The V281 is blossoming into quite an impressive headphone amp. It was great out of the box and cold on day 1 but now that I have 4 days of around the clock burn in, some small but not insignificant changes took place and the sonic character emerging moves me in BIG way. Effortless dynamics, zero grain or harshness, weighty, meaty, full bodied presentation without sounding overly dark or bandwidth challenged in the treble.
The Sennheisers love the new amp, the HD650 especially appreciated the balanced drive of the V281. Focal Utopia and V281 combo is simply jaw dropping. Just the right pairing for my taste, ultra resolving but rich and full bodied sound without sacrificing dynamic contrast or speed. The V281 is my new reference solid state for sure.
I still often find myself listening to the DAC module inside the V281. It is not the Schiit Gungnir DAC by any stretch of imagination when it comes to ultimate micro detail, openness, airiness and perceived resolution but... When listening to certain genres of music it is pure honey on the ears and locks in with the V281 for a VERY musical, moving and engaging presentation with the Utopia. The V281 and Utopia combo makes me want to stay up all night and greet the sunrise with the smooth, reedy and intoxicating saxophone still filling my ears with the beautiful music.
With the power reserve and the finesse, refinement and smooth presentation, the V281 is one impressive headphone amp. Now I understand why so many have fallen for this particular amp. Hard to fault. Actually impossible to fault.
