[fzman]

Just thought I'd ask.  If I were to sell my Taurus and 430HAD, should I buy the ifi pro iCan, or the 280?  Don;t really need the preamp function, this is just to cennect to my Directstream Jr, playing Roon via the ethernet input, using my Utopias.  USB into the Dac for compuert stuff too.
 
I listen to acoustic jazz, prog rock, and numetal, and am pretty eclectic.  I want natural timbre, dynamics, and that 3-D, palpable, the musicians are in front of you sound.
 
OK, go!

 

[mulder01]

Well, I had the ifi idsd and I have the 281, so it's not really the same as the question you're asking, but if you're comparing house sound with house sound, I sold the ifi because I found it too fatiguing - the vio has a bit more of a relaxed sound. At first I found the ifi to be more forward with the detail which seems more immediately impressive, but I found over a listening session I would continually be turning the volume down and getting 'over it' whereas the vio I can just keep listening to and want to turn it up rather than down. Is the ican the one with the tube mode? That might give you the option to take the edge off a bit, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

 

[Yoga]

  Just thought I'd ask.  If I were to sell my Taurus and 430HAD, should I buy the ifi pro iCan, or the 280?  Don;t really need the preamp function, this is just to cennect to my Directstream Jr, playing Roon via the ethernet input, using my Utopias.  USB into the Dac for compuert stuff too.
 
I listen to acoustic jazz, prog rock, and numetal, and am pretty eclectic.  I want natural timbre, dynamics, and that 3-D, palpable, the musicians are in front of you sound.
 
OK, go!

You can't go wrong with either really (running the V281 balanced).
 
Do you want the option of tubes? Do you want some control over the sound (bass/treble) direct on the amp? That should be your deciding factor. 

I wanted reference sound with no tinkering, and hence opted for the V281. 

 

[boomtube]

You can't go wrong with either really (running the V281 balanced).

Do you want the option of tubes? Do you want some control over the sound (bass/treble) direct on the amp? That should be your deciding factor. 


I wanted reference sound with no tinkering, and hence opted for the V281. 

...option of tubes? I just picked up a v281 and was looking for tube preamp recommendations. Can you give some insight on preamp's that compliment the v281?

 

[fixated]

Just wanted to share how amazingly versatile the V281's are. Recently got the Angie's and they seem to drive them pretty well, was expecting some hiss but was quiet the whole time.
 

 
Now just gotta find a portable setup to match it, as I can't really bring the V281 to the office

 

[Yoga]

...option of tubes? I just picked up a v281 and was looking for tube preamp recommendations. Can you give some insight on preamp's that compliment the v281?

I was referring to iCan Pro vs V281. The former has an internal tube stage you can engage/bypass.

 

[Pharmaboy]

(reactions to various recent posts)
 
Re iFi iCan, I had one last year and found it to be competent and flexible, but not impressive in any one area. It sounded OK but left me kind of unexcited. So I sold it.

1. Never heard the iFi DAC, but have repeatedly heard the "black" version of the DAC/HP amp is something special.

 
Re V281, my new (used) V281 continues to completely blow my mind. I bought it primarily for balanced headphone use (ZMF Omni/Ori, an amazing headphone)--but while waiting for the new balanced cable to arrive, I've repeatedly been shocked at how great the V281 is SE w/good-sounding, inexpensive headphones (Fidelio X2s; Marantz MPH-2's). The biggest surprise has been the V281's spectacular performance as a preamp for my powered speakers + sub...I've never heard this system sound so good.
 
I have 2 Violectric amps now, the Lake People G109-A & the V281. While neither strikes me as especially "warm," in the sense of having overt, tube-like colorations, what both have is:

1. A listenable, humane SS sound that never pushes treble. No ears bleeding, extreme/clinincal "accuracy" here, though every single note is present & accounted for throughout the entire frequency range.
2. Really solid, impactful bass and lower midrange, sounding much like real live music does in those registers.
3. The V281 in particular has the best bass I've ever hear -- not hyped, not "bumped," just extremely dynamic, hitting hard, and "present." Moreover, bass instruments like string or electric bass, marimbas, massed cellos, actually sound like they do IRL.

 
And then there's soundstaging. The V281 is in a class by itself there, from what I can tell. It throws a wide soundstage and gives very clear cues re instrument placing. True, it doesn't do "depth" w/in the soundstage as tube amps can do--but no SS amp really can match tubes there.

 

[Fegefeuer]

oh, you'll be in for a shock once your headphones run balanced from this amp and activates all engines.  
I love the bass part and how tight, tactile (though this is much more the trait of the headphone) and hardhitting it gets, together with the grand stage and "insight" into the music.
It made me appreciate the Denon's much more. Despite losing out in a few technicalities compared to the HD800 they're fire and forget headphones, offering better compat. with music, especially all kinds of electronic. EDM is pure joy with them now that they are beastly amped and don't have the peaks of the TH-900 I used to own. 

