[Kaise]

Hi there, long time lurker here, but couldn't find a thread that answered this question. I recently purchased a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 880 600 ohm 'phones, and am currently running them straight out of my Titanium HD sound card. I quickly realised these headphones need some proper amplification to sound their best, and have decided to go with an OTL tube amp for their high voltage/low current output. I can get the LD for AUD $250, while the Valhalla will cost me AUD$450 from my local hi fi store (where I can also audition it).
So I've read a lot of reviews on the LD, and pretty much all of them rave about how awesome/what a great bargain it is. Valhalla reviews are less enthusiastic, but still maintain that it is a great amp for the money. So I guess my real question is: do you guys think the Valhalla is worth the extra $200? Being a student, that's like 3 weeks wages for me (gotta love less-than-minimum-wage-cash-in-hand jobs!), but don't mind paying extra if it's worth it. Thanks in advance for your opinions!

 

[PredatorZ]

I would say since you can audition one locally, take your headphones down there, with some favorite recordings, one you know well and take her for a spin, at least then you can form your own opinion if it sounds and drives your headphones like you want. Try to form some quick impressions if possible, take notes even, that way you can refer back to them when reading up on LD and others impressions of it. Then ask yourself, does it sound like $450, there's always a little buyers remorse when spending your hard earn green backs. See if the reviews of the Valhalla match your impressions. At least that gives you a starting point for comparison.
 

 

[PredatorZ]

Cheers mate ! BTW

 

[Lorspeaker]

The LD mk4se is another good option if u can get one on a bargain. 
 
The LDmk3 can be improved with a better powercord...if u find the soundstage too distant/lean.
Thats my experience with this amp n the dt880/600 when i had them both.

 

[Kaise]

Thanks PredatorZ, I hadn't thought of asking myself if it 'sounded like' $450. I was tossing up whether it was worth it to audition the Valhalla, on the one hand at least I'd know what it sounds like, but on the other I wouldn't be able to compare it directly to the LD. From my research it seems like the Valhalla has more of a neutral, even SS sound, while the LD has more of a 'classic tube' sound. Also, there's the fact that the LD has many tube rolling options, while I'm fairly sure the Valhalla has limited/no options.
I did consider the MK IV se briefly, but reviewers say that the MK III is the sweet spot for value/performance.

 

[PredatorZ]

I'm a sweet spot shopper, you might say. Usually the top of the line stuff is a bit out of reach, but many times the tech trickles down to the lower models, you can get a good share of the performance for much less. I can really feel your pain, I was always broke going to school, even a pizza was a major outlay at times. So committing to even a 250 amp is a major move. One good thing, you can always sell it on the forums if you are not happy. In your case, I would strongly consider the less expensive choice, and still go demo the other one. You just might fall in love and this conversation becomes moot.