New Schiit Vali 2 Discussion Thread

Thanks for the explanation! I didn't know it was a unipolar design.

Isn't the beefed up amp you describe a Lyr 2?

 

What do you mean by noisy? Hiss? Hum? I get a hint of hum with nothing playing with my IEM's, but beyond that, zero noise. No plug in "ting" either. This quite a bit better an amp than the first Vali. I'd ask if you had a defective tube or something, but it seems to work fine with your Starlight.

 

hiss, no hum, there;s some audible hissing in the background on my unit. An for me it's hard to really judge the Vali 2 without my DT 880 tbh, I wasn't a fan of the Vali 1 with anything except the DT 880, 600 ohms an a nice tube it shined! The Vali 2 just didn't impress me as much as the first one did. An my W1000X just sounds bad with tubes

still though, given schiits ecosystem an the sheer power this amp has at under $200, it's still a helluva little product! I'm going to roll my Octal in it tonight maybe

 

Fair enough. I only listen through the HD650s, so the Vali 2 is just about perfect for it.

 

I'd imagine it is, I liked the HD 600 on the Vali 1

 

So after some time i decided to keep my vali 2, even though i got the EC super 7. This little thing just sounds so damn good lol. Makes perfect casual easy listening / office setup.

Btw anyone have any suggestions for a warm / lush sound as far as tubes go? i have a philips E188CC JAN CCA which sounds great but is too clean, looking for something more lush, maybe more mid centric.

 

I wrote up a mini review on tubes for the Lyr 2 thread, but I think some NOS Amprex tubes would fit the description of what you are looking for. Welcome to the rabbit hole...

 

ah ok will dig into the lyr 2 thread / NOS amprex tubes. lol yeah this is one dangerous hobby, Thanks!

 

Got this the other day, still forming my opinion, but so far it seems to have a shrug of warmth and an overall fairly refined sound - smooth. Weird thing though, every time I listen to it for the first time in a day the tempo of music seems slower...I may be crazy though. I should add that I leave it in so it's not the amp warming up.

 

Need more coffee?

 

Not sure what you mean, but I don't live in Chicago.

 

I was implying if things were sounding slow first thing in the day, you needed more caffeine to perk yourself up

 

I did not realize the Chicago meet was a signature - whoops!

As for the Vali 2, most of my listening was done at night =P

It's a very nice unit, not in love with it, but I can easily see why do love it. I need to try it with more headphones before I cast my full judgment. So far I've only heard it with the R70x and AKG K183. Going to give the HD600 and Ad2000 some headtime with it, as well as my W1000x.

 

I ordered two NOS tubes from ebay last week: A Herleen manufactured 1966 Amperex E1CC88, and a 1962 Siemens PCC88.

Minutes after pulling the trigger on them, a member on HF I had been talking tubes with offered to sell me this lot at a very good price:

1966 Siemens E288CC(gold pin)
1965 Valvo E288CC(gold pin)
1957 Valvo PCC88(Heerlen) D-getter.
1964 Mullard Blackburn PCC189
1974 Mullard Blackburn PCC189

They all arrived in the mail today. I popped in the 1966 Amperex and am listening to it now. With only a few minutes in the Vali 2, already I can hear a tremendous improvement over the stock tube. The soundstage width and especially depth is tremendous. Imaging is much, much better. I can really feel the space between the musicians.

The tonality is also much better. This reminds me of listening to a good vinyl rig. Strings have a lushness to them that the stock tube completely lacks. Plankton retrieval is also improved. I'm hearing more details more easily.

For a small inexpensive amp, the Vali 2 really packs a big punch!

I've also got a socket saver on the way too, hopefully that arrives soon.

 

^ agree regarding the Amperex. I have a bugle boy and an orange globe and both are very musical and immersive compared to stock tubes or the sterile sounding EH 6CG7.

 

Ugh, that EH 6CG7 was a complete dud. Completely collapsed the soundstage beyond even the already limited stock tube and the only improvement was slightly more detail, but otherwise totally lifeless. I almost ordered the EH 6922 that several people on HF have praised, but I decided there was no point with all the NOS tubes I had coming my way.

By the way, my plan was to get the two ebay tubes and stop there. I only got that lot because the price was too good to pass up. I'm really not planning on become a hardcore tube roller.

 

I can barely tell a difference between that gold pin EH 6922 and a gold pin JJ 6922, but both are much better than that EH 6CG7. I wouldn't be surprised if they were made in the same factory or something. I'm not home to look at where they were made.

 

Trying out the Siemens PCC88 so I can leave eBay feedback promptly. This one may benefit from some more burn in, because right now the soundstage is smaller and the overall feeling of the tube is drier, if that makes sense. The low end is more pronounced, this tube feels more in your face, bringing out the energy of the songs. The Amperex is more lush and laid back. At the moment I'm preferring the Amperex, but the Siemens has its own positive attributes. Both are an improvement over the stock tube.

The highs are also very nice on this Siemens tube. Clear and articulate without being shrill or piercing.