, I'm more confident in the impressions that I put together last week.

My conclusion is that they sound remarkably similar. There may be slight differences in the bass emphasis and speed and vocal presence but it is very close. I would happily use either of them and plan to keep both going forward. Again I look forward to using a nicer dac and revisiting this comparison as I feel like the dac is the bottleneck in my chain currently.

 

[jlbrach]

Working on this now. Volot and Pontus II vs Formula S w/ Powerman and Rotel RDD 1580. The cabling is not the same between the two setups and the pontus is getting i2s whereas the Rotel is getting spdif. Should be ok though haven't heard big differences in cabling or digital inputs with my set up.

Again it's very hard to tell the two apart. The bass sounds a bit more rumbly to me on the Formula S. With the Volot on the track Mir (using the same songs as last time) it was somewhat harder to clearly hear the pulsing bass note as it was on the Formula S. But I had to switch back quickly and focus on it to pick that out, it wasn't super obvious at first. I'm hearing a similar quality to the bass on the track Journey by Luss. The Formula S has more rumble down low and is a little more clearly defined. The Volot is a bit less emphasized on the low end. The more I switch back and forth though I feel like the difference is becoming more subtle each time. So I guess the bass is pretty much the same. The general impression I've gotten from comparing the two this weekend and last is that the Formula S can sound a little more rumbly / just has more emphasis in the low end but they are both very close. It really depends on the track when choosing which presentation I prefer and I only have a preference if I'm listening closely.

Testing a more vocal oriented song, I'm listening to Timing by Alisa Amador and Hello by Antigone Rising respectively. Again these are the same tracks as last time. I started on the Formula S listening to Timing then switched to the Volot. My first thought was that the Volot had a bit more body to it but I think that was just a volume mismatch. Turning the volume down and it sounded pretty much the same as the Formula S. On the track Hello, the vocals do seem just a tad more forward then on the Formula S. But they are so close.

After the comparison last time I was worried that the different dacs were causing more of the differences I was noticing. Since my impressions I think are mostly the same as last time especially with regards to the bass with the dacs swapped, I'm more confident in the impressions that I put together last week.

My conclusion is that they sound remarkably similar. There may be slight differences in the bass emphasis and speed and vocal presence but it is very close. I would happily use either of them and plan to keep both going forward. Again I look forward to using a nicer dac and revisiting this comparison as I feel like the dac is the bottleneck in my chain currently.

you really would need to make sure the source and amp is the same to make a serious comparison

 

[Terriero]

Working on this now. Volot and Pontus II vs Formula S w/ Powerman and Rotel RDD 1580. The cabling is not the same between the two setups and the pontus is getting i2s whereas the Rotel is getting spdif. Should be ok though haven't heard big differences in cabling or digital inputs with my set up.

Again it's very hard to tell the two apart. The bass sounds a bit more rumbly to me on the Formula S. With the Volot on the track Mir (using the same songs as last time) it was somewhat harder to clearly hear the pulsing bass note as it was on the Formula S. But I had to switch back quickly and focus on it to pick that out, it wasn't super obvious at first. I'm hearing a similar quality to the bass on the track Journey by Luss. The Formula S has more rumble down low and is a little more clearly defined. The Volot is a bit less emphasized on the low end. The more I switch back and forth though I feel like the difference is becoming more subtle each time. So I guess the bass is pretty much the same. The general impression I've gotten from comparing the two this weekend and last is that the Formula S can sound a little more rumbly / just has more emphasis in the low end but they are both very close. It really depends on the track when choosing which presentation I prefer and I only have a preference if I'm listening closely.

Testing a more vocal oriented song, I'm listening to Timing by Alisa Amador and Hello by Antigone Rising respectively. Again these are the same tracks as last time. I started on the Formula S listening to Timing then switched to the Volot. My first thought was that the Volot had a bit more body to it but I think that was just a volume mismatch. Turning the volume down and it sounded pretty much the same as the Formula S. On the track Hello, the vocals do seem just a tad more forward then on the Formula S. But they are so close.

After the comparison last time I was worried that the different dacs were causing more of the differences I was noticing. Since my impressions I think are mostly the same as last time especially with regards to the bass with the dacs swapped, I'm more confident in the impressions that I put together last week.

My conclusion is that they sound remarkably similar. There may be slight differences in the bass emphasis and speed and vocal presence but it is very close. I would happily use either of them and plan to keep both going forward. Again I look forward to using a nicer dac and revisiting this comparison as I feel like the dac is the bottleneck in my chain currently.

Thank you very much for taking your time for these comparisons. Will be very helpful for the community.

 

[dirtrat]

They are just really busy, has nothing to do with the Invasion/War that this poop country is waging against Ukraine since 2014.

Either way I've sent them inquires through their website and Facebook and no response. It looks like a great product but if they can't be bothered to answer a simple question from an interested customer that kills it for me.