[jerick70]

Using Yggy as DAC and fully balanced, I think Utopia and V281 is a fantastic match. I've been comparing vs the Liquid Gold and the V281 is not far behind at all.
Compared to my recent past amps. I feel it is superior to Hugo2/GSX2/Taurus2/Rag.

Nice comparison. I have to agree on the GSX2. The V281 is more organic and pleasant to listen to.

What do you think the Liquid Gold does better over the V281?

 

[koven]

Nice comparison. I have to agree on the GSX2. The V281 is more organic and pleasant to listen to.

What do you think the Liquid Gold does better over the V281?

Yeah definitely more organic than GSX2 which I'd recall as a bit sterile and clinical. I think Rag and GSX2 signature are quite similar, except Rag lacks the benchmark resolution/transparency of GSX2. All in all it's hard to fault GSX2 on technical proficiency but not my cup of tea personally,

As for the Liquid Gold, it's definitely not a clear cut winner over V281 but I am finding the overall sound more musical and holographic, I slightly prefer the mids and tonality over V281 as well. It's even more lush sounding than the V281 which is already relatively tubey for an SS. However the treble and bass extension seems just a hair behind the V281. Again, ultimately splitting hairs here as I'd be happy w/ either of these, but the Cavalli is twice the price so I'd have to say the V281 is really a great value end game SS.

 

[jerick70]

Yeah definitely more organic than GSX2 which I'd recall as a bit sterile and clinical. I think Rag and GSX2 signature are quite similar, except Rag lacks the benchmark resolution/transparency of GSX2. All in all it's hard to fault GSX2 on technical proficiency but not my cup of tea personally,

As for the Liquid Gold, it's definitely not a clear cut winner over V281 but I am finding the overall sound more musical and holographic, I slightly prefer the mids and tonality over V281 as well. It's even more lush sounding than the V281 which is already relatively tubey for an SS. However the treble and bass extension seems just a hair behind the V281. Again, ultimately splitting hairs here as I'd be happy w/ either of these, but the Cavalli is twice the price so I'd have to say the V281 is really a great value end game SS.

Something that I've been tossing around in the DIY half of my brain is rolling opamps in the V281. I used to roll Burson V5 opamps in my since sold V200 and Gustard H10. It made a huge difference in the sound quality. Rolling brought both amps up to a whole new level of performance.

Burson released their V6 opamps recently and those look pretty nice. The NewClassD discrete opamps look really interesting too.

Food for thought....

 

[dbq5anlxj]

Something that I've been tossing around in the DIY half of my brain is rolling opamps in the V281. I used to roll Burson V5 opamps in my since sold V200 and Gustard H10. It made a huge difference in the sound quality. Rolling brought both amps up to a whole new level of performance.

Burson released their V6 opamps recently and those look pretty nice. The NewClassD discrete opamps look really interesting too.

Food for thought....

did anyone tried put the v6 in v281?

 

[111MilesToGo]

For a little while now, I have been contemplating to complement my Chord Hugo 2 plus Sennheiser HD 800 S setup with the HPA V281 in order to run the HD 800 S in balanced mode. Not auditioned yet, and I wouldn‘t know how the balance of gains and losses might end up. The Hugo 2 has single-ended RCA outputs, which can either be adjustable via its volume knob or be a fixed line-out type at s.th. like 3 Volts.

I have a question for you about the V281 design. Following the categories as in

I am going to over-simplify a little bit. It depends on the amp's design itself. Amps that have a SE input and have a Balanced output port can be broken down into these 3 categories:

1. Amps that are Fully Balanced (Differential) in design, which can take in SE input and output a Balanced Output via a Balanced port
2. Some amps can be Balanced in design, but are Fully Balanced only if fed with a Balanced signal. But they can take a SE input and output a Balanced output. Its just that, they are not Fully Balanced, when being fed an SE signal. eg: Cayin HA6
3. Some amps are only SE in design and have a XLR port just for the convenience of plugging in a headphone with an XLR cable. Here the XLR socket is really SE. eg: Some Eddie Current Amps

Short answer, yes you can get a Balanced Output in the future with the Hugo 2 as a DAC, if you are using an amp that falls under category 1 or 2. But what you really need is 1. Prior purchase, do some due diligence to find out if the amp is fully balanced or not.

