[eke2k6]

   
I've heard the crack many times. It's certainly better than the Vali IMO. But still, the Vali sounds good with hd600/650. In fact the hd650 is the best match for me. The Vali does not pair well with the he500 and ma900 for me. 
 
kstuart states that he perceives a shift towards more sparkle and clarity after burn in. I'm hearing a bit too much sparkle in the treble pre-burn in. With more sparkle after burn in this would be a real issue for me. The he500 are just too bright and sibilant with the Vali. The ma900 is much too noisy. 
 
I'd be interested in Purrin's impression of the Vali with the he500...sorry if it's already been given. 
 
The hd600/650 is the best match. They are somewhat darker hp's and the sparkle of the Vali seems to be a good balance without become harsh and sibilant. 

 
Thanks a lot! Crack it is then.

 

[Transformatron]

   
Thanks a lot! Crack it is then.

NOOOOOOO!!!!! Drugs are bad!

 

[eke2k6]

  NOOOOOOO!!!!! Drugs are bad!

 
It's ok. I already did my mandatory drug test for the semester.

 

[AHorseNamedJeff]

 

  NOOOOOOO!!!!! Drugs are bad!

 
It's ok. I already did my mandatory drug test for the semester.

And that gentlemen is how you do it.

 

[purrin]

Let the tubes warm up and the HE-500 isn't so bright with the Vali. Still, I wouldn't consider the Vali a dark, laid-back, or overly warm sounding amp. And I actually prefer the HE-500 to be on the brighter side than dark. The HE-500 does measure with a mid-treble peak. I've tended to use slight EQ -3db at 10k. I'm not afraid to use EQ, so "tonal matching" between gear isn't a big deal for me. I do have an alternative setup for the HE-500 - mainly out of the Mjolnir - and then from the Mjolnir into a speaker power amp. But that's aiming for a different set of priorities: speed, control, precision, etc. The HE-500 from the Vali is the give me goose-bumps setup.

 

[FlySweep]

  I was wondering if I could get some help.
 
From my perspective, the only headphone I see that will be an endgame for me is the SR-009/BHSE combo. I won't be able to afford it for another couple of years, so I was thinking of reacquiring a HD600 and a Bottlehead Crack. I heard the Crack is possibly the endgame amp for the HD600. However, it's a DIY project, and has a long waitlist.
 
Enter the Vali. 
 
It's half the price of the unbuilt Crack, and is described as having a similar tube clarity and detail as the Crack. 
 
Is there a HD600 owner who owns/will own both the Crack and Vali? Your input would be greatly appreciated.

 
I do, Eke.. I've had the Vali for a number of days now.. and been quietly comparing the HE-500/HD600 off the Project Ember//BH Crack (respectively) vs both phones off the Vali.  My Vali doesn't have a whole lot of hours on it, which is why I've held off from commenting much.. but I will soon.
 
So far, I'd say the HD600/Vali combo is very comparable to the HD600/Crack combo in terms of sound.. especially when it comes detail retrieval & tonal balance.  I'm in the camp that finds a BH Crack to be an end game type of amp for the HD600.  Right now, outside of the Crack, I think the Vali is a no brainer for the HD600... no brainer.  It possesses the same 'addicting' qualities that the Crack offers when used with high impedance phones, among other things.
 
*any references to the Crack in this post imply a speedballed Crack, btw.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

+1

 

[DaveUpton]

   
I do, Eke.. I've had the Vali for a number of days now.. and been quietly comparing the HE-500/HD600 off the Project Ember//BH Crack (respectively) vs both phones off the Vali.  My Vali doesn't have a whole lot of hours on it, which is why I've held off from commenting much.. but I will soon.
 
So far, I'd say the HD600/Vali combo is very comparable to the HD600/Crack combo in terms of sound.. especially when it comes detail retrieval & tonal balance.  I'm in the camp that finds a BH Crack to be an end game type of amp for the HD600.  Right now, outside of the Crack, I think the Vali is a no brainer for the HD600... no brainer.  It possesses the same 'addicting' qualities that the Crack offers when used with high impedance phones, among other things.
 
