[Pharmaboy]

Greetings. I just purchased a V281 today and will also use it with a D90 when it arrives. Just curious if you have any tips for setting it up. I intend to use the balanced XLR connections. I will see how it works as a preamp for my two channel listening room in addition to headphone amp. I know that there are some internal gain switches in addition to the external ones. I do realize the last post here was more than a year ago but I can't hurt to try

I know you weren't asking this question of me, but I may be able to help. I used my V281 (with remote + 128-stepped volume pot) as my main headphone amp and system preamplifier for about 4 years. It is superb in both those ways--the best I've had in this system.

But it's a relatively complex device: there are multiple user settings and input/output selections. Those are all good things, but it implies that you really should look at the manual, at least in the beginning. Here is the manual:

https://www.cma.audio/media/pdf/79/b6/e4/V281-E-Manual-2014.pdf

Your main tasks when using it for the first time are to:

• Select the proper input (easily done on upper left buttons)
• And assuming you will use this as a preamp (outputting signal to powered speakers or a speaker amp), set the output type to "variable output/post-fader" (which means the V281's volume pot varies the output signal). That's a little harder, and you need to get it right (see pages 21 & 22 for directions). You set it once then never worry about it again.

As you say, there are separate gain switch arrays for the headphone outputs (back of the case); and for line output (inside the case). If you're using XLR inputs, presumably from your DAC, you'll be getting a lot of voltage in (I'm guessing 3.5-4.0 Volts) which is pretty hot--so you may find yourself setting the HP output & line level outputs to some negative dB (I'm at -12 dB on both switch arrays).

I have never encountered any audio preamp or headphone amp with the diversity & flexibility of user settings as the V281. It took a bit of work to set it up at the start, but after that it's happy trails. I've often been grateful for the ability to change gain settings separately for HP vs preamp outputs; use different inputs; etc.

I've had multiple pairs of powered studio monitors here, also multiple pairs of passive studio monitors. They all sound wonderful on the V281. Likewise with headphones: I've never had any headphone sound just average on the V281.

Congratulations on getting a V281 & happy listening with it!

 

[milkdudd]

I know you weren't asking this question of me, but I may be able to help. I used my V281 (with remote + 128-stepped volume pot) as my main headphone amp and system preamplifier for about 4 years. It is superb in both those ways--the best I've had in this system.

But it's a relatively complex device: there are multiple user settings and input/output selections. Those are all good things, but it implies that you really should look at the manual, at least in the beginning. Here is the manual:

https://www.cma.audio/media/pdf/79/b6/e4/V281-E-Manual-2014.pdf

Your main tasks when using it for the first time are to:

• Select the proper input (easily done on upper left buttons)
• And assuming you will use this as a preamp (outputting signal to powered speakers or a speaker amp), set the output type to "variable output/post-fader" (which means the V281's volume pot varies the output signal). That's a little harder, and you need to get it right (see pages 21 & 22 for directions). You set it once then never worry about it again.

As you say, there are separate gain switch arrays for the headphone outputs (back of the case); and for line output (inside the case). If you're using XLR inputs, presumably from your DAC, you'll be getting a lot of voltage in (I'm guessing 3.5-4.0 Volts) which is pretty hot--so you may find yourself setting the HP output & line level outputs to some negative dB (I'm at -12 dB on both switch arrays).

I have never encountered any audio preamp or headphone amp with the diversity & flexibility of user settings as the V281. It took a bit of work to set it up at the start, but after that it's happy trails. I've often been grateful for the ability to change gain settings separately for HP vs preamp outputs; use different inputs; etc.

I've had multiple pairs of powered studio monitors here, also multiple pairs of passive studio monitors. They all sound wonderful on the V281. Likewise with headphones: I've never had any headphone sound just average on the V281.

Congratulations on getting a V281 & happy listening with it!