My question is: Which category would describe the V281 best?

From what I understand, V281 is a fully balanced amp (Type 1). But you probably want to ask in the V281 thread to confirm.

Thanks a lot for providing your insight.

 

[lithiumnk]

For a little while now, I have been contemplating to complement my Chord Hugo 2 plus Sennheiser HD 800 S setup with the HPA V281 in order to run the HD 800 S in balanced mode. Not auditioned yet, and I wouldn‘t know how the balance of gains and losses might end up. The Hugo 2 has single-ended RCA outputs, which can either be adjustable via its volume knob or be a fixed line-out type at s.th. like 3 Volts.

I have a question for you about the V281 design. Following the categories as in

My question is: Which category would describe the V281 best?
Thanks a lot for providing your insight.

Thanks a lot for this post. @111MilesToGo @EagleWings
This has cleared many doubts.
I have Hugo 2.
I was looking for an external headphone amp.
Violectric v281 drives iems to headphones(low sensitivity) with a black background which is rarely seen.
I am aware that v281 is an old hp amp (arnd 4yrs). But, I am impressed by its flexibility & measurements. There is no announcement regarding v282/v284 as of now.
I had briefly tried cayin iha6 & Bryston bha-1.The sound was cold, analytical & fatiguing.(not my preference)
Headamp gs x mk2 is difficult to import & more expensive than v281 & the impression that I got from v281 thread is that the gsxmk2 excels the v281 by a hair in the treble dept.
I'll be using audeze lcd i4 (scales beautifully with desktop amps) with v281 & ch2 via balanced 4 pin male xlr to 2.5mm double helix ultrashort adapter.
I have ordered v281 silver. It will be delivered in few days.
Thanks

 

[noplsestar]

Thanks a lot for this post. @111MilesToGo @EagleWings
This has cleared many doubts.
I have Hugo 2.
I was looking for an external headphone amp.
Violectric v281 drives iems to headphones(low sensitivity) with a black background which is rarely seen.
I am aware that v281 is an old hp amp (arnd 4yrs). But, I am impressed by its flexibility & measurements. There is no announcement regarding v282/v284 as of now.
I had briefly tried cayin iha6 & Bryston bha-1.The sound was cold, analytical & fatiguing.(not my preference)
Headamp gs x mk2 is difficult to import & more expensive than v281 & the impression that I got from v281 thread is that the gsxmk2 excels the v281 by a hair in the treble dept.
I'll be using audeze lcd i4 (scales beautifully with desktop amps) with v281 & ch2 via balanced 4 pin male xlr to 2.5mm double helix ultrashort adapter.
I have ordered v281 silver. It will be delivered in few days.
Thanks

This is the „new“ v281 (double the price)
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/nii...us4-us4-headphone-amps-by-lake-people.876018/

 

[111MilesToGo]

Thanks for your kind words, @lithiumnk. Would love to hear about your experiences.

Yet, I am still looking for an answer / a confirmation for my technical question regarding the V281 design principle when taking a single-ended input to the balanced headphone output. Cf. the categories by EagleWings quoted above.

 

[EagleWings]

Thanks a lot for this post. @111MilesToGo @EagleWings
This has cleared many doubts.
I have Hugo 2.
I was looking for an external headphone amp.
Violectric v281 drives iems to headphones(low sensitivity) with a black background which is rarely seen.
I am aware that v281 is an old hp amp (arnd 4yrs). But, I am impressed by its flexibility & measurements. There is no announcement regarding v282/v284 as of now.
I had briefly tried cayin iha6 & Bryston bha-1.The sound was cold, analytical & fatiguing.(not my preference)
Headamp gs x mk2 is difficult to import & more expensive than v281 & the impression that I got from v281 thread is that the gsxmk2 excels the v281 by a hair in the treble dept.
I'll be using audeze lcd i4 (scales beautifully with desktop amps) with v281 & ch2 via balanced 4 pin male xlr to 2.5mm double helix ultrashort adapter.
I have ordered v281 silver. It will be delivered in few days.
Thanks

And thanks to you for sharing this man. Would you say the IHA6 and BHA1 are brighter than the Hugo2 without the iFi setup?

