[AnimalOnDrums]

I was afraid I was kind of unclear! No, the Niimbus is definitely endgame in my book, (famous last words for every audiophile of course), it’s more the V590 dac as a pairing with it that I was saying could be improved upon. The Niimbus is revealing but so enjoyable to listen to that I couldn’t see being unhappy with it as long as the source is halfway decent, but I (for example) upgraded my dac as soon as I could after getting it because I wanted to maximize its potential. Anyway, I digress. I look forward to your impressions. I think you’re in for a treat especially coming from those more clinical/studio-tuned amps.

Oh ok, that makes sense. Those Niimbus amps sure are tempting. Hopefully a Niimbus DAC will come out soon and be a perfect pairing. That will be one amazing stack! I think you are right on the money too about being in for a treat. I usually prefer something that adds a bit of its own flavor. While I love the Benchmark (and hopefully the SPL Phonitor XE coming tomorrow) for what it is, I don't need a bunch of amps and DACs that sound very similar. It will be fun to mix everything up and try the different combinations. Gives me something to do while I hibernate in my house

 

[mat.1]

Is the V590 amp is class A ?

 

[Fegefeuer]

DE/EN manual added to the first page

 

[project86]

Just got word that the promo for the free relay-based volume upgrade (normally a $600 option) has been extended through August 7th. Link is HERE. That's a no brainer value for anyone on the fence about V590... the relay volume is excellent.

 

[gonzfi]

Could we get that deal in the UK?

 

[DarginMahkum]

I talked to CMA in Germany this week and they expect V590 to be available for shipping within next two weeks.

 

[HalloweenJack]

OK, the manual confirms it has + / - 25 V internal operating voltage, so less than original series Violectrics that have + / - 30 V.

On CMAs official site for this amp ( https://www.cma.audio/en/detail/index/sArticle/2057 ) it says:

"High Output Voltage - through 50 V internal operating voltage."

Does this mean +/- 50 V or +/- 25 V ?

The previous Violectric series has +/- 30 V (60 V).

 

[HalloweenJack]

BTW, The Niimbus US4 has +/- 30 V like the older Violectrics.
Quote from the manual: "Two toroidal transformers each with 25 Watt are providing the internal operating voltages of +/-30 V."

OK, the manual confirms it has + / - 25 V internal operating voltage, so less than original series Violectrics that have + / - 30 V.

 

[the fool]

What do you guys think this amp and meier audio corda soul?

 

[Fegefeuer]

The Soul has a way different approach. I don't think it would make sense to compare the v590 to the Soul in "neutral" mode.

Nobody buys the Soul not to turn knobs and flip switches.

I find the Soul very interesting and would love to play around with it.

It's built by Lake People btw.

 

[Fegefeuer]

Got the V590 this morning finally.

There is a long way to go for individual impressions of headphones and DAC pairings as I am unfortunately still occupied with a lot of stuff like education/training etc. but I will give you a good insight into this amp over the next weeks, months. I will probably post it in streams of consciousness.

I will try to get a few popular DACs into the mix but that will take even more time. I am thinking about the Hugo 2 for instance. Maybe I can lend a Soekris 1541 for those who own one. Let's see. Fow nor I am not in a hurry to do this as the DAC part is really well done and I have a harder time to qualify DACs compared to amps.

First impressions: I can now understand why the V281 has been discontinued. When the FE was announced and limited to 100 units which all seem to be gone now I was pondering if it was a good idea to end the shelf life of such a successful product, even though I was excited to see something new. Once it became clear the EOL was bound to happen I secretly wished I could snatch a FE version but as you know these things are not easily paid.

Now what changed my mind was the amp inside the V590 and how it strikes an interesting balance. It leans on the V281 side in terms of euphony and tuning but is on the US4's side on technicalities. The US4+ is a departure from the V281 signature, it is an upgrade in technicalities and performance but not a direct replacement in tuning. The amp inside the V590 bridges the gap. It will give you more refined treble, details, bass sustain and power and overall clarity but yet also dance to the tune of the V281's spirit.
You still have to let go of expecting it to be a full V281 though. Given the performance I don't think it's a hard step to take.

Following with this the V590 naturally requires more careful matching with source gear, more than the V281, less than the US4+.
For instance the pairing of the Yggdrasil Analog 2 with the US4+ is a better idea than pairing Gungnir Multibit with the US4+ as the doubling of incisiveness, the more aggressive, plopping transients and the overall cooler character of the Gungnir make a fairly lively, technical listen but narrow the selection of headphones. Wouldn't want to listen the HEK SE (to exaggerate) with that pairing. Yes, there is always EQ and mods but you hopefully get what I am trying to say with gear matching.

In the background you can see a few AES cables sticking out. The V590 is directly fed from my Lynx AES and the V590 goes into a balanced power supply. No other cables involved. Pretty sleek. Remember, this is a full DAC/AMP unit, no part is just an addon.

The USB card is an Amanero with DSD512 support, ASIO, WASAPI. You need to install drivers under Windows else for instance TIDAL cannot go into exclusive mode.

