New Schiit Vali 2 Discussion Thread

the only downside is that my PCC88 is crazy microphonic, is this a trait of the tube or should i be emailing the ebayer i bought it from to get a different one? Like just picking my mouse up and setting it back down make it ring, typing on my keyboard does as well, which is a pain when i also use it for gaming..

 

Did the seller say the tube was free of microphonics in the listing? Personally I would return it, microphonic tubes drive me nuts !!!

 

That's not inherent to PCC88 tubes, it's the individual tubes.

 

Maybe it was just being moody last night, as today the ringing has gone away. Ill keep an ear on it over the next couple days, if it comes back itll be going back to the seller.

Still a great sounding tube though

 

Hmmm, mine's not all that microphonic. I can tap it and it just barely rings if I tap it harder than I ever want to tap any hot tube again. Only thing that really gets it ringing are the switches on the Vali 2. And even that is brief - 5-10 seconds of moderate ringing at most. I mean, I've got it on top of my computer with fans going full-on. I've used it as a pre-amp for my BX5 D2's with the sub blasting away very nearby. No signs of microhphony there.

Might just be that particular tube. They're not known for being microphonic.

Just FYI, if your PCC88 continues to have this problem... ...dunno if you've ever gone to them before, but Upscale Audio has them for $40... ...$45 for platinum, which is what I got (and was probably overkill.) They seem to take a lot of pride in how they test and grade the tubes they sell. I doubt they'd sell you a bum tube.

 

Part of me wants to pick up a sampler of PCC88s from Upscale, I see in addition to the Phillips they have Amperex (listed as Pope), Matsushita, and Telefunken.

 

Hot damn, I just got a Mobi and a Vali 2 in over the weekend and I'm extremely impressed (based on the limited time I've had with it). I had a tightly matched Amperex 7308 on hand as a backup for my phono pre, and it absolutely sings in the Vali 2. I even tried running it with my Andromedas, and with the exception of a slight tube hum it sounded fantastic w/ minimal noise at moderate volumes.

I'm planning on using both for an office setup with my mahogany TH-X00's going forwards.

 

you read my mind @Dr. Higgs. that seems like the perfect office rig!

my only conundrum is whether to pick up the Vali 2 with modibit for my modded hd650 at the office, or take the overkill route and bring in the TIII to the office (since the TIII and 650s were made to be together). reason being that i might be getting the BW soon at home with Gungnir Multibit, and having 2 amps at home also seems a bit overkill to me. who knows. i wish i were wiser, etc.

good to know amperex 7308 is a good match for vali 2 if i do go that route though. might be fun to see a tube comparo for the Vali 2 (7308, BBs, philips etc) like @HitmanFluffy did for the TIII.

 

Hahaha, I've been having a similar conundrum @brencho . My plan is to save my Torpedo for desktop usage at home (might end up getting a Bifrost Multibit to pair with it once I sell some gear off), move the Rag/Yggdrasil/Turntable for living room usage, and have an office setup w/ Mobi & Vali 2.

Once the Vali 2 & Mobi burn in a bit more I'll try comparing the Amperex 7308, Stock 6922, and an ElectroHarmonix new stock 6922 I have laying around. Haven't gotten a chance to listen to the Vali 2 with many of my headphones at the moment, but really looking forward to it! I'm still in disbelief that it actually worked well with the Andromeda, I sat there for a good two hours and completely spaced out while I was listening to that combo over the weekend.

 

Im so close to ordering a Vali 2 + modibit but feel i should wait until the Schiitshow in case theres a Vali 3 or anything else i might want to throw in. Unfortunately shipping to Aus is quite expensive id rather not do it twice.

 

The Vali 2 came out less than a year ago (December 2015 I believe), so it probably won't be getting any revisions for a while.

And if the Vali 3 does come out soon after, you can get both, post impressions and comparisons, and then sell whichever one you don't want to keep

 

Looking for some advice re Vali vs. Vali2. I currently have the vali, and enjoy it with hd600s, dt880-250, he500, and even a pair of custom reshelled um3xs (which surprised me, though they have a nominal impedance of 56 ohms- have never seen an impedance curve). So I have no issues with the Vali, though it isn't so good with other iems and lower impedance/higher sensitivity cans, but I have a project polaris for those. My question is whether the Vali2 is enough of an improvement over the Vali to justify an additional $100.00 over the value of the Vali if I sold it. To give you an idea of the financial side of this, I can't afford to just buy the Vali2, compare them, and sell off the loser, which is what I would do with more cash. In fact, I would have to save the $100, sell the Vali, and then buy the 2 if I decided to go this route. Thoughts? Thanks.

 

The Vali + Modi Multibit stack I heard this past week was really not bad at all and I agree that one probably needs to spend quite a bit more in order to take the next significant step up. If the Vali2 is as @jexby says above, and I am sure it is, then I'd go for it. I'm also aware of, and a fan of PCC88 as a ECC88 replacement in other amps. The PCC88 needs a bit of extra current to sound its sweetest as I recall, but if it works well in the Vali2, then that's also a no brainer in my book! I found Tungsram PCC88s to be a good sounding value proposition in other amps.... FWIW

 

Agreed 100%. The Modi Multibit/Vali 2 stack is easily the best price/performance ratio setup I've ever owned. I get a tiny bit of tube hum on low gain with the Andros (which seems understandable), but it's been able to drive everything I've thrown at it very well.

 

Ditto to the praise showered on the Vali/Moby Schiitstack.

Here's a pic of mine, for your collective enjoyment.



Got a NOS Reflector 6H23p-EB chillin' in the dildo slot. Better than stock, but a bit bright.

 

Sexy shot there. It ought to go in the schiit.com gallery. FWIW, my personal quick impression of the Modi Multibit the other night was a bit bright, so a little balance correction through tube selection would create better synergy at least in my humble opinion. I know nothing of that tube you're using. But the Vali(1) stacked well, and didn't highlight the brighter signature of the Modi like my T3 did.

 

I can confirm this. Haven't tried the Tungsram PCC88, but I can say that the Phillips PCC88 I picked up for ~$40 really made my Vali 2 sing.

With the right tube, it's criminally under-priced. Just an all-around clean, linear, natural, and resolving amp. Nice, textured and punchy bass. Airy and refined upper top-end. The mids bring out plenty of microdynamics... ...it's actually got plankton, man. All of these traits are accentuated by a PCC88. Soundstage and imaging are also pretty impressive with that little upgrade.

Personally, I'd just go for it. Even Vali 2 w/ stock tube is pretty damned great. A simple tube swap just puts it over the edge. For an initial investment of $170 and a total of $210, you really can't go wrong.

 

This post neatly contrasts Vali vs Vali 2:
http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...ali-2-discussion-thread.789/page-7#post-21167

 

Thanks to all who responded, 'tis selfless to try to help the helpless.