[LCMusicLover]

Mmmmm this loaner just landed for review, and to use in my Susvara review too.

Sweet! Built-in DAC, or will you only test it fed from other DACs?

 

[ostewart]

Sweet! Built-in DAC, or will you only test it fed from other DACs?

No DAC in this one, unfortunately I don't have a balanced DAC on hand but will be using my trusty JDS Labs EL DAC which no doubt will be the bottleneck but its a really good DAC in its own right.

 

[project86]

Not a huge deal, the V281 does a great job with SE or balanced input independent of which output you end up using. It's extremely versatile!

 

[Pharmaboy]

Mmmmm this loaner just landed for review, and to use in my Susvara review too.

I'm looking at this picture of a black V281 (mine, purchased used, is silver), and I'm struck by the "volume pot conundrum" of this design:

• My silver V281 has nearly invisible hash-marks on the faceplate, surrounding the volume pot (without shining a task-light directly on the faceplate, these hash-marks are invisible)
  
• By contrast, your black V281 has rather visible hash-marks on the faceplate, which seems like a good idea
  
• EXCEPT that both black & silver models have that truly invislble black-on-black hash-mark on the volume pot itself, wrapping around the surface and ending near the faceplate. There are no conventional light conditions, day or night, where this hash-mark can be seen by anyone except bats & owls

I got around the whole thing by sticking very thin slices of glued labels on top of the hash-mark on the volume pot. Even though the paper is less than 2mm thick, it's white and stands out from the black volume pot--problem solved.

Violectric made very few mistakes in this design, but these invisible hash-marks have to count as one...

 

[ostewart]

I believe this is the model with stepped attenuator volume as there are distinctive notches when changing volume, would I be correct in assuming this?

 

[AppleheadMay]

You can feel notches with the normal pot as well but it isn't really stepped from what I understood.

 

[Pharmaboy]

I believe this is the model with stepped attenuator volume as there are distinctive notches when changing volume, would I be correct in assuming this?

I haven't used a stock V281, just the one w/128-step, motorized volume pot. The stock volume pot is fundamentally different: though it looks the same, it's (if I'm not mistaken), the same excellent 43-step alps pot used in my Lake People G109-A.

So the upgrade/motorized pot has roughly 3 times the # of steps as the stock volume pot. That would not be needed with a less powerful amp, but the V281 is a true monster. It sounds way more powerful than it's ratings suggest. Also, if you've been following this thread, I and others wrote about the need to lower the gain on the V281 to get it into parity with other devices in the system--particularly important when using as amp only w/efficient, low-impedance HPs; or when using it w/powered monitors as a preamp (I do both).

So if you're using a stock V281 with gain higher than it needs to be, your functional/usable steps on the stock volume pot would be (guessing) 7:30-8:30 on the dial...just a few steps, in reality. That's why the 128-step pot really matters. The motorized remote-control feature is not earth-shaking, but it's very very useful if the V281 is further away than arm's length, as mine is.

 

[AppleheadMay]

The 43 steps of the srock pot were plenty even though I used mainly low impedance high-efficency closed phones with it.
I used the standard 0db gain.

 

[ostewart]

Mainly using with the Susvara so 0dB gain and volume between 10 and 2 o'clock depending on the track

It really is a powerful amp

 

[phase0]

Mmmmm this loaner just landed for review, and to use in my Susvara review too.

So any rough first impressions of Susvara on the V281? I haven't been too interested in it as it's just too expensive for me to care and I like what I have already. (Even if Susvara was clearly the best HP ever I still wouldn't buy it but we still like to compare and imagine...)

Also just in general does anyone have any thoughts about the integrated DACs available for the V281? I've thought about getting it sometimes as a convenience and backup option but I already have the Yggy and that might just be throwing money away..

 

[AppleheadMay]

So any rough first impressions of Susvara on the V281? I haven't been too interested in it as it's just too expensive for me to care and I like what I have already. (Even if Susvara was clearly the best HP ever I still wouldn't buy it but we still like to compare and imagine...)

Also just in general does anyone have any thoughts about the integrated DACs available for the V281? I've thought about getting it sometimes as a convenience and backup option but I already have the Yggy and that might just be throwing money away..

Mine didn't have the dac option but the consensus from what I read about it before I bought it was that their separate dac wasn't bad but nothing special, their dac board even a bit below that.
So if you have an Yggy that would indeed be a waste of koney from what I read.

How's the Yggy by the way?
Sometimes I read that it's one of the best dacs out there, reminiscent of the old Philips dacs in Cd players, soetimes I read it's too bright.
Any thought on how someone that fears brightness might percieve it?

 

[tunes]

Still can decide which amp to get.
Anyone have a chance to compare the Wells Audio Milo Headphone Amplifier with the Vioelectric V281 and Macintosh MHA 100??

The Macintosh can drive speakers so if I decide one day to get small powered monitors or efficient horn speakers, this would be versatile. I was also curious about the amps that have dual SE outputs for simultaneously driving two headphones like the Milo or Vioelectric. How does one adjust the volume with two different headphones with very different impedances? I always wanted my wife to be able to listen with me at times.

 

[tunes]

Sorry about duplicate post

 

[fixated]

Still can decide which amp to get.
Anyone have a chance to compare the Wells Audio Milo Headphone Amplifier with the Vioelectric V281 and Macintosh MHA 100??

The Macintosh can drive speakers so if I decide one day to get small powered monitors or efficient horn speakers, this would be versatile. I was also curious about the amps that have dual SE outputs for simultaneously driving two headphones like the Milo or Vioelectric. How does one adjust the volume with two different headphones with very different impedances? I always wanted my wife to be able to listen with me at times.

For the V281, you only have the single volume knob to adjust the volume during usage for both the SEs and Balanced headphone outs. So I wouldn't call it great when using different pairs of headphones with different impedance, or at least you're going to have a difficult time finding the optimal volume so that both are within a comfortable listening volume. I haven't tried the other amps you've listed though, so I can't give any input on them.

 

[project86]

Also just in general does anyone have any thoughts about the integrated DACs available for the V281? I've thought about getting it sometimes as a convenience and backup option but I already have the Yggy and that might just be throwing money away..

It's pretty decent for such an affordable little add-on DAC. Nothing fancy, it won't blow away a dedicated device, but it's not terrible either. I prefer it to some of the older HRT Music Streamer devices I used to have, which sold for a couple hundred dollars when new. That's the level of performance we're talking about - is it better to just grab an affordable iFi DAC? Maybe, maybe not.