The Violectric HPA V281 Limited Edition || Z Reviews 💎💎

[@kyon_kyonstar]

Whoever sent you that must be super handsome and really smart and cool

[@land_walker]

Hey Z, I have both the reissue v281 and the clone from Aliexpress. The clone A281 is really good. It is about 80% of the real V281, BUT it came unassembled and I had to put it together. I told the seller about what happened and they just yelled at me. They said I hate small audio companies & China, and wouldn't do anything. I was just asking to have the shipping refunded. Aliexpress also didn't care how crappy the the seller was. So, I would NOT suggest buying the clone. Also, the up sampling on the remote was for the OG version of V281, which had a DAC built in.

[@PinkyPowers]

A few months back I was researching an upgrade to my headphone amp, and placed an order for the Schiit Mjolnir 3. Then I stumbled on this, and talked myself into canceling the Mj3 order and buying this for over twice as much. Very happy I did. Every headphone I own, whether ZMF AO, VC, or HE1000 Stealth, or LCD-3F, all of them sound incredible from this amp.

[@dototftvortic7708]

I own a HPA v550 + spring 3 DAC, use this combo + LCD 5 makes me a happy man.

[@TheSakuraGumiLTD]

Huuummmm... this is a yum buy when the money says "you are buying your dream setup sir"

[@behemothinferno]

I really hope you can get your hands on the Niimbus US 5 PRO. I would send you mine but international shipping ain't no joke.

[@Drn10n]

Zeos, you really should have mentioned the ground lift, the ground is lifted from the factory, and it created a high pass filter and bleeds highs. the amp sounds MUCH better when you manually set the internal header to grounded, assuming it won't create a ground loop (depending on your house electrical works) I was honestly disappointed with it until I read about it in the manual and changed it as instructed.

[@britishskiing]

Sounds exactly like my Trilogy 933. Every headphone sounds better than they’ve ever sounded.

[@palefaced1]

Best solid state headphone amp I have ever heard was the Enleum 23R. Seriously good.

[@erictracy1630]

lol @ the Ina deskmat, I'm sure that's a tooootally legit Hololive product >

[@ZReviews]

Oh yeah... def not some random amazon shoit that is removed already.

[@KipFox]

Was there a little note in the box signed “❤ Arthur”? I could see him doing that. Great guy to work with and loving the V281LE, it rightfully earned the legendary status it has.

[@The_Hipster_Cow]

Would you take this amplifier over the Mass-kobo for powering the Tungsten DS specifically?

[@ZReviews]

Id need to sit back down with both and ache about that choice

[@mtnmankeith9069]

Looking forward to the sparkos labs Gemini review, and if it will drive tungsten.

[@mariodrv]

With single ended headphone cables you only use half the amp, ie. half the power.

[@waquo]

The Violectric V222, the cheaper single ended V202 and the V226 with built-in DAC are supposed to be a revival of the older Violectric circuit design in the V200, V280 and V281. I see some recommendations here in comments for the V222 for Tungsten. It would be interesting to find out how close the V222 comes to the V281, and at 1299$ it is somewhat obtainable.

[@PowerHoldings]

That is correct. The V222 uses the same circuit design as the V281 and the other older Violectric models. The older models used discrete hole through board mounted parts and the circuit was designed to concentrate the majority of the power at 100 ohms. All the newer models started using SMD surface mount components and the circuit was retuned to supply its maximum power at around 50 ohms. This made for a cleaner better measuring amp but it also became a lot more neutral and lost some of that signature Violectric tube like sound. The V222 and V202 were released to recapture some of that warmer tubey sound. Not as much as the V281 and the other older models, but still quite a difference from the newer models. It definitely recaptures some of that musicality. It's currently the number one selling model and for good reason. I don't think you can find another amp that sounds this good in this price range.

[@ipodguy123g]

@@PowerHoldings The limited edition v281 has the same sound as the original? no?