 

[Pharmaboy]

  oh, you'll be in for a shock once your headphones run balanced from this amp and activates all engines.  
I love the bass part and how tight, tactile (though this is much more the trait of the headphone) and hardhitting it gets, together with the grand stage and "insight" into the music.
It made me appreciate the Denon's much more. Despite losing out in a few technicalities compared to the HD800 they're fire and forget headphones, offering better compat. with music, especially all kinds of electronic. EDM is pure joy with them now that they are beastly amped and don't have the peaks of the TH-900 I used to own. 

 
Damn. You're saying exactly what others have said about balanced mode from the V281. I can't wait to hear it. The Ori is IMHO a subtle yet spectacularly good HP, and the best way to hear it is balanced.
 
Just checked w/Forza AudioWorks, from whom I ordered the balanced cable--to see when I can expect it.
 
Re Denon HP (just checked your profile)--are you referring to DENON AH-D2000? I've been curious about various Denons, but a bad experience w/one of the spinoff models (mahogany TH-X00's) kind of shut me down re Denons. At the moment I'm very interested in another spinoff design, the E-MU Teak.
 
If you're up for a cheap but really good-sounding HP for electronic music (any music, really)-- try any of the ISK MDH9000 clones (4-5 look-alike/sound-alike designs based on that platform). My pick of that litter is the Marantz MPH-2's, which BTW sound ridiculously good on the V281 run SE. Terrific bass and good tonal balance, top to bottom.
 
There's an entire thread on inexpensive chinese headphones here, and I've often contributed regarding the Marantz' and another clone I owned, the LyxPro HAS-30.
 
(sorry to hijack this thread for that)

 

[Fegefeuer]

I'm talking about the new Denon AH-D7200. 
 
When will your cable arrive? Looking forward to your impressions after listening to them balanced. 

 

[Pharmaboy]

  I'm talking about the new Denon AH-D7200. 
 
When will your cable arrive? Looking forward to your impressions after listening to them balanced. 

 
Ahh, the AH-7200. Haven't heard much about that. Are they good? Better than the 7000?
 
Just learned that my cable will ship in 1-2 days, probably get here by weekend, Monday at latest.
 
I'll use it to burn in my new Liquid Carbon (which Head-Fi posts indicate is best done balanced, not SE). That takes ~6 days 24/7. With that done, I'll finally be able to hear my Ori on both the LC & the V281.
 
Funny how things work out. I was desperate to find a mint/used V281 w/128-step pot & remote, but as of ~1 month ago, just couldn't find one. So I gave up & ordered the LC (kinda shocked Cavalli still had stock on this final run). So of course, a day after the LC showed up, a Head-Fi'er PM'd me, offering his V281 (mint condition w/upgraded pot) F.S. It was insane to buy 2 not-so-cheap amps (especially the V281!) in close succession like that.
 
(birds gotta swim & fish gotta fly)

 

[Yoga]

The V281 needs more love. If it were a U.S. amp and more readily available to most there I'm sure it would have it :¬)

 

[Pharmaboy]

  The V281 needs more love. If it were a U.S. amp and more readily available to most here I'm sure it would have it :¬)

So true! You're in the UK, right? Are V281s low profile there, like they are in the U.S.?
 
From what I can tell from the pattern of F.S. listings, here and elsewhere, Violectric in general has a fairly high profile (or at, least somewhat higher than here) in Germany and nearby central European countries.
 
What's odd about the U.S. situation (IMO) is that Violectric maintains a rather well-operated & regarded U.S. operation. I dealt w/them when buying my Lake People G109-A...it was a terrific experience. So why so little love here?
 
Part of the answer is no doubt due to a low profile on their part. I don't know if they're represented at shows (here or in EU)--but I don't ever remember seeing advertisements in audio magazines (I get most of them)...and certainly no actual reviews or product profiles. There's a lot of exposure being given to headphone audio in the mainstream audio press right now, but it seems triggered by a combination of ads placed in those mags, plus review samples/loaners being freely offered to reviewers.
 
(ie, you gotta be in it, to win it)

 

[watchdog507]

  The V281 needs more love. If it were a U.S. amp and more readily available to most here I'm sure it would have it :¬)

I bought mine from a dealer who had it on consignment. It was as new and had the stepped attenuator and remote.  There are very few of them available in Canada. I like my V281 so much that when I added a WA5-LE, I decided to keep it.  I have no regrets and it's interesting to switch back and forth from tubes to Solid State to see how music is rendered differently.

 

[MattRG]

  The V281 needs more love. If it were a U.S. amp and more readily available to most there I'm sure it would have it :¬)

It isn't that they are hard to come by in the USA but man are they pricey if purchased new.  You can go right to the violectric usa website and order your V281 at pretty much anytime.  I've done my fair share of window shopping on their website and try to keep up with what they are doing.  Notice I'm not making a value judgement.  They may very well be worth every penny.  But when you have a two grand (minimum) buy-in it certainly limits the amount of exposure that the product is going to get in the personal audio space.
 
I would love to be able to hear one and afford one someday and I wish Lake People much success with their products here in the USA.