[Delta9K]

Vio 550 Pro and Audeze LCD-XC is a great combi

The V550 and Audeze LCD-24 are also a sweet matchup (for my tastes). The DAC I am using with the 550/LCD-24 is a Holo Spring3 KTE.

 

[jonathan c]

The V550 and Audeze LCD-24 are also a sweet matchup (for my tastes). The DAC I am using with the 550/LCD-24 is a Holo Spring3 KTE.

Do you use / prefer the Holo Spring in NOS mode?…(I have V280, LCD-X, Mojo Audio EVO (R2R, NOS)……)

 

[Delta9K]

Do you use / prefer the Holo Spring in NOS mode?…(I have V280, LCD-X, Mojo Audio EVO (R2R, NOS)……)

The latest Spring DAC (3) is NOS only and yes, I like it very much.

 

[MichalZZZZ]

Hi,

Has anyone tried a V550 with Audeze LCD4 and ZMF Verite?

Thanks.

 

[Swisstoni]

Hi, just ordered the V550 along with a pair of AUDEZE LCD 5's. Reviews very thin on the ground but some are saying that the LCD 5's needs a more powerful amp than the specs AUDEZE say is required. Will the V550 be powerful enough ?

 

[Ichos]

Hi, just ordered the V550 along with a pair of AUDEZE LCD 5's. Reviews very thin on the ground but some are saying that the LCD 5's needs a more powerful amp than the specs AUDEZE say is required. Will the V550 be powerful enough ?

The V550 can drive any headphone on the planet (sans some exotics) to ear defending levels.

 

[ROMEROTECH]

The V550 can drive any headphone on the planet (sans some exotics) to ear defending levels.

Spot on. I've got my LCD-XC's and Senn HD800 set to -6db on the gain switches and that is more than plenty for both. On some recordings with headroom i can turn them up full on the volume knob, everything still sounds really clear and so loud that my ear lobes start dancing around which is most pleasurable. That's a lot more than 85db for sure so if you want your ears to blead pleasurably get the V550. Hard to drive headphones like HIFIMAN Susvara and Abyss 1266 would be no problem at all, there's plenty voltage for high impedence dynamic drivers and current for low impedence planars. Fill your boots!

 

[chrisnyc75]

Hi, just ordered the V550 along with a pair of AUDEZE LCD 5's. Reviews very thin on the ground but some are saying that the LCD 5's needs a more powerful amp than the specs AUDEZE say is required. Will the V550 be powerful enough ?

While the prevailing assumption is that V550 will drive anything, I would point out that the power specs do not look particularly synergistic with lcd-5 specifically:

HP Impedance	Ua (dBu)	Ua (V)	Pa (mW)
600	28,7	21,1	740
300	28,6	20,9	1450
100	28,5	20,7	4300
50	27,3	17,9	6400
32	24,0	12,3	4700
16	17,3	5,7	2000
8	12,3	3,2	1300
4	6,8	1,7	700

lcd-5 is 14ohms impedance with a sensitivity of 90db. That's very low impedance AND very low sensitivity, and puts it in the <2 watt row of the V550's power specs. Is <2W enough to drive a 90db sensitive planar sufficiently? I'm not sure. I can tell you that Arya, which is also 90db sensitivity, is rather hard to drive and generally likes more than 2W (I drive mine on Schiit Lyr 3 on high gain (+7.5db) @ 6W, with the volume around 12 o'clock)

 

[Swisstoni]

While the prevailing assumption is that V550 will drive anything, I would point out that the power specs do not look particularly synergistic with lcd-5 specifically:

HP Impedance	Ua (dBu)	Ua (V)	Pa (mW)
600	28,7	21,1	740
300	28,6	20,9	1450
100	28,5	20,7	4300
50	27,3	17,9	6400
32	24,0	12,3	4700
16	17,3	5,7	2000
8	12,3	3,2	1300
4	6,8	1,7	700

lcd-5 is 14ohms impedance with a sensitivity of 90db. That's very low impedance AND very low sensitivity, and puts it in the <2 watt row of the V550's power specs. Is <2W enough to drive a 90db sensitive planar sufficiently? I'm not sure. I can tell you that Arya, which is also 90db sensitivity, is rather hard to drive and generally likes more than 2W (I drive mine on Schiit Lyr 3 on high gain (+7.5db) @ 6W, with the volume around 12 o'clock)

Thank you, you have come to the same conclusion as myself and it concerns me. Everyone says the v550 will power pretty much anything but the numbers don't stack up !! Think I may have to reconsider my amp !!