*any references to the Crack in this post imply a speedballed Crack, btw.

How about Vali vs Ember (granted Ember can sound like anything really)  - how does it stack up?

 

[K.T.]

  So far, I'd say the HD600/Vali combo is very comparable to the HD600/Crack combo in terms of sound... I think the Vali is a no brainer for the HD600... no brainer.

 

  The HE-500 from the Vali is the give me goose-bumps setup.

 
 
This is fantastic news. As an owner of both phones, I am truly happy to hear this. Can't wait for my Vali to arrive!

 

[eke2k6]

   
I do, Eke.. I've had the Vali for a number of days now.. and been quietly comparing the HE-500/HD600 off the Project Ember//BH Crack (respectively) vs both phones off the Vali.  My Vali doesn't have a whole lot of hours on it, which is why I've held off from commenting much.. but I will soon.
 
So far, I'd say the HD600/Vali combo is very comparable to the HD600/Crack combo in terms of sound.. especially when it comes detail retrieval & tonal balance.  I'm in the camp that finds a BH Crack to be an end game type of amp for the HD600.  Right now, outside of the Crack, I think the Vali is a no brainer for the HD600... no brainer.  It possesses the same 'addicting' qualities that the Crack offers when used with high impedance phones, among other things.
 
*any references to the Crack in this post imply a speedballed Crack, btw.

 
Once again I want to hug you. You've saved me at least $160.
 
If only the Vali looked as sexy as the Crack.

 

[K.T.]

It may have been asked before, but I take it the Vali is a better performing amp than the HiFiMan EF2a?
 
I know nothing of the the EF2a, but see that it's a tube amp in the under $200 range.

 

[wje]

  I spent another 6 hours last night listening to the Vali while playing games and it seems to sound worse the more I listen to it.
Now to my ears it sounds great with the modded Q701 and doesn't change a thing. It adds NOTHING and same with the two K400s I have.
To me it's not good really with the HD-650 and holds it back majorly compared to the Magni, Micro and O2. The HD-650 and DJ100 are the two headphones where the Vali adds in it's own colorations, which make them sound worse.
 
First tried docked Ipod Touch 2G to Vali and HD-650.
Sounded muffled/congested and closed in. Lack of detail and sound clarity.
 
I got the same results with my DJ100. Closed in congested sound and not clear at all. Not smooth and sloppy bass.
 
It's as if I can't even hear my Ipod Touch 2G. It's normally crystal clear sounding, but the Vali is crapping up it's good sound. 100% not the Ipod Touch's fault so don't even say it.
 
I switched to the Q701 and K400. PERFECT! Nothing added at all. What the...??
 
I then try my Denon 2190 CD player which has two Wolfson WM8740 DAC chips. Much better! Soundstage is a little bigger and I think this is the trick.
The problem is that the mids are so thick that it obscures detail and makes everything abnormally smooth. Sometimes it's nice, but mostly not. I would say with this setup I heard this "tubey" sound.
The DAC has some warmth too. Listened to this setup for 1 1/2 hours and liked it but sounded quite colored.
 
Vali and Modi is probably comparable to the Denon 2190 but less warmth in total.
 
Vali and Headroom Micro DAC sound the best easily. It uses the CS4398 chipset and seems pretty uncolored without any warmth at all. Vali adds in it's own flavor and I can't hear how good this DAC is.
 
Basically right now with everything I attach to the Vali it sounds like a Vali. I can't hear much difference, which is similar to the E9. It's the last amp i'd use to hear changes in my sources.
 
Loving it with the Q701 but with that it doesn't add anything and sounds dead neutral/transparent with that. It'd be interesting to try it with a DT-880 and see what happens there.
 
Right now it's not an amp i'd suggest for someone starting out or that wants a good all-rounder. IMO is more like a cheap toy to play with. I love it with the modded Q701 so that's good enough for me.
 
