[xrk971]

Very nice amp design. I like the size and shape format. Great attention to details of knob and jack placement and switches. I know it's tough to pack all this in an enclosure this compact. Beautiful job Ken.

I know the input is Class A and uses the tube. Can you give more specifics on the topology? Is it SE Class A in a follower configuration? Also, is the Class AB output stage a discrete custom design or utilizing a commercial chip/buffer?

 

[pooslice]

Hi everyone,

Small question for owners of this portable amplifier.

I extensively compared the Alo Audio Continental V5 and the JDS Labs C5D Amp+DAC with my Grado SR325e headphones and Cowen Plenue D DAP.

I can't really tell them apart--not in a significant manner at least.

Does that make sense? How likely is that?

It does. When I first tried the Cv5, I only heard a small difference. I was using a Fiio X5 and a Lyra II. But that small difference made the iems so much easier to listen to.

If you didn't hear a significant difference then that means more money for some other pice of gear.

 

[Witcher]

Thanks, buddy! Will chime in with more impressions once I get the time to listen to the CV5 in depth (hopefully sometime next week).

Btw, if you love the CV5, you'll love the CDM, too. Just ignore the DAC - the amp section is what makes it great.

I'm not so sure about that. I was auditioning both when I was looking for something that gave my ie800 more sparkle in the upper mids when used with my iPhone. The CDM rolls off the treble a bit more than the v5. it was an overly warm tone for me. it was kind of like switching from a HD600 to a HD650. The v5 added a brighter and more lively character to the music, which was exactly what I was looking for, so I bought that one. I then tried the v5 with my HD800S, and it adds a nice mid range hump to the cans. Overall I'd say that based on my own hearing, the CDM was too warm for my liking.

Also for those considering pairing the mojo with the v5, I'd go test it first. I have a mojo which I use with my ifi micro stack. I love it's layering, separation, and clarity. That layering and clarity was lost when I paired it with the v5. It's almost as if the v5 took over the entire signal chain and dominated with it's tubey characteristic and removed the mojo from the chain. Oddly enough, the v5 sounds better when it's just the phone going thru it into my ie800 or HD800S. but you need to test the matching here. I've tried iems that didn't work as well with the v5, like the Campfire Audio Lyra 2. It became harshly bright (though I have friends that like it). The Noble X works great with the v5.

 

[wirefriend]

So the paring matters in case of v5....
Did anyone try iBasso DX200 line out + v5 ?

 

[fixated]

I'm not so sure about that. I was auditioning both when I was looking for something that gave my ie800 more sparkle in the upper mids when used with my iPhone. The CDM rolls off the treble a bit more than the v5. it was an overly warm tone for me. it was kind of like switching from a HD600 to a HD650. The v5 added a brighter and more lively character to the music, which was exactly what I was looking for, so I bought that one. I then tried the v5 with my HD800S, and it adds a nice mid range hump to the cans. Overall I'd say that based on my own hearing, the CDM was too warm for my liking.

Also for those considering pairing the mojo with the v5, I'd go test it first. I have a mojo which I use with my ifi micro stack. I love it's layering, separation, and clarity. That layering and clarity was lost when I paired it with the v5. It's almost as if the v5 took over the entire signal chain and dominated with it's tubey characteristic and removed the mojo from the chain. Oddly enough, the v5 sounds better when it's just the phone going thru it into my ie800 or HD800S. but you need to test the matching here. I've tried iems that didn't work as well with the v5, like the Campfire Audio Lyra 2. It became harshly bright (though I have friends that like it). The Noble X works great with the v5.

Strange, I didn't find that problem with the mojo + cv5 combo. I thought it had addressed a concern I had with the mojo's treble seemingly rolling off while keeping the micro details of the mojo intact. That being said, it might really depend on the actual iem/headphones that you were using. I've been using my Angie's mostly with the combo so we might be having a different experience.

 

[Witcher]

Strange, I didn't find that problem with the mojo + cv5 combo. I thought it had addressed a concern I had with the mojo's treble seemingly rolling off while keeping the micro details of the mojo intact. That being said, it might really depend on the actual iem/headphones that you were using. I've been using my Angie's mostly with the combo so we might be having a different experience.

Yes, maybe it's the different iems used. I primarily tested with my Sennheisers and that's what I experienced. The V5 is much better for me on it's own.

 

[fixated]

Yes, maybe it's the different iems used. I primarily tested with my Sennheisers and that's what I experienced. The V5 is much better for me on it's own.

Might also be worth trying to lower the volume on the lineout mode of the mojo if you're pairing it with the cv5, always found 4 clicks lower from the lineout mode to be a better match than just purely lineout mode.

