[sahmen]

I'm assuming you used the balanced out??

Yes, balanced out.  I had the cable on my T1 v1 detachable-modded and re-terminated with a 4-pin XLR connector for that.

 

[sanjeewasam]

Has anyone compared V281/V850 with Audio GD NOS11?.
 
I have V281/V850 fully balanced all the way (well passed break in period). Before this I was using Mojo-> Luxman P200 for HD800. My listening is mainly for HD800. Whilst V281/V850 is slightly better (sound stage of V850> Mojo but for Dynamics Mojo> V850) and Luxman is more smooth vs V281 and V281 has other good qualities so the overall improvement is marginal and nothing much to talk about when compared to money spend including to get balanced cables.
 
I am wondering if Audio GD NOS11 (master 9 AMP+ NOS7 DAC) be significant improvement. Money-wise NOS11 is cheaper but there are many reviews to say NOS7 and Mater 9 are top class. Most people agree that Vio units does not delivery value for money compared to units like Audio GD so I do not want to take more money is better

 

[ab_ba]

Hey all,
 
I've just undertaken some MAJOR rig upgrades. I bought a Clearaudio Concept turntable, a Violectric PPA V600 phono stage, AND, a pair of Focal Utopias. 
 
My V281 is still the centerpiece, but these updates have brought me to a whole new level of musical delight. 
 
I just posted my review of the Focal Utopia. I can say that the synergy with the V281 is absolutely phenomenal.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/focal-utopia/reviews/17726
 
-Aaron

 

[jmac1516]

  Hey all,
 
I've just undertaken some MAJOR rig upgrades. I bought a Clearaudio Concept turntable, a Violectric PPA V600 phono stage, AND, a pair of Focal Utopias. 
 
My V281 is still the centerpiece, but these updates have brought me to a whole new level of musical delight. 
 
I just posted my review of the Focal Utopia. I can say that the synergy with the V281 is absolutely phenomenal.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/focal-utopia/reviews/17726
 
-Aaron

Looks awesome and I'll bet it sounds even better!

 

[Fegefeuer]

 
Sonarworks Reference 3. Completely transforms the HD800 for the better.
 
http://sonarworks.com/headphones/overview/
 
I've gone for Lavri Cables this time around:
 
http://www.lavricables.com/cables/master-silver-sennheiser-hd800-upgrade-cable/

On its way to me as we speak :¬)

 
So, what are your impressions once you went balanced? 

 

[Yoga]

   
So, what are your impressions once you went balanced? 

The cable only arrived this morning...
 


... however the upgrade is significant. More so than I anticipated. Extra control, air and dynamic punch. Lavri recommend 150 hours burn in for this silver (pure 12 core 6N) cable, so I look forward to further improvements.

I've also had more time to spend with the V281 + Abyss (balanced), and again, it's been stellar. 
 
Thoroughly happy with this amp, best I've heard to date. Bear in mind transparency is key for me being a music producer/mixer.

 

[Fegefeuer]

Did you play around with the pre-gain? 0db vs -12db? Curious about your findings. Take your time though, there's plenty to hear now. 

 

[Yoga]

  Did you play around with the pre-gain? 0db vs -12db? Curious about your findings. Take your time though, there's plenty to hear now. 

Not yet. I will do however as I'm hitting my personal maximum volume (around 75dB) rather quickly (9:30 to 10 o'clock). A bit more fine control of volume is needed.
 
I'll spend more time with it as it is so my ears are fully used to it. I'll likely wait for the cable to burn in also as that could potentially skew the experience.

 

[mulder01]

   
 
Thoroughly happy with this amp, best I've heard to date. 

 
Better than the 600i though?

 

[project86]

   
Better than the 600i though?

 
 
Speakers versus headphones - not really a fair comparison. 

 

[Yoga]

 
Better than the 600i though?

 
I think it's close. I'm not able to directly A/B at the moment as the headphone rig is setup in the study, the V281 is in the studio. If my memory serves me correctly, the 600i has better mids (although I think that's the combination of the 600i + Lumin A1, my monitoring DACs are more transparent). I've since started using a custom EQ with the V281 and Abyss which is rather delicious however! I'd be happy with the V281 as my Abyss amp. 
 

 
Speakers versus headphones - not really a fair comparison. 

 
I have a custom cable for Abyss to 600i.

 

[gonzfi]

The cable only arrived this morning...





... however the upgrade is significant. More so than I anticipated. Extra control, air and dynamic punch. Lavri recommend 150 hours burn in for this silver (pure 12 core 6N) cable, so I look forward to further improvements.


I've also had more time to spend with the V281 + Abyss (balanced), and again, it's been stellar. 

Thoroughly happy with this amp, best I've heard to date. Bear in mind transparency is key for me being a music producer/mixer.

I spy an RME ADI 2 PRO in your setup... is that your main DAC? Care to comment on it as I am considering getting one myself.

 

[Yoga]

I spy an RME ADI 2 PRO in your setup... is that your main DAC? Care to comment on it as I am considering getting one myself.

Well spotted! Auditioning it as we speak. Takes a little while to burn in, and the Slow filter is much nicer (smoother) than the default Fast filter. 
 
It's incredibly good. DA and AD ability competes with much more expensive single units. Headphone amp is very capable too. Not sure how RME managed to do it. I won't be keeping it though as I need a monitor controller (going for the Avocett IIA as the new Quantum DAC is consistently reported as sublime).

If you're building a studio and need a single centrepiece, this thing cannot be beaten. And it's tiny! 

 

[gonzfi]

Well spotted! Auditioning it as we speak. Takes a little while to burn in, and the Slow filter is much nicer (smoother) than the default Fast filter. 

It's incredibly good. DA and AD ability competes with much more expensive single units. Headphone amp is very capable too. Not sure how RME managed to do it. I won't be keeping it though as I need a monitor controller (going for the Avocett IIA as the new Quantum DAC is consistently reported as sublime).


If you're building a studio and need a single centrepiece, this thing cannot be beaten. And it's tiny! 

It certainly looks very capable and reasonably priced. I may sell my Hugo TT and replace it with one of these and spend the difference on some new cans!

 

[Yoga]

It certainly looks very capable and reasonably priced. I may sell my Hugo TT and replace it with one of these and spend the difference on some new cans!

 
If you're able to get a 30 day return window on a purchase let it burn in for a few days before undertaking any critical listening. Harsh out of the box.

The filters make subtle but significant changes to the sound. A few people over at Gearslutz are preferring the Slow (or even NOS) filters.