[ryant]

Ok, this idea was kicked around several times on the Vali thread so I decided to run with it. 
 
This thread IS a place to post your reviews or impressions of the Vali and how it pairs or compares with you headphones, DACs, amps, etc.
 
This thread is NOT a place to talk about microphonics! There are other places to do this.
 
 
 
Now to hopefully kick this off correctly, I'm re-posting this from the other thread. I will follow it up with a my impressions of the Vali with my modded Fostex t50rp's and possibly try a few other low end cans I have laying around later this week if I have time. 
 

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Fit and Finish




As you guys probably already know, the fit and finish are fantastic. I was really impressed with both components. The stack looks very elegant and doesn't feel cheap in any way. You can tell Schiit really pays attention to the details on their gear. It's surprising to see this in such low cost units. Build quality seems very good as well. The coating seems very clear and even and the rubber feet are a nice touch. The lettering and logo on units are both well done and classy. All the holes and screws are nice and clean. I did find the LED's a bit bright but honestly not too bad. My Vali is 772 and upon first opening the package I looked to see if my tubes had come up off the board as so many others had reported happening. So far no sign of them being lifted off the foam.

There are a few things I didn't love about the combo. I feel like the volume pot is a bit stiff and not as smooth as I would hope. Granted I do feel a bit silly saying that given the ridiculously low price point this amp is at. Aside from the volume knob feel, I have an ever so slight channel imbalance at the very start of the volume pot. If I start at 0 and very slowly turn it up, the left channel comes on first and then the right picks up shortly there after. This is at levels so low that you can barely hear the music so it's not a big deal. The only other thing I would change is the gain. I find that it's exceptionally loud at about 10 O'clock. I feel that with these cans, I would never need to turn it up higher than that. I wish I had a bit more play in the volume pot. Granted I can see the trade offs that must be made for an amp that is going to be used for a wide variety of cans. I would hate to have some inefficient cans that couldn't achieve the volume needed. I know I can adjust the volume going from the Modi via the windows volume but I like to try and run that at 100%. Those are my only gripes with it but overall they are no where near deal breakers. I am still floored that I could get a DAC and tube amp of this quality for $220. This is just an INSANE deal. 



Sound

I will say right up front it takes a few minutes to really get warmed up. This is my first foray into the wonderful world of tubes so I really didn't know what to expect. I brought the package into the house and let it sit for about an hour to let it warm up from the cold. I sadly didn't have any good quality cables on hand so I'm using a generic RCA and USB cable. I will be buying some proper cables shortly. After hooking it up, my computer immediately recognized the Modi and I was all set. 

I decided to just jump right in with the music and see how it compared to my onboard sound card. Here are some early impressions once it was warmed up.

Paper Hearts and She by Silver Trees:
Mp3 128Kbps
Even though these tracks are low bitrate MP3s, I love to use them to evaluate systems because there are so many interesting layers to the music. The guitar picking on both tracks were very defined with a hint of warmth. The vocals were just fantastic. There are some interesting reverb and layering effects used on the songs. I feel that it takes a system with a fair bit of resolution to be able to distinctly pick apart all the reverb and layers while not clouding the whole presentation. The drums were overall clear but suffered from compression of the MP3. All in all the vocals really stole the show with these tracks. The resolution and presentation were far and away greater than my onboard sound card. 

Heaven by Los Lonely Boys:
FLACC
This is another go to track for me. I feel that for a mainstream album, it's mixed and mastered well. Right away the electric guitar riffs were smooth and very well defined. I could hear the reverb and hint of distortion on the instrument which is great. I could hear the separate guitar riffs clear as day. The cymbals, toms, and snare were all nice and sharp with only a tad bit of smearing on the cymbals. The bass came through defined and with some amazing warmth. I feel it can tend to get lost in the mix with this track but I didn't have any trouble picking it out. The vocals were the star of the show on this track. They were buttery smooth and just fantastic.

Fix You by Coldplay:
FLACC
I've always felt that Coldplay tended to master their material a bit to hot in the treble so I love to use their material to test how a system will handle the treble when it. I felt the Modi/Vali did a wonderful job on this track. The organ and piano sounded a bit warm to my ears but overall had a clean and clear presentation. The guitar came in a bit hot but very controlled and never seemed to edge over the line for me. The vocals again were stunning through this track. I can't get over how buttery smooth they are! Even though they can tend to sound harsh on this track, the Modi/Vali combo didn't skip a beat here. When the song picked up speed with the distorted guitar and drums it still maintained composure and very good instrument separation. I could hear the compression on the track (mainly with the cymbals becoming splashy) but I believe that is a product of the compression applied to the recording. 

Back's Against the Wall by Judah & the Lion:
FLACC
This is an interesting track. I love the variety of instruments and even though I think the recording isn't the best I've heard, I still love to see how a system will present this track. Right away the guitar and upright bass sounded well defined with a bit of a laid back feel. The mandolin and banjo both came through with incredibly realism and separation. Drums on this track typically sound a bit muffled and compressed and that was represented here as well. I feel the vocals have an interestin grunge applied to them. I don't know if that was on purpose or an effect of the mastering but they were well layered and defined. Overall the Modi/Vali did a great job providing a clear defined and spacious sound to this track.  