Thank you so much for all of that great information. I will study up on the manual while I wait for it to arrive. It's pretty ironic how I got to make this purchase. I'm someone that does about 50/50 listening stereo room and headphones. Years ago I looked at the V281 when it was still in production and I just couldn't quite get myself to spend that much. Now recently I bought another power amp for my stereo room that has balanced inputs, which the manufacturer "highly recommends" using. I have a preamp that I really like, an Onkyo P-3000R that seems highly regarded by those that have them. But no balanced inputs or outputs. I had just missed out on a couple pre-owned preamps in the last few days and was continuing my search earlier today. That's when I came across the V281 final edition. I spent about an hour and a half researching it while going back and forth to see if someone else had bought it before me. The ad only came out this morning on another website so I knew it could sell at any time. At first I thought, I've always wanted this headphone amp, I can always get another preamp some other time. The more I looked at it and saw all of the inputs and outputs (and a claim it can convert single ended input to balanced output which would be perfect for my sacd player) I realized I can use this as a preamp too. Then I saw the variable gains for both headphone and amplifier outputs and the whole plot just got better and better. Then I saw that all the final editions came with the dac, unique styling and were limited to a production run of 100. Probably won't use the dac it but you never know, I'll give it a chance and it sure doesn't hurt to have it. I think it's coming with the standard volume control but it does include a remote. The description calls it an ALPS 27 if I remember right. But that's right from the Violetric press release document so there's at least a chance it also has that stepped attenuator, if I'm saying that correctly. If this excels as both preamp and headphone amp I think that's two thousand dollars or so that I won't have to spend later on for a dedicated preamp. Again thanks for all the info

 

[milkdudd]

I wonder if you guys could tell me something. If my V281 has a remote does that mean it has the stepped volume pot? This is a photo of the one I bought that shows the metal remote. The Violectric spec sheet says "ALPS RK27 High-Grade motorized volume control" but doesn't mention anything about a remote control. What good is a motorized volume control without a remote? Was the remote control an extra cost item with the final edition? Does it seem that I won't know which volume control I have until I spin it and listen for clicks? As always, thanks in advance

 

[project86]

The Alps RK27 is a quality volume pot. The motorized version is pretty much the same as the non-motorized version, but obviously with the benefit of remote capability. It may just be assumed that the reader understands a motorized potentiometer should always mean a remote, though it would also seem wise for them to make that point more clear one way or the other. I don't recall if the Final Edition came with remote but it seems like it should, or else why bother with using the (more expensive) motorized pot?

Also seems they would draw attention to the relay-based volume if they were in fact using that one. So I doubt that is on board.

 

[milkdudd]

Yes I do agree with you if it had the more expensive optional volume control they would likely have mentioned it in their ad. However I bought it from an ultra high-end audio retailer that "took it on trade towards a system upgrade" so it's at least possible that tidbit never made it into the ad. I guess I hope it has the upgrade but on the other hand the Alps 27 is low-cost and seems easy to replace if it ever went bad. I guess whichever one it is I'll convince myself that's the one I wanted all along

 

[project86]

Well RK27 series is something of an "industry standard" among nice gear. It should always be easily available.

The relay solution was a custom design from Violectric, and does sound slightly better in my experience, but not drastically so. It makes an audible "click" noise (from inside the V281, not over your headphone/speakers) as it moves. Some users find this annoying and prefer the Alps for that reason.

So there is pro and con for each option.

 

[milkdudd]

Well RK27 series is something of an "industry standard" among nice gear. It should always be easily available.

The relay solution was a custom design from Violectric, and does sound slightly better in my experience, but not drastically so. It makes an audible "click" noise (from inside the V281, not over your headphone/speakers) as it moves. Some users find this annoying and prefer the Alps for that reason.

So there is pro and con for each option.

Yes that's the way I look at it too, pros and cons for each. It definitely isn't a deal-breaker either way. I guess I'll think I got a better deal if it was a more expensive unit when it was purchased new. Normally I would do all of my pre-purchase research but like I said in this case I was worried about somebody else buying it before I did. I think I read a post where someone said they liked the V281 more than the Benchmark HPA4. It says a lot about the sound quality. Of course just because one person felt that way doesn't mean everybody would. Still it's good company to be in

 

[Pharmaboy]

Yes that's the way I look at it too, pros and cons for each. It definitely isn't a deal-breaker either way. I guess I'll think I got a better deal if it was a more expensive unit when it was purchased new. Normally I would do all of my pre-purchase research but like I said in this case I was worried about somebody else buying it before I did. I think I read a post where someone said they liked the V281 more than the Benchmark HPA4. It says a lot about the sound quality. Of course just because one person felt that way doesn't mean everybody would. Still it's good company to be in

Just my opinion, and admittedly I don't know much about your gear, past & present. But I suspect you'll find, after living with the V281 for awhile, that Violectric chose every component in that device for good reasons, which was built according to an exceedingly well thought out design. The V281 is very well built, robustly constructed, as near to "bullet-proof" as a device can get. I could tell you horror stories about electronic indignities I (inadvertently) subjected mine to, with no bad effect (but I'll spare you).

