Schiit Valhalla 2

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by Cspirou, Oct 8, 2015.

  1. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

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    Don't think I've ever seen one of these on the dark side. Pretty badass looking amp. I think the silver screws and knob give it character. Good find, you'll enjoy.
     
  2. Artasia

    Artasia Friend

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    Yep. Badass looking. Grats mate!
     
  3. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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  4. Mystic

    Mystic Mystique's Spiritual Advisor

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    The sides are the dark silver/gray color. The two tone color is really nice looking. Especially the bright silver volume knob standing out against the black.

    EDIT: BTW, Schiit has some black stock it seems right now. Asgard, Valhalla and Bifrost. Must have had another messed up (in a good way) shipment. Super tempted to get a matching Bifrost.
     
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2016
  5. BrettMatthews

    BrettMatthews Friend

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    Well just picked up my Val2 today and so far I am loving it! Enjoying it more than my Lyr with my modded 650's. Will be doing a more in-depth comparison this week (also comparing against and Ember 2).

    But so far I am very happy!
     
  6. lm4der

    lm4der A very good sport - Friend

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    Does anyone know anything about the JJ E88CC Gold Pins? These are only $24 each, and I thought they might be an interesting first tube roll? I don't want to get into tubes that cost more than $50 - $75 each. The Genelax Gold Lion's were appealing but I understand that are brightish, which I don't think the Valhalla2 needs.
     
  7. lm4der

    lm4der A very good sport - Friend

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    Ok, you guys are too slow. I went ahead and ordered these from thetubestore. I am curious to hear a different tube, and $50 won't break the bank.
     
  8. zonto

    zonto Friend

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    Haven't tried those, but the most recent review (6/17/16) on the site you ordered them from was by a Valhalla 2 owner:
    Let us know what you think. I've been rocking a precision matched pair of NOS 1969 Reflektor 6N23P. Interestingly after trying a couple pairs of 6N23Ps from the 90s that measured extremely well, I was less than impressed with how they jived with the Valhalla 2. Turns out this is because production after the 80s moved to a single wire getter support, which made the tubes pretty microphonic, not only on light flicks or taps (free-air or installed/playing) but also upon headphone jack insertion/removal. Moving to the 1969s eliminated the problem with the dual wire getter support. Luckily I had a very patient seller so the trial and error didn't cost me anything but return shipping once.
     
  9. BrettMatthews

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    I tried a couple different pairs of Holland tubes in my Val2 and found that with my modded HD650's I actually preferred the stock tubes. I found that the Holland tubes made the modded HD650's too warm and too fatiguing for me.

    I gave a try with a pair of 6DJ8 Orange Globes I had from my Lyr and a pair of NOS 7308 Philips Miniwatts. The miniwatts were better than the OG's for me, but compared to the stock tubes they weren't worth the extra cost and to be honest with a good amount of songs I preferred the stock tubes. Not to mention the pair of Miniwatts I got were very microphonic in both tubes. However in my Lyr the Miniwatts were amazing @Mikoss got me hooked on those in that.

    I think for me I am quite content with just staying with the stock tubes in the Val2. I would rather look into building a T3 than keep rolling tubes if I decide that I want an upgrade. I think I'm just going to enjoy my setup as is for a while and then maybe upgrade my Bifrost from Uber to 4490 at some point if I feel like messing around with things again.
     
  10. MoZo1971

    MoZo1971 New

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    Brett,

    I would completely echo your experience. I did the upgrade to the 4490 and it proved much more fruitful than tube rolling.
     
  11. lm4der

    lm4der A very good sport - Friend

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    I've spent a fair bit of time with the JJ E88CC Gold Pins on my Valhalla 2. They've burned in for a few days, and I've switched back and forth with the stock 6n1p tubes twice.

    So these tubes are way different than the stock tubes. I would describe the stock tubes as bright, hard, but with great resolution. I would describe these JJ's as very warm, lush in the bottom end, very musical, forgiving, and resolution is still... good... I think... This is where it gets hard. I would simplistically call the JJ's sound as having a slight downward slope - bass is big, treble is not so forward. But they still seem to provide a good layered, textured sound. The stock tubes are more sparkly, but I am not sure if that is actually more resolving. I would also say the stock tubes are too cold (not warm and bass light).

    My rig is Bifrost Multibit -> Valhalla 2 -> HD650. I think this is already a warm setup, except for those Valhalla 2 stock tubes. So the JJ's may not be sooo warm, as much as the stock tubes may really be bright.

    I don't know.

    But here's the thing, at least at this point. Two things: The JJ's are about a metric ton less fatiguing than the stock tubes, for my ears. But I have hearing loss and tinnitus, and, the sun was in my eyes, and I stubbed my toe. The stock tubes are very fatiguing for me. The 2nd thing is that Metallica's "Death Magnetic" album is actually listenable on these tubes. Have you ever tried to listen to that album on the stock Valhalla 2? It's kind of a bummer. I know that the recording is bricked up like a shit house, but i think it sounds alright on these tubes.

    So that's saying something.
     
  12. lm4der

    lm4der A very good sport - Friend

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    Yeah, that might work really well, maybe tame the bass a touch on these tubes a touch.

    I think the question I am wrestling with, is whether these tubes are _too_ warm. In any case, overall I like them much more than the stock tubes.
     
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2016
  13. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    With the Valhalla 2 I like neutral tubes, but I agree that the stock tubes should be traded out.
     
