You’ll Love Listening To Music With The Violectric V266 Headphone Amp

Earlier this month I wrote about German audio specialist Violectric. The company has been designing and manufacturing high-end audio equipment for 15 years. Based near Lake Constance, Germany, the company has a philosophy grounded in pragmatic German design and engineering, infused with some of the most advanced audio technology available.

Now a loan sample of the Violectric’s DHA V226 headphone amplifier and DAC is on my desk for review. Designed for music lovers who want the best sound for playing through ugh high-end headphones, the V226 is sure to please those audiophiles who love getting up close and personal with great music. If that sounds like you, then read on.

The Violectric DHA V226 has a sensible price tag for what’s on offer. Housed in one of the most robust metal cases I’ve ever seen, this DAC and balanced headphone amplifier also has a pre-amp function so you can plug your favorite pair of headphones in and listen just as you would a proper audio system. The only thing it won’t do is drive a pair of speakers.

The DAC’s design is based on Cirrus CS 43131 chip with a typical 130 dB dynamic range and THD that goes as low as -115dB. The preamp section will accept digital sources via a USB Type C port at the rear of the unit. The V226 can also handle analog line-level inputs via two pairs of RAC Phono sockets. So, you could use that for inputting something like an FM tuner, cassette deck or vinyl turntable. However, it’s the digital function that most people will be interested in.

First, let’s look at the connections on this little amp. About the size of a thick hardback book, the V226 weighs a hefty 3kg and is beautifully put together. The black brushed metal finish looks professional and oozes German engineering vibes. It’s everything you’d expect from the country that brought us Mercedes-Benz.

At the rear of the unit, there’s a mains input so there’s no external power supply to clutter up your living space. There is a preamp output for connecting to a power amplifier and you can switch between pre and post signals. Next to the output are the two pairs of analog line-in RCA phono sockets and there are two banks of DIP switches for setting the amount of pre-gain you might want to use so that the analog signal matches the digital input, avoiding a jarring change when switching between sources.

Finally, there’s a USB-C port that can support digital PCM signals up to 32 bits at 384kHz. There is also support for DSD up to 256kHz. to comes with a USB-C terminal and supports PCM signals up to 32 bits and 384 kHz sample rate as well as DSD up to 256. That USB-C port will take almost any source whether it’s a desktop, laptop, Windows, macOS, Linux or even the output from your iPhone or Android smartphone.

At the front of the V226, there is a large rotary volume knob with beautifully clicked detents to indicate the volume steps. There are outputs for a 6.35 unbalanced pair of headphones, a 4.4mm Pentaconn balanced jack, plus a four-pin XLR connector for a pair of balanced headphones. Two dolly switches on the front of the panel. One is for switching between the RCA and USB inputs, while the second switches between the headphone amp and preamp out. Finally, there’s a power switch to turn everything off when you’re not listening.

Setting up the V226 takes seconds. Simply plug it into a power socket using the supplied kettle lead and then connect the USB-C port to your digital source. Then turn on the power switch, plug in your headphones and turn up the volume. The result is one of the smoothest and most detailed headphone amplifiers I’ve ever reviewed. There is plenty of volume to play with and the tone is spot on. This amp does not need EQ or tone controls because its native sound is sublime.

To test the amplifier, I turned to my collection of Diana Krall albums that I’ve created on Tidal. In my view, the Norway-based Tidal is one of the best streaming services as it offers high-res audio up to 24-bit 96kHz. Tidal is also the only streaming service I know of that offers MQA encoding, although the V226 can’t unfold for decode MQA, so you’ll have to. listen to FLAC files for high-resolution music. Amazon Music is another service that also offers a lot of hi-res music at a sensible price.

Anyway, back to the music. The Diana Krall files in high-resolution FLAC format are an excellent test of any amplifier. The recording quality is invariably high and there’s so much nuance in the recordings, that you almost feel as if you are in the room with Ms Krall. When it comes to headphones, I chose a pair of Sennheiser HD660S2 with a balanced 4.4mm termination. The HD660S2 headphones aren’t super expensive, but they are more than good enough to audition the V226.

The sound from the V226 is nothing short of awesome. We’re talking hairs rising on the back of your neck quality. Every detail and every breath from Ms Krall’s voice are captured with astonishing clarity but with a laid-back analog feel that will sweep you off your feet. Listen to the brushes on the snare drum while a string slaps on the fingerboard of a double bass. The V226 can extract sounds from a hi-res audio file that you didn’t know were there.

As I mentioned earlier, the V226 does not need tone controls, loudness buttons or bass boosts. The sound straight out is perfectly balanced and will work well with almost any good pair of headphones, no matter how hard they are to drive. If you only like listening to music through headphones or IEMs, the Violectric DHA V226 is a cost-effective alternative to a large and expensive audio system.

One word of caution, with an audio system capable of such a high performance, there’s no quarter given to poorly recorded music or tracks that have been overly compressed. The level of detail is so astonishing, that sloppy mastering or low-quality sources will be ruthlessly exposed so be careful in your choice of music. With great quality recordings like a lot of the early Blue Tone albums, the V226 will give you hours of pleasure and will have you listening to your music collection all over again. You do need a good source and if you use CDs, as I do, you may notice the absence of an optical or coaxial digital input which I would have liked to have seen rather than the two line-in inputs. Maybe next time.

Verdict: If you love listening to music through a great pair of headphones, the Violectric HA V226 will melt your heart. With an excellent high-res music streaming service like Tidal or Qobuz, the Violectric is perfect. Even with analog sources, it’s a great headphone amp. Many people criticize digital music for being harsh or overly metallic in sound, but I can assure you that an audition with the Violectric DHA V226 will convince you that digital can sound every bit as good—and in some cases better—than some of the best analog sources. If you love headphone listening and enjoy great music that’s been properly recorded, then the V226 is a pure joy to hear.

Pricing & Availability: The Violectric DHA V226 headphone amp and DAC is available now and costs $1,399 / £1.230 / €1,399.

More info: violectric.de or electromod.co.uk

Tech Specs:

• Analog inputs: 2 x Stereo RCA.
• Digital inputs: 1 x USB-C (32-bit/384kHz PCM, DSD 64 256).
• DAC: 32-bit
• Dynamic range: 130dB
• Total harmonic distortion: -115 dB THD+N
• Pre-Gain: +/- 18 dB:
• Volume control: Alps RK 27.
• Amps: 4 x 3,500mW Pmax into 100Ω and 23 V RMS into 600Ω.
• Headphone path and line-out path individually switchable
• Headphone outputs: 1 x 4-pin XLR, balanced / 1 x Pentaconn, bal. / 1 x ¼inch / 6.35mm jack, unbalanced.
• Line stereo outputs: Unbalanced via RCA.
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 17 x 5.5 x 29 cm.
• Weight: 3 kg.
• Power input: 110V or 230V (not both).