[CoLdAsSauLt]

What I had been referring to in my earlier posts that V281 balanced is better than the Taurus balanced.

When it comes to single ended, I have no experience.

Yes I got that. But please define/elaborate "better". There are so many aspects that can be affected by better: tonality, detail extraction, soundstage, dynamics, transient response,...

 

[ken6217]

Yes I got that. But please define/elaborate "better". There are so many aspects that can be affected by better: tonality, detail extraction, soundstage, dynamics, transient response,...

When I get my new job as a hifi reviewer, I can answer all those points. I will say that it has more slam and not as forward sounding as the Taurus.

 

[PleasantSounds]

Over the weekend I have rearranged my setup to see how the V281 performs as a speaker preamp.
 
Result? I'm not going back to the previous arrangement, in which Lynx Hilo was doing the honors! The sound is more organic, more fun, while not losing any of the clarity, detail or spatial precision. If anything, the soundstage has gained some depth.
 
Definitely worth trying!

 

[ab_ba]

Hey PleasantSounds, I agree! My V281 works wonderfully as a preamp. I just figured out that you can configure it to bypass the volume knob and provide a line-level output, if your amp has a volume knob. To do it, hold down the "line" button for a couple seconds till it flashes. Then, press "XLR" to bypass the volume knob (and "Dig" to re-activate the volume knob.) A cool feature! 

 

[ab_ba]

Originally Posted by yc1204 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Thinking about 2 in between the Abyss and LCD4...
 
Anyone heard both can share some opinion? Mainly piano violin musics and female vocal etc. 

I've heard the Abyss, and I have LCD-3's. I have not heard the LCD-4. I would not get the Abyss if you are interested in female vocals. Get the Abyss if you're into 80s hair metal. I do like vocals on the LCD-3, but I prefer them on my HD800. I'll bet they'd be even better on the HD800S. I believe the 800S comes with a balanced cable, too, which you will want with your Vio. Have fun!

 

[TonyNewman]

I've had my v281 for a year or so and don't really feel any need to upgrade. I think any upgrade is going to mean a lot of money and very small improvement.

 
It's endgame for me as far as SS amps go. Sold my 430HA and Taurus - grew to be unhappy with both of them. The V281 goes from strength to strength. Love this brutish shoe box of an amp. I can't think of anything it doesn't do well.
 
No amp upgrade from the V281 for me, but did it did prompt me to upgrade my DAC. Jumped form the Vega to the Hegel HD30. For the first 200 hours I was wondering where my money went. It was a 5% improvement, if that. To differentiate the DACs in a blind test would have been difficult, if not impossible. From 200 to 400 hours the HD30 has changed and improved markedly. First the treble, and now the mids, are wonderfully smooth, detailed and dynamic. That lingering hint of treble harshness that seems to haunt many Sabre DACs, including the Vega, is gone. Bass is just stunning. Sound stage is 3D, large and has precise positioning with the HD800S with plenty air around each source. Where the Vega sound stage could be 'fuzzy' and indistinct for sources, the HD30 is laser-like precise.
 
Not a cheap DAC, but to me it represents good value as the improvement over the Vega is significant. The V281 is good enough to take advantage of such an excellent DAC and showcase what it can do. I think the HD30 + V281 combination has improved my setup by about 20% over the Vega + V281. That is huge at this level.
 
Here's a pic of the setup with my favorite headphone - a heavily modded HE6 - which the V281 drives superbly.
 

 

[Fegefeuer]

Tony, did you listen to the V850 yet? 

 

[TonyNewman]

  Tony, did you listen to the V850 yet? 

 
Nope - not seen or heard it. Not sure it would be a step upwards from the Vega (but I don't know).
 
I live in New Zealand, so the chance to go 'hands on' with high end gear is limited. Folks don't stock much of it, for obvious reasons, so unless you have a buddy who has the gear you are left buying blind. That can be risky. I have had some wins (V281 / Accuphase P-4200 / Hegel P20 / Hegel HD30 / HE6 / HD800S) and some losses that will remain unnamed to protect the guilty.
 
The Hegel P20 preamp performs so well that I have become a bit of a Hegel fanboi - so when the HD30 became available it got my interest. After replacing my previous SS amps with the V281, the weakest link in my setup was my DAC, so I took a bet that the HD30 would give my system a lift. It surely has done that. Quite a boost. I had no idea what I was missing. The Vega is a very good DAC, but the V281 is good enough to take advantage of a better DAC unit.
 
On the topic of the V281 - what an excellent amp. If I had to nitpick (and I am getting petty here, so bear with me) the bass is perhaps not quite as sharp and well defined as the Taurus. Just a touch of "boominess" in there. Not much, just a fraction. Happy to make that trade anytime for everything else that the V281 does so very, very well.

 

[zeissiez]

Has anyone compared the V281 to the Audio-GD Master 9?

 

[Thenewguy007]

   
It's endgame for me as far as SS amps go. Sold my 430HA and Taurus - grew to be unhappy with both of them. The V281 goes from strength to strength.

 
What did you not like with the 430HA & Taurus compared to the V281?

 

[TonyNewman]

   
What did you not like with the 430HA & Taurus compared to the V281?

 
430HA - slow, veiled, lacking dynamics and punch. Perhaps the most over rated product in HeadFi at the moment.
 
Taurus - a little bright and could get a little muddled in complex music. Lacks the oomph to drive the HE6 properly. Otherwise a very good amp. This was my "go to" SS amp for a couple of years before I decided to "upgrade" to the 430HA (mistake), then went to the V281 (bang on the money).
 
As always, these are my impressions. YMMV.

 

[project86]

I really quite like the Simaudio. It reminds me of a nicer Bryston BHA-1... solid performing headphone amp from a "mainstream" high-end brand, perhaps not the best available at the price but certainly no slouch either, and easy to find/buy for those audiophiles who aren't knowledgeable about smaller/more focused brands.
 
I do prefer the V281 as a better value but the 430HA is excellent in its own way.

 

[TonyNewman]

I found it had strayed much too far from the "wire with gain" model for my tastes. My view is that an amp should, above all else, but true to the source material in terms of speed, dynamics, punch, detail. Both the Taurus and the V281 do this very well, but differently. The 430HA does not - it is slow, veiled and soft. It can be very engaging and entertaining with the right genres of music, but it just fails as am amp for me. Build quality and functionality are superb, but that was irrelevant to me as the primary function of the unit as an amp was compromised. As always, YMMV.
 
After being disappointed in the 430HA, and unhappy with the brightness of the Taurus and its inability to drive the HE6 properly, I did some more research and took a chance on the V281 and have been very happy with it. Powerful, detailed, dynamic and with a touch of warmth that the Taurus lacked. Perhaps not quite the same level of iron control of the bass as the Taurus - it can get a little bit "boomy" - otherwise an excellent amp.

 

[casper3127]

Hi there!

Has anyone have the chance to compare an Audio-gd Master11 with the Violectric monster?

Thx in advance.

 

[zeissiez]

Audio-GD's big boys like Master 9 or Master 11 should be considered too, as Dan of Headfonia pointed out that in most aspects it's a better amp than 430HA. Comparison here: https://headmania.org/2015/03/08/simaudio-moon-430ha-headphone-amplifier-review/
 
At USD1550, it looks like a bargain too. http://www.audio-gd.com/Master/Master-9/Master-9EN.htm
 
It would be good to hear from someone who have compared the V281 and Master 9, particularly in driving cans like HE6 and HE1000.