There comes a time you're bored from your audio gear. You don't have a grand or two for a new set of ultra high end headphones to give you that fresh kick, and electronics costing as much as your current cans, make no sense.
Then comes Schiit Audio. They got new, they got cheap and they got an amp with a tube stuck in it for $170.
My background, experience and equipment:
I have and owned a few amps, but this one is the first tube variation. To me, it looked like poor man's equalization at first, but after some studying it appears the difference is being made at the analogue level and is more than frequency skews.
Anyways, I use the following gear for evaluations:
Headphones: Hifiman HE400i, Shure SE535, Philips SHP9500.
DACs: Schiit Modi Multibit, 1st gen Fiio X5, $1 DAC I got from ebay.
Amps: Fiio E12A.
Misc: 1st gen Schiit Fulla, Nexus 5 smartphone, Schiit SYS pre-amplifier.
Music: Metal (prog to extreme), jazz, electronic.
Sound impressions:
I've already known this amp doesn't sound "gooey" or warm as characteristic of tube amps, spoiling the surprise, but was still pleasantly impressed on first listen: Detailed, accurate and transparent, with a little extra on the highs. In fact, it can be debated whether it's too transparent for its own good, not because of it being a bad thing, but because of the expectation from a typical tube amp sound (which I only ever read about, of course).
Admittedly, my previous amp was a portable Fiio E12A, so in terms of price the Vali 2 should outperform it, and as expected, it walks the park with it. The sound is open, more detailed, the vocals are great, the bass has a texture (new thing for me with this) and overall the listening experience feels more immersive.
One great achievement of this amp for me is that I sometimes hear new details in songs I'm familiar with. Whether it's caused by the small bump to the highs with the stock 6BZ7 tube or the overall package, I do not know (the EH 6CG7 pronounces the phenomenon less), but it's these things that are worth upgrading for.
Unto tube rolling, there are a lot of tubes compatible with the Vali 2, from a wide variety of types and prices (starting at $15 and going well above the Vali 2 price), each having its own sound signature.
Before dwelling in, I've set a two point mantra on the subject: Don't fix what ain't broken; be mindful of diminishing returns. I.e., when I'm listening to a perfectly functioning amp that sounds fine to me, I see no reason screwing things up. Which was true until I got a pair of Hifiman HE400i and had to tame the treble.
Long story (browse Tube Depot) made short, $15-25 is what I was willing to pay for 1940s technology plugged to a $170 amp. After consulting the dedicated tube rolling thread, I got an Electro-Harmonix 6CG7 and learned what "tube amps are all about".
Compared to the stock NOS 6BZ7 (which costs about $4, and sold for $10 at Schiit, by the way), this slightly fatter, taller offering sounds warmer, smoother, more detailed on the lower end, but most ominously, more pleasant. On the same difficulty of explaining "musicality", the way I describe this is it being the audio equivalence of drinking just enough to feel the effect. However, with the EH 6CG7 you do get a narrower soundstage (unless you consider this intimacy), less detailed highs and a bit less air and realism. In the end, tube rolling is a very subjective experience.
Ultimately, the tubes should match your headphones and personal preference, which is both good and bad: Appreciate the choice, not so fond of the price on the "tube starter kit" and the fact that you won't know you like them until you listen to them. All that before going "high end" (like 2-digit prices? too bad).
In regard to usability, the amp comes with a gain switch and pre-amplifier connectors. It's been mentioned in a review here that the pre-amp is meh, and at first I did feel the sound is a bit muffled, until I rigged it into the Schiit SYS and did direct comparisons, with the output sounding exactly the same. Admittedly, my speakers are a ten years old 2.1 Creative set that cost about $60 at the time, but I know their sound inside out, and if there is a difference, it's a very subtle one.
As for the gain switch, the low gain does its job for (almost) silently driving IEMs. The Shure SE535 can pick up a bit of noise depending on the tube, but once the music is playing, it's not a problem. I should mention that extreme caution is advised when listening with IEMs, even on low gain. The Vali 2 appears to have preposterous amounts of power for efficient headphones: Even on low gain, the SYS set to 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock on the Vali 2 is enough to make them very loud. Additionally, the mute relay in the amp is either malfunctioning or just not working as it should, as after long shut-down periods, the amp emits a loud "pop" through either the pre-amp or headphone jack, soon after starting. The volume of the pop does not correspond to the pot position, and needless to say, if you have your IEMs plugged and in your ears, you're in for a world of hurt.
Miscellaneous and concluding remarks:
Aesthetically, the Vali 2 is a babe, as long as its Atari 5200 power adapter is hidden from plain view. The design is clean, no nonsense, and you get a bonus if your tube has a healthy glow.
It should be noted that the amp comes with no cables, or adapters, which I personally find lacking, particularly when a lot of people stack their Schiit gear. Sure there's Monoprice and the likes, but I'm sure including a cable won't kill the business.
Anyhow, to sum this all up, the Schiit Vali 2 is a fun, relatively affordable, little all-arounder. Unpack the box and get great sound, not a lot different than a good solid state amp. Or, go adventurous, buy a bunch of tubes, have a ride on the aural roller coaster and discover what audiophiles and Russian fighter jets have in common.
