Violectric DHA V226 all-in-one DAC, preamp, headphone amplifier review

Thanks to Lake People for the loan of V226! Thanks to Arthur at Power Holdings, Inc for facilitating the loan!
Buy V226 from Power Holdings: power-holdings...
Buy V226 from Audio 46: audio46.com/pr...
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Channel Intro: • Channel Introduction
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[@masterull]

Bought the dha v226 based on this review, along with a pair of he1000v2 stealth. Crazy nice sound in such a simple system 🙂

[@TomH-85]

Great review, refreshing when someone explains so openly and honestly. Keep it up.

[@StrangerInParadise58]

Great review, thank you! Was hoping for great performance across the board with this unit. I have a Violectric V281 and love it. I actually have it paired with a Violectric DAC V850 and it is a wonderful pairing. The V850 DAC sounds almost exactly like my Mytek Liberty DAC II - which is excellent. I really have a hard time telling them apart. So, I know Lake People can make some great sounding DACs. I also own the Lake People G105, along with the Lake People DAC RS-06 ... and that pairing is also outstanding, very similar to the Violectric V281/V850 pairing. I am now a big fan of Lake People. For me, they make the best sounding gear for my music and listening preferences. Thanks again!

[@slsmaster]

Wondering if I should swap out my D30 Pro in use with my V200 + Utopia for a used V850 I currently being offered. Very unsure if the V850 can hold up to modern DAC offerings....

[@tdfmike3915]

Im also worried how they match up to "modern" dacs. If the frequency caps at around 380khz and dsd256 my hq player upsampling is limited... But the amps seem to be really great! I need to test them somewhere soon...

[@martinpaling1989]

This is a very impressive appraisal.

[@brendanliddell240]

Check out the HPA V222 - Fully balanced amp only which is meant to be the successor of the V280.

[@dantealighieri4258]

Great review, thanks for the heads up on the upcoming products too, really helps with planning purchases

[@behemothinferno]

Could you please review the V550/590 series as well? I am considering them and would like to hear some of your thoughts prior to purchasing one.

[@aceofspades6667]

liked, sub'd, and commented... beauty of a unit.

[@aceofspades6667]

All in ones can be very problematic.. I love Burson products but their conductor series the Dac is the weak point in the AIO where the Soloist has a fantastic amp stage. the vio 550 would be an interesting product to review.

[@kuzia1984]

Theoretically, a DAC should just transform a digital signal into an analog one and not modify the source at all. As much as some people will argue against it, a DAC will always apply some sort of modification to the source signal (although that might rarely be heard). The good vs bad argument is purely subjective, as there are people who prefer a more warm, musical sound to that of an analytic, dead one. Also, the genre of music you're listening to also makes a big difference (i completely disagree with the "audiophiles" who listen only to classical music; that's not the only genre of music worthwhile but to each their own). This is why i've seen so many contradictory arguments in regards to Violectric's DACs. The amp side, though, is second to none. Pure, clean power that can make any type of headphone shine (from the most sensitive IEMs to the likes of Susvara) without asking you for an arm and a leg. Their entry level V202 is miles ahead of offerings from the likes of Chord, Woo Audio and others who are 3-4x the asking price. Solid build, high quality components, clean layout of the hardware and top notch customer support. There's a reason you rarely find any of their amps on the used market (or people complaining about build quality).

[@johnrus7661]

DAC's do change the sound and there is far more that goes into the way a DAC works than just this over simplified statement. Like there is small little amps to amplify the signal, the shielding, the type of DAC or chip. And so much more. Just like an amplifier there are a thousand things that affect sound and it isn't "Just converting signal". There is a lot that goes into that conversion. Nothing in audio is just this "This is all it has to do" type of explanation. It is way more than that.

[@viencarlodiego8842]

Hey man can you also review it’s bigger brothers? Like v380 mk2 pls?

[@khinglouie]

Still a very detailed review!🤘🏽

[@delta9k]

I'ma enjoying the music!

[@sheerkhanful]

Do you intend to also review the Violectric HPA v222? I'm wondering how it will compare to the v281. I find it a bit troubling that the designer of these amps calls them "beginner" amps. From what I understand the larger amps in the Violectric range have a distinctly different sound signature.

[@20puskinas1992]

Architecture is same for all vio amps so i don't expect very big differences. In fact 1 toroidal should make less noise than other vio amps who have 2. Don't see any reason to buy v550 or niimbus unless you need preamp or have Susvara.

[@johenkay1129]

Awesome review.

[@ixoye56]

If you need an all in one I think RME ADI-2 DAC is the better option.

[@megadoodoo5088]

Is the amp section of v226 the same of the v222 pure amp? Or the v222 is more powerful?

[@Raptorace225]

This product is a non-starter for me, and I bet you know the reason why. I simply don't want a DAC/Amp. I want a dedicated HPA. Period. I understand the HPA-V222 is the amp only version of the product line, or is that not a correct statement? Do you think you will be getting a V222 in for review? Continuing to Love your work, Wave. Keep it comin! Thanks.

