Thank you. I'm very happy with my purchase. The new Vali was everything I had hoped for. My goal was to find a possible upgrade to what I enjoyed in the Thieaudio Phantom, but with a different vocal presentation. Either there would be a new champion, or it would prove my Phantoms were the best. A fun contest.
The Vali are my new champion. I have only been in the hobby for a short time, so I'm not great at describing sound, but they have the detail of the HE-560's but without the thin sound and lacking treble. They have the great percussion of the Thieaudio Phantom, but with more impact and more specific. They also have the premium, full sound and great vocals like the Focal Elex, but not boring.
I was looking for a specific sound signature and my research and faith are rewarded here. For me, the new Vali sound is not lacking in any way, so my passion to seek the sound I was looking for is over. I do like the timbre of the Phantom a little bit more, but to choose the Phantom over the Vali would be to sacrifice detail, bigger sound stage, superior imaging, vocals & percussion/bass.
This proves to me that although I'm new to the hobby, I can trust my research and I already knew William Murdoch's recommendations are really good and very accurate and my trust in his reviews grows as well.
For anyone taking the time to read this, also want to say dealing with Kennerton has been a pleasure. Very intelligent and patient customer service.