Violectric HPA V280 - balanced headphone amp - impressions and discussion thread

[jonathan c]

If I were smart I would have stopped at that rig.

… the essence of Head-Filia. Our epitaph?

 

[Fegefeuer]

Oh yes it is - especially with an HE1000.
If I were smart I would have stopped at that rig.

 

[David Ling]

I recently compared my Violectric V280 with my Bottlehead Crack by using ZMF Auteur to listen to the vocals. Very surprise to me, I heard almost no differences between two. I think it has at least over 90% to 95% similarity. In another word, Violectric V280 has a warm tube sound. What is your experience with Violectric V280? Should I sell my Bottlehead Crack?

 

[thecrow]

I recently compared my Violectric V280 with my Bottlehead Crack by using ZMF Auteur to listen to the vocals. Very surprise to me, I heard almost no differences between two. I think it has at least over 90% to 95% similarity. In another word, Violectric V280 has a warm tube sound. What is your experience with Violectric V280? Should I sell my Bottlehead Crack?

Now come on! We all know it’s not about the i significant 90-95% similarity.
it’s about that massive 5-10% difference!!

i say keep the bottlehead for high impedance headphones (Unless you have to sell it of course, eg need the money)

i kept my woo wa2 similarly for my hd800, and also “needed” it for when I had the zmf auteur.

 

[David Ling]

Right! I like both especially my V280 very much. I also used V280 as my pre-amp for my QUAD 303 to drive the LS 3/5 a speakers. Only upgrade if possible is to add remote volume control to it!

 

[David Ling]

Anyone has any suggestions how to add a remote volume control to V280?

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Right! I like both especially my V280 very much. I also used V280 as my pre-amp for my QUAD 303 to drive the LS 3/5 a speakers. Only upgrade if possible is to add remote volume control to it!

Preamp? What preamp

 

[David Ling]

Preamplifier means: My DAC to V280 to QUAD 303. So V280 will function as preamplifier for volume adjustment for QUAD 303. 303 is a power amplifier and has zero control on it and not even a power switch. Its match preamplifier is QUAD 33, which is too old to connect to the DAC and CD without modifications.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Preamplifier means: My DAC to V280 to QUAD 303. So V280 will function as preamplifier for volume adjustment for QUAD 303. 303 is a power amplifier and has zero control on it and not even a power switch. Its match preamplifier is QUAD 33, which is too old to connect to the DAC and CD without modifications.

The V280 doesn't have a preamp function. So I don't understand what you're saying.

 

[David Ling]

Yes, it doesn’t. I just used one of its SE headphone output jack in the front to connect to my amplifier. Same to the Bottlehead Crack. Both worked very well except both do not have remote volume control.

 

[David Ling]

Just like this.

 

[David Ling]

Both headphone amplifiers can function as preamp this way.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

That's creative

I could recommend that you use the right jack though, if I recall correctly, the left jack is out of phase.

 

[David Ling]

Thanks! What do you mean by “out of phase”?

 

[gimmeheadroom]