[Monsterzero]

Potential buyers come across this thread as they research whether or not they want to plunk down their hard earned cash on this amp, and most of them probably decide to spend their money elsewhere (because why take a chance)

I was almost one of those who went elsewhere. Glad I did not.

 

[shwnwllms]

I was almost one of those who went elsewhere. Glad I did not.

Glad you didn’t as well.

Our conversation regarding the amp (and the critical listening that followed on my end) made me fall in love with it all over again. I’ll definitely be holding onto mine and it’s likely my end game SS.

 

[ROMEROTECH]

If you read through this thread from the start, it’s incredibly misleading to a potential buyer or new owner searching out info on the V550

There are a handful of people with valid warranty issues and defective units (probably well within the Quality Control standards of a company such as Violectric, especially given the V550 was a new generation product when launched)

Those handful of people are the ones most vocal about their valid warranty issues. Most people who had a fully functioning unit probably don’t bother to post their positive experience (or even waste their time on Internet forums such as head-fi to begin with, we are a microcosm of a microcosm)

New owners receive their units are are questioning the functionality of their new (very expensive) purchase, because of the noise, and they stumble on this thread, either as active members or through a google search. They’ve never had an potentiometer behave this way and if they read through this thread they start to think their unit is faulty.

Potential buyers come across this thread as they research whether or not they want to plunk down their hard earned cash on this amp, and most of them probably decide to spend their money elsewhere (because why take a chance)

A handful of faulty units (ie bad apples) coupled with the design of the Pro 256 step Reed relay and you have a perfect storm that makes the number of valid warranty claims seem larger than it really is. This thread is a PR nightmare for Violectric, if head-fi was an accredited publication Violectric’s lawyers would have sent them a cease and desist letter by now to have it taken down for defamation.

Very quiet pops and crackles are expected and accepted with all reed relay volume pots, completely reasonable and there's absolutely no argument with that.

However, when these pops and crackles actually start to become louder and louder, cause distortion, and volume spikes whilst being operated, and even on my replacement amp bearing in mind these pops and crackles started off whisper quiet, when this problem begins to really impinge on the sound whilst operating the volume pot, is when it becomes a serious problem.

Do you really think people are moaning about this particular problem for the hell of it? Do you think people make this crap up?

As for Lake People's feelings being hurt... When you pay this kind of money for a headphone amp you expect perfection, not imperfection. Manufacturers take the good with the bad, as do customers, that's life.

As for liable or slander, really? Lake people would look at all these comments and say... Everyone is entitled to an opinion whatever it is. If there is a problem come back to us and we'll sort it. I don't believe they are fazed by a single comment on this thread.

The only ones being bothered by these comments are the fanboys that won't hear a bad word against them.

As far as i'm concerned there is a problem with these reed relay pots whether you like it or not. That's my opinion. Perhaps one day they will admit there might be an issue and fix it. In the meantime i will carry on enjoying my amp, and should my volume pot woes increase beyond a point i feel is acceptable the amp goes back.

To have one amp's volume pot go bad is fair enough and does happen, and It has to be said that my dealer agreed there was an issue and Lake People instructed my dealer to replace it straight away no questions which was very good of them.

However, to have the replacement amp follow a similar volume pot issue path but stop short before it becomes unnaceptable tells me these pots have some kind of bug going on and it either goes very wrong or just a bit wrong.

You're right about bad apples but i'm afraid it's more than one or two.

 

[shwnwllms]

As for Lake People's feelings being hurt... I don't believe they are fazed by a single comment on this thread.

If it impacts their sales they are. I’ve personally had 3 potential buyers ask me about the issue, pointing directly to this thread (see above). I know that 2 out the 3 ended up buying a Violectric and are happy owners with no issues to report.

The only ones being bothered by these comments are the fanboys that won't hear a bad word against them.

I’d hardly call myself a fanboy, I was planning on selling my V550 recently as it doesn’t get as much use since I purchased a Pendant SE. You’ve got 70 posts total on head-fi, all in this thread and 50+ are complaining about your experience with the amp (which by your own account your dealer replaced for you without question) What would you call yourself?

 

[ROMEROTECH]

If it impacts their sales they are. I’ve personally had 3 potential buyers ask me about the issue, pointing directly to this thread (see above). I know that 2 out the 3 ended up buying a Violectric and are happy owners with no issues to report.



I’d hardly call myself a fanboy, I was planning on selling my V550 recently as it doesn’t get as much use since I purchased a Pendant SE. You’ve got 70 posts total on head-fi, all in this thread and 50+ are complaining about your experience with the amp (which by your own account your dealer replaced for you without question) What would you call yourself?

