new RS 08 owner here. just wanted to give some impressions after a week of daily work use (4-6 hours a day, about 6 days now)
my work system is phone/tidal hifi to bifrost multibit gen 5 usb to rs (previously v100 and lyr 3) balanced out to zmf atticus (also tested balanced he560, and se t1.2, hd58x, and he400i)
tonality is pretty neutral, like the v100. it's dead silent...sounds seem to emerge from an ethereal blackness, and it's mesmerizing. the dynamic range is incredible. it's ability to produce subtle soft tones and hard impactful tones at the same time is amazing, and the overall range of volume it's able to produce at once...simply outstanding. the more complex a passage, the more outstanding this amp sounds. driver control is unflappable. i struggle to put into words how precise and controlled this amp is.
i'm bad at amp reviews, i just know this amp sounds as good or better than amps costing much more. the two that come to mind are my friend's taurus mkii, and his eddie current black widow (dont know the version he has). vs the taurus, the rs is more precise and resolving, with a sweeter tonality. the taurus is colder sounding, which initially comes across as more resolving. but with careful listening, you realize the rs08 can resolve just as much as the taurus, it's just slightly warmer overall. the rs has better bass control, that is one area the rs has a clear advantage over the taurus. not that the taurus is bad, it's not. it's exceptional (And was my ideal solid state amp prior to finding violectric). but when going back and forth from the same dac and headphone, the rs shows a level of bass control the taurus can only dream of. throw some blue man group live recordings at it. they're bombastic bass fests that really test your equipment. with the taurus, some of the bass blasts soften/blur a touch while under duress. the rs suffers none of that. it's rock solid and controlled no matter what sonic chaos is ensuing.
vs the ecbw this is more of an apples to oranges comparison. the rs is classic solid state sounding. neutral, resolving, precise. the ecbw is almost tube like in tonality. it's noticeably warmer and softer sounding, while still being highly resolving and precise. but in direct comparison, it's not as precise or resolving as the rs. i personally never bought into the ecbw, i'd rather just get a tube amp if i want tube sound. so i'm very biased here, take this with a huge grain of salt. if you like the idea of a tube sounding solid state amp though, the ecbw is exceptional. just know what you're getting into with it, in case you're expecting a more traditional solid state signature.
vs the lyr 3 (new production TS tube) it's not a fair comparison to the lyr. the rs just does everything better. it's more dynamic, it's more resolving, it has a better stage, bass is better, mids are better, treble is much better. so on and so forth. it's just a better amp, sorry to say. the lyr sounds closed off and hazy when doing direct a/b comparisons. i did like my lyr 3 a lot, but after hearing the v100, and subsequently the rs, i sold it. it just doesnt compete in the same weight class. it's also half the price so lets be fair here, it's not a fair fight given the price difference. i know, price doesnt always = better, but here it does.
vs mjolnir it's close. they trade blows, but i like the rs more for it's precision and dynamic control. the mjolnir is warmer sounding, and very engaging, so i could see someone preferring it's tonality to the more precise but more clinical rs.
vs the v100 it's quite the same, until things get complex. then the added driver control makes itself noticeable. this is via balanced output of course. if only using it SE, i actually think the v100 sounds slightly clearer and more controlled. no clue why, but i do hear it.
that brings me to a very important point, if you're not going to use the balanced output, dont bother with this amp. get a v100 or rs 02 instead. but if you do have balanced cables, then this is the amp to own! i'm dying to hear the v280/281 to compare. Arthur of Violectric USA talked to me a bit about the differences, and said via balanced output, they're very very close in performance. can anyone out there who's heard them both verify this? not that i dont trust Arthur, i'm just obsessively ocd and NEED to know
anyhow this amp really impresses me. the more i listen to it, the more i love it. i wish violectric got more attention here in the US.
afterthought - my buddy's modified hd650 sounded INSANE on the rs (balanced out).
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