[mulder01]

I only have the v281 as well, but LCD-X and CIEMS are easy to drive.  Probably no need for a powerhouse like the v281.  LCD-X doesn't need a super duper amp to shine either do they?

 

[rawrster]

It's nice to have flexibility in an amp where you don't need to upgrade or get another amp for different headphones or if you plan on getting something difficult to drive in the future.
 
As far as ciem's go when I had the V200 I didn't feel that I needed a more powerful amp to drive them to their potential.

 

[Zkadoush]

I'm reading some mixed response regarding V181, V200 and V281. Would V181 be good enough for LCD-X and maybe my CIEM ?
A lot of SQ difference between 3 of them?

Violectric Audio HPA V181
$999.95

Violectric Audio HPA V220
$1,669.95

Violectric Audio HPA V281
$2,299.95

Hi snip3r77,

I would agree with the previous responses of @mulder01 and @rawrster:

1. You definitely don't need a V281 to drive the LCD-X, AND they will definitely shine with a V200, V100 or V181. I own both a V100 and a V281, as well as a pair of LCD-Xs.
2. If you are planning to get more headphones in the future,and specifically those that are extremely hard to drive (like HE-6 or AKG K1000), I would certainly recommend a V281, but ONLY in that case. If you're sticking to what you've got now a V200, V181 or V100 will do the job flawlessly; a V281 would be overkill and unnecessary spending.

In my opinion, the manufacturers that don't have their products available in brick and mortar stores should provide a 30 or 45 day trial periods, to avoid forcing customers to buy blindly, and to avoid a bunch of contradictory opinions - no matter how legitimate they are - and endless threads that can easily end up being more confusing than clarifying. I personally read reviews and did my research for over three months before I finally pulled the trigger on my first Amp (the V100), and I'm still really happy with it and definitely NOT selling it despite having a V281. Things would have been a lot easier if I had had the chance to audition it, and in comparison to the other Amps I had in mind at the time.

When I bought my V281 I was extremely lucky to bump into a place that had the Auralic Taurus, the Sennheiser HDVD800, the Bryston BHA-1, the WOO WA22, the HIFIMAN EF6, etc, and the complete line of Audeze headphones and the top-tier HIFIMAN headphones, etc, Not to mention a great and passionate head-fier who really knows his gear and is there for you with all the answers. I'm talking about Computer Lounge in Auckland, New Zealand. I was interested in the V281 at the time and they brought it in for me with no compromise, to have the chance to audition it before buying. But that's sadly not the usual case of buying a headphone Amp these days. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time, as I only lived in Auckland for a couple of years. Kudos and greetings to Computer Lounge and the mentioned head-fier.

My recommendation would always be to listen to the gear before buying, and get to ask all the questions, but from my own experience with the LCD-Xs, the V100 and V281, I would stick to my answer and the ones from mulder01 and rawrstr.

What I nevertheless would add, is that if you're not considering getting more headphones in the future, then you should definitely consider a DAC/Amp solution like the Anedio D2 DAC and the Benchmark DAC2. Both are state of the art D/A converters and both feature some of the most transparent and clean headphone Amps out there. I regularly listen to my LCD-Xs from my Benchmark DAC2, and it's a truly awesome combo. Both the Anedio and the Benchmark Amps are extremely quiet and you will hear no hiss or hum with even the most sensitive CIEMs. The level of detail with a D/A converter of the caliber of a Benchmark or Anedio is simply amazing, and there's more than enough power to drive both your LCD-Xs and CIEMs. The Anedio goes for less than $1300 and the Benchmark for almost $2000, but comes with some more features. Considering the price of a V200 or V281, both the Anedio and the Benchmark are fantastic deals and bang for your buck in my opinion.

Hope to have contributed to less confusion.

Cheers!

 

 

[plakat]

I can only second what @Zkadoush said... while I do like my V281 I got it for those few headphones that really need some serious power to shine. Most of the time I use the excellent headphone amp built into the DAC2, which is still quite powerful (I think I've even reduced the headphone output gain) and a really good compact all-in-one solution.

 

[lunz]

I would however point out that you get an audible difference between the SE output of the V281 and its Balanced one.
For the differences you can always look at the reviews. 
It's true that power wise, a V200 is enough for a LCD-X, but I personally prefer my LCD-2.2 in balanced mode with this gear.
 
Yet again, if it is only for one headphone, it is up to you.

 

[Zkadoush]

  I would however point out that you get an audible difference between the SE output of the V281 and its Balanced one.
For the differences you can always look at the reviews. 
It's true that power wise, a V200 is enough for a LCD-X, but I personally prefer my LCD-2.2 in balanced mode with this gear.
 
