[mattiastomas]

I always found that any good tube amp will put me in an alpha state: calm, focused, thinking magic carpet thoughts. Very few SS amps do this.

But my OG V281 is one that usually does. The whole warm/cold sound dichotomy fails to explain this. The V281 has a soothing, chill vibe, yet is dynamic as can be and not even close to overly warm (a wonderful paradox).

Are you finding any differences in sound between the OG and the reissue?

 

[Pharmaboy]

Are you finding any differences in sound between the OG and the reissue?

Several people have asked me this. The URL below links to my answer from the other day. My Reissue just finished burning in, but I'm so busy with multiple review loaners that I might not get to a head-to-head of OG vs Reissue for another week or so.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/vio...up-for-preorder.705318/page-396#post-18095286

 

[mattiastomas]

Several people have asked me this. The URL below links to my answer from the other day. My Reissue just finished burning in, but I'm so busy with multiple review loaners that I might not get to a head-to-head of OG vs Reissue for another week or so.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/vio...up-for-preorder.705318/page-396#post-18095286

Gotcha. My V281 reissue should be arriving end of this week hopefully. How long would you recommend burning it in for? Does burning it in just mean leaving it on or there has to be an audio signal playing through it with headphones plugged in?

 

[Pharmaboy]

Gotcha. My V281 reissue should be arriving end of this week hopefully. How long would you recommend burning it in for? Does burning it in just mean leaving it on or there has to be an audio signal playing through it?

I'm no electronics expert. I just do things that seem to work (and have worked before). For me, burning in the Reissue would be leaving it on for 150 hours at medium volume with a headphone attached. I usually start out with brownian & gaussian noise files (day-1), then progress to different genres of music, alternating music with a strong beat/pulse (R&B, reggae, AfroPop) with classical & choral.

In the case of the Reissue, it was convenient that the headphone used is a loaner Caldera Closed I plan to soon start review/listening to. So I burned in two new components together.

Is 150 hrs of burn-in overkill? Would 75-100 hrs do the same thing? I don't really know. It's just that every once in awhile (typically w/dynamic headphones & especially DACs) I run into something that needs 150 hrs burn-in, if not more, before the sound stops changing. So I do a one-size-fits-all burn-in rather than obsess about each component's burn-in.

 

[Alfredo3001]

I've been using the v281 LE for the past few weeks, and I really like it! I don't plan to write an impressions post, but I prefer it over the v222.

I promised myself not to sell my v222 (for the third time) after getting the v281 LE... I don't see myself going back to the v222 for now.

Guys, I have a favor to ask. Are any of you experiencing issues when using the SE output?

I'm getting a white noise sound when using the SE output. I've done a lot of troubleshooting. The noise is there even when there is no input connected. I've tried all the settings on the dip switches on the back, the volume wheel at minimum and maximum, different power cables, different wall plugs, and different 1/4 to 3.5mm adapters. The headphones I currently own and have used with SE are the DT770 Pro X, Sony XB700, Tin T2, and another cheap IEM. I tried the HD800S on the SE, and I do not hear anything. I think the problem may be related to closed-backs and low impedance.

 

[geoffalter11]

I always found that any good tube amp will put me in an alpha state: calm, focused, thinking magic carpet thoughts. Very few SS amps do this.

But my OG V281 is one that usually does. The whole warm/cold sound dichotomy fails to explain this. The V281 has a soothing, chill vibe, yet is dynamic as can be and not even close to overly warm (a wonderful paradox).

Agreed... But as Shakespeare wrote, Truth is Paradox. So, there's that. Impossible to live a life without contradiction, and possible for audio equipment to be or do more than one thing.

Your post is perfect...

 

[commtrd]

The repartee is aptly nuanced... good music is indeed the spice of life.

 

[geoffalter11]

I'm no electronics expert. I just do things that seem to work (and have worked before). For me, burning in the Reissue would be leaving it on for 150 hours at medium volume with a headphone attached. I usually start out with brownian & gaussian noise files (day-1), then progress to different genres of music, alternating music with a strong beat/pulse (R&B, reggae, AfroPop) with classical & choral.

In the case of the Reissue, it was convenient that the headphone used is a loaner Caldera Closed I plan to soon start review/listening to. So I burned in two new components together.

Is 150 hrs of burn-in overkill? Would 75-100 hrs do the same thing? I don't really know. It's just that every once in awhile (typically w/dynamic headphones & especially DACs) I run into something that needs 150 hrs burn-in, if not more, before the sound stops changing. So I do a one-size-fits-all burn-in rather than obsess about each component's burn-in.

I am also not an electronics expert, but this is an area where Peter and I disagree. I don't hear significant changes that I can attribute to things happening electrically after 50 hrs or so. I do hear changes, but those I attribute to my own evolution with the product. The more I listen, the better I hear...

But, I don't ever think that my way is the right way, and I 100% respect those who believe in burn in for up to 500 hrs. If that is what it takes for someone to get the best out of a product then I am all for it. I just personally haven't experienced massive electrical changes beyond 50 hrs with either a headphone or an amp or dac. But, I do hear changes, and continue to hear changes up to and past 1,000 hrs on gear. However, I attribute these to me learning. Of course, with anything in this hobby, YMMV. I am no expert when it comes to design, engineering, physics, or any part of building a product. This is just one ignorant person's opinion...

 

[geoffalter11]

I've been using the v281 LE for the past few weeks, and I really like it! I don't plan to write an impressions post, but I prefer it over the v222.

I promised myself not to sell my v222 (for the third time) after getting the v281 LE... I don't see myself going back to the v222 for now.

