[yianni]

hello all,

i just hooked up an bifrost uber gen2, with a valhalla 2 for my hd650s. keep in mind before i was just running a musiland monitor 2 from my PC.

for those who have similar set up, do you have your valhalla at 100% then control the audio via windows?or windows at 100% then control via valhalla?

with the valhalla at high volume with no sound i hear feedback, is that normal?

this is my first time using an amp with my hd650s, i know it's a shame haha

 

[PurpleAngel]

hello all,
i just hooked up an Bifrost Uber Gen2, with a Valhalla 2 for my HD650s. keep in mind before i was just running a Musiland monitor 2 from my PC.
for those who have similar set up, do you have your Bifrost at 100% then control the audio via windows?or windows at 100% then control via Bifrost?
with the Bifrost at high volume with no sound i hear feedback, is that normal?
this is my first time using an amp with my HD650s, i know it's a shame haha

I'm fairly sure the Bifrost does not have any volume controls.
I would say to leave the PC Windows volume control at 100% and just control volume using the Valhalla 2.
(turn down the Valhalla's volume control, before maxing out the PC's volume)
If you have no need for the motherboard's on-board sound card features, like headphone surround sound, connect the PC to the Bifrost using USB.
If you do heed headphone surround sound, then connect the PC to the Bifrost using S/PDIF optical.

 

[yianni]

thanks, i meant valhalla. i edited the post. i do have the bifrost connected via USB as well

 

[PurpleAngel]

thanks, i meant Valhalla. i edited the post. i do have the Bifrost connected via USB as well

For watching Blu-ray movies, check out Cyberlinks PowerDVD, as it should do surround sound processing for headphones, while using USB.

Check out K-lite (includes Media Player Classic) and VLC player, both are great for playing videos
https://codecguide.com/

For music, check out Foobar2000 (install WASAPI).
https://www.foobar2000.org/

 

[yianni]

For watching Blu-ray movies, check out Cyberlinks PowerDVD, as it should do surround sound processing for headphones, while using USB.

i have foobar, i dont really watch movies that muhc, its strictly for gaming/music

is there supposed to be feedback with full volume coming from the amp?

 

[PurpleAngel]

i have foobar, i don't really watch movies that music, its strictly for gaming/music
Is there supposed to be feedback with full volume coming from the amp?

You might be getting a feedback loop (electrical loop), between the PC and the Bifrost/Vaihalla.
Try switching the from a USB connection, to an optical connection (hopefully that helps).
If the PC/Bifrost/Valhalla all share the same power strip, try using separate power strips, plugged into separate wall sockets.

As a long shot, try a different RCA cable
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=5346
Monoprice also sells power strips.

 

[yianni]

You might be getting a feedback loop (electrical loop), between the PC and the Bifrost/Vaihalla.
Try switching the from a USB connection, to an optical connection (hopefully that helps).
If the PC/Bifrost/Valhalla all share the same power strip, try using separate power strips, plugged into separate wall sockets.

ok, i dont have an optical cable, but ill try different power. i also have a new usb and rca cable coming from schiit

 

[PurpleAngel]

ok, i don't have an optical cable, but ill try different power. i also have a new USB and RCA cable coming from Schiit

Monoprice sells optical cables too.
https://www.monoprice.com/category?c_id=102&cp_id=10229

 

[ProtegeManiac]

i just hooked up an bifrost uber gen2, with a valhalla 2 for my hd650s. keep in mind before i was just running a musiland monitor 2 from my PC.

for those who have similar set up, do you have your valhalla at 100% then control the audio via windows?or windows at 100% then control via valhalla?

Windows at 100% (in older OS versions it goes lower than 16bits if you're starting with a 16bit track), use the preamp stage of the Valhalla to control the volume. That's why it has a preamp stage with two of the four tubes working it.

with the valhalla at high volume with no sound i hear feedback, is that normal?

Amps typically add noise and distortion to whatever signal they're handling.

Compared to most other amp circuits like the integrated audio chip on a smartphone, a real amp just spits out a lot more power with even lower levels of noise and distortion.

However those are always by-products, like how making horsepower and torque has emissions and battery chemical waste, which becomes more apparent the harder the amp has to work, either with a load it can't handle easily because of too low impedance or too low sensitivity/too high impedance (kind of like if you have a Chevy Silverado that needs a tune up and then you use it to haul a boat and three more people in the cab). What you're doing with the preamp on max and controlling with OS volume is like taking that Silverado that needs a tune up to pull a trailer, putting crap 87octane in it (or whatever low cetane rating if it's a turbo diesel with the turbo also broken), and you now have your throttle wide open (which doesn't help because the low octane content doesn't allow for any higher oxygen to fuel ratios) and you're basically laying out a smoke screen on the road at that point (ie the noise).

In short...that's not how you're supposed to use those. And even if my Cantate.2 has zero noise with the knob at max setting I still wouldn't use Windows to control the system volume.

 

[yianni]

Thanks a lot for the explanation with the analogies, I understand now .