Yet again, if it is only for one headphone, it is up to you.

The audible difference between listening to the LCD-X from a single ended or balanced is theoretically there, and in different grades depending on the headphones used, but the V181 will do the exact same job, and with more than enough power to drive CIEMs and a pair of LCD-Xs.

In my opinion, the difference in sound quality (articulation, detail, etc.) introduced by a top-tier D/A converter like the Benchmark DAC2, is more significant, audible and worthwhile than that of balanced vs single ended.

Cheers!

 

[zach915m]

 
The audible difference between listening to the LCD-X from a single ended or balanced is theoretically there, and in different grades depending on the headphones used, but the V181 will do the exact same job, and with more than enough power to drive CIEMs and a pair of LCD-Xs.

In my opinion, the difference in sound quality (articulation, detail, etc.) introduced by a top-tier D/A converter like the Benchmark DAC2, is more significant, audible and worthwhile than that of balanced vs single ended.

Cheers!

I actually really enjoy having the option of single ended vs balanced on the 281.  They do have slightly different flavors, and on headphones that are brighter I really like the single ended output for it's smooth powerful sound.  Others who have checked out my amp have agreed, it's kinda cool that they differ in presentation slightly.
 
Agreed on the DAC though, much more of a change there VS switching between the two jacks on the 281.

 

[Spamateur]

 
I actually really enjoy having the option of single ended vs balanced on the 281.  They do have slightly different flavors, and on headphones that are brighter I really like the single ended output for it's smooth powerful sound.  Others who have checked out my amp have agreed, it's kinda cool that they differ in presentation slightly.
 
Agreed on the DAC though, much more of a change there VS switching between the two jacks on the 281.

I had the same experience with an Oppo HA-1 and my LCD-X. The balanced output was noticeably brighter and more detailed, but the single-ended was more linear with better bass response. I didn't realize that the difference would be that significant between balanced and SE, so it was a bit of a shock.

 

[project86]

  I had the same experience with an Oppo HA-1 and my LCD-X. The balanced output was noticeably brighter and more detailed, but the single-ended was more linear with better bass response. I didn't realize that the difference would be that significant between balanced and SE, so it was a bit of a shock.

 
 
Yeah, it can vary from amp to amp though. Some amps are basically the same exact output rewired for XLR, while others like V281, Taurus, etc have a different character on each jack. It depends on the topology.
 
Personally I like when both outputs sound a little different. 

 

[Spamateur]

   
 
Yeah, it can vary from amp to amp though. Some amps are basically the same exact output rewired for XLR, while others like V281, Taurus, etc have a different character on each jack. It depends on the topology.
 
Personally I like when both outputs sound a little different. 

Makes sense. I was noticing in several of your reviews that you actually pointed out the differences between the outputs, and I found that quite interesting. Not to get too off-topic here, but it seemed like from your review of the BMC PureDAC it was a huge difference due to how high-impedance the SE output was.
 
Btw, I've read so many of your reviews that they've been instrumental in helping me choose a new DAC/amp setup. I specifically ended up with a V220 after your V200 review, so thanks for being one of the best reviewers out there in terms of giving a detailed and accurate description of many of the options I was looking at.

 

[project86]

Thanks! Happy to be helpful.
 
The BMC PureDAC is a prime example. That device has a balanced design which culminates in a balanced headphone out. Great, right? But having only a balanced headphone out would alienate a huge number of users, so they slammed an SE jack on there as well. It's a rather compromised solution (designer told me himself) and is one of the first things they changed when designing the UltraDAC, which is the next model above PureDAC in the lineup. 
 
Some amps that are truly balanced sound pretty mediocre when used in single-ended mode. It only uses half the amp, and the result just isn't impressive. Thankfully each half of the V281 is essentially a V220, which itself is an improved V200.... so we are starting from a very good foundation. I wouldn't buy a V281 if I ONLY intended to use the 1/4" jacks, as that would be wasteful... but if I need to use it in some cases, I know it sounds excellent. 

 

[leithen]

 
I own a HD-800 and a V200, also auditioned a conductor.  Both are fine amps* and the HD-800 are great headphones but as always, it all depends on what you prefer.  I found the Conductor to be very 'fast' and crisp/clear, very detailed.  Those are things I tend to like as a matter of personal taste; by comparison I found the V200 to be less detailed and warmer. Especially in the top end I'm not really sold on it.   But I can imagine that for some people, headphones like the HD-800 combined with the conductor might be too much and tend toward a strident, unengaging, clinical rendition of music without 'soul'.  The V200 takes the HD-800 down a notch imo, wether that's a good thing or not is a matter of opinion and taste.  
 