[@johnrus7661]

The V222 is the amp only for this, I think there is some bias towards the DAC side of things. This DAC chip that is in there costs only $300 and the chip you get in it surpasses anything in the $300 by a mile. Probably take closer to a $500 to match this DAC chip. Because you have to pay for a lot of extra stuff with a stand alone Sigma style DAC. VS this has just a circuit board with a USB-C and that's it. Shares the same power supply and case of this amp. So you get far more for your money with something like this from a DAC perspective. I love wave theory. But even by his description of the DAC with things like driver control of the base or wider soundstage. These are indicators of a superior DAC to any very budget DAC. I think the sound signature is not his favorite. Which is valid, but I think that a lot of people will love the warm tone of this DAC with a lot of headphones like the HD800s or Grados which can have a sparkling top end and respond very well to tubes or a warmer amp. That being said, he is not wrong in his assessment that the DAC can hold this thing back from it's full potential and if your budget allows for it. A nice DAC can make a difference and elevate it to the next level and take full advantage of it's performance potential.

[@Hakku1403]

Thank you for this exellent review.

[@mariodrv]

Yes.

[@wavetheorysound]

Yes. It's not hard to hear either.

[@Innocence44]

so how much does one need to spend to get a decent AIO unit? is the DAC in the V590 any better?

[@mariodrv]

You can make the DAC work (clean up muddiness) with good USB-C cable like Wireworld and a USB card, you can even power the USB card separately from you PC's PSU or go overkill with a linear one.

[@farhan_adenan]

What usb card are you using? Actually I quite like the sound right now. Just need to flip up the dip switch for gain control.

[@mariodrv]

@@farhan_adenan Any generic USB-C card with a seperate power connector will do. Make sure you power it directly grom your PSU.

[@fabriziosiano7210]

I’m bit late on that great review! But have this one question. All reviews of v280/v226 amp part implies a rolled off tremble. How bad is it and how would you say it compares to a Burson soloist or singer amp?

[@wavetheorysound]

Haven't heard Burson or Singxer yet. If there is such a roll off, it's inoffensive to me and I like some sparkle. I think there is a it more control in the treble on Lake People gear than some of the competition which might create the perception of a rolloff.

[@yeeyiusee7828]

我配focal stelia 效果理想

[@giorgivashakidze4805]

maybe that's a stupid question. can I let solid state Amplifier (Brooklyn Bridge) play for 20 hours? (This is about headphones burn in)

[@wavetheorysound]

I've never had a problem doing so and I've used several different solid state amps.

[@RajivKumar-fn9xw]

Which is a better pairing with HE1000v2, V226 or V281, is the high voltage output of these amps less optimal for these low impedence planars.

[@wavetheorysound]

The 281 is still the superior amp, but not by a huge margin, and that is true of the pairing with HE1000v2 as well. While the V2?? series was designed for Hi-Z loads, at least with the V281 I've had no trouble driving Susvara, HE6sev2, or AB-1266. The 226 handled the HE6sev2 well too.

[@RajivKumar-fn9xw]

@@wavetheorysound Thanks🙂

[@masterazlan6999]

3.2watts..quet bulky..hmm no bal in..too expensive..no bluetooth..maybe not. peace!

[@vonBaronX]

Yes, DACs in Vio line is weak, i loaned V590 and it was way better as AMP than DAC/AMP. Don't buy Vio DAC/AMP...

[@calypsopiter]

Hey Mateusz - I believe you got the ESS version with Sabre DAC? I was going to get the same one... but it freezes me when I hear from people using audio gear where Sabre chips replaced AKM (after fire at the factory) - like in Violectrics and RME ADI-2. Most of the people mention that ESS versions sound dry or lifeless.. and that the older AKM had more body etc... It's sad to hear that because V590 looks really promising as a quality DAC/AMP/preamp. I kinda have no more ideas what else to get instead of it.

[@vonBaronX]

@@calypsopiter no, only tested AKM version.

[@calypsopiter]

@@vonBaronX and it was really that bad? I heard someone who was quite happy with V590 on AKM

[@sjqideez6626]

I like Violectric products but their current range is too confusing. V550 V340 V550 Pro V380 mark2 V790 V590 mark2 V226 V590 mark2 Pro WTF?! It’s like looking at Topping’s/SMSL’s product range. #FacePalm

[@wavetheorysound]

Haha. I generally agree. I have found their headamps to be consistently excellent. In talking with Fried Ream it's clear that they are attempting to offer a wide variety of models to suit a wide variety of use cases. But, I also agree with you that they could communicate which model(s) fit which use cases more clearly. Their marketing campaign, at least in the US, is virtually nonexistant.

[@mariodrv]

@@wavetheorysound It's Fried Reim not Ream.

[@boobio1]

$$$$ 1,700 $$$$.