Ahh... That's not so hard to answer, although, as usual, the road to an answer can get really complicated. When I first got the LP, it sounded great, right out of the box, but the V281 seemed to sound superior, at least for some songs, and with some of my HPs.... Sometimes, it seemed to be performing on the same level as the v281, but at other times, the v281 seem to demonstrate a certain technical superiority, in terms of the width and depth of the soundstage, as well as in other aspects such as air, detail retrieval, separation of instruments, and bass/treble extension.
But here is the first complicating factor is: I have still not been able to ascertain how much if these differences to attribute to the DACs attached to each of these amps (The Yggy A2 feeding the V281, and the Metrum Onyx feeding the LP) and how much to attribute to the amps themselves
I agree that it would probably have taken just a bit of experimentation, swapping things around, and a couple of head to head listening shoot outs in order to nail down with more precision what exact sonic qualities to attribute to each amp and DAC in the system, and also to find out how amp/dac permutations would sound like. I regret to say that I have not done any such permutations or experimentations, in spite of my genuine curiosity about such differences. The reason? : Sometimes I think it is because I am too lazy to bother with them, but it is probably also because, I am not the kind to fuss too much with equipment, or mess with experimentations when the preliminary setups or configurations sound acceptably fine to my ears, and I have always been pleased with the way these two systems sound.
Here's another complicating factor : with time, the LP + Metrum Onyx combo seem to have bridged the performance gap I initially perceived between it and the Yggy A2/V281 combo, on the level of technical properties such as soundstage width, depth, imaging, air etc. etc. I have wondered what has caused this bridging of the gap: was that due to the effects of burn-in (since both the LP and the Onyx are relatively new and later acquisitions as compared to both the Yggy and the V281?), or simple psychoacoustic adjustments? It was probaly a little bit of both, but what I can say is that the differences I perceived initially regarding those technical attributes have all but disappeared, and the LP/Onyx can sound as open and as airy as the v281/Yggy combo. If there is any difference left, it has to reside in tonalities, but on the level, I like them both equally well.
That said, the v281 maintains its flexibility of doubling as.a pre-amp for use with speakers, and in that role, it helps to drive the two front speakers of my reference system for 2-channel stereo listening. It serves this pre amp function surprisingly well, and this is one definite advantage it has over the LP, since the LP cannot serve such pre-amp duties. Conversely, tube-rolling brings a certain variability in flavors to the LP which the V281 cannot match, and yet this does not mean that I shall always prefer the LP's sound to that of the v281. You also have to take synergies with particular headphones and sometimes, particular songs also into account.
Here's a confession, though: From this viewpoint of sound-quality alone, I have often wondered, almost to the point of disbelief, how the LP can do so well when matched up against the V281, which is 3 times its price. The work of expectation bias here is strong, and yet I have to give credit where credit is due. I think Dr. Cavalli has put together an excellent sounding amp with an excellent price to performance ratio, that is truly difficult to match in today's market. Ironically, one could say the same, or almost, when comparing the LP to its own immediate ancestor in the Cavalli line-up, the much more expensive Liquid Crimson. It certainly goes to show that beyond a certain point, any idea of a strictly logical correspondence between price and sound quality becomes arbitrary, if not purely mythical.
Now coming back to my list of complicating factors, I think the addition of a tweaked Metrum Acoustics Ambre as a source that can feed both systems has also done a lot both to elevate the performance of both systems, and also blur further the difference in sq between them, helping to obscure the delta if not eliminate it entirely. Before the Ambre came, the I was using a Sonore ultrarendu as a source for the Yggy/v281 combo, and the ambre made mince meat of the ultrarendu, although initially, it did not obscure the sq delta between the Yggy/v281 rig and the pre-burn in LP/Onyx combo, until some further tweaks on the Ambre down the line. Now I have added an Etherregen switch to the ambre, so that it can serve both systems, and it has also further blurred the delta between both rigs, but I can also say that both systems have not sounded better than they do now....
So now that I have hopefully complicated the question to this point at which no simple answer seems possible, what would I do if I was forced to choose one? Now with all the above caveats in place, I'd still probably choose the V281, but not for reasons of its superior sound quality, but most likely, for reasons of its superior versatility as an amp-pre amp, and its resale value, because, as sad and silly as this sounds, I think the very great price point of the LP might also be its weakest point when it comes to resale considerations... But, once again, I could be wrong there too.
