I have to agree. I've owned quite a few amps. IMO the V281 is at the top of all the amps I've listened to and owned. Especially with the relay attenuator upgrade. Worth every penny I've spent on it. I've owned the V200, and the V281 far exceeds the V200 in every way. I've also own / owned a Woo WA5, MZ2, ModWright LS 100, Many Bursons, Feliks Elise, iFi, Headamp GSX MKII (this was more of a voicing preference), ect... The only amps that I have listened to that exceeds the V281 is the Apex Pinnacle2 and the First Watt J2 with the Pinnacle2 doing preamp duties. The Pinnacle2 is hands down incredible, and IMO is the best headamp that I've listened to, but at $12K it far exceeds my budget.Hm. I definetly find the V281 worth its price. But sometimes good amps are hard to differentiate with certain songs, especially with similarly tuned amps. I try to be honest about that in my track by track comparisons. But over all, the V281 is quite a big improvement, especially in the treble and bass regions.
One other thing that you should take into account is the ability to roll opamps with the V281. I'm a tweaker and love to upgrade my gear. I've upgraded opamps in most of my SS gear that allows it. I'm in the process of purchasing / testing out some Burson discreet v6 opamps. In my previous SS amps it has made a huge difference in the personality of the amp. More so than tube rolling in my previous tube amps....
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