http://www.audiophile-magazine.com/bancs-d-essais/vermeer-two/vermeer-two-3/
But before that, I was able to compare different options for adjusting the volume: that of the internal preamplification stage (variable output) of the Vermeer Two, that of the gain controller HVC5 from SPEC, and that of the Lumin X1, this time used as a digital transport with a brand new DSP with lossless volume control (Leedh processing) which is not yet official but which I have as a beta tester.
The results thus went crescendo. The internal preamplifier stage of the Vermeer Two is quite good. It is fairly neutral for an analog tube stage and does not particularly degrade the intrinsic performance of the D / A conversion stage.
The volume management and the display are particularly comfortable, whether you operate from the front panel of the device or via the remote control.
By selecting the fixed output and entering directly on the SPEC power blocks, it is nevertheless better: it gains in transparency and ventilation.This is a logical result since we remove components on the signal path, the gain setting of SPEC does not pass the audio signal.
Then using the Lumin X1 transport in its latest version, still in the prototype state, on the USB input of the Vermeer Two, the sound gains more transparency and naturalness.