The Violectric V222 was kindly provided as an extended loan in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t receive monetary or any other kind of compensation and I don’t use affiliate links. The price of the Violectric V222 is €1199 and you can order it directly from Violectric.
Introduction
The Violectric V222 is a balanced headphone amplifier, a further development and the true successor of the most famous and multiple awards winner, the V280. It uses the same base circuit and amplifying principle but with some extra tweaks in order to improve the audio performance.
Technical highlights
The Violectric V222 is a balanced headphone amplifier which is equipped with four symmetrical amplifier stages at the output and not just balanced connectors.
The working principle is that all input signals are converted to unbalanced in order to pass through the ALPS RK27 volume control and get buffered. Then they are converted to symmetrical signals (R+,R-,L+,L-) before they get amplified by the four power amplifiers, which are a further development of the famous V200/V280 circuits. The single ended headphone output uses two of them while the balanced output engages all four.
Thus, the V222 is able to offer: High output voltage due to the 50V internal operating voltage, therefore ideally suited for high-impedance headphones. High output power through powerful amplifiers that can deliver far more power than even the most demanding headphone can need, therefore ideally suited for headphones with low impedance, including difficult to drive planar magnetics. High damping factor due to the lowest output impedance therefore ideally suited to control even the most difficult headphones without influencing their frequency response.
In order to make the V222 more compact and desktop friendly than the V280, the Violectric team decided to use one toroidal transformer, instead of two, as the basis of the internal linear power supply which has separate local regulations for all critical parts of the circuit and utilizes 22.000 uF of total filter capacity.
A brand new feature is that the two rear line inputs, XLR and RCA, can now be selected via a switch on the front. Readers familiar with the V280 will remember that there was no input selector and the RCA input had priority over the XLR. So it was not possible to have both inputs plugged simultaneously, something you can easily do with the V222.
The pre-gain adjustment system
All Violectric amplifiers utilize an innovative pre-gain adjustment system. The user can adjust the pre-gain of the amplifier in seven different values -18 / -12 / -6 / 0 / +6 / +12 / +18 dBr, separately for each channel. This system allows for the lowest possible noise due to a very small internal gain so the inherent noise of the amplifiers is literally inaudible.
Appearance and build quality
The Violectric V222 is more compact than the V280 so it occupies less space. The rectangular chassis is entirely made from thick aluminum which guarantees effective shielding against EMI. The massive 38mm volume knob is also made from aluminum. The design is a nice mix of the classic studio gear appearance with a touch of a modern twist. The Violectric V222 is made in Germany with the famous teutonic perfectionism and attention to build quality.
User interface
The Violectric V222 is a headphones only amplifier without any digital inputs or preamplifier outputs. At the back of the unit there are located the AC input plug, XLR and RCA stereo inputs and a pair of pre-gain dip switches, one for each channel.
The front face is occupied by the input selector, the power on/off switch, the massive volume control knob and the three headphone outputs. (Balanced 4-pin XLR, 4.4mm pentaconn and 6.35mm). Just for reminders and the sake of comparison, the V280 had one 4-pin XLR and two 6.35mm headphone outputs, was lacking the input selector and had a smaller diameter volume knob.
Power output and associated gear
The Violectric V222 is a super powerful amplifier that can easily drive all headphones on the planet, from high impedance to low impedance / low sensitivity ones. The amplifier is adjusted to provide 3500mW Pmax in 50 Ohm and 23,2V RMS into 600 Ohm loads so it combines both high current delivery and large voltage swing. For all regular headphones like the Meze Elite, iBasso SR3 or the Sennheiser HD8XX, the zero pre-gain setting was more than enough while for the very inefficient HIFIMAN Susvara the +6dB option did a spectacular job.
I can’t possibly imagine how powerful is the Violectric V222 when you choose the +12dB or +18dB options and what they are needed for, maybe for a couple of inefficiency legends, like the AKG K1000 or even to drive a pair of speakers? On a side note, the Violectric V222 runs pretty cool so you can place other devices at the top of it.
The amplifier is also very versatile because you can set the pre-gain to -6dB or lower, where the noise floor is extremely low, and use the V222 with most earphones except some super – sensitive ones.
As per usual practice the Violectric V222 was left playing music for more than 100 hours in order to settle down. I have used various trusted sources, from the entry level Aune X8 XVIII DAC to the custom-made Lab12 dac1 reference. Streaming was entrusted to the Volumio Rivo and power conditioning was handled by the Lab12 “Gordian” power distributor-conditioner. All headphone cables are exclusively made by Lavricables .
Listening impressions
People familiar with the V280 will remember that its greater strength was the utterly musical, organic and very analogue sound character but was somewhat lacking in overall technicalities and transparency, especially when compared with some recently made solid state amplifiers like the Ferrum OOR.
The Violectric V222 takes as a foundation the same kind of sound signature but it raises the bar much higher when it comes to the technical performance. The sound heritage is the same but this time, technicalities, transparency and source fidelity are dramatically improved.
The V222 is more resolving and refined, it has plenty of energy with faster transients and increased agility. It is certainly more revealing and exposing than the V280 but still very polite in this regard so it never becomes ruthlessly unforgiving.
The frequency response is absolutely linear without any tonal shifts. The low end is amazing, the bass is visceral, full bodied, weighty and at the same time tight and controlled with excellent definition and layering.
The Violectric V222 is super dynamic and adds great physical impact to the bass, the power amps are very fast and respond with lighting speed to sudden dynamic changes. Rest assured that the V222 will make all your headphones sound punchy and rumbling with thundering bass no matter how difficult they are to drive.