 

[chrisnyc75]

Thank you, you have come to the same conclusion as myself and it concerns me. Everyone says the v550 will power pretty much anything but the numbers don't stack up !! Think I may have to reconsider my amp !!

To be clear I am not certain they won't pair well, but as someone who is giving thought to both the lcd-5 and V550, the specs give me pause, too. It seems Violectric rolled the power down below 50ohms - presumably for iem compatibility? - not foreseeing the release of the most unusual combination of low impedance AND low sensitivity in the same headphone. I'm thinking you want an amp that provides more power the lower the impedance, all the way down to 8ohms.

 

[jonathan c]

To be clear I am not certain they won't pair well, but as someone who is giving thought to both the lcd-5 and V550, the specs give me pause, too. It seems Violectric rolled the power down below 50ohms - presumably for iem compatibility? - not foreseeing the release of the most unusual combination of low impedance AND low sensitivity in the same headphone. I'm thinking you want an amp that provides more power the lower the impedance, all the way down to 8ohms.

Plus, being a planar-magnetic hp, the LCD-5 will be more purely resistive - the ‘effective’ impedance will not swing too far from the ‘stated’ impedance: 14 ohms.

 

[jlbrach]

While the prevailing assumption is that V550 will drive anything, I would point out that the power specs do not look particularly synergistic with lcd-5 specifically:

HP Impedance	Ua (dBu)	Ua (V)	Pa (mW)
600	28,7	21,1	740
300	28,6	20,9	1450
100	28,5	20,7	4300
50	27,3	17,9	6400
32	24,0	12,3	4700
16	17,3	5,7	2000
8	12,3	3,2	1300
4	6,8	1,7	700

lcd-5 is 14ohms impedance with a sensitivity of 90db. That's very low impedance AND very low sensitivity, and puts it in the <2 watt row of the V550's power specs. Is <2W enough to drive a 90db sensitive planar sufficiently? I'm not sure. I can tell you that Arya, which is also 90db sensitivity, is rather hard to drive and generally likes more than 2W (I drive mine on Schiit Lyr 3 on high gain (+7.5db) @ 6W, with the volume around 12 o'clock)

the 550 has more than ample power for the lcd-5...whether it pairs well is another issue but there will be zero problem driving them.....they are more efficient than the abyss tc which is driven brilliantly by the formula s which outputs 2.3 watts into it...

 

[Ichos]

According to Audeze

Min recommended power >100mW

Recommended power level >500mW

A headphone with 14Ω and 90db/1mW sensitivity will need

Painful - 120 dB SPL

3.74 Vrms - 267.14 mA - 999.11 mW

The V550 is a high current amplifier and will have no problem to power the LCD-5.

 

[monkey4054]

Can anyone tell me whether the Pro version is worth it or not? Where I am it costs about $800 more for the Pro version. What difference does the relay volume pot make compared to the stock volume pot? Also, would it be worth also owning the V281 as well, or is the V550 better? Lastly, has anyone tried the V550 with the HE-6/SE yet? Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

[Ichos]

Can anyone tell me whether the Pro version is worth it or not? Where I am it costs about $800 more for the Pro version. What difference does the relay volume pot make compared to the stock volume pot? Also, would it be worth also owning the V281 as well, or is the V550 better? Lastly, has anyone tried the V550 with the HE-6/SE yet? Any thoughts? Thanks.

The relay pot offers precise volume adjustment per fixed increments and minimal channel imbalance at low volume settings.

Regarding the sound I prefer the V500 over the V281 because it is more clear/clean, faster, better dynamics and more precise/transparent without losing the analogue/organic house sound.