I'm listening to "Light Years" from Pearl Jam and it's really muffled and the bass is sort of farty sounding on the HD-650. Q701 is crystal clear on the Vali but the HD-650 sounds really veiled.
 
I think one of the problems is that the soundstage of the Vali (not from my sources) is kind of very compressed. This doesn't help the HD-650.
 
I imagine it will be a great match for anything that doesn't have a closed in soundstage that is too bassy or warm.
 
Now the question is why it seems so uncolored with the modded Q701 but much worse with the HD-650? With the Q701 it's about as good as my main setup and I feel as if I can HEAR my sources unlike with the HD-650/DJ100 and Vali.
 
EDIT: BTW just because I don't like the HD-650 with the Vali doesn't mean I hate the amp. I'll use it in my bedroom for just the Q701. I actually would like to see how the DT-880 does with the Vali. My bet is that it doesn't add anything to that (no extra warmth) just like with the Q701. I want to try a SR-60 on it too

I know it might be noisy.
 
EDIT2: I was just listening to a really trebly song and it actually sounded crystal clear with the Vali and 650. On songs where there is bass, the sound with the HD-650 can get more "hazy" and the sound (and clarity) takes a nose dive. I think the bass is just not very well controlled and a bit sloppy. Nothing too terrible. Maybe this is why I don't like it with the HD-650. Recordings with any kind of warmth feel as if they have a double whammy of warmth on the Vali.
 
You can hear the same things the Vali is doing to the HD-650 on the DJ100 w/M50 pads, but even more magnified. Just basically loose farty bass and a very closed in soundstage and lacking in sound clarity. The Vali actually isn't too noisy with the 38ohm DJ100. Sounds like a low mid emphasis coming form the Vali. HD-650 and DJ100 don't need this really. Strangely enough the 38ohm DJ100 sounds better from the Vali than the HD-650.

 
Seems like a bit of an "eye opener" from your live testing conditions.  For now, I'll put my wallet carefully back into my pocket.
 
I currently have the Schiit Vali in my position and am working through some testing.  Pretty nice sounding so far, and I own the Asgard I too.

 

[purrin]

 
So far, I'd say the HD600/Vali combo is very comparable to the HD600/Crack combo in terms of sound.. especially when it comes detail retrieval & tonal balance.  I'm in the camp that finds a BH Crack to be an end game type of amp for the HD600.  Right now, outside of the Crack, I think the Vali is a no brainer for the HD600... no brainer.  It possesses the same 'addicting' qualities that the Crack offers when used with high impedance phones, among other things.

 
That's interesting. I like the Crack a lot with the HD650/600s (I too consider that combo a suitable end-game setup). Honestly, I wasn't sure if the Vali would hold it's own again the Crack (HD600/650) without doing a direct comparison myself.

 

[kstuart]

 

 
So far, I'd say the HD600/Vali combo is very comparable to the HD600/Crack combo in terms of sound.. especially when it comes detail retrieval & tonal balance.  I'm in the camp that finds a BH Crack to be an end game type of amp for the HD600.  Right now, outside of the Crack, I think the Vali is a no brainer for the HD600... no brainer.  It possesses the same 'addicting' qualities that the Crack offers when used with high impedance phones, among other things.

 
That's interesting. I like the Crack a lot with the HD650/600s (I too consider that combo a suitable end-game setup). Honestly, I wasn't sure if the Vali would hold it's own again the Crack (HD600/650) without doing a direct comparison myself.

I have not heard the Crack (since I don't have HD600 or 650), but I know some guys who like it a lot and they are exactly the sort of listeners who would notice the relatively poor timbre of the Vali.  I'm gathering that the majority of readers of a thread about $119 amps don't listen to music with much variety of instruments, so they would not notice.
 
There is also a tendency for the mind to notice the excellent level of detail, and then subconsciously assume that everything else must be equally great, since detail is usually an indication of quality.

 

[AladdinSane]

Is it too early to ask for the Vali in black?