Then comes Schiit Audio. They got new, they got cheap and they got an amp with a tube stuck in it for $170.
My background, experience and equipment:
I have and owned a few amps, but this one is the first tube variation. To me, it looked like poor man's equalization at first, but after some studying it appears the difference is being made at the analogue level and is more than frequency skews.
Anyways, I use the following gear for evaluations:
Headphones: Hifiman HE400i, Shure SE535, Philips SHP9500.
DACs: Schiit Modi Multibit, 1st gen Fiio X5, $1 DAC I got from ebay.
Amps: Fiio E12A.
Misc: 1st gen Schiit Fulla, Nexus 5 smartphone, Schiit SYS pre-amplifier.
Music: Metal (prog to extreme), jazz, electronic.
Sound impressions:
I've already known this amp doesn't sound "gooey" or warm as characteristic of tube amps, spoiling the surprise, but was still pleasantly impressed on first listen: Detailed, accurate and transparent, with a little extra on the highs. In fact, it can be debated whether it's too transparent for its own good, not because of it being a bad thing, but because of the expectation from a typical tube amp sound (which I only ever read about, of course).
Admittedly, my previous amp was a portable Fiio E12A, so in terms of price the Vali 2 should outperform it, and as expected, it walks the park with it. The sound is open, more detailed, the vocals are great, the bass has a texture (new thing for me with this) and overall the listening experience feels more immersive.
One great achievement of this amp for me is that I sometimes hear new details in songs I'm familiar with. Whether it's caused by the small bump to the highs with the stock 6BZ7 tube or the overall package, I do not know (the EH 6CG7 pronounces the phenomenon less), but it's these things that are worth upgrading for.
Unto tube rolling, there are a lot of tubes compatible with the Vali 2, from a wide variety of types and prices (starting at $15 and going well above the Vali 2 price), each having its own sound signature.
Before dwelling in, I've set a two point mantra on the subject: Don't fix what ain't broken; be mindful of diminishing returns. I.e., when I'm listening to a perfectly functioning amp that sounds fine to me, I see no reason screwing things up. Which was true until I got a pair of Hifiman HE400i and had to tame the treble.
Long story (browse Tube Depot) made short, $15-25 is what I was willing to pay for 1940s technology plugged to a $170 amp. After consulting the dedicated tube rolling thread, I got an Electro-Harmonix 6CG7 and learned what "tube amps are all about".
Compared to the stock NOS 6BZ7 (which costs about $4, and sold for $10 at Schiit, by the way), this slightly fatter, taller offering sounds warmer, smoother, more detailed on the lower end, but most ominously, more pleasant. On the same difficulty of explaining "musicality", the way I describe this is it being the audio equivalence of drinking just enough to feel the effect. However, with the EH 6CG7 you do get a narrower soundstage (unless you consider this intimacy), less detailed highs and a bit less air and realism. In the end, tube rolling is a very subjective experience.
Ultimately, the tubes should match your headphones and personal preference, which is both good and bad: Appreciate the choice, not so fond of the price on the "tube starter kit" and the fact that you won't know you like them until you listen to them. All that before going "high end" (like 2-digit prices? too bad).
In regard to usability, the amp comes with a gain switch and pre-amplifier connectors. It's been mentioned in a review here that the pre-amp is meh, and at first I did feel the sound is a bit muffled, until I rigged it into the Schiit SYS and did direct comparisons, with the output sounding exactly the same. Admittedly, my speakers are a ten years old 2.1 Creative set that cost about $60 at the time, but I know their sound inside out, and if there is a difference, it's a very subtle one.
As for the gain switch, the low gain does its job for (almost) silently driving IEMs. The Shure SE535 can pick up a bit of noise depending on the tube, but once the music is playing, it's not a problem. I should mention that extreme caution is advised when listening with IEMs, even on low gain. The Vali 2 appears to have preposterous amounts of power for efficient headphones: Even on low gain, the SYS set to 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock on the Vali 2 is enough to make them very loud. Additionally, the mute relay in the amp is either malfunctioning or just not working as it should, as after long shut-down periods, the amp emits a loud "pop" through either the pre-amp or headphone jack, soon after starting. The volume of the pop does not correspond to the pot position, and needless to say, if you have your IEMs plugged and in your ears, you're in for a world of hurt.
Miscellaneous and concluding remarks:
Aesthetically, the Vali 2 is a babe, as long as its Atari 5200 power adapter is hidden from plain view. The design is clean, no nonsense, and you get a bonus if your tube has a healthy glow.
It should be noted that the amp comes with no cables, or adapters, which I personally find lacking, particularly when a lot of people stack their Schiit gear. Sure there's Monoprice and the likes, but I'm sure including a cable won't kill the business.
Anyhow, to sum this all up, the Schiit Vali 2 is a fun, relatively affordable, little all-arounder. Unpack the box and get great sound, not a lot different than a good solid state amp. Or, go adventurous, buy a bunch of tubes, have a ride on the aural roller coaster and discover what audiophiles and Russian fighter jets have in common.
Thanks for the review.