[Badas]

   
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?

I only own a couple of HP's. LCD-3C and AudioQuest NightHawks. Both sound great.
 
I have heard a bunch on the V281 tho. Ether C, Ether Flow, HE-6 and Focal Utopia. All sound fantastic. Ether Flow and Utopia would have to be my fav.

 

[zappazappazappa]

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

I really like the combo. I can appreciate it may be too warm sounding for the LCD 4 but having heard this headphone at a couple of shows in the last year I would say its one of the richest/warmest phones I've heard - too rich and syrupy sounding for me, so I can appreciate that it would need' lighting up', maybe with brighter sounding electronics to get the best of it.( It was being used with Dave at one show and Audeze's top amp at another).Funny how we all hear/react to hifi  differently but I certainly would not describe the TT/Violectric combo as too warm sounding. To me using HD800's, it is a very neutral and revealing high resolution amp. I previously used the TT as a DAC with the Sennheiser amp to drive the HD800's in balanced mode ,which is a good combo, but I was surprised by how much more detail and space I was hearing using the TT/Violectric - it really does let me hear stuff on CD's which I didn't think had anything more to reveal.

 

[S Crowther]

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

one thing is that the default output of the TT through its XLR and RCA jacks is a little too high for the V281. I asked Fried about this and he recommended about a 10% cut in the TT output from its default which is easily done with the TT volume control. I find the best setting is green. Fried suggested putting the V281 volume at 12o'clock and then setting the TT volume control to suit it.

 

[Mist3rLao]

Interesting how people seem to be divided with the pairing. Maybe down to differences in preference?

 

[sandalaudio]

one thing is that the default output of the TT through its XLR and RCA jacks is a little too high for the V281. I asked Fried about this and he recommended about a 10% cut in the TT output from its default which is easily done with the TT volume control. I find the best setting is green. Fried suggested putting the V281 volume at 12o'clock and then setting the TT volume control to suit it.

 
The default "line level" mode on Hugo/TT/Mojo is 3V rms, which is one of the highest we've seen on the market. I am not sure why Chord decided to use such a high voltage, but it does give some people a perceived sense of excitement and superiority because it "sounds louder therefore better".
 
The recommended industry standard is +4dBu (1.23V rms) for pro gear and -10dBV (0.32V rms) for consumer gear, but most brands tend to aim for 1-2V rms so it sounds a bit louder than other brands i.e. more exciting, and also gives better measured specs (louder signal v.s. noise floor, so better on paper S/N).
 
V281 says it can handle maximum line input of +21dBu (8.7 Vrms), so Hugo TT's 3V should be fine, but it will sound quite loud and you won't be able to benefit from the full range of the volume knob. I guess that's why V281 has pre-gain adjustment switch, so you can effectively drop it by -6dB to compensate for Hugo TT's hot output.
 

Interesting how people seem to be divided with the pairing. Maybe down to differences in preference?

 
Isn't it all about personal preference?

 

[Badas]

   
The default "line level" mode on Hugo/TT/Mojo is 3V rms, which is one of the highest we've seen on the market. I am not sure why Chord decided to use such a high voltage, but it does give some people a perceived sense of excitement and superiority because it "sounds louder therefore better".
 
The recommended industry standard is +4dBu (1.23V rms) for pro gear and -10dBV (0.32V rms) for consumer gear, but most brands tend to aim for 1-2V rms so it sounds a bit louder than other brands i.e. more exciting, and also gives better measured specs (louder signal v.s. noise floor, so better on paper S/N).
 
V281 says it can handle maximum line input of +21dBu (8.7 Vrms), so Hugo TT's 3V should be fine, but it will sound quite loud and you won't be able to benefit from the full range of the volume knob. I guess that's why V281 has pre-gain adjustment switch, so you can effectively drop it by -6dB to compensate for Hugo TT's hot output.
 
 
 

 
Auralic Vega is 4.2 volts.

I don't know why they do that.
 
My V281 is on the way back from being repaired (Germany). Hopefully I should be back to having fun soon.

 

[sandalaudio]

   
Auralic Vega is 4.2 volts.

I don't know why they do that.
 
My V281 is on the way back from being repaired (Germany). Hopefully I should be back to having fun soon.

 
Vega's maximum output voltage of 4 Vrms is when the digital volume is cranked up to the maximum, so realistically they would expect the user to turn it down a bit. Vega doesn't seem to have a "fixed volume" mode, so it could get somewhat confusing when paired with their own Auralic Taurus headphone amp, because they each have independent volume knobs.
 
