[WCDchee]

I can't really help you with headphones, I'm still predominantly an iem user.

That said, despite what most people say, I don't find the pure 2 to be all that adept at driving headphones. Try driving something like a he560, for example, it goes loud, it won't clip, but there's literally no bass, everything is thin and bright, extremely uncharacteristic of the pure 2 at lower volume levels.

 

[raypin]

Mmm....ok thanks for the intel!

 

[d marc0]

Congratulations Ken and Vinnie, the V5 is going to be a winner!

 

[WCDchee]

Congratulations Ken and Vinnie, the V5 is going to be a winner!

I'm assuming you heard it too?

 

[Vinnie R.]

The v5 is just incredible, it's got the best of tubes without losing what you normally do in tubes.

@Vinnie R., I'm assuming this is a hybrid amp?

 
Yes, just like the CDM.
 
Thanks for posting your initial impressions of the CV5.
 
Vinnie

 

[raypin]

mmm....any pics of the backside?

 

[mscott58]

  mmm....any pics of the backside?

Not sure if that type of photo is allowed on HF. 

 

[gr8soundz]

  mmm....any pics of the backside?

 
It has the same shell as the Rx. Just a bit thicker and some extra vent holes for the tube. Backside should look exactly like those of the Rx on their site.
 

 

[WCDchee]

Anyone else who's tried it? Share some impressions

 

[Sound Eq]

can i ask please a question?
 
Well I understand that with so many portable amps out there, some people were raving that this amp or that amp drives hard to drive planar magnetic headphones, so when I once tried Hifiman HE6 with some acclaimed portable amps, to be honest I never felt that they made neither the hifiman HE nor Hifiman 1000  sound good or even the lcd2, yes it can get maybe loud, but the whole sound sig I get is lifeless, screetchy, bass almost not there, and lacks of dynamics and musicality
 
Now i have been reading about so many portable amps, and honestly do not know if a portable amp has achieved to drive such hard to drive planars with authority, so my question is the V5 an answer to this, or should I be realistic in my expectations like all the other amps for example, vorzuge pureII and duo, centrance  and others
 
As to me loud does not mean to me anything, if I end up having shouty headphones, what means something to mean is an amp that can maintain the harmony and dynamics of the headphone

 

[raypin]

mmm......I use portable amps when I am out and about and I have a realistic expectation, i.e, I don't expect  my portable amps to drive full-size headphones with the same authority, dynamics and SQ as desktop-class machines. There is always a trade-off. In this case, portability vs. performance. If and when I am in the mood, I  bring my Chord TT with me to power any of my headphones since it is a battery-operated, world-class DAC and headphone amplifier and it can drive anything. But that is not always convenient. That is why I am relying on my portable amps to get me through the day with my favorite music and easy-to-drive headphones.  As for the HE 6, I don't have it but as I understand it, it needs some serious amplifier to make it sing.
 
When I get the CV5, my use will be: FAD Pandora's Hope VI, Fostex TH 900, Audeze EL8, my Ethers and the HEK. I'll try it with the HD 800 S and Beyer T1.2 just for fun.

 

[b0ssMax]

I souped up the tubestage design quite a bit, and we are now easily getting > 90% of the CDM's dual mono tube stage performance
on a single dual triode - while taking up less space, and outputting way less heat in this newly tuned circuit. 

The output stage has been beefed up to actually be a bit stronger than the CDM's (now that we are running with one less tube, we put that saved battery power towards more max. output stage power, w/o taking a loss on battery life)... and with improved finesse.  So CV5 is more like the Rx in terms of micro-detail, speed, and ultimate top-end extension - but with the big soundstage, seductive midrange, and rich tone that CDM owners have become addicted to.  It's all there!

Hi Vinnie. I have the cdm and i still do think it's one of the best portable amps i own.

Question for you on the statement above, do you mean the continental v5 SE is stronger than cdm SE and Bal? Or is the comparison on SE only?

Thanks

 

[Vinnie R.]

Hi Vinnie. I have the cdm and i still do think it's one of the best portable amps i own.

Question for you on the statement above, do you mean the continental v5 SE is stronger than cdm SE and Bal? Or is the comparison on SE only?

Thanks

 
Hi mrmax,
 
Yes, the CV5 has even more output power than the CDM's SE and BAL outputs.
 
 
 

 Well I understand that with so many portable amps out there, some people were raving that this amp or that amp drives hard to drive planar magnetic headphones, so when I once tried Hifiman HE6 with some acclaimed portable amps, to be honest I never felt that they made neither the hifiman HE nor Hifiman 1000  sound good or even the lcd2, yes it can get maybe loud, but the whole sound sig I get is lifeless, screetchy, bass almost not there, and lacks of dynamics and musicality

 
Hi hykhleif,
 
Don't expect CV5 to provide proper drive for the HE6.  Those really an amp with a lot of voltage gain.
 
But for HE1000, LCD2/3/4, and many others - CV5 not only drives them very well in terms of loudness, but also in terms of delivering the sound quality
that you typically get with a good desktop amp. 
 
Hopefully you'll be able to audition for yourself and make this same conclusion.
 
Best regards
 
Vinnie

 

[WCDchee]

Hi mrmax,

Yes, the CV5 has even more output power than the CDM's SE and BAL outputs.




Hi hykhleif,

Don't expect CV5 to provide proper drive for the HE6.  Those really an amp with a lot of voltage gain.

But for HE1000, LCD2/3/4, and many others - CV5 not only drives them very well in terms of loudness, but also in terms of delivering the sound quality
that you typically get with a good desktop amp. 

Hopefully you'll be able to audition for yourself and make this same conclusion.

Best regards

Vinnie

Seems like it's an improvement on the cdm in all aspects am I right to say then that we can expect the cv5 to drive the he1000s with more finesse and authority than the cdm can?

 

[Vinnie R.]

 am I right to say then that we can expect the cv5 to drive the he1000s with more finesse and authority than the cdm can?

 
Yes - this is correct.