VIOLECTRIC DHA V590 Review

Violectric DHA V590

Sound – Pre Amp

Ever since the Violectric DHA V590 arrived it’s been the only pre amp I have used. It has been serving as a preamp for all of my tube headphone amps as well as for my power amp in my speaker setup. The only other pre-amp I have used is the Technics SU-G700 in my living room setup, but that’s a story for another day.

As a pre amp the V590 is easy to use and it allows you to set the gain just right. For some amps I use the max gain setting, for others such as the Headonia, I use 0 gain. The most important part to remember is that my ears don’t allow me anymore to take the DHA V590 pre amplification out of my signal chain and setup.

All I can say is that the V590 is great Pre-amp as well, it’s not just a DAC/AMP unit. But more about that in the end conclusion.

Sound – Amplifier (as DAC/AMP)

The overall sound quality of the V590 is good and nothing short of what you expect from a higher and amplifier.

You get a full sound from bottom to top, but not overly so as was more the case with the Violectric V281. The impact still is impressive while the delivery is fast, natural and smooth. It’s not a neutrally tuned unit, but it’s not very warm sounding either. It balances perfectly in between both, and that makes it easy to like.

The V590 of course is dead silent and it has a pitch black background. The sound stage width is good and can best be described as natural with a realistic sense of space and airiness between the notes. The depth and layering are also good tough there’s still room for improvement in regards for the layering.

Violectric DHA V590

The detail retrieval is good and you get a slightly smoother and musical delivery, where most higher end units go for the more analytical and precise kind of approach. With Violectric it has always been about the musicality and enjoyment however, and the tuning of the Violectric range has always been more to the softer, smoother and warmer side. That being said, this unit isn’t overly smooth or warm at all, but it’s more so then it’s neutral. Basically it’s a realistic and natural presentation with the amount of detail one expects from a high end device.

Looking at the classics, we’ll start with the bass. Bass has always been very important in the Violectric product range, and that’s no different here. Bass is full, rounded and it has a nice punch to it. The presentation of the bass is on the warmer side, but like with the amount of body, it’s not overly present. It sits just right, making it sound, natural and realistic, yet fun and engaging. Compared to the user high end tuning, the bass here isn’t as tight.

The mids are smooth and have lovely timbre. The mids section is a pleasure to listen to and it like the bass has a very natural yet musical tone. The vocals blend in perfectly and they are realistic and intoxicating. I absolutely love the dynamics in the mids, but the Niimbus US4+ performs even better in this area.

The V590’s treble section is smooth and musical and it’s soft on the ears. It’s very easy to listen to and it will never shock you or sound harsh or overly energetic. This isn’t really surprising as all of the Violectric units have a very safe treble tuning. In short, the treble is soft and easy yet musical and lively.

Just as with the V281, the balanced output is the one that really makes the DHA V90 shine. The Single ended outputs of course are good sounding as well, but the balanced ones just give you have more spacious, wider and natural kind of sound. The single ended ones sound a bit more powerful, but they’re also a tad more intimate.

Let’s check out some high end headphones using different technologies. On to the next chapter!

Violectric DHA V590

Headphones

In this part we will be describing the sound of a series of headphones with the DHA V590 used as a DAC/AMP. I have selected the following series of high end headphones in order to cover different technologies as well as lighter and harder to drive headphones.

Sennheiser HD800S, Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro, Audeze LCD-MX4, Audeze LCD-XC, Hifiman Sundara, Hifiman HE6-SE, HEDD Audio HEDDPhone, Kennerton Thror.

The Audeze LCD-MX4 isn’t the hardest to drive headphone and the synergy with the V590 is excellent. Great speed, good body and excellent impact. Lots of detail of course, but also a musical presentation. I really like the vocals and pace in this combo.

The Hifiman Sundara is a harder to drive headphone and it’s one of my favorite set of cans. It’s harder to drive than most orthodynamic headphones and the volume on the DHA V590 goes up more, but there is no issue whatsoever in driving these. I advise to up the gain a little bit. You get a full bodied sound, with a precise presentation and a very good level of detail. For me personally the Susvara in this setup is missing some sound stage width and extension (notes), but it’s a very good combo non the less.

The Sennheiser HD 800 S is a headphone I absolutely love. With its 300 ohm and dynamic driver it’s a notorious headphone and amplification is crucial to get the best possible sound. I personally tend to hook it up to an OTL tube amp, but the DHA V590’s signature matches that of the HD 800 S. The V590 provides it with all the bass and body you need and you get excellent vocals and energetic yet softened out treble. This is a combo I can listen to each day. If you like the HD800s, then you will absolutely like it with the HAD V590.

The Audeze LCD-XC is the only closed headphone in this line-up but the synergy with the V590 probably is the best of all. Good speed, tight delivery, powerful bass, sweet mids, lively vocals and exciting treble. I think I’ll listen to this setup the rest of the day.