[@PowerHoldings]

​​@@ipodguy123g Yes, the V281 reissue sounds exactly like the original. Keep in mind it will need a few hundred hours of break in to sound its best. 😊

[@wafflest1ck]

I tested both the V222 and V281. V222 is going back to B&H and V281 is staying (No returns anyway on this amp lol). The V222 is an excellent amp for Tungsten however, at least for my SS pair, it was not enough power to be able to raise the gain high enough (+12db) for my preferred listening volume for all sources. +12db was the perfect gain level I needed for those quieter recordings such as Hanz Zimmer, to be able to turn the knob and enjoy. Spotify and KZbin, this gain setting was perfect for me but then I switch over to my FLAC collection, and I would get distortion for days. No issues on the V281. If you listen to FLAC, it may not be enough. If it's only Spotify and KZbin, you're golden.

[@kurt120032002]

I got my V550 pro, and from what I could find this is way to similar to live side by side.

[@Tura67]

Love this review Zeos! What gear do you have connected at the line outs?

[@ZReviews]

Those are the Swan M5a Mk2 Speakers

[@c34webb]

Please stop making me spend money! I guess all I need to do is invest in a vat of mayonnaise

[@ajithchandrakumara]

Zeos, can you do a review of Soltanus Acoustics Euridiche Electrostatic Headphones and the driver Mezzoforte amplifier which can drive all Dynamic, Planar and Electrostatic Headphones.

[@aceofspades6667]

Do you like this one better than Burson soloist voyager?

[@ZReviews]

I believe so. Even if just for the lack of heat

[@alstonmaccow9386]

Still a lot of money

[@Teac4010s]

I can't afford this new stuff and I kinda don't trust it since everything is built in china. All I got for an amp is a Pioneer SX 535 from 1974.

[@PowerHoldings]

Lake-People, Violectric, and Niimbus are still made in Germany. :)

[@darrellross8609]

Z, My SMSL DO200 is tube (1) hybrid. ha, D.

[@jamesrobinson3660]

If it's crackling your volume pot is dirty spray contact cleaner into the pot 🤔

[@KipFox]

It has a reed relay pot, it’s normal in this case

[@ronb3914]

A lot of diamonds lately. This channel has changed. 🤨🙄

[@ZReviews]

I review what is sent to me most times. When something comes along that is both amazing and cheap. I will throw parades. Working to find those diamonds in the Sh~t is hard however.

[@nexusly6720]

Scammer u speak unethical points of view

[@ZReviews]

I mean. No. But thanks for the input.

[@voodoosurvivor148]

Violectric sent another 50 units to Power Holdings - 45 left.

[@rkrnddl5]

Hi zeo, your review always helps me a lot when i choose new gear. I watched your gemini review and this review, both amps look great and you said that they are both tubeeee sounding amp. I have many tube amps and i like tubey sounding amps. Hear is my question. Sparkos gemini vs v281 which amp is more tubey to your ear? And which one do you preffer If you have to choose one between them like me, what will you get?

[@alstonmaccow9386]

Put it the yard sale

[@ZReviews]

The owner wants it back.. How rude.

[@dtdcampbell]

How does the V281 perform with IEM's?

[@eobet]

Holy shit that volume! I have the Final Edition (that turns out wasn't final) and never go above 9 o'clock (0 gain)!! 🙉🙉🙉

[@publicpersona6517]

The last part left me in stitches. Kinda want to get into a fake accident now as well 🤣

[@Drn10n]

Shit, I wish I had money for this since I'm looking for something that could properly drive the Tungstens SS (my pair is in production). What amp would you buy for the Tungstens for under 1,000$?

[@c34webb]

Violectric V222

[@whocares0503]

I OWN the V222 and it works great for DS Tungstens!

[@atom631]

Jotunheim 2 will drive Tungsten

[@Drn10n]

Fuuuuuuuu*k, an old pioneer reciver blew a capacitor on me, damaging my tube pre (now there is constant static from it even when volume all the way down). Ordered this out of spite just now.

[@whocares0503]

@@Drn10n You FOUND a 281 LE congrats!

