The Conductor vs. Violectric V200
Audeze LCD-2 rev.1 Playing Radiohead’s “Morning Bell”, the Conductor is a bit drier sounding than the V200, which is fuller and smoother. The Conductor has the thinner, but more obviously textured bass and crisper highs, the V200 has the fullness and authority, making me prefer the latter. Playing some Emerson String Quartet, however, the Conductor feels clearer and sharper and brings the violins more up front, again revealing some extra texture and timbre, which I like. All in all, I might slightly prefer the Conductor, but certainly not for all music.
Conductor >< V200
Audeze LCD-3 I never really found the LCD-3 to be a good match for the V200. It is not that it is terrible, sometimes I really enjoy the unique laid back way of that combination. However, most of the time I just find it dull. It is a somewhat of a mystery, since V200 is suh a delicious amp with the LCD-2. But comparing the Conductor using the LCD-3 never makes me doubt my preferences. The Conductor brings the midrange more up front where they should be. It has better clarity, better imaging, it sounds more open and engaging. Whether I was playing Portishead, The Alban Berg Quartet or the saxophones of BMX’s “Bergen Open”, I clearly prefered the Conductor.
Conductor >> V200
Hifiman HE-500 With the HE-500 the V200 has the upper hand, with an appealing authority, retaining detail and imaging at the same time as it gives that extra little smoothness. The Conductor gets a bit dry in comparison, without gaining in any particular area. The soundstage is wide, but a bit “hollow”. The difference is less apparent on string quartets than it is with electronic and vocal music.
V200 > Conductor
Ultrasone PRO 2900 Listening to BMX, both the saxophones and the percussion are a bit more airy and crispy with the Conductor, whilst the V200 has a darker sound. It is neither grainy nor muffeled, just more “rooted”. With Mahler’s symphony the Conductor is more controlled and tighter in the bass region, with clearly more texture, while the V200 generally is fuller sounding. Since I tend to see the Conductor as a slightly bright amp, I expected it to make the treble happy PRO2900 a bit too bright, but it really didn’t. All in all, I cannot really say which of the amps are better or more preferred, so I have to call it a tie.
Conductor >< V200
Beyerdynamics T1 This is my brightest can. Trying some string quartets, BMX’s saxophones and the female vocals of Portishead, I always prefer the V200 for its slightly warmer touch and slightly punchier punch. Not a huge difference, actually they are sometimes remarkably similar – but I always end up preferring the V200 – especially on the Portishead track where the Conductor/T1 gets a metallic shine on the vocals.
V200 > Conductor
Summing it up, the Conductor fares well against the V200. They have different characters. I tend to think of the Conductor as lighter, brighter and wider, and the V200 fuller, darker and smoother. The Conductor is conveying more texture, the V200 is more fluid, but still has lots of detail. The V200 feels like it has a deeper soundstage – like the imaginary room stretches further away, while the Conductor has a wider and more open soundstage. What I prefer depends to some extent on the headphones and the music, generally finding the Conductor better for classical pieces, as its name might suggest.
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