An analogy with another amp I own (the F5-clone):  it's possible to adjust the bias of that one to lowest distortion (using a signal generator and a scope, not by ear) but the large majority of listeners will prefer the sound that has a bit more distortion in it.  The conductor would be that amp, dialed to minimum distortion, the V200 the same with a bit more 2nd and 3rd harmonic in it.
 
For me and with the HD-800:
 
V200:  small ensemble classical; vocal works, jazz
Burson: large orchestral works, piano recitals, fast-paced music.
 
*For a reason which I fail to grasp as it's an ss amp, the Burson conductor that I tried only sounded its best after a long warmup (30 minutes or so) time.

Thank you for this - very helpful for me.

 

[snip3r77]

Hi snip3r77,


I would agree with the previous responses of @mulder01 and @rawrster:


1. You definitely don't need a V281 to drive the LCD-X, AND they will definitely shine with a V200, V100 or V181. I own both a V100 and a V281, as well as a pair of LCD-Xs.

2. If you are planning to get more headphones in the future,and specifically those that are extremely hard to drive (like HE-6 or AKG K1000), I would certainly recommend a V281, but ONLY in that case. If you're sticking to what you've got now a V200, V181 or V100 will do the job flawlessly; a V281 would be overkill and unnecessary spending.


In my opinion, the manufacturers that don't have their products available in brick and mortar stores should provide a 30 or 45 day trial periods, to avoid forcing customers to buy blindly, and to avoid a bunch of contradictory opinions - no matter how legitimate they are - and endless threads that can easily end up being more confusing than clarifying. I personally read reviews and did my research for over three months before I finally pulled the trigger on my first Amp (the V100), and I'm still really happy with it and definitely NOT selling it despite having a V281. Things would have been a lot easier if I had had the chance to audition it, and in comparison to the other Amps I had in mind at the time.


When I bought my V281 I was extremely lucky to bump into a place that had the Auralic Taurus, the Sennheiser HDVD800, the Bryston BHA-1, the WOO WA22, the HIFIMAN EF6, etc, and the complete line of Audeze headphones and the top-tier HIFIMAN headphones, etc, Not to mention a great and passionate head-fier who really knows his gear and is there for you with all the answers. I'm talking about Computer Lounge in Auckland, New Zealand. I was interested in the V281 at the time and they brought it in for me with no compromise, to have the chance to audition it before buying. But that's sadly not the usual case of buying a headphone Amp these days. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time, as I only lived in Auckland for a couple of years. Kudos and greetings to Computer Lounge and the mentioned head-fier.


My recommendation would always be to listen to the gear before buying, and get to ask all the questions, but from my own experience with the LCD-Xs, the V100 and V281, I would stick to my answer and the ones from mulder01 and rawrstr.


What I nevertheless would add, is that if you're not considering getting more headphones in the future, then you should definitely consider a DAC/Amp solution like the Anedio D2 DAC and the Benchmark DAC2. Both are state of the art D/A converters and both feature some of the most transparent and clean headphone Amps out there. I regularly listen to my LCD-Xs from my Benchmark DAC2, and it's a truly awesome combo. Both the Anedio and the Benchmark Amps are extremely quiet and you will hear no hiss or hum with even the most sensitive CIEMs. The level of detail with a D/A converter of the caliber of a Benchmark or Anedio is simply amazing, and there's more than enough power to drive both your LCD-Xs and CIEMs. The Anedio goes for less than $1300 and the Benchmark for almost $2000, but comes with some more features. Considering the price of a V200 or V281, both the Anedio and the Benchmark are fantastic deals and bang for your buck in my opinion.


Hope to have contributed to less confusion.


Cheers!


 

I went to the webbie and seems like there isn't a comparator between models.

If one go by dollar and cent, the v281 should be better as compared to v100. Of course I do not mind to pay lesser for the same sound if I'm only using the LCD-X. I don't think I would go for the HE-6 at most I feel it would be HD800 to compliment my LCD-X. What do you guys think?

How do the vioelectric compare to the top dogs like master 9. gs X mk2 etc

Thanks.

Sorry for so many questions

 

[Zkadoush]

I went to the webbie and seems like there isn't a comparator between models.

If one go by dollar and cent, the v281 should be better as compared to v100. Of course I do not mind to pay lesser for the same sound if I'm only using the LCD-X. I don't think I would go for the HE-6 at most I feel it would be HD800 to compliment my LCD-X. What do you guys think?

How do the Violectric compare to the top dogs like master 9. gs X mk2 etc

Thanks.

Sorry for so many questions

Hi snip3r77,

I have unfortunately not had the chance to audition the Master 9, and only listened to the GS-X - not the Mk II - a couple of years ago.