Violectric DHA V590

If you like a darker and warmer sound with excellent bass, than the Meze Empyrean probably is a headphone for you. I expected it to maybe sound overly full and warm on the V590, but this isn’t case at all. It’s a pretty sweet, and smooth combo, but with good speed and clarity. I can see many Empyrean owners loving the V590 and Meze combo. The more I listen to the Empyrean, the more I use solid state amps with it, and this one drives it really well.

I expected the HEDDphone to perform really well with the V590 and that’s exactly the case. Great deep bass and superb clarity but with a musical delivery. The stereo imaging is sublime and you just get a powerful sound with a smoother delivery, especially in the mids. For many this will be the perfect mix of a high technical level and divine musicality.

With Hifiman’s HE6SE you just like with the Susvara need to increase the volume and give it some extra gain to get the very best out of it. Do that and you’ll get exemplary bass, incredible layering and top level extension. Of all the open headphones in this list so far, the magic with this HE6SE is the best.

The Beyerdynamic DT1990Pro is one of those headphones you expect to sound best with an OTL amplifier, but the V590 does a reasonable job. This is OK to listen to but it’s a bit light and sharp for me, especially in the vocals and upper mids. So for me not the best synergy between these two.

So pretty good results overall with the LCD-XC as my personal favorite. Check out https://tidal.com/browse/album/66479099 with this combo and you’ll agree with me.

The article continues on the fourth page. Use the jumps below or simply click here.

Page 1: https://www.headfonia.com/violectric-dha-v590-review/1

Page 3: https://www.headfonia.com/violectric-dha-v590-review/2

Page 4: https://www.headfonia.com/violectric-dha-v590-review/4

4.5/5 - (23 votes)
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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.

10 Comments

  • Reply April 2, 2021

    MhtLion

    Great review! Surely the best review on Violectric, any Violectrics. I purchased v281 after reading your review. Does your unit has the upgraded volume pot? I wonder if it is worth extra $600.

    • Reply April 7, 2021

      Lieven

      Thanks. Yes it does, as said in the article. IS it worth it, well it’s an improvement but doesn’t have an impact on the SQ

  • Reply April 3, 2021

    James Marino

    Excellent article!

    Glad to see some new reviews on Violectric gear. For awhile the company seemed to be
    languishing, however, they have come back strong with their new line of amp\dac\preamp
    components; which look to be very competitive within their market segment.

    Recently purchased a V100 based on an older article Lieven wrote, and looking forward to
    using it in my Head-Fi system.

    Cheers! Jim

    • Reply April 7, 2021

      Lieven

      Glad you like it, James 🙂

  • Reply April 4, 2021

    John Herzig

    Hi Lieven, I bought your V200 from you when you sold it and you kindly shipped it all the way to Canada for me. I paired it with a V800 after I received it and have been happily using it on a daily basis. Cheers, John

    • Reply April 6, 2021

      Lieven

      Hi John, good to hear from you. Thank you for the message, I’m really glad to see you’re still loving your Violectric setup. If you want to upgrade to the V281, let me know 😉

  • Reply August 13, 2021

    Renaud

    Hello folks! I enjoy reading this review. I don’t own any Lake People equipment but clearly they seem to know their way around designing a proper amp. 🙂

    Probably because of the shortage on AKM chips, Violectric already replaced these 2 units with V380² and V590². It’s the same amp stage inside but the DAC part is now ESS-based with two ES9026Pro per channel. So it’s a quad-DAC design. The resampling control on the facade is gone too.
    Here is the new units on CMA Audio website :
    https://www.cma.audio/en/categories/headphones/headphone-preamps/violectric-dha-v3802
    https://www.cma.audio/en/categories/headphones/headphone-preamps/violectric-dha-v5902

    It does not make these units less interesting but potential buyers reading this review should be aware of the change.
    I wonder if Headfonia will get a chance at reviewing the new units and comparing it with those short-lived AKM-based combos.

  • Reply August 24, 2021

    JMP

    Hi,

    Great review!

    You mention the Kennerton Thror in the list of headphones tested but nothing later.
    Can you sum up this pairing in a few words please?

    PS: Btw, do you plan to review mk2 EES-based versions ?

    Thanks

  • Reply April 3, 2022

    Will

    I’m absolutely in love with my hd800s, and I am looking for an amp to drive them. Would you recommend this, or something like the Feliks Euforia or the Auris hs2sf? I have never owned a tube amp before and so I’m a bit skeptical. Thanks.

    • Reply April 6, 2022

      Lieven

      All good Choices for the HD800. You can’t go wrong with any of the Violectric amps (or Niimbus). The Euforia AE is the best of the Euforia series, but the regular one is also really good.
      I still am a big fan of the LAfigaro 339 and HD800 combo as well. In the AUris range I would recommend the Nirvana and up.

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