[purrin]

You if are going to using a lot of different headphones, the Magni is a better choice. It's always going to be quiet, i.e. noise free. The only issue with the Magni, and others have noted this, is that it can be slightly bright, therefore not necessarily a good match for brighter sounding headphones. However, keep in mind that if your headphones happen to gel well with the Vali, the Vali is so much better sounding than the Magni.

 

[TheGame]

  Excited to get my cables for this tomorrow. Looking to test the Modi/Vali with the HD600 and HE400. Shame on me for not ordering the cables earlier. I thought they would have been included. I'm sure if I had read more carefully I'd be enjoying them already. Oh well, live and learn

What cables are you talking about, RCA? Please don't start scaring me into thinking I need cables. I have tons of nice RCA cables and the Vali comes with a power plug right? There isn't any other cables I need right?
 

   
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.

Yes, I blame purrin. I've been obsessing over the Uberfrost for months because of him! 

 

 

[tdockweiler]

  You if are going to using a lot of different headphones, the Magni is a better choice. It's always going to be quiet, i.e. noise free. The only issue with the Magni, and others have noted this, is that it can be slightly bright, therefore not necessarily a good match for brighter sounding headphones. However, keep in mind that if your headphones happen to gel well with the Vali, the Vali is so much better sounding than the Magni.

 
I've heard that someone got a Magni that was much less bright. Think it was one with a higher number. Not sure if this is true or if they did a silent revision. Probably not. It wouldn't take much for Schiit to perfect the sound of the Magni. The only time I felt the Magni was too bright was when I paired it with a Q701 with a docked Ipod Touch 2G (almost never do this). The Ipod Touch 2G is lean/bright sounding as it is too. I didn't have anything like a DT-990 or SR-325is though.
 
BTW I was looking into the iFi iCAN and noticed it has your favorite TPA6120A2

That thing seems to be getting some good reviews and it's on my radar along with the UHA-6S.

 

[doublea71]

   
There were a lot of "inside" jokes (and some that I probably don't even get) on that one. Not going to elaborate.

It's all good - I have to confess that it sailed right over my head, perhaps as a result of braincell-depleting activities I engaged in as a youth.

 

[doublea71]

Wow. Is Head-Fi a restricted, no-fun zone? Both you and Sweden need to lighten up a bit. This isn't a science journal, it's a community of enthusiasts.

You know...you're right. I did take it way too seriously (which makes the review even funnier). 

 

[UmustBKidn]

   
Hi! And thanks for the reply!
 
I tried all the usb-ports on my PC and none of them recognizes Modi. I have an usb 2 rated cable and it's less than 2 meters short. I also tested Modi and Vali on a Macbook Pro and they worked perfectly, so there's nothing physically wrong with Modi. Modi shows up as an Unknown Device on my device manager, and it doesn't show up in audio devices either. I contacted Schiit and they told me that the problem is with my Windows, which I don't doubt. Here are a couple of screenshots, if they would clarify the problem.
 

 

 
I've had this happen with random devices (usually thumb drives). I think this happened on another thread some months back. I've had this happen several times on different computers. It appears to be a Windows USB controller issue that hasn't been fixed yet. It has existed since at least XP.
 
Anyway, before you take drastic measures (like reinstalling windows or dumping your Modi), what I suggest is that you un-install all "Universal Serial Bus controllers" and restart the computer. This needs to be done as an administrator, using Device Manager. Windows will then reinstall them at the next boot up.
 
You can read about this issue here, and here. The first link will probably help. The second is just general info from M$.
 
What this does is basically flush any errors from the controller database, and gives you a fresh start. The machine will re-recognize all your USB devices again, and hopefully it will recognize your Modi. I would also suggest you plug it into a different USB port if possible.
 
If you use a USB hub, you may also want to try another one. If you need further help, PM me.

 

[Stapsy]

I have had the Vali for a week (less than 24 hour turn around on my order...nice job Schiit!) and it is very impressive.
 
I paired the Vali with an Anedio D2 and HD800s.  Straight away I noticed an improvement in the sound.  The Vali was able to smooth the treble harshness of the HD800 without losing any of the detail.  This had been a problem for me in the last few months when listening through the D2 headphone amp.  I was finally able to enjoy the music again!  I the queued up some familiar albums and started listening.  The next thing I noticed was how cohesive the sound was as a whole.  The stereo imaging was much stronger with the Vali included in the chain.  The instruments became more clear and precise, yet had a fullness to the sound that blended everything together in a way that sounds very natural.  The cohesive sound was the thing that I loved so much about the Stax 007 and I felt was missing from my setup with the HD800.  I also found that the dynamics were vastly improved.  Sounds seemed to appear in a way that I have never experienced before.  In my opinion this is a trait of an excellent tube amplifier.  The Vali is no slouch in the "krill" department either as it has excellent detail retrieval.  I think this is a big contributor to the imaging.  The subtle details and decays/reflections made the sound quite layered and 3 dimensional. I can't believe that all of this came from a $119 amplifier.
 