 

[Malcolm Riverside]

Got the V590 this morning finally.


There is a long way to go for individual impressions of headphones and DAC pairings as I am unfortunately still occupied with a lot of stuff like education/training etc. but I will give you a good insight into this amp over the next weeks, months. I will probably post it in streams of consciousness.

I will try to get a few popular DACs into the mix but that will take even more time. I am thinking about the Hugo 2 for instance. Maybe I can lend a Soekris 1541 for those who own one. Let's see. Fow nor I am not in a hurry to do this as the DAC part is really well done and I have a harder time to qualify DACs compared to amps.

First impressions: I can now understand why the V281 has been discontinued. When the FE was announced and limited to 100 units which all seem to be gone now I was pondering if it was a good idea to end the shelf life of such a successful product, even though I was excited to see something new. Once it became clear the EOL was bound to happen I secretly wished I could snatch a FE version but as you know these things are not easily paid.

Now what changed my mind was the amp inside the V590 and how it strikes an interesting balance. It leans on the V281 side in terms of euphony and tuning but is on the US4's side on technicalities. The US4+ is a departure from the V281 signature, it is an upgrade in technicalities and performance but not a direct replacement in tuning. The amp inside the V590 bridges the gap. It will give you more refined treble, details, bass sustain and power and overall clarity but yet also dance to the tune of the V281's spirit.
You still have to let go of expecting it to be a full V281 though. Given the performance I don't think it's a hard step to take.

Following with this the V590 naturally requires more careful matching with source gear, more than the V281, less than the US4+.
For instance the pairing of the Yggdrasil Analog 2 with the US4+ is a better idea than pairing Gungnir Multibit with the US4+ as the doubling of incisiveness, the more aggressive, plopping transients and the overall cooler character of the Gungnir make a fairly lively, technical listen but narrow the selection of headphones. Wouldn't want to listen the HEK SE (to exaggerate) with that pairing. Yes, there is always EQ and mods but you hopefully get what I am trying to say with gear matching.

In the background you can see a few AES cables sticking out. The V590 is directly fed from my Lynx AES and the V590 goes into a balanced power supply. No other cables involved. Pretty sleek. Remember, this is a full DAC/AMP unit, no part is just an addon.

The USB card is an Amanero with DSD512 support, ASIO, WASAPI. You need to install drivers under Windows else for instance TIDAL cannot go into exclusive mode.

Looks great! The way Fried was able to sonically position this amp so exquisitely between the US4+ and the V281 is pretty impressive. I had a Gumby A1 with my old V281 for a while and quite enjoyed the combo, though I found it could be a bit fatiguing after a while with certain cans because of the in-your-face, detailed nature of that dac. A few days ago I got a Bifrost 2 as an alternative to my Wyred4sound 10th anniversary dac, and it’s a nice pairing with the US4+. Only had a little bit of listening time so far but it’s more relaxed than the Gumby, which I appreciate. More research is needed of course!
Which headphone are preferring with the V590 so far? Looks like a Verité or Aeolus and HEKSE you’ve got there.

 

[Fegefeuer]

I am using the Bifrost 2 with the Niimbus for almost a year now, it's a very good pairing, however the SPDIF input is superior to UNISON. Unison at least gives a slight softness to attacks or transients so it can be a more relaxing listen but Lynx AES to SPDIF is better in many other ways, that's why it's not a matter of flavor anymore unfortunately. However the upcoming transport from Schiit supposedly is designed with Unison in mind so that could change the game.

Thankfully the Lynx can supply a lot more DACs with a great AES/EBU signal and thus comes handy with the V590.

I mainly listened to my modded HE-6 and the Verité today. The HE-1000SE just looks better than the HE-6 that's why I decided to put up a photo with it. However it will also have its day sometime this week as the rest of the collection.

Verité is technically and tonally very impressive, however pairing is a difficult thing as high dampening and 0 Ohm output shortens the decay a bit. It becomes more of a technical than romantic showcase but of course it doesn't get polished away and what remains adds to the fine tuning that allows both easier listening and then at the same time battering, getting up and going. It's just a highly capable headphone that never sleeps. Its timbre reminds me a bit of the Fostex family of headphones, just better tuned and much faster, more impressive on transients. Micro- and macrodynamics are outstanding. Only nitpick is that the bass is not as controlled as the HE-6 or let's say how I prefer it. That's nitpicky though.

 

[qsk78]

Do you guys know when they are planning to introduce a new dedicated amplifier?
Looking forward to a potential upgrade of my current V800/HPA181 combo.

 

[Fegefeuer]

Well, V281 successor technically exists so naturally there will also be a dedicated amp. I don't know when and I am still guessing autum. However autumn is near and we have no confirmation. We're in the middle of the holidays now in Bavaria so news will be very slow.

If you're from the US I'd really think about the ongoing deal with grabbing the reed relais for the same price as the RK27 version. A standalone V5XX with reed relais is now very close prise-wise. Might as well grab a great DAC along with it too.

However I understand if people want to have one DAC only or want a "pure" amp.

Edit: ok, you're from Russia, so forget about the deal.