Btw, from what I hear, the GSX MK2 is brighter than both iHA6 and BHA 1.

 

[lithiumnk]

And thanks to you for sharing this man. Would you say the IHA6 and BHA1 are brighter than the Hugo2 without the iFi setup?

Btw, from what I hear, the GSX MK2 is brighter than both iHA6 and BHA 1.

I have not tried bha-1 & iha6 with Hugo 2 or with ifi setup.
I had tried the idap6 & iha6 combo. There was a noticeable dip in SQ( transparency, micro detailing , noise floor, soundstage & natural sound) as compared to my Hugo 2 & ifi setup. Yes, they were on a brighter side & lacked the meatier sound that I was looking for.
I had tried bha-1 with hd 650 (unbalanced).. not with lcd i4. I really liked the mids... not happy with bass & treble.
Dac - Amp - HP pairing has a lot to do with the final perceived sound.
I have high hopes from v281. (Fingers crossed)
Cheers

 

[lithiumnk]

Thanks for your kind words, @lithiumnk. Would love to hear about your experiences.

Yet, I am still looking for an answer / a confirmation for my technical question regarding the V281 design principle when taking a single-ended input to the balanced headphone output. Cf. the categories by EagleWings quoted above.

One of the early adopters of v281 in 2014 has partially answered your question.
Check this :
1. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/vio...g-durch-balanced.705318/page-14#post-10718784

2. Post #460 by project86.

 

[Pharmaboy]

One of the early adopters of v281 in 2014 has partially answered your question.
Check this :
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/vio...g-durch-balanced.705318/page-14#post-10718784

I sorta remember this post. FYI, balanced vs SE in general is one of the more contentious/often argued topics in this hobby. Specific to V281, there have been occasional posts by the mfr in Germany on this or that sub-thread. The answer to these questions may be in one of his posts.

Top on my upgrade list is to get a new Audio GD amp that has a balanced output (R2R 1, a new model). That way I can feed a balanced output pair from the DAC to the V281, thus utilizing all 4 of its amplifiers.

Scary to think that the already very impressive V281 (run w/SE inputs) actually has more gas in the tank & more tricks to show me w/a balanced input...

 

[rhern213]

I sorta remember this post. FYI, balanced vs SE in general is one of the more contentious/often argued topics in this hobby. Specific to V281, there have been occasional posts by the mfr in Germany on this or that sub-thread. The answer to these questions may be in one of his posts.

Top on my upgrade list is to get a new Audio GD amp that has a balanced output (R2R 1, a new model). That way I can feed a balanced output pair from the DAC to the V281, thus utilizing all 4 of its amplifiers.

Scary to think that the already very impressive V281 (run w/SE inputs) actually has more gas in the tank & more tricks to show me w/a balanced input...

But if you connect your HP's through the balanced output of the V281 you will get the full power of the V281 either way, there's no need for balanced inputs. Not sure why you would need a balanced amp in the middle?

 

[LCMusicLover]

But if you connect your HP's through the balanced output of the V281 you will get the full power of the V281 either way, there's no need for balanced inputs. Not sure why you would need a balanced amp in the middle?

Pretty sure he meant DAC, not amp. Audio-GD R2R-1 is a DAC only.

 

[111MilesToGo]

Yes, seems like an often discussed and in part cloudy topic. My original question was concerned with a USB DAC with single-ended outputs only (Chord Hugo 2) being hooked up to the SE inputs of the Violectric HPA V281 amp, then taking its balanced output to feed the Sennheiser HD 800 S.

The question was whether the V281 is a fully balanced amp as per category 1 in the a.m. posts by @EagleWings, which should make full use of the four amps in the V281. Unfortunately, there are not many DACs with balanced out (@Pharmaboy), especially not among the quasi-mobile ones; for sure Hugo 2 is to be seen as a TOTL DAC. Hints as referred to above (@lithiumnk, @Pharmaboy) do indeed indicate the V281 to be category 1. Thanks also to the other contributors (@rhern213, @LCMusicLover).

I used the words hints, indicate etc with a purpose - no clear-cut statement yet. Took a look at the V281 manual, too. Guess auditioning = musicality will have to decide over technicalities before a purchase ...