REVIEW – Schiit Audio Valhalla Tube Headphone Amplifier - Page 4

Quote:

Originally Posted by MohawkUS 

Would the Valhalla be a good match for Ultrasone PRO2900s? From the review I think I would like the sound of it, but my headphones are only 40ohms. I read a few reviews on the Asgard and I don't think I would like it very much, I need something that won't slow down the PROs.

Believe me the Asgard is FAR faster than the Pros could ever hope to be.  The impedance of the Ultrasones is lower than ideal for the Valhalla, but it will probably work since the Ultrasones are as efficient as they are, but you'll have to try it and see.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scytus 

Oh I wouldn't need a monstrous amount of bass, I'm actually getting a bit sick of having too much bass to be honest.

 

I'm just interested in bass being slightly more present, for example when playing a cinematic movie/single player game, or listening to electronic music; my thought was that a slightly warm amp would assist in this. I loved the T1 when I gave it a listen, it was like nothing else (and I had listened to the LCD2 & ED8, unimpressed how they compared). For all intents and purposes they sounded perfect, I just worry that in theatrical moments or energetic songs, they might  not be able to deliver.. though I wasn't able to test the headphones in such circumstances.

That's what tone / loudness controls are for.
 

Have you heard both the Asgard and the Valhalla? How would you say the Asgard sounds, a review I saw here said it was laid back and a bit slow for metal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MohawkUS 

Have you heard both the Asgard and the Valhalla? How would you say the Asgard sounds, a review I saw here said it was laid back and a bit slow for metal.

To my ears, the Asgard accurately reflects the source with which you feed it.  If your source is slow and laid back, that's what it will sound like with the Asgard.
 

I am new to a lot of this and was lokking at the valhalla and was curious if a pair of sennheiser hd 598 would sound good with it 

Hi. 

Since this amp is good match with beyer T1, do you think Senn HD800 also good match as well?

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmahler2u 

Hi. 

Since this amp is good match with beyer T1, do you think Senn HD800 also good match as well?

 

X 2, I came here just to answer that question. I have already decided on the Valhalla, to use it with my K701s, however Im looking to expand my inventory with the HD800 (or similar type headphone in the near future, and was checking on synergy). Technically, they should, I was thinking your way. However, only someone who has tried will know for sure. This at least is a question which is not so individual. As someone else said in the first comments, "we dug this thread out of the grave", so we gonna have to wait for a while.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dababy 

I am new to a lot of this and was lokking at the valhalla and was curious if a pair of sennheiser hd 598 would sound good with it 

Well first of all, it is my duty to welcome you in the proper manner. Welcome to Head-fi, we are sorry for your wallet!   I will try and keep it simple (yet intelligent) so that you can understand.

Secondly, lets answer your question. I would say the HD598 are a really nice choice to enter this world of madness, however, pairing them with the Valhalla is not such a great option. They are 50ohms and fairly sensitive from what I recall, but require much more jungle-juice (power)  than the Valhalla would provide. Now there are few things I would like to explain to you so that you have an idea of what to look for when buying the equipment.

It really comes down to portability against sound quality (in most cases). Also, (from what I understood) since you still haven't purchased headphones, you should decide on them first because it's the headphones that will dictate the overall sound signature (above 65%), then comes the amp, then the DAC (if you use a PC as source), then comes the file quality (lossy mp3 vs lossles flac), then cables (interconnecting, headphone cables, USB/coax/toslink), power components. (unless you plan on going hardcore, you can easily disregard "cables" and "power components")

Now, when you choose on headphones (always audition first), you will be looking for an appropriate amp. Lets say you choose the HD598s which are excellent for their price. What you wanna buy is an amp which is not more expensive then twice their price. (it is like my golden rule, with a few exceptions though) Then you have to consider if you wanna expand soon in the future with new headphones. (if you get into this, you probably will) This will enable you to use the existing amp with the new headphones.

If you buy the HD598s, I would suggest the Asgard if you insist on this "Schiit". Schiit makes wonderful amps, however, the Valhalla and the Lyr wont do a good job with the HD598s as the Asgard would. The Lyr would probably blow up their drivers. A DAC is not really such a necesity with the HD598s.

Anyways, happy hunting, and come back for more questions. 

Mike

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwkarth 

To my ears, the Asgard accurately reflects the source with which you feed it.  If your source is slow and laid back, that's what it will sound like with the Asgard.
 

 

I sort of agree with this.  I got to try the Asgard today, though it wasn't as I'd hoped it be.  It wasn't "properly" sourced as my DAC was the FiiO E10.  If I can try it with a better DAC in the future, I will.  Hopefully then I can hear it "properly".

How hot does this amp get? I read that their solid-state amp (the Asgard) gets so hot that the volume knob is basically untouchable after 30 minutes of play.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shuttleboi 

How hot does this amp get? I read that their solid-state amp (the Asgard) gets so hot that the volume knob is basically untouchable after 30 minutes of play.

That's not true.  It gets hot, but it's like holding a paper cup with coffee in it. It isn't untouchable though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenderf4i 


Mine doesn't even get that warm.

Lol its kinda hard for me to explain.