[Chik0240]

   
 
I'll preface this by saying they are both EXCELLENT amps. Nothing either of them does slightly better is enough to invalidate the other as an excellent choice, and honestly I don't think you can go wrong either way. I hate it when reviewers and forum folks rave about some product, only to negate those impressions in the near future by finding something better..... and then do the same thing over and over each time. A good amp is a good amp even years later when something supersedes it.
 
That said, I think the V281 is my favorite amp at the moment. There are a few small things which seal the deal for me:
 
*The inky black background combined with plentiful volume control for sensitive headphones/CIEMs. Taurus is nearly as quiet but has a lot of gain, making it difficult to use with my CIEMs as the range from quiet to LOUD is rather small.
 
*The spacious presentation. It's slightly bigger than Taurus.
 
*The wonderfully analog sounding top end. It's a little smoother than the Auralic amp, not rolled off in the least but very controlled, very clean and well done. 
 
*The remote control. I use it as a preamp in my speaker rig, and it works quite well. Auralic gives specific warnings not to keep everything all connected at once, which I've never quite understood from a design perspective. V281 is happy to have every plug in use at all times and switch back and forth with the remote (which Taurus mkII doesn't have).
 
Now, there are times when the Taurus may still remain champion for me. Specifically when I want to bring out more details and high frequency shimmer. I love the V281 treble presentation but with some DACs, headphones, and music, the Taurus is a better match. Again, it's still a brilliant amp and I'd be happy to live with it if V281 was not an option. So you make the call.
 
 
 
 
Congrats! Let us know what you think. 

so~ may I ask does that means that the Taurus is still more transparent and neutral to you, but the functionality are  better on the V281? cheers

 

[project86]

I'll eventually flesh this out more in my formal review - sorry it is taking forever. But in summary, I'd say the Taurus has a somewhat more energetic top end. I don't know if that makes it more neutral or not.... I suppose that depends on the headphone involved.
 
Much of the time I'd say the V281 XLR output is the most neutral of all, with the SE output being somewhat darker and the Taurus being a little brighter. Again, Taurus is still a very good amp.

 

[Chik0240]

  I'll eventually flesh this out more in my formal review - sorry it is taking forever. But in summary, I'd say the Taurus has a somewhat more energetic top end. I don't know if that makes it more neutral or not.... I suppose that depends on the headphone involved.
 
Much of the time I'd say the V281 XLR output is the most neutral of all, with the SE output being somewhat darker and the Taurus being a little brighter. Again, Taurus is still a very good amp.

I see, thanks project 86

 
I have been enjoying the Taurus which I bought because of reading your review, and been enjoying the combo with my HE-500, I am sure the V281 is a worthy FOTM amp at least, just curious which one of them add less colour to the sound of HPs, which I suppose is how a good amp should be to allow true versatility to various headphones (which I might purchase and my wallet feels sad)

 

[Ultrainferno]

Edited, sorry.

 

[lunz]

For all people craving for V281 reviews, Headfonia should release their review on the amp by tomorow.
 
Edit - The review is up and the title says it all, here is the link : http://www.headfonia.com/violectric-v281-masterpiece/

 

[Ultrainferno]

Thanks for the link!

 

[gonzfi]

Very tempted by one of these mofo's... could someone kindly advise what difference it makes depending on which of the optical input add ons I select? I guess I would go for the 24/192 kHz and then I have all bases covered?

 

[lunz]

I went with this option, waiting to upgrade with a better DAC next year. It is not the best, but still does a fine job for the moment

 

[ghostchili]

I was wondering if this is a fair comparison for a solid state amp under 3k.
 
Violectric HPA V281
 
vs
 
Ray Samuels audio apache
 
http://www.raysamuelsaudio.com/products/apache
 
Trying to decide how to empty my piggy bank.

