The knobs don't have set screws, they are pressed on to the shaft (not trivial to keep straight). To ensure they are straight, they would have had to use a pot with a flat on the shaft as well as set screws for the knobs, increasing price and assembly time.

This is a $150 dollar sonically excellent EQ. The pots have detents in them, so you can feel the true center. Would you rather pay more for straighter knobs? I'm glad the money went to the components and design and not to a more expensive assembly process that ensures the knobs are straight...

The more gain/attenuation you apply to a band, the narrower the adjustment band becomes.

I've had Loki two days now, and I have to say this is exactly what I needed. I just got the Mr Speakers AEON a month ago and coming from the Oppo PM-3 I loved the detail of the AEON but I missed the bass so much. No longer! Loki mini is awesome. Stereo and sound stage sounds just as great as...

MDR-Z7 are unfortunately very boomy and "dark" headphones. They need significant EQ to sound flat. I replaced my MDR-Z7's with Oppo PM-3's and I haven't looked back. The PM-3 has tons of bass but doesn't drown out the clarity - Planar Magic per se.   Good luck.

  I used to put my Mimby under a Vali 2 and it was getting very hot. I was also having audio issues with weird static and ringing noises periodically. I have since sold my Vali 2 and it no longer runs hot and also does not have any audio white-noise or ringing anymore. I would highly recommend...

  Interesting thoughts. I have both the 4490 and the Mimby and I listened to both on my near-field studio monitor speakers, going through just a passive volume control (JBL Nano Patch). I found that the sound stage has a big hole in the center with the 4490. It's a very 2 dimensional sound...

I've had this problem. Hit the button on the front to switch inputs to cycle it and the sound should clear up. It appears to be a sample rate problem for me, if I switch sample rates a lot it will make this static white noise on top of the song. I don't mess with any cables I just push the...

I let someone borrow my mimby for 2 days and I have it back now. While my mimby was out, in it's place I put in my Bifrost 4490 to fill in. I cannot believe how obvious the difference is to me now. It's like real instruments vs grainy empty **** (not Schiit). Needless to say, the Bifrost is now...

I will say I've owned 3 Schiit DACs Modi2U, Bifrost 4490, and a Modi MB, and every one of them has had some sort of issue via USB, using a Mac Pro, iMac, and a Macbook Air. I definitely stay away from USB, optical works the best for me. I have not tried putting a powered USB hub in the middle...

  I've seen this bridge and I'm wondering, wouldn't this be unshielded and risk catching radio interference? I'm pretty sure most of the high quality cable options are shielded.

Hi,    Thanks for your detailed analysis! I'm debating selling my Bifrost 4490 and getting a Modi Multibit now...   So the results seem better for Optical vs USB, is that correct?

  Vox has everything I need and I like two features in particular - "Try to load music files fully into memory" ( prevents playback issues if your computer is busy doing lots of other things) and "synchronize sample rate with player"  which automatically switches the output sample rate of the...

  Oh ok, thanks for pointing that out.

  The Bifrost has a better analog stage, and a better power supply. It can also be upgraded later down the line because of it's modular design. It's also more aesthetically pleasing with an asgard, lyr, or valhalla.

Hi guys,   Quick question here - How is it that the Analog Devices 5547 chip has overcome the cost and difficulty of the R2R ladder DAC design? IE, laser trimming the resistors to be exactly double the impedance in sequence and all that, it's supposed to be prohibitively expensive. How is it...

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    So you want Line Out to go to IN on the Vali 2:    

That sounds like a good strategy for your setup. I want to use my Power Amp's volume knob (mostly because it has an IR remote) for my home theater, so I would just set the vali 2 to a certain volume and leave it there. I haven't taken my Vali 2 home yet to test it out for this purpose (I use it...

Hey guys just wondering has anyone tried the HiFiMAN HE-560's on a Vali 2? Is it enough power?   Thanks

  Yes that's a great thread for Tube ideas as well.

  If you want a good easy to get tube check out the Gold Lion E88CC. If you don't mind spending a little more, it seems the most praised tube is the NOS Amperex 6922 or 7308. I'm using Oppo PM-3 planars with an Amperex JAN 7308 USA and the bass is very good, though the PM-3 are a little easier...

  Yeah makes sense. I'll play around with it but I'm thinking volume on the Vali 2 set to 75% or something might be a good start.   Thanks

  Yes I always leave the software volume at 100%, that's not really my question. The DAC has a line-level output going to the Vali 2. The speaker amp that the Vali 2 is connected to has a volume knob, so I wanted to set the Vali 2 to the best volume, and use the final speaker amplifier's volume...

I got one that tested as new (according to the seller) on eBay for $75. It seems like it opened up the sound stage and added more midrange detail to me. If you do get one on eBay try to find a seller that has high feedback ratings and lots of feedback. From what I've read the 7308 is a "select"...