When it comes to listed specs, the V100,V200, V220 & V281 all measure better than the Master 9 and the GS-X. There are currently no specs or pics for the GS-X Mk II on the Headamp website. On the other hand, the specs of both Master 9 and GS-X are incomplete and don't show clear relative values for a fair comparison. Violectric's specs are more complete and correctly specify relative values for all measurements and specs.

There is a comparison chart for the V200, V220 and V281 on the first and eleventh page of this thread, that could be of some help. The difference between the V100 and V200 is output power, damping factor, and crosstalk, the rest is the same. Both the V100 and V200 have better specified performance than the V220 and V281, and the reason why, was explained by Violectric's Fried Reim as follows (when I asked him on page 18 of this thread):

"Hello Zkadoush,
 
not only you but also some others are a bit puzzled of the specs from V220 / V281 compared with V200.
 
V200 is a headphone amp with perhaps the best data a headphone amp can have.
This is because inside the case of V200 there is nothing but a headphone amp and so no additional circuitry may aggravate the performance.
 
Inside V220 there is about 3 times the components of V200 with lots of nice features and we managed to keep the nearly perfect overall performance except the output impedance which was 0,083 Ohms with V200 and no has risen by 0,017 Ohms to 0,1 Ohm for V220.
There are some minor issues concerning the crosstalk ... to be honest, don't care about crosstalk as long as it is better than 60 dB !!
There are some people out there preferring "crossfeed" to minimize crosstalk to 10 - 20 dB."

The V100 and V200 are truly some of the best engineered headphone Amps out there, if not THE best, and all the Violectric headphone amplifiers measure better than both Headamp or Audio-GD's Amps with available listed specs. The listed specs provided by Violectric are more detailed, correctly specified, and thus more reliable.

Going back to my previous suggestion to give the Benchmark DAC2 or the Anedio D2 DAC a chance as a possible D/A Converter AND Amp for your LCD-Xs, the Benchmark DAC 2 is also capable of driving my HD 800s to more than satisfactory levels. My insistent defense of the Benchmark or the Anedio as great all-in-one solutions that include state of the art DACs, certainly begs the question: Why then would I get a V281, why not just a V200 or a Benchmark DAC2 for my LCD-Xs and HD 800s? To which my answer would be that, I do pretend to get more headphones in the future, and because although the Benchmark has more than sufficient oomph for my HD 800s as well, the V281 - and V100 - has a different sound signature, more bass and, well, more power. There are some recordings that just shine more - to my very personal taste of course - with a V100 or V281 than with the Benchmark, and particularly recordings of Classical music, that are a lot more quiet than Jazz or Rock, electronic music, etc., and that can use a little extra output power and voltage.

Again, the above is my very personal appreciation and personal preference in sound, and it may well not be yours, or that of other head-fiers. This is the reason why I wrote about the inherent difficulties of shopping for a headphone Amp, when the products aren't anywhere to be auditioned and compared, let alone in good conditions:

"In my opinion, the manufacturers that don't have their products available in brick and mortar stores should provide a 30 or 45 day trial periods, to avoid forcing customers to buy blindly, and to avoid a bunch of contradictory opinions - no matter how legitimate they are - and endless threads that can easily end up being more confusing than clarifying."

I seriously believe that manufacturers should make a priority to get their gear to brick and mortar stores where it can be auditioned in the proper conditions. It can be fun or distracting to read head-fi forums and threads, ask questions and give some answers, but actually paying for something that is usually expensive, should occur within different conditions. To shop blindly for several thousands of dollars can't possibly be a healthy thing, and both regulations and guarantees should be present when it comes to purchasing from manufacturers who don't offer other choices. I sincerely hope this changes drastically in the future.

The poor, incomplete and misleading specs provided by Audio-GD and Headamp - despite the prestige and loyalty they have earned among customers - is a very weak and IMHO unacceptable part of their businesses and marketing strategies. This is something that should be regulated to protect customers, and ultimately benefits manufacturers and fair competition. I'm pretty confident that Audio-GD and Headamp make good Amps, but the specs and info they provide doesn't live up to the loyalty their components have been praised with. When shopping blindly, accurate and correctly specified specs are your best bet.

And regarding the matter of correctly specified specs, a great and concise article was published by Tyll Herstens at Innefidelity, who is doing a monumental and indeed valuable job by measuring both Headphones and Amps; check it out!:

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/nwavguys-heaphone-amp-measurement-recommendations

Cheers!

 

 

[Nomax]

The Man behind one of the BEST SOUNDING HP AMPS in this CRAZY INDUSTRIE

NOMAX&FRIED REIM





REGARDS NOMAX