  
Overall Sound
I can honestly say the Modi/Vali combo is a pretty staggering difference from my onboard sound card. The amp itself was still cold to the touch on the first few tracks and had a bit of harshness to it. Once It physically warmed up that faded away to an incredibly sweet and clean sound. The onboard card had always sounded dull and veiled while being slightly splashy in the higher treble ranges. The Modi/Vali really took control of the sound. The extension seemed great and instrument separation was phenomenal. So far I would have to say the main attraction here is the buttery smooth mid range and incredible detail that this combo can pull out of the music. Even with poorly recorded tracks and compressed MP3s I found myself hearing so much detail and clarity. I don't think I've come across a track that really sounded harsh. It's just such a pleasant sound signature. 


Final Thoughts





This combo is literally a no brainer in my opinion. I have been out of the audio world for the past 4-5 years and this combo along with my HE-300's are my entry back into it. I listen to this setup and am shocked at the quality I've gotten for a mere $370. I could honestly say that I don't need anything better than this combo. I'm sure I will still purchase more gear because I love to hear different things and tinker with equipment but the detail, resolution, and overall presentation of this setup is just off the charts. I can't wait to get more play time with this combo and see how it changes and matures over the burn in period. 

 

[New Yorker]

I love this! Thanks for starting this thread!

 

[ryant]

Sound
 
This is a quick overview of how I think the T50rp's (BMF #3 mods) sound. Granted these are DIY modded cans so it's totally possible that the sound would change drastically between iterations. Regardless, I feel I can at least give my impressions on how they match up. I will mention how these sound compared to the HE-300's since that is my other set of cans to listen to with the Vali. I realize this is a bit more of how the headphones sound verse the Vali but hopefully it would help someone with some T50rp's know what to expect.
 
 
She by Silver Trees:
Mp3 128Kbps
Right away they sound pretty warm and cozy. The acoustic guitar sounds a touch too warm. The vocals are exceptionally smooth and buttery. Even more believable than the HE-300's. The detail on this set of cans is astounding to my ears. It's another step above the HE-300's in terms of hearing all the tinniest details clearly and cleanly. It's not as sharp as the HE-300 but I can still hear everything. In the more dynamic portions of the song it clouds up and I believe that is due to the recording. The drums sound very lifelike and clean but lack punch. 

Paper Hearts by Silver Trees:
Mp3 128Kbps
The guitar sounds almost perfect to my ears on this song. The vocals again are a repeat from the previous song. The drums stand out on this track. When the drummer starts his beat on the drums rims it's scary real sounding. The female vocals are again clean and smooth. The piano sounds a bit muffed and distant but not bad. I don't feel like this sounds as compressed as the first recording. 

Fix You by Coldplay:
FLACC
I can hardly believe how good the vocals come through on this track. It's typically a bit sharp and abrasive but it is SO smooth and clean. I have never heard it reproduced this cleanly and I think that is due to the Vali's smooth clarity and the T50rp's characteristics. The keys sound great as well. very well defined. The guitar is a bit zippy to my ears but still very clear. I was impressed that I could hear him sliding his fingers along the strings. That amount of detail is hard to resolve with so much going on in the track. The drums and electric guitar both come through incredibly sharp and defined. Any rough edges that the HE-300's had are gone. The downfall is lack of punch. The kick just seems like it's about 4 dB to quiet. 

Back's Against the Wall by Judah & the Lion:
FLACC
I was expecting this to sound a bit mashed sounding and it did to an extent. The vocals are a bit veiled but the instruments, especially the banjo and mandolin are just fantastic sounding. There are some percussion instruments floating around in the background that I've never heard before. Again, props to the resolving power of this amp and headphone combo! The drums sound a tad woolly and the cymbals are a bit splashy which is a bit of a let down.

  
Overall Sound
I feel like the t50rp and vali combo is a GREAT pair up. After having spent many many hours listening to this combo as well as the HE-300's and the Vali i feel like both are fantastic matches but have different use cases. The T50rp's sound so buttery smooth and yet still clear they are a no brainer for any acoustic or folk type music. I feel their big downfall is the lack of punch. It's likely this is due to me sucking at modding but while the mids and highs are like heaven the bass is a bit to rolled. Now in comes the HE-300's and boy do they sound perfect with electronic, rock, and other upbeat music. The bass rumbles along and they are a bit snappier in the high frequencies. 
 
I think this really says a lot for the Vali and it's versatility. I think that you could easily pair this with cans cost far and away higher than the amp and not be missing anything. As others have said this thing is a beast. I haven't heard anything bad out of it yet and I feel like the biggest thing holding it back are the cans I have. I can imagine if you used this to power some really top shelf cans you would have a killer system. I'm still blown away at how clean and smooth the sound is. Normally I would think that it would really shine in one genre of music and fall flat in others but it seems to handle the two ends of the spectrum that I listen to (acoustic folk and some pretty busy electronic music) with ease.