[Tex Irie]

That’s a great setup. We use that exact config at CanJams.

Correct me if I'm wrong @AnyDave but at CanJam SoCal 2023 wasn't that a Chord Qutest with a Violectric v226? I believe that was what I auditioned the Westone Mach 60, 70, & 80 on. I ended purchasing the Mach 70 because of the way that pairing sounded. I love that IEM.

 

[Tex Irie]

Has anyone tried the V222 with the Audeze LCD-5, LCD-4z, or Hifiman Arya Stealth? I'm considering purchasing a new set of Planars that compliment my Sony MDR-Z1R's.

 

[davehutch]

Post removed - answered in thread

 

[AnyDave]

Correct me if I'm wrong @AnyDave but at CanJam SoCal 2023 wasn't that a Chord Qutest with a Violectric v226? I believe that was what I auditioned the Westone Mach 60, 70, & 80 on. I ended purchasing the Mach 70 because of the way that pairing sounded. I love that IEM.

You are definitely correct. At SoCal we had a V226 connected to a Qutest. I can't remember if the other setup was a Qutest and a 590v2 or a Nimbus. Some CanJams had different configurations last year. But I don't think any of them used a V202, so that was my mistake.

 

[IXOYE]

I want to improve the sound of my HD800s but I can't decide between V222 and a tube amp, I really love the way my 800s sound through my RME headphone amp but I expect they will improve with more power.
But the question is should I choose a Tube amp or stay with Solid State? My tube option would probably be Feliks Audio Echo MKII.

 

[evhvis]

I'm interested of the Violectric V222, but is it really worth the money to upgrade from the RME ADI 2 inbuilt headphone amp to this amplifier, seriously?

Depends on your personal preferences, how much money it is to you and which headphones you use. I find the RME ADI-2 DAC FS has a very small sound stage, bass lacks a bit of definition and it struggles a bit when you push the volume. E.g. the RME got a bit flustered in low output mode when I got to around -13 in low output (equals -28 in auto ref mode) while with the V226 it is always the headphones that are the limitation. With RME I also felt like I had to chose between smoothness (low output) or dynamics (high output) and I would always go with the smoothness at the cost of some dynamics. With the V226 I get both the smoothness and dynamics. The V222 is essentially a V226 with the DAC removed.

The bass definition and soundstage is a decent step up from the RME. The single ended output is a bit polite in the treble and slightly towards warm while I find the balanced output to be essentially neutral. Both outputs reflect the source in my experience.

With the HD650 there is no contest as I feel the RME is lacking the voltage swing capability to properly drive these while the balanced output on the V226 takes the HD650 to another level. With the Focal Radiance I find the V226 to be more enjoyable with more defined bass, better soundstage, better dynamics etc. I do find the balanced out to be a solid step up from the single ended output, but the I still prefer the single ended output on the V226 to the output of the RME.

 

[IXOYE]

Depends on your personal preferences, how much money it is to you and which headphones you use. I find the RME ADI-2 DAC FS has a very small sound stage, bass lacks a bit of definition and it struggles a bit when you push the volume. E.g. the RME got a bit flustered in low output mode when I got to around -13 in low output (equals -28 in auto ref mode) while with the V226 it is always the headphones that are the limitation. With RME I also felt like I had to chose between smoothness (low output) or dynamics (high output) and I would always go with the smoothness at the cost of some dynamics. With the V226 I get both the smoothness and dynamics. The V222 is essentially a V226 with the DAC removed.

The bass definition and soundstage is a decent step up from the RME. The single ended output is a bit polite in the treble and slightly towards warm while I find the balanced output to be essentially neutral. Both outputs reflect the source in my experience.

With the HD650 there is no contest as I feel the RME is lacking the voltage swing capability to properly drive these while the balanced output on the V226 takes the HD650 to another level. With the Focal Radiance I find the V226 to be more enjoyable with more defined bass, better soundstage, better dynamics etc. I do find the balanced out to be a solid step up from the single ended output, but the I still prefer the single ended output on the V226 to the output of the RME.

Your experiences agree well with mine regarding the RME headphone out, it's good, good enough for most people, but it feels like it doesn't have enough power for 300 ohm headphones.

 

[Tex Irie]

You are definitely correct. At SoCal we had a V226 connected to a Qutest. I can't remember if the other setup was a Qutest and a 590v2 or a Nimbus. Some CanJams had different configurations last year. But I don't think any of them used a V202, so that was my mistake.

