need help - small, high power ss amp - Violectric vs. LakePeople for MrSpeakers AlphaDogs

[neopac]

Need help in AMP pairing - looking for a fitting amp to pair with Mr. Speakers AlphaDogs (AD)

I´m kind of happy with my Matrix-M-Stage, but after all this years and some complex musical situations, where i think he could/should do better with the AD, i'm searching for a new Desktop Amp to pair up with the AD. I´m looking for a solid state Amp in rather smallish form factor with alot of power, this is where research lead me quickly to LakePeople and Violectric products, but after a lot of research i´m still not sure, what to get, maybe someone in here got some experience with their line up.

LakePeople G109(S/P) - Everybody seems to be very happy with  this amp, should be a great bang for the buck product, though people say stage and detail(?) in the violectric line (at least compared with the v200) is a audible better

Violectric V100 - should be pretty similar to the G109 ... both (G109/V100) should be on the neutral side. Price difference is in the production (smd vs. through hole) and the housing .. i like the idea that you can add a DAC to the case, though the 24/96 should be nothing special..

Violectric V200 - more power than the others (~+0,5W @ 50Ohm) due to a more complex circuit. This amp was my first choice, till i repeatedly read about his warm sound-signature and audible highs "rounding" (nice speak for roll-off). Though reviewers stated him the audible better sound overall (should be perfect with He500s but to warm for alot of t50rp variants). there were alot of inconsistent statements about his pro/cons... that´s where i started to get a bit confused

My Question(s):
- Has somebody experience with violectric/lakepeople gear and the AD or other t50rp mods?
- is the G109/V100 amp maybe the better choice for the AD due to its brigher/more neutral nature ... (i listen to the AD without the -1db pads)?
- maybe the warm nature of the V200 complements the signature of the AD, though 90% of the time i find the sound very pleasing, there are 10% where i recognize why people say, that he needs one of the doggy-treat -1db pads, because he is to bright
- is there a small form factor / high power amp in the <1000$ lineup i should also consider?

thanks alot!

cheers
puk

 

[Alphanewb]

Thought I'd bump this. I'm interested in a better amp than my o2 and the V200 looks interesting but I've seen the varied reviews as well wrt the T50rp. Would be great if someone with first hand experience could chime in.

 

[neopac]

 
Thought I'd bump this. I'm interested in a better amp than my o2 and the V200 looks interesting but I've seen the varied reviews as well wrt the T50rp. Would be great if someone with first hand experience could chime in.

 
thanks for the bump.
Just bought a V200 ... gonna come back in 2 weeks and tell you what i think about it. 
in the end i thought the AlphaDog will benefit from a bit warmer amp.. let´s see
 
cheers

 

[Alphanewb]

   
thanks for the bump.
Just bought a V200 ... gonna come back in 2 weeks and tell you what i think about it. 
in the end i thought the AlphaDog will benefit from a bit warmer amp.. let´s see
 
cheers

Great, I'm relatively new to head-fi and have found that research is half the fun so I'm getting started early... 
 
The V200, Burson Soloist, and Oppo HA-1, are all under consideration to be my "end game" amps, I don't have a DAC so that would be a purchase I'd have to make along with the V200 or Soloist. I was just about set on a Lyr 2 but I think I need to reach a bit higher to be truly happy long term and in my case I have to feel like my next amp is far better than my O2. Anyhow, looking forward to hearing your impressions on the V200.
 
Cheers

 

[neopac]

...but I think I need to reach a bit higher to be truly happy long term...
 

welcome to head-fi ... won´t happen
 
cheers

 

[b0ssMax]

welcome to head-fi ... won´t happen

cheers

Have a v200. Just about perfect for my he500.

Though i dont have the alpha dogs, i just had to +1 neopac's statement. Lol.

 

[neopac]

So, with about 50+ hours on the v200, i think it´s about time to give my 2cents on this amp according to all my questions in the OP and etc.
 
Violectric V200
 
- is it really as warm, as the reviews stated?

hell yeah.. this isn´t subtle.. this amp is "warm" like a 1000W hair-dryer right in your face. The m-stage sounds like a bone dry analytical amp in comparison.
 

- is it to warm?
imo, i don´t think so. Besides it´s sound-signature, this is truly a first class amp, but he sure is no "jack of all trades" due to it´s warm signature, it works very well with the ADs and that gives me a "mission accomplished" on that end, but i´m going to keep both, my m-stage and the violectric --> first i thought i can ditch the m-stage, that´s not gonna happen.
 
- doesn´t sound to exciting, are you pleased?
yes .. very pleased indeed.. let me phrase that in 3 points (IMO, compared to the m-stage)
 

1.) it´s noise-background is pitch black.. i mean i can drive iems and all my headphones including the demanding AlphaDogs with one +0dB preGain setting. Noise/Hiss with the m-stage and the ie80 was very audible, with the v200 i can´t hear anything(!).. very universal... i like this fact

 

2.) Soundstage and intrument separation is great ... i´ve got plenty of acoustic highres recordings with potential great instrument separation (for example "88/24" norah jones - seven years https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXiRuSIXbns ) and the violectric is king in this concern. This sure hast a lot todo with his full-bodied sound (i´m going to rave about in Number 3), but his 3D presentation/seperation of instruments is so nice, i can pretty much touch them when i close my eyes. was ok with the m-stage, got stellar with the violectric. I´ve also recognized that the soundstage got a fair bit wider, and a little bit deeper (m-stage is a great amp in this department, so this is a big deal for me).

 

3.) King of Body and Bass ... this is the part i like the most. In my first review of the alpha dogs i prefered my UltrasonePro 900 for everything that demanded "a lot of energy going on in the sub-freq-region"... this is completely gone. It´s his strongpoint and maybe weakness at the same time, the bass is deep, great and very punchy. This sure is a factor that points in the heaphone-amp pairing direction, but i can attest that he even works great with the dark/bassy Ultrasone Pro900. This emphasis of the lower freqs, result in a perfect full-bodied sound, combined with his great stage and instrument seperation, it´s a pure joy to listen to some recordings with great crescendo/largando, goose bumps all over.
 
- final words
i would have ditched him without looking back, if he hadn´t met my requirements, he´s just a to pricey piece, to be anything less than "what i was looking for".. .but he´s a keeper, that´s for sure. but i wouldn´t start to argue with someone who dislikes him ... his warm nature is unmistakable and not everyones cup of tea.
 
cheers