Best bang for your buck amp?

How much does BW cost?

 

~1250ish new iirc

 

If I go by your logic and consider only max SQ per unit price, the SS order will be more like:

Good motherboard onboard
might be slightly worse than
Asus DGX
might be slightly worse than
Asus STX
might be slightly worse than
Magni / O2
might be slightly worse than
Polaris

But it doesn't really work like that.

Ember II v/s Vali 2

Pros of Ember:
More features, more versatile
Less noisy
Heats less
Optimised for almost all headphones at all price ranges
A HiFi jack of all trades regardless of the phones involved
Far more powerful and customisable
Ability to tailor the sound more than any other Hybrid amp regardless of price
Far more tubes are supported
Easier and cheaper to obtain said tubes
Tubes have a greater impact on changing SQ
Garage1217.com is more involved and has far better customer support (I have dealt with both, Schiit is good, but there is no contest really)
Doesn't get outdated every 2 years
SQ that is comparable if not slightly greater than Lyr 2
Ability to get a supercharger to beat many amps 1.5x the price of the Lyr 2

Cons of Ember:
None really apart from price

Pros of Vali2
Cheaper

Cons:
Read Ember Pros

If you take the above into account, I'll rather go with Project Startlight to save money over Vali 2. Many of Ember pros are retained by Vali 2 as well and the price of both is comparable.

IMO Ember II is still my choice for the best bang for a hybrid tube.

Vali2 maybe a decent choice for the best hybrid under 150. But best VFM, no. Considering Garage has several offerings around 200 and eater that all beat the Vali2 and often compete/beat with Lyr.

These SQ differences are obviously not huge, but that is the case anyway with such stuff!

 

You may find the Vali2 to sound better than the Starlight. But there are many others who find just the opposite. So it comes down to preference.

It isn't like Vali2 is objectively better than Starlight. It depends on the context and person involved.

I would of course recommend Vali2 over Bravo and such stuff. But personally I'd take SL over Vali2. For you it may be the opposite.

I am not objectively stating the best Hybrid VFM regardless of the context.

That is in my opinion. Your opinion can obviously be different.

Many people prefer Vali2 to Lyr perhaps. That is their opinion. Doesn't mean it becomes an objective metric.

Correct?

 

And tube rolling is a hobby in itself.

For most people HiFi gear is a waste of money. And obviously diminishing returns are involved. But it is a hobby. There is no right or wrong unless you mislead others.

Similarly, many people including people are addicted to tube rolling. It isn't right or wrong. It is an experience. And a hobby. Some may find it a waste of money. But many people would go down this route over buying several headphones. Everybody is right in their life. As long as you don't mislead thoug

 

You became serious man!

 

I would not go that far, but yes, some folks do get carried away with tube purchases. A few used tubes for $40-$60 total not each is not a big deal and can be a benefit from the ones that comes with some amps. I guess I was a bit, let's say backward, when I had a few simple two tube amps. Hey I have learned and grown.

And the only tube I roll with one or two on my pre is a 6sn7. I would have to buy dozens of tubes to get to the point of a better preamp. BUT, I do agree with your point when some folks get out of control.

And yes, one should probably have their head examined in that case or at least see a therapist.

 

Haha, tube rolling is great to a point. I have three of each type of tube for the Crack and am happy with that level of swappability. I constantly change them out.

As for the OP's question, I brought my audio-GD C2 class A to a head-fi meet and I thought it stood up very well to everything else there, including the Ragnarok. That's not saying it's as good, but surprisingly close. Keep in mind these are meet impressions, not having-it-at-home-for-a-week impressions. Still, considering that I bought it used for a bit less than its MSRP, I have a hard time thinking that anything else in its price class or above could outdo it. It's a really stunningly good amp, and stupidly powerful to boot. So, that's the SS price/performance break point for my headphones and budget.

All that said, I think that budget and headphones really determine where that break point is.

 

Something I like about the Vali 2 (and Valhalla 2) is that they aren't 'current starved' tube designs.. that's been my reservation with the G1217 amps.. great value & excellent customer service they offer.. but this little aspect of the design is a little off putting to me.

 

If you had an hd650 the answer would be really simple, Valhalla 2, but neither the 400i nor the th-x00 work well with the Valhalla 2. Some people like the liquid carbon but I found it dark, flat and lacking in detail and resolution. Honestly, I havent been impressed by any SS amp I have heard. I find a lot of SS amps, even bw suffer from a hard glare in the upper midrange and an overall lack of musicality. I think hybrids offer a balance of clarity, noise, resolution and pleasant sound, plus they tend to work with a wide array of headphones. I think mjolnir 2 might be worth a look. If you are into diy the torpedo 3 is an option that sounds great with thx00, but it doesn't work well with the 400i in my experience.

Also, tube rolling is a fun exercise but the differences it makes, in my experience, are way over exaggerated.

 

In 2025, you're gonna be rocking Modi MB 4 -> Magni 4 -> Abyss 2 (modded) and saying everything else sucks.

 

They're only going to be on a Magni 3 by 2025?

 

@purrin @SteelCannon , Would the tubes > SS hold true for planars from hifiman, slants, etc? and if so, what kind of tube amps or hybrids would be a good match for them? and i suppose an obligatory followup question would be, is there an amp that would do that, as well as run the 6x0 and 800s? can't say EC Studio, I'd probably have to rob a bank and/or borrow a horse and hold up a train.

 

do you guys think there would be an amp that would serve orthos and 6x0/800s? maybe the crimson? and, are there affordable push pull tube amps out there?