Ear training! With Schiit gear.

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by thegunner100, Dec 17, 2015.

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  1. thegunner100

    thegunner100 Hentai Master Chief

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    Schiit of all sizes

    So I had one of my friends over today to show him some differences between amps and dacs. He currently uses a Vali 1 with a creative titanium HD sound card and the dt990/600. His dt990s were modded by me using some materials that Hands left me after he tried to kill the treble on my he-560s earlier this year. The mods just consist of a layer of open cell foam and rug liner tucked beneath the earpads and in front of the drivers.

    Anyways, first up I had him compare the two amps that we had on hand: My Valhalla 2 and his Vali. Both amps were plugged into my Yggdrasil. For this setup, he played his test tracks on the Vali/dt990 first before switching to the V2 and playing through all his tracks again. These were his findings:

    -V2 sounded more open with much better soundstaging
    -V2's FR seemed more even and flat
    -Vali was more punchy sounding (I commented that one of the weaknesses of the V2 is that it can be a little bit dry sounding and less dynamic than other amps, whereas the Vali has some wetness to it)
    -V2 sounded more polite
    -V2 is more detailed overall

    Despite everything, he preferred the Vali over the Valhalla 2 because it offered him the punchiness and intimacy that it brought to his music.

    Moving onto the dac comparisons, we switched to my speaker setup: Yggdrasil/Gungnir (Gen 2 usb, DS) -> Virtue ONE.3 -> Overnight Sensations MT. At first, we just used the first 2.5 minutes of Hotel California from Hell Freezes Over. Once on the Yggdrasil, once on the Gungnir, and then back to the Yggdrasil. Here's what he found:

    -Gungnir is less dynamic with less bass impact
    -Instruments can be heard more clearly on the Yggdrasil, with better separation
    -Everything sounds overall clearer on the Yggdrasil
    -The Gungnir had a smaller soundstage (He said it was like going from a concert to a small theater when we switched from Yggdrasil to Gungnir)

    Afterwards, I mentioned to him things that he could look out for: distinction between claps and cheers of the crowd, drum and bass texture, imaging, transients/attack/decay in guitar plucks, etc. Then I just let him play whatever music he wanted, and he ended up just listening to his tracks on the Yggdrasil for the rest of the time.

    Closing thoughts: Well it was interesting to hear his thoughts between different amps and dacs. It was good to know that he wasn't dac deaf! He was able to figure out the differences between the Gungnir and Yggdrasil fairly quickly and without my help. I found it surprising that he preferred the vali over the valhalla 2 with his dt990s but to each his own I guess! I told him if he liked the vali more, then maybe he'd like the Lyr 2 or Mjolnir 2 over the V2. Perhaps things would have been different if he did the comparisons with my hd650s instead.
     
  2. SSL

    SSL Friend

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    Love it. Would be interesting with a Gungnir Multibit in the mix.
     
  3. thegunner100

    thegunner100 Hentai Master Chief

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    Yeah, the gap between the Yggdrasil and Gungnir would have been much closer. Sadly, I don't have the money for the MB upg or the use for a second system in my house.
     
  4. SpaceLaser

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    Cool stuff. I'm increasingly interesting in demoing the Yiggy, just need to convince some folks around me to get it.
     
  5. Bourne Perfect

    Bourne Perfect Friend

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    A li'l Schiit island. Needs a tiny umbrella on top and maybe a pot of potpourri nearby.
     
  6. thegunner100

    thegunner100 Hentai Master Chief

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    An aural, auditory, AND olfactory sensation.

    To add my own impressions:

    -The Valhalla 2 is definitely worth it over the Vali 1, especially if you have the hd6x0 or hd800s. That being said, it probably won't make as much of a difference if you're still using your mobo or laptop's dac line output. An improvement all-round, especially concerning openness, soundstaging, instrument separation and imaging.

    -Vali 1 is still a good buy if you can buy it used for a cheap price and need a temporary amp.

    -Tube rolling helps to dial in the sound of the valhalla 2 to your liking. Despite that though, I don't think that any pair of tubes will make the V2 sound traditionally "tubey". It won't have the wetness of the Vali.

    -Yggdrasil is a huge step up from the Gungnir Multibit. However, the DS gungnir still has very nice tonality that most DS dacs don't have. In additional, it has smooth treble that's free from glare or harshness. However, there's not many reasons to get a DS gungnir when you can save up for a Gungnir Multibit.

    -Gungnir Multibit is probably a better buy for you money unless you have a totl amp (EC, DNA, Cavalli, Rag, etc) or are planning to get one. If you have a dedicated speaker system, it makes more sense to get the Yggdrasil. A lot of the Yggdrasil's magic comes from the ability to produce some amazing soundstaging on speakers, which may otherwise be lost on a headphone setup.
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2015

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