Pretty sure you had the V550 or V590. The Chassis didn't have the look of the Nimbus Series. I just remembered the setup to my left being occupied the entire time I sat there. Thank you for piquing my interest in Violectric. I'm glad I didn't hear the V5xx first. If I chose correctly the V222 should be warmer sounding than the V5xx Amps. I'm looking forward to my V222 arriving today.

 

[oqvist]

Rme dont push back the mids thus small soundstage. As for HD 800s depend on which solid state or which tube amp. There is a lot of tube amps that do good with high impedance headphones. I would go for my trafomatic audio head one over the v222 for the Hd800s but both good options

 

[lauthoerer]

If I chose correctly the V222 should be warmer sounding than the V5xx Amps. I'm looking forward to my V222 arriving today.

That’s basically my finding so far. Currently testing the V222 and V281 against my DHA V590² Pro at home to decide if I should switch to one of the smaller models since I’m using an external DAC anyway most of the time. V222 does sound warmer, tad more body in the bass, while the V590² gives a more relaxed but pronounced presentation (both from the DAC-9). I find the V281 to be in the middle of both, leaning towards the V222, which is the cheapest option of the three…

 

[lauthoerer]

I want to improve the sound of my HD800s but I can't decide between V222 and a tube amp, I really love the way my 800s sound through my RME headphone amp but I expect they will improve with more power.
But the question is should I choose a Tube amp or stay with Solid State? My tube option would probably be Feliks Audio Echo MKII.

While I like my HD820 on all the Vios, it easily sounds better on both the HP8 and the Cayin HA-3A or HA-6A, especially on the latter in UL mode. That was the best I ever heard it on. Sadly, all Cayins give the HD820 a noise floor that I couldn’t live with.

 

[Tex Irie]

That’s basically my finding so far. Currently testing the V222 and V281 against my DHA V590² Pro at home to decide if I should switch to one of the smaller models since I’m using an external DAC anyway most of the time. V222 does sound warmer, tad more body in the bass, while the V590² gives a more relaxed but pronounced presentation (both from the DAC-9). I find the V281 to be in the middle of both, leaning towards the V222, which is the cheapest option of the three…

For me the V222 seemed to make the most sense. All my IEMs and Headphones are easily driven but scale well. I'm planning on pairing the V222 with the TEAC UD-505. While the TEAC UD-505 is pretty excellent on its own, I wanted something with a little extra oomph and warmth.

While I like my HD820 on all the Vios, it easily sounds better on both the HP8 and the Cayin HA-3A or HA-6A, especially on the latter in UL mode. That was the best I ever heard it on. Sadly, all Cayins give the HD820 a noise floor that I couldn’t live with.

It's a little too warm temperature wise in the room I listen to music in especially with summer approaching for tube amps. I almost considered an HA-3A but I read this entire thread and watched a bunch of videos on some of Violectric's other amps. The V222 won out for form factor, features, and largely because of the positive experience I had at Lucid/Etymotic's Booth at CanJam SoCal 2023 with the V226 being used as an amp with the Chord Qutest.

I'll also be auditioning 3 Loaner Headphones (Sennheiser HD800s, Audeze MM-500, Hifiman Arya Stealth) to make a decision about which one I will purchase using the V222 as the final determining factor. I'm also really curious as to how my setup will sound with the Audeze LCD-4z or LCD-5.

 

[c34webb]

Has anyone tried the V222 with the Audeze LCD-5, LCD-4z, or Hifiman Arya Stealth? I'm considering purchasing a new set of Planars that compliment my Sony MDR-Z1R's.

I have the 222 along with the Arya stealth and Arya Organic. I have it at -18db and it has so much power I use it at 12 o'clock. It's an absolute beast that can move ANY headphone you'd ever need to push so great for future proofing. Detail, slam and neutral are defining characteristics on those cans. The Stealth is a little darker and smoother than the Organic while the Organic is more articulate and pulls out more detail in every track. Hope that helps.

 

[TheRealDz]

I have the Sennheiser HD800S along with the V222. They are a fantastic match - especially if you end up rolling the opamps for Burson V6 Vivids...

 

[Tex Irie]

Shout out to @ArthurPower! Mans is cooler than a Polar Bear's Toenail! I spoke with him as few minutes ago and I'm glad I bought the V222. Can't wait until it arrives this evening.