And re the RK27 volume pot, it appears in many excellent headphone amps & preamps. It's not some throwaway, random component: it works well, sounds good, and you almost rarely about problems with it. While it's true there are various more electronically complex and (sometimes) good sounding volume pot solutions out there (including Violectric's own 128 step pot), you're not slighting yourself or your system with an RK27 IMHO.

 

[milkdudd]

About a week ago on another forum someone posted that they couldn't correctly answer my question because they didn't know what equipment I had. So I thought that if I listed it one time in detail, from here on I could go back and cut and paste all of that information when needed, so here goes:

"My stereo room is 9 ft x 12 ft with the speakers placed along the 12 ft wall. My speakers are Usher Audio dancer mini x-DMD on sound anchor stands. They are 5ft 3in apart center to center of the drivers with about 10 degrees tow in per side. The distance from driver to my ear is about 5ft 6in. To fill in the lower frequencies I use a Jamo SUB 650 subwoofer. My sources are topping D90 dac connected with single ended cables into my Onkyo P-3000R preamp. I feed the dac with Android/USB. An Onkyo C-7000R CD player with aes/ebu connection into the D90. Also a Denon 100th anniversary sacd player analog out into the Onkyo preamp. From preamp I run single ended into a dual mono ATC P1 Pro power amp rated at 150 watts per channel. All of my interconnects and speaker cables are solid silver from Clear Day cables"

Of course once the V281 gets here this will change quite a bit. Not just the headphone amp/preamp itself but I'll be using balanced XLR cables into and out of the V281. If any of you guys spot what appears to be a weak link in my chain, feel free to opine. I promise it won't hurt my feelings (and so what if it did?)

 

[Pharmaboy]

About a week ago on another forum someone posted that they couldn't correctly answer my question because they didn't know what equipment I had. So I thought that if I listed it one time in detail, from here on I could go back and cut and paste all of that information when needed, so here goes:

"My stereo room is 9 ft x 12 ft with the speakers placed along the 12 ft wall. My speakers are Usher Audio dancer mini x-DMD on sound anchor stands. They are 5ft 3in apart center to center of the drivers with about 10 degrees tow in per side. The distance from driver to my ear is about 5ft 6in. My sources are topping D90 dac connected with single ended cables into my Onkyo P-3000R preamp. I feed the dac with Android/USB. An Onkyo C-7000R CD player with aes/ebu connection into the D90. Also a Denon 100th anniversary sacd player analog out into the Onkyo preamp. From preamp I run single ended into a dual mono ATC P1 Pro power amp rated at 150 watts per channel. All of my interconnects and speaker cables are solid silver from Clear Day cables"

Of course once the V281 gets here this will change quite a bit. Not just the headphone amp/preamp itself but I'll be using balanced XLR cables into and out of the V281. If any of you guys spot what appears to be a weak link in my chain, feel free to opine. I promise it won't hurt my feelings (and so what if it did?)

Nice summary of your system! I thought my room was small (home office is ~13' x 13'). Small rooms dictate what audio gear you use, and how you use it, in my experience.

That ATC amp is nice! When I started using passive studio monitors here in the home office, particularly w/the 2nd pair, the ATC SCM12 Pro's, I read positive reviews of that amp. Unfortunately, I lack the desktop space for that amp (for pretty much any class A/B amp), so had to go with a class D amp that I can stand on its side (Wyred4Sound ST-500).

 

[milkdudd]

Nice summary of your system! I thought my room was small (home office is ~13' x 13'). Small rooms dictate what audio gear you use, and how you use it, in my experience.

That ATC amp is nice! When I started using passive studio monitors here in the home office, particularly w/the 2nd pair, the ATC SCM12 Pro's, I read positive reviews of that amp. Unfortunately, I lack the desktop space for that amp (for pretty much any class A/B amp), so had to go with a class D amp that I can stand on its side (Wyred4Sound ST-500).