  14. lm4der

    lm4der A very good sport - Friend

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    Yeah, I think I would prefer something a little closer to neutral anyway. I imagine this has been covered, but what is a decent neutral tube that doesn't break the bank?

    Edit: Neutral to warmish
     
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2016
  15. BrettMatthews

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    @MoZo1971 What cans are you using with your setup, and did you go from Uber to 4490?
     
  16. zonto

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    Following up on my earlier post re: input and output tube impressions. The impressions below are from listening last night with the stock HD600, though I've also used modded HD650s and HD800 (SDR) over the last couple months with the same chain (see my profile).

    Input Tube Impressions

    Stock 6N1P, early 70s, Orel factory
    (uncommon factory, have never seen it discussed): Echoing other impressions here. Decent punch, dry mids, and some treble sparkle.

    Amperex Orange Globes
    : Read the thread for more impressions. Warmer sound, treble is both less detailed and less fatiguing than my other input tubes. Wetter midrange.

    6N23P, 1969, Reflektor factory
    : My favorite of the bunch. I can whole-heartedly recommend these for someone wanting a pair of neutral, clean tubes. These improved on the stock 6N1P's weaknesses without muddying things up like the Orange Globes did with the warmer sound signature. I think these are a great match with the Valhalla 2. Look for tubes made before 1980 as they switched from a dual-wire getter to a microphonic single-wire getter around/after that year.

    Note
    : switching the 6N1P for another 6922/6DJ8 input tube makes the amp run cooler due to the lower current draw.

    Output Tube Impressions*

    Stock 6N6P, early- to mid-70s, Novosibirsk factory
    : I just received a free matched pair of these from 1974, so my impressions are based on those instead of the actual "stock" tubes. My stock output tubes were from the same factory within a production year or two though. More bass slam, a little more punch, and less refined treble than the 6N6P-IR.

    6N6P-IR (Gold Grid), 1989, Novosibirsk factory
    : I confirmed again last night that these sound more refined to me than the 6N6Ps. The bass is not as punchy or emphasized, but these sound more natural and resolving, at least in the treble where I focused last night.
    • One of the reasons I've been trying the HD600 recently is because I like its treble much more than both the stock/modded HD650 and the HD800. With these tubes last night, I could more easily hear how cymbals interacted with the space around them, moving/vibrating after being struck and decaying naturally.
    • This tube meshes well with the HD6x0 because the midbass hump does not sound as emphasized to me as it does with the 6N6P.
    • Slightly more gentle sounding than the 6N6P.
    • I highly recommend giving the 6N6P-IR a try, especially if you've dialed in your Valhalla 2 input tubes. They are about $30–35/pair shipped on eBay. If you're interested, I also recommend reading this post on HF comparing 6N6P variants.
    *Output tube differences are not as great as input tube differences.
     
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2016
  17. Prydz

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    Those with HD650, how high you listen @ with Valhalla 2?
    I like 11-12 a clock. But I feel like I can go louder with HD650 and sennheiser in general, then other headphones
     
  18. zonto

    zonto Friend

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    Running RCA out from Yggdrasil into V2, I never listen more than 9-10 o'clock for modern pop/rock. 9 o'clock usually measures around 80dB on my app, so I aim for a sliver before that. With classical or down-mixed movies I may get to 11 or 12 o'clock.

    Can't imagine listening much higher than that for more than a few minutes, but I'm also the guy at concerts, musicals, and most movies with Etymotic earplugs.
     
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2016
  19. lm4der

    lm4der A very good sport - Friend

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    So, these are a thing:

    http://www.musicdirect.com/p-368468-ifi-nos-5670-6922-vacuum-tubes-pr.aspx

    $100 for the pair (w/free shipping), so not cheap.

    I have come to realize that the stock 6n1p's are rather hard sounding on my damaged ears - they are super detailed, but hard and dry, and they cause me a bit of ear fatigue. I tried the JJ Gold Pin, and they were eye-opening. Sooo much less fatiguing, with a big low end and everything is lush, but it ultimately seemed to be missing a little sparkle on the high end, for me.

    After reading these ideas from @baldr:
    http://www.head-fi.org/t/619910/schiit-valhalla-tube-rolling-thread/480

    I started looking into these GE5670 tubes. It looks like you can do it pretty cheaply if you buy the adapters and tubes off eBay.

    But this iFi product seems to offer some value in that it was conceived entirely for this purpose. They manufacture the adapter, combine it with the tube, and supposedly do nice things in selecting the tubes. Also, they come with a pair of white cotton gloves, so you can feel like a surgeon while installing them.

    To my ears, these are like a more musical version of the stock tubes. They are still very neutral, there is no exaggerated bass, the top is smoother and still detailed. They are noticeably less fatiguing for my ears. To me they still sound very detailed, but not so hard, so they have some kind of wetness or warmth. I would say that overall they represent an improvement over the stock tubes, unless you just love the more raw sound of the 6n1p presentation.
     
  20. lm4der

    lm4der A very good sport - Friend

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    I'm not sure if my above post flew under the radar, but I think these things are pretty interesting. It's a 6922 tube that was manufactured in a different configuration, and so it is fitted with an adapter to allow them to fit in the conventional socket. I haven't heard much talk about them.

    AIFINOS5670.jpg

    Edit: Yeah, after some time with them - I see god on a more regular basis with these tubes.
     
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2016

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