[manbear]

 
Note I am not blaming anyone ... someone cannot be interested in something they do not know exists.  Nor is there anything "better" about any genre of music.  If you are using the words "unfair" and "dismissive", then you are getting a negative spin from my comments that I am not intending.

Sorry, I'm not trying to call your intentions into question. Just pointing out that I read it that way, and it seems like some others did too. You know how the internet is... 

 

[Zalithian]

So hey guys, I heard there's this new amp called the Schiit Vali. Know anything about it?

 

[Xyzygy]

  So hey guys, I heard there's this new amp called the Schiit Vali. Know anything about it?

About 10 hours on mine now. The bass seems to be slowly but steadily improving, and Purrin's apt description of "wetness" is holding true!

 

[Zalithian]

I am so slapping myself in the face for not having the cables. Tomorrow though. It's go time. Too bad UPS is shipping. They'll be glad to deliver my package at 8 PM. Fedex would be here at around 10am. Ah well. It'll be worth it! I think my laptop DAC is just... yuck. Interested to see how the Modi makes an impact. Purrin is a sneaky guy, making all of us spend more money.

 

[ejwiles]

Assuming the tubes have a MTBF of 10,000 hours, you'd get about a year and 2 months before having to replace them. As to damage, I wouldn't think so as these tubes don't get all that hot, I don't imagine, but ask Jason.

According to Schiit's FAQ:  " tubes also have a lifespan, though Vali's tubes are expected to last 10,000-20,000 hours--which is 7-14 years of listening 4 hours a day, every day."

 

[Maxvla]

He said he was thinking about keeping it turned on 24/7, not 4 hours a day.

 

[ejwiles]

True, but just passing along some info from Schiit about expected lifespan...

 

[Zalithian]

He said he was thinking about keeping it turned on 24/7, not 4 hours a day.

I think his point is they are rated for 10 to 20k hours and he can do the math himself.

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Did Schiit estimate those times with on and offs or constantly on? What would be best, keeping the units constantly on as much as you can or shutting them on and off daily?

Does the on/off put more 'mileage' to the tubes than a constant feed?

 

[Zalithian]

I believe your best bet is turning the Vali off when you're not using it. The downside is tubes usually need to warm up to sound their best.

 

[purrin]

  About 10 hours on mine now. The bass seems to be slowly but steadily improving, and Purrin's apt description of "wetness" is holding true!

 
I'm not a huge believer in burn-in (I couldn't get the K701s to have the same bass levels as the HD650, even after 400 hours of burn in), but I guess it's probable that these old stock pencil tubes, after being stored in a crate next to the Ark of the Covenant in some government storehouse for 75 years, may need to light up for a while to burn off the impurities and crud which may have developed over time inside the tubes.
 

  Purrin is a sneaky guy, making all of us spend more money.

 
LOL, you've caught on. Remember. Bifrost is not enough. Uber Analog Upgrade. And unless you have a pretty darn good CD transport, USB Gen 2 Upgrade as well.

 

[NinjaHamster]

   
I'm not a huge believer in burn-in (I couldn't get the K701s to have the same bass levels as the HD650, even after 400 hours of burn in)

 
That doesn't describe a reasonable expectation consistent with "burn-in"; that describes the type of miracle one expects just before The Rapture !
 
Heck, I've been "running in" my Toyota Corolla for the past 40 years, and it STILL doesn't handle like a brand-new Ferrari ...  

 

 

[KefkaticFanatic]

Hey guys, I wasn't sure if my question was appropriate for an entire topic in the recommendations forum so I thought I would just ask here.  I'm currently looking into upgrading my desktop audio setup to a Schiit Magni/Modi stack or Vali/Modi stack.  (Current setup is just an ASUS Xonar DGX)
 
What I'm trying to debate right now is whether I should be getting the Magni or Vali.  I've heard a lot of really intriguing stuff about how the Vali sounds, and I am definitely interested, but I was wondering if anyone had an opinion for my more specific use.  I currently have a pair of Sennheiser HD595s with my machine, and am looking into possibly upgrading to Hifiman HE-400s in the semi-near future.  I am likely also to purchase Sennheiser Momentums for mobile use, though as they would be for mobile use I likely wouldn't use them much with this setup.  I though I had read something about how low impedance headphones wouldn't work very well with Vali, so I was wondering if I might run into this issue with the 595s or Momentum if I decided to use that with it for some reason.
 
Not sure if relevant in this case, but I would be listening to all sorts of music (classical, rock, electronic, jazz, ambiance, jazz-hop), as well as using it to enjoy playing games and watching films.
 
And if anyone thinks that the Vali would simply be a superior component for what I would be using it for, that would be good to know too

 

[purrin]

The HD595 has very similar specs and impedance characteristics to the HD558/598. My friend, the pirate, I mean the Head-Fi'er ultrabike, tried his HD558 with the Vali for a few days and didn't have any issues (other than the initial microphonics upon turn-or inserting the phono jack.)
 
Also, give the ASUS Xonar line-outs some consideration. Don't assume the Modi would be better. It's possible, but definitely evaluate. The Xonar line outs can actually be pretty decent. 

 

[KefkaticFanatic]

Hmmm didn't consider that about the Xonar, though I probably would like to get an external setup as at some point I may build a more compact PC with no space for anything besides my GPU in the slots
 
I don't care much for the virtual surround and other shenanigans either, though if there really isn't a discernible quality difference it wouldn't make sense to drop the extra $100 huh..  I'll look into that for sure.
 
Good to hear about the 595 though!  Would you recommend the Vali as a primary, all around amp over the Magni?  I suppose that's my primary question here, as I don't plan on buying both or some other alternative amp