Schiit Valhalla 2

My Valhalla 2 is being sent to the Schiit hospital tomorrow for inspection and repair.

I know I had a bit of hum right in both channels from when I first received the Valhalla, but that seemed to settle down. Conjecture: I was wondering if the duff tube I had contributed to the problem (I used the duff tube primarily on the right hand side)?

 

Overdue and humble stab at content...

Comparing RCA Black Plates 6CG7s to Amperex 6DJ8s ... I don't have @Garns or @k4rstar's ears or descriptive powers but I can confirm better detailing and better treble resolution resulting in better instrument separation. However, I found it a less pleasurable listening experience when listening to Seven Nation Army, my test track. I am discovering that I prefer a wetter sound in general (think Vali 1). The Amperexs have more impact (slam?) in that respect. The takeaway could be that if like me, you listen to a lot Rock with distorted guitars (Zep, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine) you may prefer the Amperex tubes. Against this is the well-documented strengths of the HD650 - vocals, acoustic instruments and similar, and I suspect the RCA tubes will play to those strengths. With either tube type, the Valhalla 2 will immerse you in its staging and I think that this is this amp's strongest selling point.

 

NOTE: If any Valhalla 2 owners would like a pair of Tung-Sol 6CG7s for free please shoot me a PM as I am no longer using mine and don't want them to go to waste. (claimed)

Quick update: I got the eBay 6H23p pair in today and I cannot discern a difference between them and the "premium" pair, both sound great. The eBay pair has occasional microphonics and buzzing but nothing bothersome.

@mrflibble's excellent little tube shoot-out got me intrigued into trying out the 6N23p/6H23p Reflectors in the Valhalla. They were also cited in this 6DJ8 variant shootout. I ordered two pairs, one pair of '74 Saratov factory Reflectors off eBay and a pair of "premium" 6H23p-EB off of thetubestore.com. The following are my impressions of thetubestore pair as used with un-modded HD650s. I'll update this post once I get the eBay pair with further comparison since thetubestore pair are not cheap and I would not recommend spending that much on a pair of replacement tubes for the Valhalla 2 unless you really, really like the amp (I do).

Long story short, I prefer the 6H23p and they have become my primary listening tube. Both the Reflectors and 6CG7s are great and worthy replacement options over the stock tube configuration, and @mrflibble did a much better job of summing up the differences in layman's terms than he gives himself credit for. To re-iterate, the 6CG7s are supremely clean, airy with a slight treble accentuation. They can come off as a bit lean in body, but between all three tube sets (stock included) have the tightest and most well-defined bass. They are the best for dissecting a mix and critical evaluation of instrumental music. Where they fall short for me personally is that they are tonally too pushed back in the upper mids, although I suspect this may not be the case for all manufactured variations of this tube.

In direct comparison, the 6H23p are a little looser and tubbier in the bass, not as clear and articulate in the treble and do not possess the quality of letting you "hear through" the mix to the extent of the 6CG7s. However they more than make up for it by having a certain mid-range magic that is addicting to listen to. There is more fullness to the music and as @mrflibble described certain elements of the music are pushed up on the stage in a natural way that is engaging, without sacrificing the overall stage depth. These tubes are fantastic if you are anything like me and enjoy guitar-driven rock as there is a lot of mid-range texture in combination with a non-fatiguing character that allows for hours of listening.

Anyway, that's it for me as far as tube rolling goes. I don't actually enjoy the act of buying tubes, swapping them in and out repeatedly or even writing about them/hyping them up. I did want to share about this particular pair because they fit my preferences so well, but again would stress to roll in caution of cost so as to not diminish the value perspective of what is at the end of the day a $350 amp.

 

Well said! I might still get these 6HP23 tubes just for fun, perhaps it's better for laid back listening with my HD800 and certain tracks. So far still enjoying the hell out of my 6CG7s, but I do feel that these emphasize bad recordings even more on the HD800 (which kinda makes some tracks unlistenable haha). I'm in no particular rush to get more tubes in, but thanks for this write up.

I've so far avoided tube rolling after getting Mullard ECC88s and later trying Orange Globes (since they really are too sluggish/slow for me). But at the same time these prices are good enough for some testing, without this becoming some crazy stupendous shit like this:

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Edit: Just ordered a pair from Ukraine, will report my impressions when they arrive!

 

I don't have the knowledge to really help, but both my Valhalla 2 and original Mjolnir seem to react to dirty power like nothing else I've ever owned. In my old apartment they made all kind of strange noises depending on what else was running within any room in my apartment (and even when I wasn't running anything else they experienced an intermittent loud buzz or hum sound every 30 seconds or so).

Recently moved to a new apartment and they are dead quiet. None of my other gear made any noises in either apartment (well they played music, but you know what I mean...).

 

Can you explain what's going on in that picture, please?

 

Using tube adapters to "stack" tubes in the Feliks Elise in this case.

The real explanation however is much simpler, that's what happens when people go bat shit crazy with their tube amps in this little hobby of ours...

