[TonyNewman]

Dono - give it up. You 0 for 2 and counting

 
As the poster (sandalaudio) with a much bigger brain than me was kind enough to spell out above, the preamp mode on the V281 has good reason to sound different than the balanced headphone output. "warm and loose" is exactly right. Also my favorite attributes in females, but that is another story for another forum.
 
 
 
Originally Posted by sandalaudio 
 
 
Not using the V281's power amp and just letting the rear line level opamp to do the driving job is essentially like turning the V281 into a good old fashioned O2 headphone amp.
 
I'm not sure what the output impedance of the rear line outs are (it's not written in the manual), but for a low impedance headphones like Ether Flow (23 ohms), I'm sure it could sound a bit more warm and loose (less harsh), which is not a bad thing, particularly for something like Ether Flow which might be better to let it ring naturally without much damping.
 
It's kind of like saying a car with a small engine feels more interesting because you can really feel the steep hills, and doesn't respond as well to the foot on the pedal.
 
 

 

[Badas]

sorry to correct you again, but the v280 has a pre out, only single ended though, not both s.e. and balanced as the v281.  

Can you put a HP harness on single ended? I thought you could only do it on XLR (I'm not sure on this).

 

[Badas]

Dono - give it up. You 0 for 2 and counting :wink_face:

As the poster (sandalaudio) with a much bigger brain than me was kind enough to spell out above, the preamp mode on the V281 has good reason to sound different than the balanced headphone output. "warm and loose" is exactly right. Also my favorite attributes in females, but that is another story for another forum.



Originally Posted by sandalaudio 

 

Not using the V281's power amp and just letting the rear line level opamp to do the driving job is essentially like turning the V281 into a good old fashioned O2 headphone amp.

I'm not sure what the output impedance of the rear line outs are (it's not written in the manual), but for a low impedance headphones like Ether Flow (23 ohms), I'm sure it could sound a bit more warm and loose (less harsh), which is not a bad thing, particularly for something like Ether Flow which might be better to let it ring naturally without much damping.

It's kind of like saying a car with a small engine feels more interesting because you can really feel the steep hills, and doesn't respond as well to the foot on the pedal.

Yeah. Not doing well today. A bit of a dork head actually.

I am looking forward to giving the XLR harness a go tho. It sounds (pun intended) very interesting.

 

[Fegefeuer]

  I wish I had them side by side for a comparison: I received my v280 as replacement of a (defective) v281 for office use, unfortunately I regret that choice, the v280 is only thinner but still too big for an office desktop and to my memory sounds a little more congested, more with the jotunheim out, it doesn't offer any advantage for the price and offers even less options.  
I wouldn't consider it anymore as a cheaper option to the v281. 

 
V280 pairs very well with the HD800, especially unmodded. Can't say the same for the Jotunheim which pairs very very well with the HD 650 though. 
 
Yes, you have less soundstage and air with the V280 compared to the V281. 

 

[sandalaudio]

I think V280 is a great amp, basically a V281 cut down to the fundamental core of why it sounds so good. Main reason for the reduced price is the fact that it's on a single printed circuit board (rather than a double-decker on V281).
 
I personally don't regret buying the V281 because it does have some added bonuses that I really appreciate, such as the remote control volume and XLR preamp out.
 
V281 is essentially acting as my preamp for my main speaker setup (XLR pre out to my Jeff Rowland power amp), so it does justify the high cost for me because I could get away with not having to buy another expensive preamp.
 
If it is just for the sole purpose of headphones enjoyment on the desktop then V281 is probably a much more sensible option. The maximum output voltage is capped slightly for high impedance side on V280, but I would be happy that there is less chance of accidental death of precious headphones. 

 

[TokenGesture]

Fried told me there was no discernible difference between them as headamps.

 

[novicez1]

 
Yes, you have less soundstage and air with the V280 compared to the V281. 

 
This is something I would really like confirmed. One last thing, how's the treble extension of the V281 compared to the V100/G109? I'm a little bit concerned because I've read reviews that the V220/V281 has slightly rolled off treble.

 

[Badas]

   
This is something I would really like confirmed. One last thing, how's the treble extension of the V281 compared to the V100/G109? I'm a little bit concerned because I've read reviews that the V220/V281 has slightly rolled off treble.

