Is anyone able to describe the sound characteristic of Padauk VOs vs other wood types? Curious about how it would differ from my Camphor Burl…
ZMF Verite Open
- Thread starter heliosphann
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Padauk is a much harder and denser wood than Camphor. Harder woods generally have a tighter and more controlled bass response while softer woods like camphor tend to sound warmer and more diffuse. Similarly, softer woods have a more rolled off treble while hardwoods sound more crisp.
600 mw at 300 ohms is enough to drive it?
I would recommend something like a Jot 2 via XLR but a Pietus will drive it.
+1 for the PMax.
You might also be able to find a used GS-X Mini within your budget.
Tchoupitoulas
500+ Head-Fier
If you're in France, see if any Violectric amps are available. I only know the V281, which is great, and I think @Pharmaboy likes it with the Vérité Open (maybe). That'll be above your budget but used prices of other Vio amps could work for you.
Pharmaboy
Headphoneus Supremus
As @Tchoupitoulas says above, I've had excellent results driving my silkwood VO with Violectric amps: the original V281 as well as the original V280. Both are powerful balanced amps that handle both planars & dynamic driver headphones equally well.
The V280 is the same exact amplifier circuit as the V281, sans the preamp line/out board and with a smaller, different power supply. These amps should sound identical, but they actually don't, not quite. I rolled Sparkos SS3602 opamps into the headphone outputs of the V280, so some of the good sound I'm getting there is from that. I can't imagine selling either amp, to be honest. They're too good for that....
The V281 is very hard to find used, and almost never for as little as $1000. The V280 is a little easier to find, sometimes around $1000. To check for used V280s, go to www.hifishark.com and enter Violectric V280 in the search field. I get 4 results, 3 of which are in the EU. I confess to complete ignorance of the power setup in France: 220V vs 120V, type of plug, etc. So not sure if any of those EU V280s would suit you.
Happy hunting. The VO is a wonderful sounding headphone that definitely scales with good amplification. It will repay every penny you spend on a good SS amp.
For $1000 new, you might consider the Violectric V202. It’s what I would buy if I was in the market at that price point
elee703
100+ Head-Fier
Mine finally got here.......in love. I know generally the BE2 pads are considered the best pairing but what other ones have people found success with?
Universe and Caldera Ultra Perf are definitely worth a try if you want a more laid back presentation with bigger stage. I found the suede Ultra Perfs to sound the airiest and most spacious, but BE2 lambskin are still my go-to for their imaging and fun factorMine finally got here.......in love. I know generally the BE2 pads are considered the best pairing but what other ones have people found success with?
RollinHard843
100+ Head-Fier
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Beautiful!Mine finally got here.......in love. I know generally the BE2 pads are considered the best pairing but what other ones have people found success with?
I currently like the Caldera Ultra Perf lambskin the best. The Universe and Universe Hybrid are also very good, but both are a bit warmer than the Caldera UP. The Caldera UP increases the treble a bit and tightens the bass, but none of it is fatiguing to me. I was finding the Universe pads to be not the best fit for the occasional album, which is why I was looking for change. These all present the soundstage in a big way, which I think this headphone excels at.
The BE2 is fine as far as frequency response goes, but spatially I find them very narrow and that to me defeats the purpose/joy of this headphone.
Thanks for your advice... I got the helmet 2 days ago... I had the bad idea to listen with the pads lambskin unperforated... a horror... really of the porridge that made me regret my Audeze LCD3F for being an honorable one, then I went to the perforated and there, the magic worked... I'm in the angels! it's my SMSL DO400 that feeds it and it's perfectly fine! I think we can do better to go further with this helmet but for now it makes me feel better to do more. I'm going to have time to test this helmet on full installation to see what I like best... in France it's 220v/240v
A little picture of this beauty!
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Hello, that's correct about hardness, but I think there's another important factor that can also affect sound: porosity. This is what I wrote a few months ago, and I find it interesting in this case and hope it helps. (Post #9,572 and Post #9,575):
Hi, my VO is Burmese Padauk, but I haven't compared it to other woods. What I would say is that another variable to take into account, in addition to the hardness of the wood, is porosity.
According to wood-database.com, the janka hardness of Burma Padauk is 2,150 lb, but the “grain is usually interlocked, with a coarse texture and fairly large, open pores.” I think the large pores also contribute to dissipating sound waves and somehow compensate for the high hardness of the wood, making this wood a good middle ground between harder and softer woods. but just my opinion. And I agree with you, for me one of the best-looking VO woods
Edit.- To my ears, the note decay of the Padauk VO is very pleasant, it's not fast by any means, and it's wonderful for the main genres I listen to, such as classical, jazz, and acoustic.
I remembered reading something from Zach about the large pores in wood also affecting sound, and I have found it on Posts #2592 and #6.942. In that case he was talking about the large pores in the Pheasantwood (if you want to have a look)
Pharmaboy
Headphoneus Supremus
I have the same one. And yes, perforated lambskin pads (I believe they're called "Universal") are what I used from day-1. I have some other pads, but what's the point? I won't try to improve on perfection....
I want to clarify my analysis after being informed about all the pads I have... my ranking is as follows
1 universal lambskin perforated
2 verité lambskin perforated
3 B2e suede perforated....
And the last is a lambskin unperforated but this one is horrible...Everything sounded dull and with grain... just horrible
1 and 2 are really close
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