Guys, I have a favor to ask. Are any of you experiencing issues when using the SE output?

I'm getting a white noise sound when using the SE output. I've done a lot of troubleshooting. The noise is there even when there is no input connected. I've tried all the settings on the dip switches on the back, the volume wheel at minimum and maximum, different power cables, different wall plugs, and different 1/4 to 3.5mm adapters. The headphones I currently own and have used with SE are the DT770 Pro X, Sony XB700, Tin T2, and another cheap IEM. I tried the HD800S on the SE, and I do not hear anything. I think the problem may be related to closed-backs and low impedance.

How's it going? Super happy that you are enjoying the V281 LE so much. I hadn't tried the V281 with a single ended cable, so after reading this I put my OFC ZMF 1/4" cable on my VC and plugged it in. I am not hearing any white noise, or noise of any kind. It is dead silent for me. I can try 4 headphones single ended, so I will see if I get any noise from anything else. But, my VC do not display any noise as if this moment.

I found noise on my CFA3 when using XLR inputs and I did the following things to isolate the noise. I was hearing noise in the left channel of my headphones when plugged in without music.
1. I unplugged all interconnects and then plugged the headphones back in. Dead quiet.
2. I unplugged my XLR inputs and plugged in RCAs. Dead quiet.
3. I took the top off and switched the polarity and made the left channel, the right channel and so forth. The noise stayed in the left channel even after switching left and right when using the XLR inputs.

So, I was able to isolate the noise to the XLR inputs. So, I sent it back to the builder to check and fix as I was afraid that a transistor blew. And the only thing I know for sure about amps, is that you never mess with transistors.

So, there are ways to check to see if the sound exists in other ways. First thing I'd do is unplug all interconnects, turn on the amp and plug into the SE. Then see if there is noise. I hope this helps... When my amp made it back to the builder he said he couldn't find any noise or problems with the amp, which tells me I probably had a loose connection somewhere causing the issue. I hope when it returns the noise is gone. And I hope you are able to figure out the issue.

 

[Fegefeuer]

Did you try the internal jumpers to play around with the various grounding options, Alfredo?

 

[Alfredo3001]

How's it going? Super happy that you are enjoying the V281 LE so much. I hadn't tried the V281 with a single ended cable, so after reading this I put my OFC ZMF 1/4" cable on my VC and plugged it in. I am not hearing any white noise, or noise of any kind. It is dead silent for me. I can try 4 headphones single ended, so I will see if I get any noise from anything else. But, my VC do not display any noise as if this moment.

I found noise on my CFA3 when using XLR inputs and I did the following things to isolate the noise. I was hearing noise in the left channel of my headphones when plugged in without music.
1. I unplugged all interconnects and then plugged the headphones back in. Dead quiet.
2. I unplugged my XLR inputs and plugged in RCAs. Dead quiet.
3. I took the top off and switched the polarity and made the left channel, the right channel and so forth. The noise stayed in the left channel even after switching left and right when using the XLR inputs.

So, I was able to isolate the noise to the XLR inputs. So, I sent it back to the builder to check and fix as I was afraid that a transistor blew. And the only thing I know for sure about amps, is that you never mess with transistors.

So, there are ways to check to see if the sound exists in other ways. First thing I'd do is unplug all interconnects, turn on the amp and plug into the SE. Then see if there is noise. I hope this helps... When my amp made it back to the builder he said he couldn't find any noise or problems with the amp, which tells me I probably had a loose connection somewhere causing the issue. I hope when it returns the noise is gone. And I hope you are able to figure out the issue.

Thanks for the reply! I think it may just be low-impedance headphones.

This is what I've tried so far:
- The sound comes when I completely plug the headphone jack (1/4 inch) all the way into the amp (click).
- The amp is quiet when using the 4.4 mm or XLR.
- I've tried four different single-ended headphones, but the same issue persists.
- I've tried using four different 3.5mm to 1/4 inch adapters, but the issue remains with all four adapters.
- I've tried two different cables, but the issue persists.
- I've tried adjusting the dip switches on the back and tried both +12 and -12 on both channels, but the buzzing sound persisted. Changing the dip switches doesn't affect the buzzing volume level.
- I've tried using the XLR inputs on the back as well as the RCA inputs, and even with no input cable connected, the buzzing persisted, which means the amp, power cable, and headphones are the only components present.
- The buzzing disappears when I mute the Headphones out. If I mute the headphones, the buzzing disappears (no sound on headphones). Adjusting the volume wheel doesn't affect the buzzing; it remains at the same level.
- Adjusting the balance wheel doesn't affect the buzzing; it remains at the same level.
- I've tried connecting the amp to a different wall plug, but the issue persists.
- I've tried a different power cable, but the issue still persists.

 

[Alfredo3001]

Did you try the internal jumpers to play around with the various grounding options, Alfredo?

I did not. What should be the default?
Found this from the manual.

 

[Fegefeuer]

ex works=default

Try the general jumper first and (if it doesn't help) then once you reverted, try the jumpers at input level, starting with the left channel.

see page 33 of the manual

 

[kumar402]

Anyone got a chance to compare it against Bliss ? Based on impression I have read, it sounds similar to Bliss. Form factor is great.

Have to say I got floored by MJ3 that I got on a loaner few days back. Would love to see some comparison with these amp.

 

[Alfredo3001]

ex works=default

Try the general jumper first and (if it doesn't help) then once you reverted, try the jumpers at input level, starting with the left channel.

I will try that! Although not right now, I don't feel confident about opening a brand-new amp.