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If you weren’t too naughty this holiday season, you may have found an Einar Sound VC-01i under your Christmas tree (or Hanukah Bush, Kwanza Candle, Festivus pole or other pagan symbol, adopted by your monotheistic religion of choice). Einar Sound is a new audio company based in Canada, with manufacturing concerns in China. The VC-01i is their first product to be offered in North America and was recently released.
Many thanks to Edison from Einar Sound for lending the amp to me. He sent it in time for the New York meet held mid-November and was kind enough to let me hold onto it until Christmas. It was very generous of him and it was lucky for me that he did.
The VC-01i is a very interesting and versatile piece of gear that I enjoyed listening to very much.
The amp is what I would call a “half-size” component, similar in size to a Gilmore Light, perhaps a bit bigger, and if memory serves me correctly, quite a bit heavier. It has a solid, well built feel to it.
The amp has balanced and RCA inputs, switchable from the front panel; two single ended ¼” headphone jacks and XLR output for balanced headphones. It is a very versatile amp and performs well, no matter what configuration you use it in, but with a balanced source and balanced headphones it really shines.
For the first 2 to 3 weeks I had the amp, I listened primarily to my single ended MD 5000DE Denons . My first impressions were that the amp was a bit polite, perhaps with a rolled off high end. Further listening however, revealed that the amp was much more neutral than I originally thought, but the sound seemed to be very dependent on the source material. The more recordings I listened to, the less rolled off the highs sounded.
What stood out most in terms of sound was the midrange. I was struck by the clarity and articulation of electric guitars and of male vocals. It is almost cliché that people try out new equipment and say they hear things they never heard before, but in this case it was no exaggeration. I noticed this while listening to Led Zeppelin. I have never heard Jimmy Page’s guitar parts so clearly. Each note, each strum, each pick could easily be picked out. This is no small task either considering the amount of distortion and effects he uses on most tracks.
Soundstage and imaging was also quite good. It was easy to pick out individual instruments and the sound surrounded my head. It wasn’t huge but the effect was pleasant and added a sense of realism. I could close my eyes and easily picture each instrument.
The sound quality, dynamic range and soundstage greatly improved when operating in balanced mode. I must admit, I do not have a lot of experience with balanced headphones. I actually don’t own a pair myself but for this audition I was able to borrow a pair of HD580s with Zu Mobius cable. Many thanks to Head-Fier nikongod for lending me the headphones to me for an extended period.
The first thing I noticed in balanced operation was that the soundstage was huge. I had always thought that when it came to soundstage with headphones that it was severely limited and could never approach what speakers could accomplish. The combo of the VC-01i and the balanced HD580s severely challenged that perception. It now seemed to fill the room all around me.
Also improved was the dynamic range of the sound. No longer did I get the feeling that the sound was polite or rolled off in any way no matter what recordings I threw at it. Highs seemed to extend a bit more and the bass was accurate and deep. Although I had no problems with the bass in single ended mode, it now seemed to be more involving. The midrange was still just as articulate but the overall sound seemed much more balanced.
Overall, I was impressed with just about every aspect of the amp. While with single ended operation I originally thought the sound was too polite, over time I came to appreciate the relaxed, musical, non-fatiguing sound it presented me with. Switching to balanced operation, gave the amp new definition and clarity. All in all it was a very versatile amp, allowing the user to run a balanced or single ended source and balanced or single ended headphones. And with the convenient toggle switch on the front the amp could be fed by two different sources at the same time. If you are looking for a high quality balanced headphone amp, and you have a limited budget, I don’t think you can overlook the VC-01i.
Thanks again to Edison from Einar for letting me have the audition and best of luck to Einar as they develop their product line; and thanks to nikongod for the use of his balanced HD580 headphones. If they continue to put out quality products like the VC-01i they should be around for a long time to come.
Many thanks to Edison from Einar Sound for lending the amp to me. He sent it in time for the New York meet held mid-November and was kind enough to let me hold onto it until Christmas. It was very generous of him and it was lucky for me that he did.
The VC-01i is a very interesting and versatile piece of gear that I enjoyed listening to very much.
The amp is what I would call a “half-size” component, similar in size to a Gilmore Light, perhaps a bit bigger, and if memory serves me correctly, quite a bit heavier. It has a solid, well built feel to it.
The amp has balanced and RCA inputs, switchable from the front panel; two single ended ¼” headphone jacks and XLR output for balanced headphones. It is a very versatile amp and performs well, no matter what configuration you use it in, but with a balanced source and balanced headphones it really shines.
For the first 2 to 3 weeks I had the amp, I listened primarily to my single ended MD 5000DE Denons . My first impressions were that the amp was a bit polite, perhaps with a rolled off high end. Further listening however, revealed that the amp was much more neutral than I originally thought, but the sound seemed to be very dependent on the source material. The more recordings I listened to, the less rolled off the highs sounded.
What stood out most in terms of sound was the midrange. I was struck by the clarity and articulation of electric guitars and of male vocals. It is almost cliché that people try out new equipment and say they hear things they never heard before, but in this case it was no exaggeration. I noticed this while listening to Led Zeppelin. I have never heard Jimmy Page’s guitar parts so clearly. Each note, each strum, each pick could easily be picked out. This is no small task either considering the amount of distortion and effects he uses on most tracks.
Soundstage and imaging was also quite good. It was easy to pick out individual instruments and the sound surrounded my head. It wasn’t huge but the effect was pleasant and added a sense of realism. I could close my eyes and easily picture each instrument.
The sound quality, dynamic range and soundstage greatly improved when operating in balanced mode. I must admit, I do not have a lot of experience with balanced headphones. I actually don’t own a pair myself but for this audition I was able to borrow a pair of HD580s with Zu Mobius cable. Many thanks to Head-Fier nikongod for lending me the headphones to me for an extended period.
The first thing I noticed in balanced operation was that the soundstage was huge. I had always thought that when it came to soundstage with headphones that it was severely limited and could never approach what speakers could accomplish. The combo of the VC-01i and the balanced HD580s severely challenged that perception. It now seemed to fill the room all around me.
Also improved was the dynamic range of the sound. No longer did I get the feeling that the sound was polite or rolled off in any way no matter what recordings I threw at it. Highs seemed to extend a bit more and the bass was accurate and deep. Although I had no problems with the bass in single ended mode, it now seemed to be more involving. The midrange was still just as articulate but the overall sound seemed much more balanced.
Overall, I was impressed with just about every aspect of the amp. While with single ended operation I originally thought the sound was too polite, over time I came to appreciate the relaxed, musical, non-fatiguing sound it presented me with. Switching to balanced operation, gave the amp new definition and clarity. All in all it was a very versatile amp, allowing the user to run a balanced or single ended source and balanced or single ended headphones. And with the convenient toggle switch on the front the amp could be fed by two different sources at the same time. If you are looking for a high quality balanced headphone amp, and you have a limited budget, I don’t think you can overlook the VC-01i.
Thanks again to Edison from Einar for letting me have the audition and best of luck to Einar as they develop their product line; and thanks to nikongod for the use of his balanced HD580 headphones. If they continue to put out quality products like the VC-01i they should be around for a long time to come.
