StereoNET: ALO Audio Continental V5 Headphone Amplifier Review

JUNE 2017

ALO AUDIO

CONTINENTAL V5 REVIEW / ALO AUDIO / CONTINENTAL V5 PORTABLE TUBE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER

ALO AUDIO

CONTINENTAL V5 PORTABLE TUBE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $1,199 RRP

ALO Audio are an Oregon-based audio company who have made their presence known in the audiophile scene with their portable headphone amplifiers, interconnects and cables.

With their workshop situated in Portland, the team claim to be music fans first and craftsmen second. As such, there is a heavy emphasis placed on personal audio with each of ALO’s products breaking the boundaries of the subjective listening experience.

The focus today will be on ALO’s wonderful boutique collection of portable amplifiers, particularly, ALO’s recent release: The Continental V5. The V5 represents another well-regarded collaboration between renowned engineer Vinnie Rossie of Red Wine Audio and ALO Audio.

Unlike the transportable Continental Dual Mono, the Continental V5 is a more portable offering with a single dual triode amp which runs in stereo. Like its older brother, however, the V5 offers a tube-rolling experience combined with hybrid technology which exploits the best of the vacuum tube and solid-state hybrid worlds.

“breaking the boundaries of the subjective listening experience” Packaging

Design

The V5 appears in a sleek and low-profile

Much like many of ALO’s creation, the

black box with a slide out featuring a picture of

Continental V5 is visually stunning with its

the amp covering it. Once this slide-out insert

CNC machined aluminium enclosure which

is removed, the ALO Audio inner box can be

comes in a solid black or silver colour. ALO

removed by pulling a green ribbon to reveal

have done well to avoid the gorilla glass

the V5 amp resting into a foam cut-out below.

window, which although looked fantastic on

Accompanying accessories include a carrying pouch, charger, USB adaptor, elastic cables and a manual. One thing that was removed

the previous Continental dual mono amp, would have looked awkward with this single triode amp topology.

from the original Continental Dual Mono’s

Also featured are machined ventilated holes

accessory line-up was the Green Line cable.

which despite looking industrial, promise

This would have been a nice touch to add,

to keep the temperature of the device to a

however, for what it is worth ALO audio have

minimum. Overall, I am extremely impressed

decided to make this amp more affordable.

with this company’s design language throughout its amp use. It is clean and retrolooking, yet incredibly sturdy and premium to the touch – a job well-done.

Build & features Dimensionally, the ALO Continental V5 is a relatively small device with a 92mm x 59mm x 20mm size. This coupled with its modest weight enables listeners to use this as a portable device with room for stackability.

Front The front panel of the ALO Continental houses the 3.5 mm stereo headphone output on the far right. Next to this is the well-machined gain switch which features high and low settings.

The line-out is immediately next to this and the potentiometer is finally on the far left of the device. The potentiometer has moderate levels of grip and is more aesthetically pleasing than the original Rx’s indented design.

Back On the rear end of the Continental Dual mono, there is a single micro USB charging port.

Much welcomed is the ability to charge this

“modest weight enables

device from the wall or your laptop device

coupled, with the low noise floor makes it

which the previous Continental Dual Mono

a stellar companion for both portable and

amp was not able to do.

serious high-end headphones alike.

The form factor for charging the V5 is also

Owing to the single tube use, the amp runs

less heavy than the CDM which is another

relatively cool compared to the CDM. Battery

beneficial advantage where portability

life also extends as a result of this with a

is concerned.

decent 8 – 9 hour playback time.

Internals & Power Supply

Blue LED

Behind the aluminium chassis of the ALO

The V5 has a built-in temporary muted-output

Continental V5, is a hybrid design which

during turn-on (20 seconds) during which a

features a Class A input stage with a dual

blue LED will light up. The purpose behind

triode 300ma JAN Philips 6111 NOS (new

this was to get the tubes working at thermal

old stock) fed into a SS Class AB design

equilibrium to get the best sound (although in

output stage.

practice, sound did get even better following

The Continental V5 receives a clean 16V power supply (+/- 8 V) and projects 325 mW per channel which is said to be more

an hour use). Once the 20 seconds are up, the blue LED turns off and the user is able to use the V5 as instructed.

powerful than the Continental Dual Mono in both balanced and unbalanced modes. This,

listeners to use this as a portable device”

Sound quality Tonality (w/ Stock 6111 tubes) On first impressions, the Continental V5 runs with a quiet background with no channel imbalances at low or moderate volumes.

Noise does increase slightly with sensitive IEMs, however, this is not intolerable. With larger headphones and less sensitive IEMS,

Compared to the PlusSound Cloud Nine

while the former delivers a more linear albeit

amp, the Continental V5 has a more decisive

spacious presentation of sound.

bottom-end performance which is tactile, smooth and retains quite a bit of detail.

However, compared to the Continental Dual Mono, the V5 loses out on a bit of detail with less sub-bass presence.

the background noise floor is remarkably

Overall, the bass notes are well-done and

clean despites the amp’s large output power.

capture a good sense of decay without ever

The sound signature of the Continental V5

being bloated or wooly.

In terms of harshness, the CDM does well to tame sibilance and is never grainy sounding; qualities of a well-designed amp set-up.

