The big comparison starts today. I am a/b testing my Mjolnir Pure BiPolar MK2 (the only one ever made) against the V281 using my Hifiman LFF Code X2. My favorite headphone and a headphone that loves current. Its impedance is 50 which outputs 4.2 watts with the V281. More than enough power to adequately drive the Code X2. However, the PB MK2 has +/- 20v rails and outputs between 12 and 13 watts into 50 ohms. The PB is a very smartly designed amp. It has absolutely no drift, which enables it to have the perfect amount of 2nd order harmonic distortion. So, it to has tube like qualities while still being a fully balanced Dynalo circuit. This thing is an engineering marvel and I actually prefer it to my CFA3, which is also buttery smooth and has way too much power, like all CFA3's.
First thing I notice is that gone is the bloom below 500k, and is replaced by super fast, linear and accurate bass with incredible weight and percussive abilities. The V281 is still accurate in how it renders bass, it just has more energy around 100-200hz which gives the amp more bloom and a rounded bass tone. the PB is the exact opposite. It is fast with near perfect decay which gives the pacing a different feel and overall speed. The beauty of this amp is the mind blowing midrange. There is just so much information. In addition, the sound of cymbals crashing is so palpable and they hit, and trail off in the perfect pace. Everything can be heard, and it is the perfect mix of neutrality, musicality and tube like qualities. This amp is a revelation. So, perhaps not a fair comparison as they are so different. Or exactly what one needs to read.
The V281 acquits itself very well. It is warmer, and there is still a flavor to the V281 that I just can't get out of my head. I think that the V281 is a better amp when pairing with my high impedance dynamics. Admittedly, the only high impedance dynamics I own are 3 ZMFs. But they are all 300 ohm and they are all very different in how they present music. The V281 just has a way with my ZMFs that I not sure I would ever want to live without. And it is quite capable with my Code X2. I could live happily with how it handles this headphone. But, when it comes to this headphone, the Pure BiPolar reins supreme. It is a tour de force with headphones that require an enormous amount of current. Whether they need it for loudness or not, the PB has that ability to continue turning up the volume and not getting louder, just fuller and more dynamic until the drivers are properly under control and then the amp starts to get louder.
The V281 does this same thing with my high impedance headphones as well. The ability to fill out the full potential of a driver/headphone before getting too loud. This is a very unique quality that only the best amps possess I am finding. It is something that has become top of mind for me as I listen to different amps. I now look for this quality first. Can it control the drivers without blowing out your brains with volume before getting louder and louder? It doesn't quite have the same driver control with my Code X2, but it isn't far off. So, that is a HUGE win for the V281 as the PB MK2 is one of the best and most unique amps I've ever heard. It is also incredible with my ZMFs, but it doesn't have the timbral colorations of the V281. However, it is equipped with extremely fast slew rates as this amp was tuned to deal with the sudden and off frequency changes of the HD800. A headphone that isn't hard to power, but is extremely hard to power properly. Because of its innate FR complexities, amps with very fast slew rates will always do best with that headphone. ZMFs also fall into this category as well.
So, at this moment I have myself a stand off. Two beautifully built and designed amps that I enjoy with all headphones. That being said, I think the PB wins handily with my harder to drive headphones, and the V281 wins with my high impedance dynamics. That is a win-win for someone like me who likes to find the perfect synergy for each headphone. In the end system synergy wins the day, and is exactly why so many own different amps for different combos. This isn't possible for everyone. We don't all have this ability, and I recognize that. So, if you have to own just one amp, you have to make a choice. One I am not quite ready to say as I still have to compare it to my CFA3 and my Meier Corda Soul Mk2.
Hope this finds you all well... I will start writing less as I head back to work tomorrow. I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts with you all over the last week. I will continue to, just not every day as I learn a new company and how to swim back up to the surface after being thrown in the deep end. Enjoy the your own listening... In the meantime, enjoy some tunes. This has been what I was listening to as I wrote this...