I'd call myself a reasonably contented owner of a V550 Pro but it doesn't make me a pushover or immune to their foibles.

If there is a genuine problem with my amp i will speak up about it. I really don't care if it affects Violectric sales, not my problem. My only problem is spending my hard earned on something that functions exactly as i ecpect it to. When it doesn't i have a problem.

I didn't pay nearly £3000 just to brown nose and excuse the manufacturer of my amp when they get it wrong. If people decide not to buy because of some owners actual and true negative experiences then that's their decision.

This is a forum, to discuss the good and the bad. If the truth causes umbridge the manufacturer should fix the problem so nobody has anything to complain about.

 

[o-MJ-o]

Anyone heard both the V550 and V222 can comment on the bass and subbass?

 

[shwnwllms]

Anyone heard both the V550 and V222 can comment on the bass and subbass?

@DAPpower ended up buying a V222 but I’m not sure if he had a chance to audition the V550 or not.

@Ichos should know though as he did reviews on both

 

[o-MJ-o]

@DAPpower ended up buying a V222 but I’m not sure if he had a chance to audition the V550 or not.

@Ichos should know though as he did reviews on both

Thanks for mentioning him, I returned the V222 because it was too warm even with a "dry and neutral" dac but it had great subbass and bass, hopefully @Ichos can confirm the V550 is alive in that region.

 

[DAPpower]

I will give impressions tonight when I receive my V222. Theoretically the V222 sound (and that of the older V280/V281) would technically be more suitable for those who want their ZMF's to benefit from a slightly tubey coloring with the speed and dynamics of a solid state amp. That is what I'm going for. I don't think I'm ready to switch to tubes yet because I will miss the dynamics and transients from solid states.

The V550/Pro on the other hand seems like an absolute beast with tons of power. It should be more neutral than the V2XX series with more blackness of background.

 

[Ichos]

The V550 is more technical and absolutely transparent.
In this regard it sounds more clear and clean in the bass than the V280 the V226.
I am waiting for the V222 to test it but I guess that the sound will be more or less like the V226.
The V550 is extremely tight and controlled, very defined with just a touch of warmness but don't confuse it with tubey or solid state class A sound.
I recommend the V550 as the most transparent solid state amplifier but without sounding clinical or artificial like some others...

 

[Alien HP]

Before buying the V550 non-pro model a while ago, I read about the issues with the reed relay pot. I also didn't understand its benefits over the regular volume control of the non-pro model. I still don't. Maybe that's because I never tried one. So considering a much higher price, I couldn't justify it.

Someone mentioned channel imbalance in the non-pro model. I am not sure if I can hear it. Maybe I should pay more attention to it and see if I can notice it. But when I rotate the balance control knob all the way to the right, it seems like the right channel is slightly louder than the left channel when the balance knob is rotated all the way to the left. Can this be called channel imbalance? Or is it just my imagination? In any case, I don't use the balance control.

Overall, I like the amp, how it delivers the amplified quality sound with all sorts of protection solutions and other implemented amp science. But I also have a few gripes. I might have mentioned them before.

The dip switches design is just a bad decision in my opinion. They are very inconvenient to use whenever you need to change their positions for different headphones.

I really wanted the 4.4mm output. Had I known there would be an updated version with it later, I would have probably waited for it.

And a couple of nitpicks. The amp likes to keep my oily finger prints . And it gets warm. Not a big deal.

 

[alvinmate]

Dumb question does that mean the non pro model does not have this volume pot issue?

 

[smutnyjoe]

Dumb question does that mean the non pro model does not have this volume pot issue?

No, the non-pro model (unless it's a problem with a particular unit, but I've never heard of such a case) has a totally silent volume pot which works just fine.

Pro-model is a few hundred $ more expensive, and you get a volume pot which, in theory (marketing and pro owners' opinions) has "better channel balance", but from my experience (and I tried both), you just get an irritating noise and nothing else for a higher price. But it's only my personal opinion.

That said, I'm a great fan of the v550 and just can't see any even more high-end transparent amp replacing it as my default solid-state amp in the near future. Well, maybe if they release an upgraded version with gain switches in a more reachable place lol.

 

[vonBaron]

It's all about longevity, "reed" relay volume pot will last way longer than alps pot.

 

[Alien HP]

It's all about longevity, "reed" relay volume pot will last way longer than alps pot.

So in other words, the irritating noise will last longer too.