 

I received my Valhalla back from Schiit UK hospital and they couldn't find anything wrong with it. They could hear the unit buzz a little bit but could not hear the humming through the headphones.

I tried switching my headphones around (should have tried this earlier) and the hum is still only heard on the right. This leads me to conclude that both channels hum, but I only hear it on the right because my hearing is better on that side (which I already knew).

As per an earlier suggestion, I have cleaned the tube pins with isopropyl alcohol and this has made no difference whatsoever. I've tried plugging the unit into different sockets around the house and that also makes no difference. The only thing I haven't tried is a power conditioner, such as the Furman AC-210 AE. I'm loathed to spend the money on one because I am highly skeptical that it will help. Any opinions on whether the Furman is worth a shot? Many thanks.

 

try a different power source first, like a different building.

 

So, first off, I ordered the EH 6CG7's Gold Pins ($25/ea from TheTubeStore.com, + their matching/balancing fee of $5/ea).

I have to say, these things are amazing. My experience mirrors everything that has been said here about these - the blackground is real (someone else's words, but true), waaaay better bass, and no dry sandpaper at all. Switching back to the stock tubes, I feel like they hurt my ears with their dry sound. I would call these a huge upgrade with one exception - the soundstage is different - to me the soundstage feels very wide on the 6CG7s, but also like it is plopped right down the middle of my skull. The depth and staging is much reduced compared to stock. They still sound wonderful, but there is a difference here. To be fair, there is something about the stock tubes that just nail staging, but almost in an unnatural way, as there is something about this staging on the stock tubes that I think contributes to listening fatigue.

Well, I was so impressed by the sound of the EH 6CG7s, that I ordered a pair of NOS RCA clear top 6CG7s ($50/ea + $10 matching/balancing fee from Michael Marx http://www.vacuumtubes.com). These are perhaps equal if not better sounding, maybe slightly less bass (still much better than stock), maybe slightly better liquid/clear (good) mids and highs, but the biggest difference is the staging is better with the RCAs than with the EH 6CG7s. It is not quite back to the level of staging with stock tubes, but it seems to lift the sound stage out of cranium and back out front a bit.

In both cases, EH and RCA, although staging is reduced, imaging is still precise.

These 6CG7s really are something, I hope we can get more feedback and impressions from other members.

 

Forgot to mention ^^, I am definitely sticking with the RCA 6CG7s now over the stock. Valhalla 3.

 

Very good point, this is something I've noticed after trying multiple tube types and returning to the stock tubes. They have a unique presentation that is sort of holographic and wispy whereas other tubes I've tried have exhibited a much more typical stage like one you'd expect from the average SS amp. The stock presentation can be dirty and unfocused with some recordings and cause ear strain as you mentioned but appear grossly engaging with others.

 

Well said, thanks for emphasizing this, exactly my feelings.

 

Running the HD650, I'm very tempted to replace my Jot with a Valhalla and all of this tube discussion is only making it worse.

But, surely there's a Valhalla 3 just around the corner, right? RIGHT?

 

I will also chime in on the EH 6CG7 vs stock, listening with stock HD 650 and Bifrost 4490. I'm hearing more slam in exchange for a more upfront stage. I don't hear a major reduction in stage size, and the tube holography is still there. We're definitely not talking a complete solid state transformation. While treble smoothness is improved, a bit of the dryness or haze of stock remains. That could be system dependent, though.

To summarize, I'd say the 6CG7 nets the Valhalla an additional point in speed and macrodynamics. Maybe even two points to speed, since it is at least on par with Magni 2U now. Tonally, the amp is less lean and diffuse. Definitely recommended to buy a pair of these.

I hope not. I don't like churning gear and I just bought the Valhalla 2.

 

Yeah, good callout. The imaging is great. Sounds like we hear the stage differently, but that may just be my pair of tubes, as the RCAs didn't exhibit it as much. I may have a slight mismatch with the EHs.

 

Pinning down a description of headstage can be tricky. I'm with you on the change in position to more being centered between the ears, and it is definitely not as diffuse as stock. I'm also using the Frosty 4490 which already has a large stage itself, so that could be affecting my overall perception of the stage size.

 

Haha yeah, me too. I'm tempted to hang on to the Jot, though, until round 3 does come along. It's clarity and speed with the 650 are really cool and I love having the balanced option.

BUT, I do miss a bit of the tube magic and staging that the Jot leaves behind. Valhalla 2 might be the perfect middle ground for me since it provides those things without getting syrupy and warmed over in the process.

 

I have nothing helpful to say since I haven't heard the Jotunheim. I was scared off by the talk of aggressive upper mids and weird staging.

What we really need is a TOTL tube amp from Schiit.

 

Marvey has called the Valhalla 2 and Jot siblings with different personalities. I have both and I am still getting to know Valhalla 2, but I think Marv is extremely perceptive! I find the amplifiers are complementary. I enjoy Jot for any music where bass guitar is featured and electronic music. I love Val2 for acoustic jazz, bluegrass and folk. I would advocate to keep both amps.