V281 doesn't have rolled off treble. I have a test track that I use. The Chieftains - The Foggy Dew. If you can hear tape hiss in the background (it is such a high toned hiss, not all amps, HP's or DAC's reproduce it) then there is no treble roll. If you can't hear the hiss then it is most definitely treble rolled. V281 plays it with all detail.

 

[phonomat]

I did quite a bit of back-and-forthing between V280 and V281 and could hear no differences whatsoever. That was a couple of months ago, but I seem to remember that Fried confirmed my findings. In any case, if you can do without the additional functions V281 offers, I'm sure you will be more than fine going with V280. Hth. 

 

[jjthorn]

If 0.25A time-lag fuse is soldered in place on the circuit board does this mean the V281 has to be returned to manufacturer in Germany to replace time lag fuse or can it be replaced in Country of purchase (Australia)?
 
If not owner replaceable what is approximate cost to replace the fuse?

 

[sandalaudio]

  If 0.25A time-lag fuse is soldered in place on the circuit board does this mean the V281 has to be returned to manufacturer in Germany to replace time lag fuse or can it be replaced in Country of purchase (Australia)?
 
If not owner replaceable what is approximate cost to replace the fuse?

 
I think it will be sent back to Germany if it's under warranty repair, unless the distributor has some special arrangement.
 
It's just a standard $2 radial lead fuse placed next to the power transformer, so there's nothing particularly hard about replacing it, but any good electronics repairman would probably spend at least several hours trying to find out why it blew, before deciding to replace the fuse. I would be fairly suspicious of anyone willing to just replace the fuse.
 
V281 has so much protection and headroom that it's pretty impossible for the fuse to blow, unless the owner does something pretty dangerous and stupid, or had a lightning strike etc.
 
Just as the manual says, a blown fuse probably indicates something broken internally, and I would seriously worry about just replacing the fuse.

 

[Mist3rLao]

Noticed that almost no mention of a Hugo TT pairing with the V281, for those who've tried it, how is it?

 

[Drewligarchy]

Noticed that almost no mention of a Hugo TT pairing with the V281, for those who've tried it, how is it?

 
I didn't love the pairing. I had a loaner TT from my dealer for a couple days to evaluate it and I listened to it balanced to my LCD-4s and single-ended with my LCD-XCs. To me, the TT leans a bit darker compared to the Hugo and Chord 2qute, and the V281 leans warm - even through the balanced output - it was too dark/warm to me.
 
I have been trying to find the best amp/dac for my LCD-4s, and IMHO the best paring I've found is a DAC that leans neutral/slightly brighter. I like the Chord 2qute the best out of the Chord lineup (though I haven't tried the Mojo or Dave), but the absolute best pairing I've found with the v281 is the Auralic Vega. The v281's power and tone provides great bass on the LCD-4s, and the Vega brings it to life, so to speak, and makes it lively and dynamic in the higher frequencies.

 

[Badas]

   
I didn't love the pairing. I had a loaner TT from my dealer for a couple days to evaluate it and I listened to it balanced to my LCD-4s and single-ended with my LCD-XCs. To me, the TT leans a bit darker compared to the Hugo and Chord 2qute, and the V281 leans warm - even through the balanced output - it was too dark/warm to me.
 
I have been trying to find the best amp/dac for my LCD-4s, and IMHO the best paring I've found is a DAC that leans neutral/slightly brighter. I like the Chord 2qute the best out of the Chord lineup (though I haven't tried the Mojo or Dave), but the absolute best pairing I've found with the v281 is the Auralic Vega. The v281's power and tone provides great bass on the LCD-4s, and the Vega brings it to life, so to speak, and makes it lively and dynamic in the higher frequencies.

My setup is also a Vega > V281. Sounds bang on to me.
 
What filter do you use on your Vega? I use 3.

 

[Drewligarchy]

 
My setup is also a Vega > V281. Sounds bang on to me.
 
What filter do you use on your Vega? I use 3.

 
I use 4 mostly, and 1 for classical/chamber etc. I love the synergy of this DAC/Amp combo - especially with tough to drive phones like the LCD-4. What headphones do you use on this combo - that you think really bring out its best?