I think Violectric amps work well with a very wide range of headphone loads/impedances, and I know the V281 and V550 do. The V280 should as well, as it is very similar to the V281.
My V590 (which is a V550 with a DAC card) works very well with my high impedance ZMFs, and also with low impedance DCA Aeon (13 ohms) and Rosson RAD-0 (29 ohms) planars no problem.
I think you’d be fine with most all headphones with a V280. 
Check out this page for V280 specs/discussion:
Thank you, as usual, you have great beta for me! Have you heard the 222 by any chance? It looks like the 222 basically replaces the older 280 with “enhanced technical performance compared to the V280, offering greater resolution, detail, and transparency”. But, I’m wondering if it looses some of the warmth and tubey flavor people liked?
I’m just evaluating these variables as a value proposition. Used Vio 280 for $900 or a few hundred more for the updated 222 which may have changed it’s sonic profile slightly or Mjolnir as they are about the same price.
I’m inclined to go for the 280 and call it day.
I haven’t heard a V222, so I can’t give you any useful advice on it.
This sounds kind of analogous to the direction Violectric went going from V281 to V550, with some of the same description for how V550 differs from the earlier model…
What I can say is that it still has some warmth to it, but not to the same extent as V281/LE. It seems all their models have their fans, and I bet you’d be happy with a V280 if you get one. Their amps are really good. and extremely well built.
V280 is the same headphone amp as V281 but without the the balance knob and dual XLR outputs (which means that V280 cannot be used as a pre-amp unlike V281).
I have a V222 here. According to reviews, V281/280 has more power than V222. V222 however has a lower noise floor and also delivers finer details in a cleaner way. V281/280 is warmer, while V222 is described as “slightly warm neutral”, and V550/590 is described as “reference neutral”. The one that is supposed to be closer to V280 in terms of both power delivery and warmness is the V340, but it doesn’t have balanced inputs.
I don’t hear my V222 as warm. It’s warmer than e.g. the older SMSL and Topping models (no idea if today’s models are still surgically bright leaning). It gives a proper bass and treble extension to my DCA E3. I would still call it neutral, or maybe even slightly V-shaped compared to running from the Questyle M15 dongle (which is slightly mid-forward).
V222 drives most of the headphones without any problems. Some people reported that it cannot drive the Tungsten, the OG Susvara, and the HE-6 to their top potential, probably due to prioritizing voltage amplification over current amplification. I don’t have any of those headphones to prove it right or wrong.
Are you happy with your 222?
I bought my V222 as an all-rounder amp to power both dynamic driver and planar headphones to a decent level without coloring the sound too much. I think it’s serving that use case rather well. I would probably be more happy with it if I just had more listening time. It doesn’t get nearly as much time as my portable dongle which I use at work and on the go.
Depends on your use case and headphones you’re going to drive, really.
Decision time! Buying gear without an audition is a tricky guessing game. If money were less of an object, I might be inclined to grab a new 281 reissue. I’m sure it’s an amazing headphone amp. It’s also $2700. I’ve seen them recently on the used market for about $2K. They’re also often touted as a go to choice for a reference HP amp, particularly adept for high impedance headphones. My HPs are low to medium impedance if I include my LCD-3 which is why I had been leaning to the Mjolnir.
I might even consider a 280 reissue on Drop for about $1600 if I could find one. So, after some back and forth on a “good” not “like new” 280, I negotiated a seller down to $850, about a third of the cost of a new 281. This feels like a pretty good value proposition to me. Now, maybe it’s time to get serious about saving up for a ZMF. Really looking forward to finding out how this guy will sound on my system with my cans.
@Markm, I’m going to make a radical suggestion to you. Before you buy anything else, I’d suggest saving up for a weekend in New York and go to Canjam next year. I know you’re planning on going to Capital Audio Fest in the Fall, but that’s more of a 2 channel show, and the headphone opportunities will be limited, although still worthwhile. I’d still recommend going to CAF if it’s convenient to you because it’s so much fun.
People will tell you that the crowd noise at Canjam means listening conditions aren’t optimal, and they’d be right, but that doesn’t take away from the almost limitless opportunities to try out loads of gear, in addition to talking to the vendors themselves. I’ve found at the shows I’ve attended (Canjam, CAF, Axpona) that if you can go on a Sunday, there tends to be less people.
That’s a great idea. Let’s see…March 2026! Long time away. I’ll def hit CAF in November and see what I can listen to but will keep March 26 in NYC in mind.
I got my 280 in today. It’s in very good condition, works flawlessly. This is far and away the best amp I’ve had in my system. It’s pretty stunning. There’s a warm, some might say dark tube like sound as is its reputation but has enough resolution for me. It seem to bring the best out of the headphones I’ve got especially those that benefit from some warmth-Focal OG and Arya unveiled. I can see where some say it’s a little rolled off in the highs, but not interfering with my enjoyment tonight. I like the organic, slightly thick body this brings.
Glad to hear that you like it! I definitely don’t hear the Clear OG as extra warm, tubey or dark on the V222, so if this is the sound that you were looking for you made the right choice 
Congrats on your new amp, glad you are enjoying it! I think you got an amp you’ll be happy with long term, and is flexible enough to drive most anything.
And Violectric builds really high quality stuff, it should last a long time.