 

[Witcher]

Might also be worth trying to lower the volume on the lineout mode of the mojo if you're pairing it with the cv5, always found 4 clicks lower from the lineout mode to be a better match than just purely lineout mode.

I did. I tried everything for the mojo pairing. just... not my thing. I much prefer it direct. maybe the reason for this is that I chose the ie800 because I auditioned it with just the iPhone, so that was the baseline.

 

[fixated]

I did. I tried everything for the mojo pairing. just... not my thing. I much prefer it direct. maybe the reason for this is that I chose the ie800 because I auditioned it with just the iPhone, so that was the baseline.

No worries, everyone has their own preference. Nothing wrong with liking different gear. Haven't tried the ie800 so really can't compare it with any of my gear.

 

[Malevolent]

I'm not so sure about that. I was auditioning both when I was looking for something that gave my ie800 more sparkle in the upper mids when used with my iPhone. The CDM rolls off the treble a bit more than the v5. it was an overly warm tone for me. it was kind of like switching from a HD600 to a HD650. The v5 added a brighter and more lively character to the music, which was exactly what I was looking for, so I bought that one. I then tried the v5 with my HD800S, and it adds a nice mid range hump to the cans. Overall I'd say that based on my own hearing, the CDM was too warm for my liking.

(Un)fortunately, my brief comparison between the 2 led me to choose the CDM over the CV5. I preferred the former's slightly weightier midrange, and yes, its ubiquitous warmth. I didn't detect any further differences between the 2, so I'll defer to your judgement regarding the newer Continental's greater prominence in the higher registers. Thankfully for me, I'm less of a treblehead, so the CDM fits my needs (and wants) perfectly.

I've got to find some time to compare the 2, but it's definitely high on my agenda. Thanks for your impressions, btw.

 

[Witcher]

(Un)fortunately, my brief comparison between the 2 led me to choose the CDM over the CV5. I preferred the former's slightly weightier midrange, and yes, its ubiquitous warmth. I didn't detect any further differences between the 2, so I'll defer to your judgement regarding the newer Continental's greater prominence in the higher registers. Thankfully for me, I'm less of a treblehead, so the CDM fits my needs (and wants) perfectly.

I've got to find some time to compare the 2, but it's definitely high on my agenda. Thanks for your impressions, btw.

No worries. I was only responding to the point where you implied they are very similar, just without the DAC from the CDM, which is where my opinion differed. I did hear an audible difference, so I thought I'd qualify. But let me clarify further: the CDM's amp IS great. I did like it. But it's size, heat, and sound signature detered me from buying it. Overall I preferred the v5 as a product for my use, which was to have a nice tonal tweak to my ie800 > phone chain which I could bring everywhere with me. I'm not a treble head either. far from it. but the stock sound with iphone and ie800 to me wasn't bright enough, and I thought some liveliness to the tones would've been nice. So that's what the v5 amazingly brought to the chain, while the mojo on it's own brought too much. The v5 is so cool that I can put it in my pocket and not worry about burns. Heh. The v5 doesn't do that much to the tones that you should expect a paradigm shift in sound signature. But it does add just enough upper mids (not highs) to make me smile.

 

[NewEve]

It does. When I first tried the Cv5, I only heard a small difference. I was using a Fiio X5 and a Lyra II. But that small difference made the iems so much easier to listen to.

If you didn't hear a significant difference then that means more money for some other pice of gear.

Ok, thank you. Happy to know I'm not too crazy !!!

I guess I'll keep the JDS... though I liked to whole tube thing

 

[ExpatinJapan]

https://www.head-fi.org/f/showcase/alo-audio-continental-v5.22018/reviews



My review of the Continental V5 is up, with contributions from Jeffri.

regards
expat

 

[Mojo65]

Hi NewEve, I own a CV5 since months and it replaced a FiiO E7 that I still own and use every now and then.

Even though at first "glance" the differences might not be so evident in my case it took me some time to notice alla the differences while it was warming up. Apparently the price difference seems not justified but the more I was getting used to the CV5 the more i started detecting the differences that were not little shades but rather a different approach to sound.

Shortly I started to perceive the soundstage wider but most of all it was deeper. Than voices were thicker, materialising between my ears, layers were more evident and mid-bass/bass was heavier. Day after day I was re-discovering records that I know I knew very well. The sound was lush and refined in comparison with the FiiO that remains a surprising device for the price.

I suggest you to avoid quick on/off comparisons. Listen for days or weeks with the CV5, get used to it and then one day suddenly go back to the C5D and check the differences with well known records.

Bye
Alessandro

 

[jeffri]

Good point. I agree that evaluating DAC and amplifier is not always obvious at first glance, not as easy as headphones. But those tiny changes can be more noticable when you spent more hours into it.