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- Users: hodgjy
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Official Schiit Vali 2 Thread
Mine did this, but it's tube-dependent. Each tube that did it, did it at different positions on the dial, so it was a DC thing. I did two things. 1) I turned on the amp and let it sit for 10 minutes before plugging the headphones in and then unplugged the headphones before turning off the amp. I...- hodgjy
- Post #3,704
- Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
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Official Schiit Vali 2 Thread
An automated watched thread email from a setting I put in years ago pulled me out of retirement to answer this. You cannot do much better than a 1960s GE 6CG7 in the Vali 2/2+. Trust me. I rolled until the cows came home.- hodgjy
- Post #3,692
- Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
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Vali 2 tube rolling
As internet posters, we are very guilty of overemphasizing differences and describing small changes as if they seem like huge transformations. But, I can say that I've rolled my Vali 2+ quite extensively, and my ears can pick up on differences between tubes. I think part of the issue for those...- hodgjy
- Post #5,828
- Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
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Vali 2 tube rolling
1960s GE 6CG7. You could do a lot worse for a lot more money. They are under $15 shipped to your door from eBay.- hodgjy
- Post #5,799
- Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
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The Woo Audio 2
It looks like you answered your own question! :) The cap here helps filter out noise, usually high frequency, but it looks like in this design it also helps with mains hum.- hodgjy
- Post #1,583
- Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
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Woo Audio Amp Owner Unite
Better is subjective, but in dual mono, L and R channels are completely independent amplification pathways so you get fewer issues. Many issues are inaudible, but some are audible, including crosstalk. Also, independent channels have their own “pools” to draw power from and aren’t bogged down...- hodgjy
- Post #41,370
- Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
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Woo Audio Amp Owner Unite
Not surprising at all since it’s dual mono and therefore has a lot less crosstalk.- hodgjy
- Post #41,368
- Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
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Woo Audio Amp Owner Unite
Very well said! I'll also add that Jack Wu seems to supply his amps with various collections of stock tubes that vary from manufacturing run to run. To me, this means he trusts his amp designs to portray the sonic characteristics fairly consistently regardless of which tubes you roll into them.- hodgjy
- Post #41,362
- Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
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Woo Audio Amp Owner Unite
The Russian equivalents are pretty darn good. I'd have no problem running these tubes in my amps. Plus, they are usually very quiet, which is another bonus. RCA and Chatham 6AS7G tubes tend to be quite noisy.- hodgjy
- Post #41,360
- Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
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Woo Audio Amp Owner Unite
I've owned various tube amps over the years and I've rolled the hell out of them. I've used everything from the cheapest tubes to the unobtanium tubes blessed by frozen unicorn tears. My opinion of tubes has changed over the years. Are there difference between tubes? Absolutely. Some are...- hodgjy
- Post #41,359
- Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
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Woo Audio Amp Owner Unite
There are still mountains of cold war era Russian and Chinese tubes.- hodgjy
- Post #41,354
- Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
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Audiophile Ninja cables?
Thank you for not using heatshrink on your cables. I've purchased other custom cables in the past, and the first part to fail has always been the heatshrink. The last failure in one of my cables at the y-splitter is what led me to purchase a new cable, which ultimately came from you. Part of my...- hodgjy
- Post #52
- Forum: Cables, Power, Tweaks, Speakers, Accessories (DBT-Free Forum)
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TEAC HA-501 Headphone Amp
Something must have been wrong with the HA-501 that you heard because I assure you there is nothing foggy about it. It's very clear and detailed, but it does impart a hint of class A warmth. You will never confuse it with a tube amp.- hodgjy
- Post #200
- Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
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TEAC HA-501 Headphone Amp
Vacuum tubes are obsolete but they can still sound amazing. I assure you there’s nothing obsolete with the HA-501 except the meaningless SINAD obsession from ASR that implies anything from Topping is the most advanced technology ever.- hodgjy
- Post #198
- Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
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Official Schiit Vali 2 Thread
On my amp, as soon as the muting relay disengages, the DC goes from a few mV and then spikes. The first time I measured it, I had my multimeter set to 200 mV sensitivity, and it maxed it out and couldn't even give me a reading. The next time I set it to 2 V sensitivity, and I got readings above...- hodgjy
- Post #2,952
- Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
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Official Schiit Vali 2 Thread
PSA: Absolutely do not leave your headphones plugged in when you turn the Vali 2+ on. In fact, I wouldn't even plug them in for several minutes. My new Vali 2+ developed a static scratch sound when adjusting the volume. Schiit wanted me to send it in and they replaced the volume pot. However...- hodgjy
- Post #2,950
- Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
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Official Schiit Vali 2 Thread
I had to send mine back for warranty repair. Has anyone else had to use their warranty repair? They received it last week, but I haven't heard a peep since. Do they reply with updates? Is their repair service normally fairly quick? I suppose with the pandemic part shortages, all bets are off...- hodgjy
- Post #2,944
- Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
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Headphone amp as tube buffer?
You want to pre-amp into a preamp, and then run that into a power amp? Not ideal. Why not just get a tube preamp to drive the power amp?- hodgjy
- Post #2
- Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
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Schiit Audio Bifrost 2
Mike Moffat himself called it cheap assed balanced. Gungnir balanced is on another level.- hodgjy
- Post #2,364
- Forum: Dedicated Source Components
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Schiit Audio Bifrost 2
I'm really starting to question Schiit's QC and reliability. I just had to send back my 2-month old Vali 2+ because it had static in the pot, crackly treble, and would totally lose bass at times, sounding thin and bright. If I power cycled it, it would be warm and euphonic in comparison. At...- hodgjy
- Post #2,349
- Forum: Dedicated Source Components
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Audiophile Ninja cables?
I read his entire website before I ordered to vet him a bit. He wrote this under his business principles: "Yes, it would be much cheaper and easier to ship our cables to you in a non-recyclable, plastic bubble envelope, but we choose to use a reusable and recyclable cardboard box. Yes, it costs...- hodgjy
- Post #45
- Forum: Cables, Power, Tweaks, Speakers, Accessories (DBT-Free Forum)
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Audiophile Ninja cables?
I thought the same thing, but when I checked my spam box, boom, it was in there.- hodgjy
- Post #42
- Forum: Cables, Power, Tweaks, Speakers, Accessories (DBT-Free Forum)
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Audiophile Ninja cables?
I ordered a custom length cable for my LCD-2 and it was made and shipped very quickly. When I received it, I was highly impressed with the build quality. It exudes quality. I don't believe in cable magic as far as sound goes, and this sounds just fine. I'll buy from him again.- hodgjy
- Post #40
- Forum: Cables, Power, Tweaks, Speakers, Accessories (DBT-Free Forum)
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Schiit Audio Bifrost 2
Yes, and my Gungnir has a very high noise floor in single ended.- hodgjy
- Post #2,343
- Forum: Dedicated Source Components
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Schiit Audio Bifrost 2
IMHO, the decision is easier than that. If you have a fully balanced system and want to get the last drop of quality out of it, go Gungnir. If you have a single-ended system, go Bifrost.- hodgjy
- Post #2,341
- Forum: Dedicated Source Components