Anything recorded after the mid 80’s (on any label) is going to sound pretty good, but the performances do tend to suck 99 times out of 100. You are right that everything pre 80’s is full of tape hiss etc. but if you want to listen to Classical you have to learn to ignore the recording...

I'm not saying that the bass isn't there with the 880 600 Valhalla combo (I can FEEL its pressure in in my ears in exactly the same way and places with my other amps), but I'm not hearing rolling timpani, bass guitar, or double bass as they usually present because the spectrum above is...

My Grados have the bass with the Valhalla and sound pretty good, but it is slightly muddy and they are not anywhere near as punchy as when I plug them into any of my other amps.   I have come to accept that the crisp crystalline mids are all the Valhalla is going to give me with my 880's...

 I'm going to try burning it in some more like you suggest (full blast on a pop station for a few days), and see if that makes it any better.   There very well may be something wrong with the tubes, but I would think that swapping them back and forth would bring one channel alive (both tubes...

Has anyone else had a problem with subdued bass from the Valhalla? I was quite disapointed when I first started listening and realized that the bass response was so weak (the shrill painfully piercing highs in some of the Classical stuff that I listen to were not missed quite as much). After...

1. Are you familiar with SACD? DSD? Yes 2. Do you own any SACDs? Yes  3. If so, what percentage of your collection is SACD vs CD or files? 5% 4. Is SACD/DSD decoding an important consideration when you're looking for a DAC? Yes  5. If you owned a DAC that could be upgraded to...