[@Drn10n]

3 weeks later, im still considering this. it fits so perfectly with my setup, it's just so god damn expensive

[@zxSwifty]

your headphones are dogshit Z ngl, cheapest feeling thing I've ever touched and the sound is ass. Great video keep up the good work, much love

[@ZReviews]

You must live a privileged Life

[@TheSakuraGumiLTD]

huuummmm again... wonder is the $500 copy might be a good copy? imagine that?

[@TheSakuraGumiLTD]

Looking online there are a lot of people asking this question also... would it be within the realm of possibility to reach out the the Chinese company for a review unit and then be able to compare them?... I'm assuming that they will be able to make it cheaper anyway via not having distribution costs, so already 1K can already be knocked off if it is the same... this has 2K knocked off though, so it clearly has to be not close enough... but maybe it is?

[@TheSakuraGumiLTD]

Oh shit... looking inside both of them they are pretty much identical apart from colour differences on parts... PCB board green instead of blue

[@TheSakuraGumiLTD]

You know what... I might get the clone as my first serious amp before I can afford better... sorry bum heads... I will be going with the Present Day Production guys for monitors for the MUM's due to how cheap they are because they sell themselves and do not have distribution... it makes them half the price... when my chesterfield blood ox red sofa comes from the manufacture and not Facebook marketplace, then I might get the other lol

[@PowerHoldings]

​@@TheSakuraGumiLTD If you don't mind a bunch of fake parts and no warranty then get the clone. :) Honestly you'd be better off with the V222. It doesn't have as much power as the V281, but for most headphones it's not needed. The V222 uses the same circuit design as the V281 and the other older models so it captures some of that Violectric signature tube-like warmth. The difference being that it uses SMD surface mount components so it's a little cleaner and less tubey sounding. The V222 is currently the biggest seller. Nothing in that price range sounds as good.

[@TheSakuraGumiLTD]

@@PowerHoldings I have compared a clone Mcintosh’s to the real and the difference is not worth the price… you made a statement without evidence… you claim fake parts but the things removed in function take off $1000 alone… then the parts are fake, they are all labelled and you can find them being sold individually… I guess it’s why there’ll be no comparison… you need to warrant whatever you brought or what you want to buy… people that do this often fan boy with zero personal experience… you speak of no warranty, but this means you know it has worth, then tell me what point is there of a warranty if you pay 5 times the amount? You expect to need to fix the entire thing more than 5 times… functions removed are no things missed… you are speaking to a professional audio engineer here, not someone that has room to be delusional… the thing is, you are so worried and yet you are a audiophile, you barely pay attention to acoustics and yet obsess over pointless details… the tiny differences matter way less to you also, in mixing and mastering a tiny difference spread over every channel in a mix make a big difference but you are hear the very end after mastering… I bet you think Atmos means the need for lots of speakers when it’s simply a new format to rid the need of many playing formats and now if you play something with surround features on a mono speaker you now hear it all… we who have made the change find the stereo fold down is better than our stereo mix… and yet, we have minds for detail still, when it matters… in a master a 1% difference is worth it for it adds to our worth to do masters for people, so often the real thing is worth it… but, not always… you seem to look at clones like they are cheap copies… in the recording, mixing and mastering world to clones are often appreciated… you slap on the badge of a reputation of a country rather than the specific company selling and that tiny difference can only be noticed in a A/B test… do not talk down to me you inexperienced fool… your name is one that you tried to sound big with a pathetic buzz word, there’s no meaning in it… those who assume someone is dumb often are to dumb to see if someone is smarter than them… I will get a clone if it’s to be another good source for monitoring… I first ensure my transparent monitoring, my mass translation monitoring, I then play around with real audiophile things and clones… such a device can easily be properly cloned, a headphone is much harder of course due to uniqueness of the manufactured parts… apart from most low cost things that are just made in china to begin then relabelled… this parts were brought from china to begin with… this reminds me of hippies I new wanting to make sure they lowered their carbon footprint by buying appliances locally… those appliances all started life in china you idiots… at least try to know what you are talking about