Review: ALO Audio Continental V5 – CDM Competition?

Combinations

Using the Cayin i5 as a source connected to the CV5 is something that worked nicely for me. Cayin is known for having good body with a musical presentation and that’s exactly why it makes such a good companion with the lighter tuned Continental V5. You get the best of both units and the sound is detailed, clear, airy and full bodied at the same time. Size wise these units don’t really match together but sound wise they sure do. Recommended! The Astell&Kern AK70 also has good bass and mid body and it physically fits the ALO Audio Continental V5 perfectly. The combination of the AK70 and CV5, just like the i5, is perfect and the same goes for the AK70 + Chord Mojo + CV5 combination should you ever want to try. I preferred the CV5 with these DAPs over the AK380 just so you know.

Tube Rolling

For now we’ll stick to rolling just the Raytheon 6832 tube as it’s the one recommended by ALO. If there’s enough reader interest we will for sure review all the CDM Dual triode tubes with the CV5.

Quick tube switch guide:

  1. Unscrew the volume control
  2. Turn over and unscrew all 4 screws (safely store the 4 mini screws)
  3. Turn it bottom down again, holding the bottom plate
  4. Carefully lift up the case while sliding it away from the front
  5. Disconnect the battery
  6. Safely hold the board with 2 fingers and wiggle the tube out (don’t rush, if needed remove the tape as described earlier)
  7. Wiggle the new tube back in (make sure it is a black PCB, Dual triode tube)
  8. Reconnect battery & carefully try the unit (before putting it back together)
  9. Put the amp back in the case starting at the front plate
  10. Make sure everything lines up and screw the cover and the volume control back on.

I expected the Raytheon 6832 to have more body overall, I have no idea why that is, but this definitely isn’t the case. The 6832 sounds more neutral with even lighter body than the stock 6111. The sound is very fast and precise with great detail. Sound stage is wide with a good amount of space between the instruments, it actually has a very airy and dynamic presentation with great treble. I can see why ALO likes this tube as it scores big in dynamics and technicalities while staying musical. The tube smoothness is as good as gone though. The 6832 was especially great with the HD800. I think a mix of the 6111 and 6832 tubes would be even better and we might find that when we start tube rolling.

alo-audio-cv5_10

Conclusion

The new ALO Audio Continental V5 is clean, precise, detailed and has a little tube smoothness. Overall the sound signature is flatter and linear with a lighter bodied presentation in bass and mids. The build quality – as usual with ALO Audio – is exemplary. It isn’t the easiest amp to pair ear- and headphones with though. This is the exact same sentiment a couple of other reviewers have as well, so I suggest to try it out with your favorite gear first. When you get it right its performance is really good though and for those longing for a bigger bodied sound, I strongly suggest using a full sounding source like the Astell&Kern AK70 or the Cayin N5/i5.

The Continental V5’s level of sound reproduction isn’t as good as the level of the CDM but for the price that is rather normal. I do have to admit I expected both amps to be closer to each other for what sound quality is concerned. The other advantage the CDM has is that it’s easier to roll tubes with. The CV5’s price is set at $799 ($699 pre-order), it’s not the cheapest but I’ve always been a fan of ALO products. Their TOTL CDM is going for $1499 which is more than double but you get an even better/high-end sound, easier tube rolling and an integrated DAC all in one.

alo-audio-cv5_1

 

4.4/5 - (20 votes)
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedin

Lieven is living in Europe and he's the leader of the gang. He's running Headfonia as a side project next to his full time day job in Digital Marketing & Consultancy. He's a big fan of tube amps and custom inear monitors and has published hundreds of product reviews over the years.

9 Comments

  • Reply October 20, 2016

    JohnC

    Thanks for the review – been waiting for it before buying (or not). How would you compare your i5 DAP (or AK70) + mojo + CV5 to just the DAP + CV5?

  • Reply October 21, 2016

    Barun C

    Nice review Lieven. Well said in the end, cause to me $599 with pre order of $499 would have been a sweet spot as well, but Portable Headphone Amps now have become passé, personally speaking, since the improvement of one stop solution DAPs (E.G. QP 1R, LPG).

    Anyway, seems this will be in the league of Vorzüge Pure II & Portaphile 627X.

    • Reply October 21, 2016

      dale thorn

      Would those one-stop-solution DAPs include a flexible Parametric Equalizer (you choose the frequencies and bandwidths)?

      • Reply October 21, 2016

        Barun C

        I believe, LPG has parametric EQ. Not for the QP1R though, I have been requesting Questyle, to introduce the same along with letter wise scrolling, it might take some time,the FW is very basic and uses the linux platform.

        It recently got USB DAC functionality. They have introduced features asked by users since the release in each FW update, which is a good thing, but I’ll be honest, I have not touched the EQ since the day I got the QP1R, and I have been using it for more than a year now, sound is its core competency and it excels at it better than any DAP or portable combos I’ve used, FW wise it is primitive.

  • Reply October 25, 2016

    Mateo

    I would like to know how the hd599 compared with he400s …

  • Reply October 26, 2016

    Gr8soundz

    How would you rate the CV5 against the Fostex HP-V1?

  • Reply October 26, 2016

    Lieven

    I don’t have the Fostex, sorry

  • Reply November 21, 2016

    John Hospod

    How does it compare with the Portaphile 627X?

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.