In Hugo's case, Chord could have easily set the "fixed volume" mode to 1~2V, yet they insist on 3V which is traditional for Chord gear (like Qute series). It's fine for V281, but some lesser amps with not as much input headroom (particularly those battery operated amps) does end up getting saturated and end up sounding distorted.
 
There's funny stories about people saying Hugo makes music sound richer, and later find out that the amp is clipping and distorting by as much as 10% (like turning it into a guitar amp).
 
The bottom line is, V281 is one of the most tolerant amps for these kinds of strange circumstances that people could call "pairing" or "synergy". That's one of the big reason why I like it so much and put a lot of trust in it.

 

[Badas]

   
Vega's maximum output voltage of 4 Vrms is when the digital volume is cranked up to the maximum, so realistically they would expect the user to turn it down a bit. Vega doesn't seem to have a "fixed volume" mode, so it could get somewhat confusing when paired with their own Auralic Taurus headphone amp, because they each have independent volume knobs.
 
In Hugo's case, Chord could have easily set the "fixed volume" mode to 1~2V, yet they insist on 3V which is traditional for Chord gear (like Qute series). It's fine for V281, but some lesser amps with not as much input headroom (particularly those battery operated amps) does end up getting saturated and end up sounding distorted.
 
There's funny stories about people saying Hugo makes music sound richer, and later find out that the amp is clipping and distorting by as much as 10% (like turning it into a guitar amp).
 
The bottom line is, V281 is one of the most tolerant amps for these kinds of strange circumstances that people could call "pairing" or "synergy". That's one of the big reason why I like it so much and put a lot of trust in it.

So would you recommend the volume control on the Auralic Vega be turned down a little? To reduce the voltage input.
I did strike one amp before that distorted from too much voltage from the Vega. The Woo WA5. It had noticeable distortion at volume 100 but was fine at volume 63. Interestingly my Woo WA22 didn't suffer from this. No difference I could hear from the different volumes.
I tried this test with the V281. I also didn't really have a issue.
 
I've had a issue with the V281 having the Overload fault. Violectric has just put in new amps and asked me to check my HP cables (no issues with other gear). However now I'm wondering if the Vega going hot into the inputs has something to do with it?

 

[sandalaudio]

 
So would you recommend the volume control on the Auralic Vega be turned down a little? To reduce the voltage input.
I did strike one amp before that distorted from too much voltage from the Vega. The Woo WA5. It had noticeable distortion at volume 100 but was fine at volume 63. Interestingly my Woo WA22 didn't suffer from this. No difference I could hear from the different volumes.
I tried this test with the V281. I also didn't really have a issue.
 
I've had a issue with the V281 having the Overload fault. Violectric has just put in new amps and asked me to check my HP cables (no issues with other gear). However now I'm wondering if the Vega going hot into the inputs has something to do with it?

 
I was not going to name names, but the brand you mentioned was what I had experience with as being easily overloaded and distorted, which makes the amp "sound like no other" 

 
 
I'm not sure at what point the V281 overload protection relay kicks in, but in any case the Vega at max volume should not trip the V281 unless you had the V281 pre-gain cranked up, or had something shorting at the headphone jack (e.g. a faulty XLR grounding or 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter etc), or there was some strange DC offset from Vega's output. (Trying RCA v.s. XLR might isolate the problem).
 
I guess the best way to check if it's Vega causing the overload is to adjust the Vega's internal volume to something reasonable like 1-2Vrms ballpark. Maybe a good handy reference is to use an iPhone as a source since that's about 1Vrms at max volume. i.e. play a same song and match the Vega volume to iPhone at max volume.
 
There's always a chance that V281 was simply broken.

 

[Badas]

   
I was not going to name names, but the brand you mentioned was what I had experience with as being easily overloaded and distorted, which makes the amp "sound like no other" 

 
 
I'm not sure at what point the V281 overload protection relay kicks in, but in any case the Vega at max volume should not trip the V281 unless you had the V281 pre-gain cranked up, or had something shorting at the headphone jack (e.g. a faulty XLR grounding or 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter etc), or there was some strange DC offset from Vega's output. (Trying RCA v.s. XLR might isolate the problem).
 
I guess the best way to check if it's Vega causing the overload is to adjust the Vega's internal volume to something reasonable like 1-2Vrms ballpark. Maybe a good handy reference is to use an iPhone as a source since that's about 1Vrms at max volume. i.e. play a same song and match the Vega volume to iPhone at max volume.
 
There's always a chance that V281 was simply broken.