Yes I'm really pleased with the ATC amp. I lucked out pretty good when I bought it. Like the V281, I wasn't really in the market until I saw the deal come up online. I've looked at them on and off for a couple of years but couldn't justify $3,500 for an amp. I got this one for $1,500 shipped and if somebody would have told me it was brand new I wouldn't have known the difference. Not one scratch or scuff anywhere. Since I bought it they've had a price increase and now they go for $3,750, at least retail. More and more I'm looking at pre-owned audio equipment as actually being better than new. In addition to saving 30 to 70% off the price when new, it arrives already broken in

 

[project86]

That's a nice setup for sure, even more so once the V281 goes in the chain! I use the Usher Mini One DMD in my speaker rig and they are fantastic - yours should be the same minus some low-end extension. But that may actually be a good thing in your particular room...

My first exposure to the newer Usher models was the big BE-10 speakers. I was hooked on the delicacy and extension of that lovely tweeter (they only had the older beryllium version at that time). Tried them in my room but it made for a terrible match, way way too big. I later circled back and tried the Mini One and Mini Two with the new DMD tweeters, thinking I would probably end up with the larger model as my room is not terribly small. Long story short, the new tweeter was brilliant but the Mini One sounded significantly better in my room. So there's definitely something to be said about finding the right size for your situation, regardless of how impressive the bigger stuff might look.

I don't see any obvious weak links in your chain though. If I had to pick something to change, it would probably be that Topping DAC. I don't personally love the D90 (it's fine but a bit dry) so I might leave that out and use the disc players directly - both are lovely sounding devices, particularly the Denon. The Denon has a coaxial digital input if I recall correctly, so you could add a USB to SPDIF converter to make use of Android playback via the internal Denon DAC.

Just an idea, I know plenty of people who are happy with the D90, so I could be off base here.

 

[milkdudd]

That's a nice setup for sure, even more so once the V281 goes in the chain! I use the Usher Mini One DMD in my speaker rig and they are fantastic - yours should be the same minus some low-end extension. But that may actually be a good thing in your particular room...

My first exposure to the newer Usher models was the big BE-10 speakers. I was hooked on the delicacy and extension of that lovely tweeter (they only had the older beryllium version at that time). Tried them in my room but it made for a terrible match, way way too big. I later circled back and tried the Mini One and Mini Two with the new DMD tweeters, thinking I would probably end up with the larger model as my room is not terribly small. Long story short, the new tweeter was brilliant but the Mini One sounded significantly better in my room. So there's definitely something to be said about finding the right size for your situation, regardless of how impressive the bigger stuff might look.

I don't see any obvious weak links in your chain though. If I had to pick something to change, it would probably be that Topping DAC. I don't personally love the D90 (it's fine but a bit dry) so I might leave that out and use the disc players directly - both are lovely sounding devices, particularly the Denon. The Denon has a coaxial digital input if I recall correctly, so you could add a USB to SPDIF converter to make use of Android playback via the internal Denon DAC.

Just an idea, I know plenty of people who are happy with the D90, so I could be off base here.

Thanks for all the great comments. Yes I agree that Usher speakers are terrific and possibly the best kept secret in audio, at least speaker-wise. I edited my post above to add that I also use a Jamo 650 sub to fill in the lower frequencies. It doesn't take much in my small room. I have the volume turned relatively low. That sub seems punchy and articulate to me although I really don't have anything else to compare it to. As far as the Topping D90 dac goes, when you tried it were you using it as a preamp also? My findings are that it functions very well as a dac and actually quite poor as a preamp. At least compared to my Onkyo preamp. Actually my Marantz HD-DAC1, which is a combination dac/preamp/headphone amplifier, also falls short of the Onkyo preamp. I guess it should at less than half the price (although to me it is noticeably better than the D90 as a preamp) I think I'll be putting the Marantz up for sale soon. One D90 owner stated online that he had terrific results when using a Singxer SU-2 USB to i2s converter box between his source and the dac. So the source was connected with USB into the SU-2 and he used an HDMI cable with the i2s connection into the D90. The cost of the SU-2 is $429 plus the cable if I bought it new. I'm willing to try it but what I don't know, does it only make a big difference when using a computer as a source where there's probably more noise and jitter and such than the Android I use as a source. So far I've had trouble getting a good answer on whether it would benefit me enough. An online retailer I found has a good return policy so I might just take the chance. Guess I've rambled long enough

 

[milkdudd]

Well I received my V281 and have it up and running. As expected, all of your guys tips and advice was spot on. Very much appreciated. It will take a couple of days to receive some cables I need to have my final setup, but even now I'm just plain thrilled with this device. I just might have my end game for both headphone amp and preamp in my stereo system........ At least for now