Musical Fidelity V-Can Headphone amplifier

Musical Fidelity's V-Can headphone amplifier belongs to the new V Series, which also includes a V-LPS phono stage and two 24/96 resolution V-DAC and V-Link D/A converters. All these inexpensive components are made in the same style and are quite tiny boxes powered by an external AC adapter. At the same time, the company does not save on components, the cost is reduced due to the lightweight design.

V-CAN is equipped with two output jacks for 3.5 and 6 mm plugs, which allows you to connect different types of headphones or listen to music together. A line output is also provided, the signal level at which does not depend on the position of the volume control - it can be useful, for example, for recording.

To evaluate the circuitry, carefully disassemble the case and look inside. The pre-stages are based on the MC33079N chip, these are four low-noise and high-speed operational amplifiers in one package. The output is a complementary pair of powerful BD139/BD140 transistors, the signal from which is fed to the output through a 1000 uF isolation capacitor.

I tested the V-CAN with two types of headphones - Sennheiser HD-580 with 300 ohm impedance and 32 ohm Goldring DR-50. The HD-580s require a higher output voltage, which is not possible for all low-voltage powered amplifiers, and the DR-50s require a fairly decent current.

There were no audible distortions in either case. Although there was, of course, a difference in sound, it was determined by the phones themselves - they are painfully different in terms of resolution, tonal balance, and dynamics. The overall impression is this: dense and deep, perhaps even slightly accentuated bass and a clean, uncolored high. In the Sennheiser HD-580, the nuances of the recording were better recorded, the timbre shades were more accurately transmitted, and the atmosphere of the hall was better formed. With a fairly dense filling of the spectrum, the sound was light and not fatiguing. The scale of the symphony orchestra was felt, there was no extraneous coloring on the loudest fragments, indicating the beginning of signal clipping. The upper range is airy and transparent.

When you turn on the Goldring DR-50, the bass is a little heavier, the nuances are slightly blurred, but the dynamics of the impact has noticeably increased. In this combination, it is good to listen to rock and electronic music, the drive of these genres is transmitted perfectly. True, the V-Can copes with a low-resistance load not so confidently - at the peaks of volume, you can feel a slight compression. Most likely, this is treated by using a more powerful stabilized V-PSU. The advantage of the amplifier is that even on compositions with a very rich and dynamic sound, the intelligibility and accuracy in the transmission of timbres is truly impressive.

In general, the potential of the V-Can is so high that it can be used with headphones of a very decent class, and the quality level will depend solely on them.