Yeah! I don't think Woo products are all that. Nice cases. However not so great underneath. I've had silly problems with them. My WA22 is working okay now and looks pretty so I might as well stick with it.
 
I was using XLR input and balanced output. HP's are fine on other equipment. So I'm really guessing V281 fault. Violectric have replaced all the internal amps. I'm just hoping that the input is not damaged and causing the fault. My gear works on a mates V281 and his faults on mine. So it does suggest a V281 fault.
 
However I should find out soon. It's on the way back.

 

[supabayes]

Are there any V281 owners who have considered/compared the V281 vs ALO Studio 6? 

 

[Badas]

 

 
Well. Round 2 for the V281. I've got the V281 back from Germany and installed back in my rack. It seems to be all fixed.
I didn't get off to a good start. I only had it for a few days before sending it back for repair.
 
I have to say Fried from Violectrics is exceptional. Top service. I actually suspect he provided a new unit. The unit I sent back had a tiny scratch on the case which has gone and the feet have gone from black to silver. Can't ask for better than that.
 
Now I can look forward to getting grips with this amp. So far I'm really impressed. Both my HP's are sounding their best.
I've adjusted the gain pins at the back down 12db so I can have more range on the volume control. I've heard this effects the sound a little??? Is it for the better, worse or just a little?
 

 

[zhgutov]

I've adjusted the gain pins at the back down 12db so I can have more range on the volume control. I've heard this effects the sound a little??? Is it for the better, worse or just a little?

 
It was me who talked about that. These are my personal observations, so they may be subjective.
Anyway I was talking about that like this is my personal preference, not like anything is better or worse.
I can describe my impressions in detail, but I think it may be interesting if you get your own impressions first.
I think, this impressions may also be different, depending on the DAC, headphones, and other possible conditions.
 
Can you describe your own impressions first?

 

[Badas]

   
Can you describe your own impressions first?

I've only tried 0db and down -12db. I won't use +db. Too powerful.
 
-12db gives me an excellent range on the volume control. On the Hawks volume gets near half way. On the LCD-3 it gets near the top with room to spare.
With 0db I don't have much volume control. Hawks are a few clicks up from the bottom. LCD-3 is one third up. A little adjustment on the volume can take the volume from just about right to blasting my ears.
 
My first sound impressions from the different positions. Not a lot of difference. Hawks I can't pick up anything. LCD-3 does sound just a tad leaner on -12db. In the mid-range. Not a lot tho.
 
So 0db sounds best so far. However I think I like the Hawks best on the V281 so far. So I would probably prefer to have more volume range (the -12db position). I'm thinking of keeping the LCD-3's for tube amp duties only as the LCD-3's beat the Hawks on tubes.

 

[zhgutov]

  I've only tried 0db and down -12db. I won't use +db. Too powerful.
 
-12db gives me an excellent range on the volume control. On the Hawks volume gets near half way. On the LCD-3 it gets near the top with room to spare.
With 0db I don't have much volume control. Hawks are a few clicks up from the bottom. LCD-3 is one third up. A little adjustment on the volume can take the volume from just about right to blasting my ears.
 
My first sound impressions from the different positions. Not a lot of difference. Hawks I can't pick up anything. LCD-3 does sound just a tad leaner on -12db. In the mid-range. Not a lot tho.
 
So 0db sounds best so far. However I think I like the Hawks best on the V281 so far. So I would probably prefer to have more volume range (the -12db position). I'm thinking of keeping the LCD-3's for tube amp duties only as the LCD-3's beat the Hawks on tubes.

Yeah, this looks like the difference in personal preferences.
 
I use LCD-3F and Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 250.
This headphones are from different price points, but I cannot actually tell if one is better than other.
They both have the strengths and weaknesses, and have different tonal balance.
Anyway, I have the same impressions from both about the pregain settings.
 
The sound @ -12 dB seems to be more precise or accurate.
@ 0 dB it seems to have more so-called fullness (I think this is that some people talked about V281 in the reviews, and probably you talk about the same thing).
@ 0 dB the sound is concentrated more on each instrument and its environment, @ -12 dB it is more about the global scene.
That difference is not like day and night. It may be described like fine tuning of the sound.
 
I used this setup with LCD-3 in relatively noisy environment, and I preferred -12 dB.
Now I have quiet environment, and this changed my preference to 0 dB (maybe temporarily).
0 dB seems to be more about music =)
 
I use Violectric V800 with 24 dBu outputs, so, I don't turn the volume higher than 12 o'clock.
I don't see the problem here, because the sound remains the same at the different positions of the volume knob.