The hole is for the optional usb dac card
3 Likes
Oh nice, thanks for the info!
2 Likes
anyone else notice that āVioletricā is spelled wrong in this thread title?
6 Likes
Took me a second longer than it should have to spot the difference:
4 Likes
Iāve never had one so didnāt even notice.
1 Like
That was most likely me - spell check must not have been working that day and apparently still it was close enough for govāt work ā¦until some youngster pointed it out 
1 Like
how old do you think I am? 
1 Like
Wellā¦ I pulled the trigger. Violectric HPA V550 purchased and coming in the mail! Should be a very nice upgrade from the V280.
12 Likes
Congratulations - I like mine a lot. I hope that you are happy with yours.
4 Likes
Sorry to spoil the fun, I fixed the title. As far as I can tell, a lot of us (maybe everyone?) have permissions to change any of the thread titles.
lol, I had to go back to the Life and Love thread to remind myself how old everyone is
1 Like
remind me, what DAC are you pairing with it? Any opinions on good pairings? For starters Iām going to use a Soekris DAC2541.
1 Like
I would stick with that for a while - aka donāt be in too much of a rush to sell the 2541. I used mine with a Soekris 1541 for a period and I liked it. I have been wanting to try a 2541 with it actually because I think itād be a better fit than was the 1541.
Currently I have a Yggdrasil A2/Unison (OG) paired up with it, but ran it for the better part of a year mated up with a Holo Spring3 KTE and LOVED it. The only reason I changed things around was that I personally prefer the Spring with the ORR and Susvara. The Yggy and v550 do extremely well with everything (HE6se v2, Radiance, TH909 etc.) else and is going to become my ādesktopā setup while I move the Ferrum stack, Spring and Susvara to their own dedicated listening spot.
I have also put an BF2 (OG) with it and it was much better than the BF2 with the v281. So Iām sorta curious what the new 2/64 or even the OG with new firmware and in NOS might sound with it - but thatās more a curiosity.
I think you are on to something with the Pontus II youāre eye balling, though Iāve not heard the Pontus II personally.
4 Likes
Eh, im going to disagree with the ādont be in a rushā part here a bit. Sokeris are damn technicaly proficient for the price, but you can get so so so much more out of a dac in terms of realism and energy by moving away from the intense smoothness. Frankly, i found myself enjoying bf2 more than sagra or 2541 regardles of being like 2+ tiers behind in technical performance.
I would personaly say āhear the combo before you upgrade, but if you get the itch thete are lots og awesome option in the same price rangeā
Agree with the yggy rec as well. Another interesting option at that price point would just be to get a p6p tbh. It sucks over usb but it basicaly does entierly outclass the yggy as a dac when using internal storage. Only place yggy wins imo is timbre (which its shockingly good at for its price)
4 Likes
either way - Iāve got options! Starting with BF2 (and if schiit ever ships, the BF2/64) and the dac2541. Iāve seriously considered an Yggy as wellā¦ itās been back and forth between Yggy and Pontus2 for me, and I think i want to try the Pontus first.
1 Like
I admit I have some fondness for the Soekris - And what you are saying here I can get on board with. However, there is some Synergy with the Soekris family of DACs and Violectric amplifiers that is unmistakable and can be greater than each on their own. I would not rush out and by a 2541 but, if I had one I would certainly put it through the ringer - especially while I was recuperating funds from a new amp purchase. I think thatās more the point I was trying to make.
Having done the Yggy first - I would agree with you. Though my only real complaint with the Yggy is its size but Pontus II is not much smaller. However, it is (Pontus) more modern and has better i/o options in my opinion.
3 Likes
Interesting. Tbh i thought the dynergy hetween sokeris and v281 was pretty damn poor (got too smooth and dense and realy lack emotion) but i havent tried sokeris with v550. I guess i can see the extra energy and incisiveness over the 281 balancing things out a lot more. I wonder if my local shop still has their 550 so i can go try that directly
2 Likes
Dude - You have evolved farther Mr. AICā¦ Iām not sure its the best use of your time. Though I do understand āIn the Name of Scienceā 
2 Likes
Hahaha. My best can currently is rad-0 so not exactly getting the best use out of the AIC RN anyways 
Plus playing with new gear is fun. I dont have any real interest in entry level stuff but sa-1+ is at least fun to play with every once in a while
2 Likes
OH DANG. I HAD STRONGLY CONSIDERED THAT AMP (AND STILL AM), suuuuuper looking forward to ur impressions!
Just ordered a v550 pro and really excited to try it out!
Sources are a Hugo TT2 and a DSDJr and the headphones Iāve got are the RAD-0 and Auteur
19 Likes