Mid-range clarity and transparency are superb, the Violectric V222 is resolving, refined and very articulated. The higher end has plenty of luminosity and airiness, it is energetic and luminous enough but the V222 doesn’t belong to the breed of sharp and bright sounding amplifiers. The treble is surely extended and detail retrieval is more than enough but on the other hand, the V222 is to be considered rather smooth and forgiving. This is not a clinical or sharp sounding amplifier nor that magnifying or super analytical as some other competitive models.
Where is the tube?
Someone could go as far as to suggest that the V222 sounds more like a well designed tube amplifier rather than an uber technical solid state one.
Is this to be considered as a disadvantage? Certainly no, not all. This is exactly the advantage and the greatest strength of the V222. It is so unbelievably musical and organic sounding than is literally like having a tube stuffed inside it! OK, exaggeration aside, this is still a solid state amplifier but you can’t fail to notice the supreme analogue characteristics of the sound or the excessive holographic properties of the soundstage. The presentation is grand and magnificent , the music envelops the listener and transports him right into the recording venue. The V280 was a grand sounding amplifier but the truth is that the Violectric V222 raises the bar even higher when it comes to the openness, spaciousness and positioning accuracy of the soundstage.
The timbre of the Violectric V222 is so amazingly natural that makes all instruments and voices sound eerily realistic with a multitude of colorful overtones and plenty of glowing harmonies. Expressive and communicative, this is the kind of an amplifier that connects the listener with his music by prioritizing sentimental expressiveness and emotional depth over extreme technical verbalism.
The Violectric V222 is a unique amplifier because it has a sound signature that resembles the timbral characteristics of a tube without lacking in solid state technicalities. It proved a great match with all the headphones I have tried but one of my favorite pairings was with the HIFIMAN Susvara. A fantastic combination, not only because the Violectric V222 has all the muscle to drive the Susvara at its limits but moreover for the sound synergy. The amplifier can fill the Susvara’s slightly lean nature, tame the treble sharpness, add extra weight to the bass and inject tones of musicality to the sound while taking full advantage of the Susvara’s supreme technicalities. Add a good DAC of your choice to make one the world’s best high-end headphone systems, a marvelous combination for listening to classical music with the rare feeling of being there in a concert hall. Live recordings of symphonic music really shine with this combination.
Single ended output
As discussed earlier, the Violectric V222 is a truly balanced amplifier with four symmetrical power amplifiers. When using the single ended output, only two of them are engaged so you are essentially listening to half part of the amplifier. This doesn’t mean that the single ended output is of much lesser sound quality than the balanced one. The power output is still enough to drive almost everything while the sound quality is very competitive albeit the balanced output is undeniably better.
Thus said, Violectric has an entry level model, the V202 which is essentially the single ended version of the V222 with the same base circuit design but two power amplifiers instead of four. Moreover its technical parameters and power delivery are better when compared to that of the V222 single ended output. What I am saying here, is that if your collection consists of single ended headphones, then the Violectric V202 is a better option and greater value for money than the V222 which is only recommended if you primarily plan to use balanced headphones and do some occasional mixed usage.
Compared to the Violectric V340 (€1899)
The Violectric V340 is the bigger brother of the V222. It features the same amplifying principles but the circuit is further improved and advanced in various critical sections. The V340 is more powerful, the maximum power is raised to 5W/50Ω from the balanced output while it also adds a preamplifier function with both balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA outputs. The takeaway is that it doesn’t have the XLR balanced input of the V222 but instead you get two RCA inputs.
(For the comparison I used the Violectric V380² which features the exact same amplifier circuit of the V340)
Same family, same kind of sound signature but with some critical differences. The V340 is still musical and organic sounding, like the V222, with that great timbre realism but its character leans more towards solid state and is less reminiscent of tubes.
Technicalities and transparency are slightly better on the V340, the sound is more transparent and precise, the overall texture is somewhat leaner but with extra layers of depth. The bass is less visceral, a touch drier but in exchange more dynamic and impactful, the V340 is faster, it slams harder and never loses control.
The mids and the treble are still devoid of brightness and artificiality but they do sound cleaner, airer and sharper. Treble extension and luminosity are one step higher, detail extraction is deeper and transients feel faster. The overall decay is also more relaxed on the V222 which is also more holographic when it comes to the soundstage but the V340 has the upper hand when we talk about positioning accuracy and imaging.
Family business
What is really amazing is the consistency of the Violectric house sound, both amplifiers sound musical and analogue-like, engaging and expressive with great technicalities and transparency. What happens is that the V222 slightly sacrifices technicalities for a more relaxed, tube-like sound presentation when the V340 offers increased technical performance while still keeping musicality as its top priority. And there is more, the Violectric V550 manages to combine state-of-the-art technicalities with plenty of musicality but this is another story that you can read about it here.
In the end
A solid state amplifier for all those who hate solid state amplifiers and would rather prefer to own a tube amplifier but don’t dare to mess with tubes? Is there such a thing in existence? Yes, behold the Violectric V222. A headphones amplifier that successfully combines solid state technicalities and transparency with a musical, expressive and less sterile sound signature akin only to tubes.
Extremely powerful, compact enough to fit everywhere, built like a tank and reasonably priced, the V222 represents one of the greatest values in the market right now and maybe the most musical sounding solid state amplifier in existence.
Copyright – Petros Laskis 2023.
+ Especially expressive, musical and engaging + Great timbre realism and complete absence of artificiality + Excellent technicalities and transparency + Dynamic and impactful + Grandiose and holographic soundstage + Extremely powerful both for high and low Z loads + Low noise floor + Excellent channel balance + Massive aluminum volume knob + Pre-gain adjustment system + Balanced and unbalanced inputs selectable via front switch + Excellent build quality + Made in Germany + Compact sized - Without preamplifier outputs - Internal op-amps are not rollable - A remote control would be handy
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