[Ichos]

I am using it now with the Clears and compared it extensively with a bunch of amps like Mjolnir 2 , Cayin IHA , Lyr 3 etc.
It is neutral with a slight tilt of warmth!

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

Anybody heard the HiFiman Arya with the V280 ?

 

[Ichos]

I have heard the Ananda but single ended.
Very pleased with the results except the soundstage which is not so great when using this out.

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

I have heard the Ananda but single ended.
Very pleased with the results except the soundstage which is not so great when using this out.

Thank you Ichos.
Have been hearing and reading reviews that the HiFiMan Arya is better than the HD800S for everything except the vast soundstage the HD800S (and HD800) has. So was wondering how the Arya pair with the V280 especially in balanced mode compared to the HD800S.

 

[Fegefeuer]

"very colored" needs context, else it's misleading information. The bass argument doesn't help either. HD 800's bass is very potent until the very lowest octave, and it's that way on ALL great amps, and always was over the many years. People also EQed the hell out of it. Now it does not deliver HE-6 levels of subbass and slam
and doesn't go down like the higher up LCD's do practicallly without distortion but it still does an excellent job. On the flip side it does a lot of other things better, cleaner, more accurate than all those. Transient speed, cleanliness, (micro)detail, imaging. Simply TOTL until today.

There is no inherent bassboosted signature in these amps. They just create voltage swing like no other SS amps do and that is what the HD800 needs and they are rewarded for it
It also shows for the HD 650, HD 600 and T1.2.

@Bonesy Jonesy I've written a review of the Arya, also in comparison to the Ananda. As good the Arya is, it's not better than the HD 800. If the Arya didn't have the 5k peak I would suggest it every time for all those that don't wanna tinker around with mods on the HD800 and want a bit of all and just let go.
Soundstage is still supreme on the HD 800 but Arya is very good in that department as well. Ready for all your needs. Music, movies, gaming. Doesn't matter.

 

[Arniesb]

"very colored" needs context, else it's misleading information. The bass argument doesn't help either. HD 800's bass is very potent until the very lowest octave, and it's that way on ALL great amps, and always was over the many years. People also EQed the hell out of it. Now it does not deliver HE-6 levels of subbass and slam
and doesn't go down like the higher up LCD's do practicallly without distortion but it still does an excellent job. On the flip side it does a lot of other things better, cleaner, more accurate than all those. Transient speed, cleanliness, (micro)detail, imaging. Simply TOTL until today.

There is no inherent bassboosted signature in these amps. They just create voltage swing like no other SS amps do and that is what the HD800 needs and they are rewarded for it
It also shows for the HD 650, HD 600 and T1.2.

@Bonesy Jonesy I've written a review of the Arya, also in comparison to the Ananda. As good the Arya is, it's not better than the HD 800. If the Arya didn't have the 5k peak I would suggest it every time for all those that don't wanna tinker around with mods on the HD800 and want a bit of all and just let go.
Soundstage is still supreme on the HD 800 but Arya is very good in that department as well. Ready for all your needs. Music, movies, gaming. Doesn't matter.

Dont get me wrong i think Violectric are killer amps. Probably most quiet ones and have power delivery unlike anything else, but i dont know if its the circuitry? or maybe some component that causes coloration... Dave direct, Auralic Taurus, Beyerdynamic A2 sounded much more transparent, but ofcourse didnt have that much power and depth. It makes Headphones like HD650 even more mellower.

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

"very colored" needs context, else it's misleading information. The bass argument doesn't help either. HD 800's bass is very potent until the very lowest octave, and it's that way on ALL great amps, and always was over the many years. People also EQed the hell out of it. Now it does not deliver HE-6 levels of subbass and slam
and doesn't go down like the higher up LCD's do practicallly without distortion but it still does an excellent job. On the flip side it does a lot of other things better, cleaner, more accurate than all those. Transient speed, cleanliness, (micro)detail, imaging. Simply TOTL until today.

There is no inherent bassboosted signature in these amps. They just create voltage swing like no other SS amps do and that is what the HD800 needs and they are rewarded for it
It also shows for the HD 650, HD 600 and T1.2.

@Bonesy Jonesy I've written a review of the Arya, also in comparison to the Ananda. As good the Arya is, it's not better than the HD 800. If the Arya didn't have the 5k peak I would suggest it every time for all those that don't wanna tinker around with mods on the HD800 and want a bit of all and just let go.
Soundstage is still supreme on the HD 800 but Arya is very good in that department as well. Ready for all your needs. Music, movies, gaming. Doesn't matter.

Thank you Fegefeuer for your post. Most informative and very helpful. I think I will still go with the HD800S for now as I have also read the Arya quality of workmanship and materials isn't as good as the Senn's.

 

[Ichos]

@Fegefeuer

Please let me add that the V280 (and all other Frieds amps) are adapting according to the load.
So this beauty can provide a large voltage swing for my x HD800S and gobs of current for my Clears.
The interesting thing is that with both headphones i am using the same -6db (single ended in)
and almost the same pot position.

 

[Fegefeuer]

True, was just focussing on the HD800. V280 is also amazing for the HE-4, 500, 5LE, Arya etc.

Can especially recommend the HE-500 for its dreamy mids and overall unique character.

 

[sysyphos]

True, was just focussing on the HD800. V280 is also amazing for the HE-4, 500, 5LE, Arya etc.

Can especially recommend the HE-500 for its dreamy mids and overall unique character.

I am also wondering the harmony between V280 and ZMF headphones, do you have a chance to experience? Especially with Aeolus.

 

[Fegefeuer]

Unfortunately I never heard the Aeolus but Zach had his V281 for many years. It should pair well since he liked it. I can't be really more helpful here, sorry.

You should post your chain, maybe someone else can help.

@zach915m

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

Hi All,

Just received my V280 this evening and listening to some nice Diana Krall.

When I started listening the music seemed very dull and cold and not musical with harsh treble from the V280 compared to the Beyerdynamic A2 which has a nice balanced sound. Now that the V280 has been on for a good hour and warmed up the sound has transformed. Now sounding much better i.e. more musical and warmer.

I have the dip switches for the pre-gain all set down for both left and right channels (assume this gives zero gain ???) which seems to give the best overall sound using HD800S's out of balanced output linked to a Chord Mojo compared to all of the other dip switch settings.

Anybody have any thoughts on this setting ?.

Hope to listen to the V280 linked balanced input from my Chord QBD76 DAC and Blu Mk1 CD Transporter to see how this sounds compared to the Mojo with single RCA input.

Next weekend I shall do a comparison of the V280 to the Beyerdynamic A2 with the HD800S's and Beyer T1 Gen 2's with both DAC's.

 

[Ichos]

The V280 cold???
No way , just the opposite.
The V280 not musical?
No way , just the opposite.
The V280 with harsh treble?
Sacrilege , this is the best treble ss amp on the planet!!!

Just give it some time to settle down.
With HD800S i prefered the 0dB setting (all switches down) but with balanced in sometimes
was too hot so i used the -6dB

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

The V280 cold???
No way , just the opposite.
The V280 not musical?
No way , just the opposite.
The V280 with harsh treble?
Sacrilege , this is the best treble ss amp on the planet!!!

Just give it some time to settle down.
With HD800S i prefered the 0dB setting (all switches down) but with balanced in sometimes
was too hot so i used the -6dB

Thank you Ichos.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

The Mojo is on the analytical side and so are the 800/800S. Another way to look at it is that with the V280 your headphones are finally hearing what your DAC has to say