 

[Megalomaniak]

Just let you know guys this afternoon I balanced my Denon AH-D7000, I had to do it because the original cable was getting too anyoning so I got some good cable & connectors and here is the result:
 

 
First impresions with V281 of course: Bass is cleaner, mids and highs more neutral than SE and dynamics & soundstage have increased considerably... Totally worth it, and just for 7€ (cable is Tasker C128 balanced microphone cable and connector Neutrik NC4MXX )

 

[plakat]

  First impresions with V281 of course: Bass is cleaner, mids and highs more neutral than SE and dynamics & soundstage have increased considerably... Totally worth it, and just for 7€ (cable is Tasker C128 balanced microphone cable and connector Neutrik NC4MXX )

 
Very nice... You replaced the lower part of the cable, starting at the joint, correct?
Its rather cheap when one can do that oneself

 

[project86]

Very tempted by one of these mofo's... could someone kindly advise what difference it makes depending on which of the optical input add ons I select? I guess I would go for the 24/192 kHz and then I have all bases covered?

 
The newer 192kHz-capable DAC cards are significantly improved over the older ones. If you have any desire for the internal DAC, I'd make sure it was the newer version. The old models are just for convenience imho, while the 192kHz versions actually sound quite respectable considering their low prices. 
 
Still, the amp is so good it deserves the best DAC you can afford. 
 

  I was wondering if this is a fair comparison for a solid state amp under 3k.
 
Violectric HPA V281
 
vs
 
Ray Samuels audio apache
 
http://www.raysamuelsaudio.com/products/apache
 
Trying to decide how to empty my piggy bank.

 
 
Personally, I find the Apache (and pretty much all of Ray's amps for that matter) to be good looking, but poor sounding, and incredibly overpriced for what they are. Apache is especially bad with low impedance headphones. I know some people like RSA but for me it just doesn't work.
 
 

  Just let you know guys this afternoon I balanced my Denon AH-D7000, I had to do it because the original cable was getting too anyoning so I got some good cable & connectors and here is the result:
 

 
First impresions with V281 of course: Bass is cleaner, mids and highs more neutral than SE and dynamics & soundstage have increased considerably... Totally worth it, and just for 7€ (cable is Tasker C128 balanced microphone cable and connector Neutrik NC4MXX )

 
Looks nice!

 

[plakat]

  The newer 192kHz-capable DAC cards are significantly improved over the older ones. If you have any desire for the internal DAC, I'd make sure it was the newer version. The old models are just for convenience imho, while the 192kHz versions actually sound quite respectable considering their low prices. 
 
Still, the amp is so good it deserves the best DAC you can afford. 

 
Yes, its a nice option if space is of concern. Its very unfortunate though that it requires drivers even on a Mac (and those drivers are unsigned and require disabling a security feature on 10.10 to work at all).
 
I did get the 192kHz USB board, but got a DAC2 in the end, feeding the V281via XLR.

 

[project86]

   
Yes, its a nice option if space is of concern. Its very unfortunate though that it requires drivers even on a Mac (and those drivers are unsigned and require disabling a security feature on 10.10 to work at all).
 
I did get the 192kHz USB board, but got a DAC2 in the end, feeding the V281via XLR.

 
 
Yeah, the driver thing is a bummer. Not limited to Violectric but still annoying. 
 
The DAC2 is more like a "proper" DAC that can help unlock the full potential of V281. Enjoy!

 

[Tobes]

Ordered my V281 this afternoon - silver version with the standard remote option.
For the moment the DAC will still be my Grace m903 dac/amp (uses the PCM1798 like the Violectric 24/192 card, with arguably more sophisticated support chips/opamps). 
 
Hoping the balanced output of the v281 will be a significant step up from the 903 driving my HE-500's - the 903 actually sounds quite good with the 500's.
The Grace puts out around 1.5W into 50ohms (I measured the HE500's at 46.9 ohms) - at that impedance the v281's should offer 4W of (higher?) quality balanced drive. Wonder how it will shape up?
Also interested to see how the extra grunt via the SE output improves my Q701's.