Higher frequencies sound slightly cleaner than ALO’s Continental Dual Mono owing to a more forward treble section. This is perhaps the most noticeable difference between the CDM and the V5, where the latter has adopted

can best be described as neutral with some

Midrange frequencies are excellent with the

a more solid-state sound and the former, a

added harmonic distortions from the tube

Continental V5. Again, the hybrid nature of

more tube laidback presentation.

design. The result being a smooth yet fast

the amp really works well to define mids

sound which really does get the best out of

which are not only well-spaced and layered

the hybrid technology.

but also present with a good amount of detail

The V5 is not a typical tube amplifier which presents a compellingly rich and euphonic signature. Instead, the sound is more orientated towards the solid-state sound with

and richness. Though not as rich and tubesounding as the Continental Dual Mono, the V5 is a sound which is more of a mix between ALO’s CDM and RX amp.

some of the added smoothness and richness

The soundstage is not perfect, but for the

of the stock 6111 tube.

price it is simply great. A perhaps unfair

Low frequency notes sound well-balanced, extend low and have a good sense of linearity.

comparison to the desktop Schiit Mjolnir 2 sees that the latter renders a more holographic and 3D presentation of sound

With the V5, ALO Audio have captured a good timbre as tracks do not sound artificially bright or unnaturally subdued but maintain a lively and engaging sound.

Pairings HE1000 V2

Campfire Audio Vega

The Continental V5 and HiFiMAN’s HE1000

Unlike full-sized headphone set-ups, there is

V2 pair incredibly well. I was surprised to see

some hiss to contend with. Although this is

how the little device could sustain the amount

not immediately distracting when tracks are

of power it does to drive the HE1000s to

playing, this combination is another well-done

levels that the CDM could never.

pairing with the Continental V5s.

The overall sound signature benefits from a

The overall sound signature becomes more

lively and engaging midsection which sounds

spacious with an engagingly fast and smooth

rich and fast. The slightly forward treble also

mid-section and evened out bass. Compared

increases the fast sense of space as well as

to the DAC/Amp of the Q1PR, however, the

clarity that the HE1000 benefits from. All the

V5 falls short in extreme details but does

while, a dead black background is presented

well to contend with other amps within its

in avoidance of low noise floors and other

price range.

distortions.

“a more solid-state sound”

“an extremely well-performing device”

Tube-rolling Another way to enhance the sound is the ability to tube-roll. The V5s, like the CDM, were made for this kind of customisation where users can roll in different tubes after purchasing them on ALO’s store front or from other tube suppliers.

The instructions for doing so can be found on ALO’s Head-Fi thread.

However, the company could have released an instructional video like with that of the Continental Dual Mono so that users do not get confused.

The manual should also have highlighted how to roll tubes which would have allowed better accessibility to this feature for the general user. In terms of tube selection, ALO Audio are recommending a 400ma Raytheon 6832 tube as a solid upgrade to the 6111 Philips stock tube.

Comparisons

Conclusion

In comparison to the PlusSound Cloud Nine

ALO Audio’s Continental V5 represents an

amp, the Continental V5 has better levels

extremely well-performing device with the

of detailing, separation and midsection

ability to complement and even replace some

presence. While the Cloud Nine has good

hi-end desktop set-ups.

levels of detail, the softened upper midrange and lower treble frequencies fall short of the more engaging and decisive Continental V5.

Like the CDM, the V5 has better immersion than PlusSound’s mid-fi offering.

Compared to the Schiit Mjolnir 2, the Continental V5 has a more linear sound with less sub-bass presence. Although the former is a desktop amp, the V5 does well to compete in driving hi-end devices. With that said, however, the holographic and sonic projection of sound in width and depth allow the former to be a bit more immersive. The Continental V5 also has great tonality with an engaging midsection and treble.

It is detailed and fast with good richness in the midsection resulting in a lively and engaging sound presentation.

Vinnie of Red Wine Audio set out to create a smaller device with more power, cooler running, better portability and a more defined battery charging status than the CDM. On that front, the Continental V5 has certainly succeeded and redefines a new slice of the market for those looking for hi-end quality for a fraction of the price of the original Continental Dual Mono.

With that said, $1,199 is not the cheapest portable amp but ALO Audio certainly promise outstanding build quality with a sound to match.

The beautifully defined aluminium edges, welldesigned topology and quality potentiometer all contribute to the premium feel and inherent durability than the V5 offers.

The ALO Audio Continental V5 is most certainly worthy of a place in any audiophile’s inventory.

SPECIFICATIONS

Frequency response // 10Hz – 300kHz +/- 0.1dB (very impressive) Input impedance // 110k (low gain) / 10k (high gain) Output impedance // < 0.5 ohm Gain (low)

// High / Low gain switch (great for IEMs and full-size headphones) // One 6111 dual triode tube, user changeable (tube rolling) // 6V power supply (+/- 8V) // 20-second mute circuit for tube warm up (blue LED ON during warm up)

// -10dB

// Low output noise and microphonics

Gain (high)

// 8-9 hour play time

// +10dB Output power (into 32 ohms) // 325mW per channel, RMS

// Low voltage warning (blinking red LED) // Charging LED (Red = charging, Green = charged, Orange = ON)

// Premium low ESR audio-grade power supply capacitors // USB charger input (same as Rx) WORDS/IMAGES: Smit Patel