[thecrow]

The Bricasti M1 is definitely one of the best DACs available, but it is too expensive for me, to be honest. Next week I will go to a hifi dealer 400 km away in order to listen to a Metrum Pavane. Then I will decide if I will upgrade once again (hopefully the end of my search, too) or downsize to an AK380 with external amp instead (it is not much worse than my desktop setup).

Perhaps have a look at the recently discontinued metrum hex if the pavane dealer still has it.

The hex might work in a bang for buck way if the pavane is too much $

My hex has definitely a natural feel with detailed but not sharp upper end.

Having said that i have not heard any other dacs at a higher price point to compare

 

[ken6217]

Gotta agree 100% with this statement. The HD30 works quite fine with floor standers, but in the more intimate world of HeadFi the sound has a hard leading edge that becomes fatiguing and irritating fairly quickly. A rushed purchasing decision that I have come to regret.

The interesting thing is that the V281 does a better job of smoothing out the hard leading edge than my Glenn 300B tube amp - so the 300B amp is more transparent in this case - so the V281 is definitely doing something with those harsh sounds (something good, in this case).

I have stretched my audio budget way beyond the pain barrier and am replacing the HD30 with a Bricasti M1. Anyone tried the Bricasti + V281 combination?

How about PS Audio DirectStream. Great DAC and not bright or harsh. You can get used for about 50% off retail.

 

[TokenGesture]

If the dealer has a Menuet compare that to the Pavanne.

 

[TonyNewman]

How about PS Audio DirectStream. Great DAC and not bright or harsh. You can get used for about 50% off retail.

 
I am already committed to the Bricasti.

 

[project86]

The Bricasti is very nice - better than DirectStream imho, which itself is very good but not the world-beater some make it out to be. The DS is a bit steep at full MSRP but as mentioned it can be found for significant discounts.
 
I just got my Resonessence Labs Invicta Mirus back. It has been updated to the new ES9028Pro DACs (2 of them in the Mirus) so is now called the Invicta Mirus Pro. Looking forward to spending some quality time with it, driving my V281 as well as a Pass Labs HPA-1 and KGSShv. 
 
Bottom line, there are many excellent DACs to choose from once your budget grows large enough. But there are also many which cost way more than they should, so be careful.

 

[TonyNewman]

This being my 3rd try at an "end game" DAC I wanted to be sure of not chucking more cash at something that doesn't work for me. Keep in mind I live in a remote location and the chance to try before I buy is minimal to non-existent. 
 
Thought about the Yggy, but it feels "over-hyped" to me (Yggy owners - please don't take offence, this is just my impression) - so I stretched my budget to the BADA2 / Bricasti M1 / Meitner MA-1 / MSB Analog level. I think either Bricasti or Meitner would be a great fit for me. There is a local dealer for Bricasti here in Auckland, so that sealed the deal.

 

[gonzfi]

With my v281 I have tried Chord Hugo, NAD m51 and v850. I borrowed a Chord Hugo TT for a weekend as well. The v850 won hands down. It offers clarity plus a hint of warmth and is never too clinical or boring. Paired with the v281 it's end game for me. T1 v2 with a balanced cable is seriously good through this combo.

 

[xxx1313]

Perhaps have a look at the recently discontinued metrum hex if the pavane dealer still has it.

The hex might work in a bang for buck way if the pavane is too much $

My hex has definitely a natural feel with detailed but not sharp upper end.

Having said that i have not heard any other dacs at a higher price point to compare

 
 
Thanks for your tips. I fear the Hex is only a side-grade from the Vega. But let's see which DACs are available there. I will report.

 

[JeffMann]

   
 
Thanks for your tips. I fear the Hex is only a side-grade from the Vega. But let's see which DACs are available there. I will report.

I would strongly recommend auditioning an Anedio D2 DAC (which I own) if you live in the USA. Anedio offers an audition time period of a few weeks for $49, which is refundable if one purchases the DAC. It may not be an end-game DAC, but I suspect that it is still very close in sound quality to end-game DAC's (which are ultra-expensive). I was originally going to purchase a PS Audio Perfect Stream DAC to pair with my PS Audio Memory Player, but I lost interest in that idea when I discovered how good the Anedio D2 DAC is when paired with the V281. 
 
Jeff.

 

[xxx1313]

@JeffMann
 
​Thanks for your tip, but I live in Austria/Europe. The audition of the Metrum Pavane will decide if another upgrade will be worth it for me (I am quite sure that I will like its sound signature). If the sound difference is only small, an AK380 + AK380 amp will probable replace my desktop DAC (and maybe the V281 too, some time in the future). Then I would also test AK380 => Cradle => XLR out => V281 vs. AK380 => AK380 amp. I will get my AK380 in September (now I will feed the Pavane with my AK240), but I wanted to know before, if there is enough headroom soundwise to justify a DAC-upgrade.

 

[TokenGesture]

Looks like I will be rejoining the Vio club with the V280 shortly!

 

[Fegefeuer]

nice, make sure to post your impressions in the V280 thread. 

 

[BirdManOfCT]

How well does the Sennheiser HD 800 S pair with the V281?
 
[I've had two pair of the original HD 800 but never tried either with V281. I did a search, also within this thread, but would appreciate updates and/or new input -- thanks!]

 

[4Point]

Hi all
 
Just plowed through this long thread. I am interested in getting a complete headphone setup as a "replacement" for my Naim/Neat stereo setup. I just find myself listening to music much more while sitting at my PC desk so it would make sense to invest more into headphone gear.
 
So I am basically almost starting from scratch. I have a Hegel USB/DAC and a DT770 Pro so practically anything I get will be better than this.
 
Sadly it's a confusing experience reading forums and filtering out good information. I've spent this whole week doing this.  One product could get all the hype in one thread and then the next thread it's the worst ever. It's really annoying and makes it very difficult for head-fi newcomers like me.
 
Anyway...I'm sorry for the whining.
 
The reason I am here is that I am interested in Violectric, but of course I am still on the fence due to conflicting opinions. I do have a positive impression of Violectric regardless. Their products look solidly built with a no nonsense approach.
 
I have a couple of options.
 
1. V281 with USB DAC and get the V850 later
2. V200 + V850
 
I have an AKG 7XX on the way from massdrop. This is more meant as a temporary headset and maybe getting a HD800S. HE-400i also looks interesting.
 
I am open to any suggestions and advice for both electronics and headphones. It's getting quite boring sitting on the fence so I would be very grateful if someone could push me over.

 

[Wurstteppich]

Hi,
 
I use the V281 + V850 combo with the HD800S and it's a perfect match, however I use the balanced cable coming with the HD800S, didn't try SE yet (and don't see any reason to try it at the moment). Actually that combo is a perfect match for most headphones I own, except for the TH900 maybe, where the bass can be too powerful for some music.