So as a newbie to headphone listening I thought I’d share my early impressions of this new headphone amp from Violectric, they of the revered V281. I seriously considered the V281 but as it was being phased out in favour of this, I decided to jump into the new version, especially as the DAC in this is slightly more in line with the quality of the amplification.
I have a decent system to drive my speakers, so wanted this for headphone duties by itself - it doesn’t have to act as a pre-amp to any speakers. However, I did want an amp hat could be fed from my dCS Rossini DAC, as well as being able to run stand-alone by using the built-in DAC.
Headphones are nothing exceptional - Meze 99 Classic, Sennheiser 650’s, Grado SR325e’s. The Meze’s are my favourite, with the Sennheiser next (though they are reasonably new and much less comfortable) and the Grado’s may be being returned as hey just don’t add anything to the party. But this is not a headphone review.
For comparison, I’ve used a Topping DX3 Pro, and an RME ADI-2 DAC headphone amp (about £250 and £900 respectively), and for all have run them from a Raspberry Pi 4 via optical connector or USB, with Roon. Note too that the RME has also been returned as it was better, but not much better, than the DX3 Pro which is a great small box for the money. The Violectric is closer to £2k so should be better.
First impressions: it’s a solidly built bit of tech, slightly more modern in looks than the V281 and with more discrete white leds. It still has an old-school vibe with three way silver toggle switches on the front panel, and is not full width - it’s about ¾.
I’ve been playing music from Katie Melua, Fleetwood Mac, Faithless, Pink Floyd, Dido, Snow Patrol, Neil Young and others for the past few hours - tellingly, I’ve been mostly listening to the music, not analysing the hi-fi experience, which for me is a good sign. Decent systems offer a clarity and transparency and immediacy that is more relaxing to listen to, I find, and whilst it’s hard to put a finger on why it is, it is usually apparent pretty quickly. It was with this.
Characterwise, it’s like being in a warm down jacket in a snowy landscape: there is crispness and clarity across the music horizon, but doesn’t leave you feeling cold and sterile - there is enough warmth in the sound that enfolds you as you listen to details. There is no harshness in the upper ranges, and bass is tight and controlled and rhythmic - there is a strong Naim character to the sound, I think. In fact, the more I listen, the sibilance control without loss of detail is great. And there’s no lack of bass.
I’ll add to this as I explore it more and let it settle in. Put it like this - I’ve had it in its box, unopened, for a while as I’d been disappointed with the RME despite its good reviews, and wasn’t expecting miracles with this, and it’s a lot to spend on a listening mode I am not an aficionado of. After a few hours I know it’s going to stay and I am already working out how easy it will be to move between the hifi room and the office as I’ll want to use it in there when working.