I have quite an expensive amplifier on order and the Vali honestly made me rethink that decision.  If it is this good for $119 why am I spending so much on another amp.  If you have the HD800 I highly recommend getting a Vali.  It is the best I have ever heard the HD800 sound.  Given my past experience with the HD600, I think it would pair really well with those cans as well.  That isn't to say the Vali won't work with any other headphones, I just haven't extensively listened to them to know.  I think the best thing about the Vali is how well it is able to scale.  You could pair it with the Modi and I am sure it would sound great, but as you improve your chain the true capabilities of this little amp become apparent.
 
A quick note on the microphonics...I haven't had any issues.  Just plug in your headphones before you turn it on, allow it to settle for 30 seconds and away you go.  I have it set up on a very flimsy coffee table and unless I hit the amp itself, I don't have any problems.

 

[AHorseNamedJeff]

 

 


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.

Wow, that's a REALLY bold (and nonsensical) assumption to make! In what way is the cost of an amp or someone's budget at all indicative of the type of music they listen to?

I specifically said "majority" because it was simply a demographic analysis, not an assessment of any particular person.

Usually it is older people who have the money and interest in more expensive audio gear.  These days, due to the economy, it is even more true - younger people are having even more difficulty than usual getting jobs, paying off student loans, etc.

And, for whatever reason, polls and sales show less interest in acoustic music amongst younger people than ever before.  It seems possible that classical music and acoustic jazz music may both die out in the coming decades.

So, not referring to any particular person, but statistically, a thread on an inexpensive amp is going to get more younger head-fi'ers, and thus less acoustic music use.

I did listen to a bunch of EDM (older Daft Punk) last night uisng the Vali with the Mad Dog and my laptop's built-in DAC, and it sounded very enjoyable.  I'm going to keep it for that late night use.  The excellent detail and fast response of both the Vali and the Mad Dog makes the pairing ideal for modern electronic music.

I can't listen to anything too simple, like most EDM and DnB. And I'm 16. With two jobs.

TAKE THAT STEREOTYPES.

 

[Barry S]

I have had the Vali for a week (less than 24 hour turn around on my order...nice job Schiit!) and it is very impressive.

I paired the Vali with an Anedio D2 and HD800s.  Straight away I noticed an improvement in the sound.  The Vali was able to smooth the treble harshness of the HD800 without losing any of the detail.  This had been a problem for me in the last few months when listening through the D2 headphone amp.  I was finally able to enjoy the music again!  I the queued up some familiar albums and started listening.  The next thing I noticed was how cohesive the sound was as a whole.  The stereo imaging was much stronger with the Vali included in the chain.  The instruments became more clear and precise, yet had a fullness to the sound that blended everything together in a way that sounds very natural.  The cohesive sound was the thing that I loved so much about the Stax 007 and I felt was missing from my setup with the HD800.  I also found that the dynamics were vastly improved.  Sounds seemed to appear in a way that I have never experienced before.  In my opinion this is a trait of an excellent tube amplifier.  The Vali is no slouch in the "krill" department either as it has excellent detail retrieval.  I think this is a big contributor to the imaging.  The subtle details and decays/reflections made the sound quite layered and 3 dimensional. I can't believe that all of this came from a $119 amplifier.

I have quite an expensive amplifier on order and the Vali honestly made me rethink that decision.  If it is this good for $119 why am I spending so much on another amp.  If you have the HD800 I highly recommend getting a Vali.  It is the best I have ever heard the HD800 sound.  Given my past experience with the HD600, I think it would pair really well with those cans as well.  That isn't to say the Vali won't work with any other headphones, I just haven't extensively listened to them to know.  I think the best thing about the Vali is how well it is able to scale.  You could pair it with the Modi and I am sure it would sound great, but as you improve your chain the true capabilities of this little amp become apparent.

A quick note on the microphonics...I haven't had any issues.  Just plug in your headphones before you turn it on, allow it to settle for 30 seconds and away you go.  I have it set up on a very flimsy coffee table and unless I hit the amp itself, I don't have any problems.

Some actual thoughts from a Vali owner--bravo! This sounds like another example of the Vali sounding very good through a high quality DAC. Depending on the uber amp you're ordering, you may want to keep the Vali around for the different signature--that's what I'm doing with my LCD-Xs. The Vali costs less than after market cables and is going to make a hell of a bigger difference.

 

[nicdub]

i'm finding the vali to really compliment the he-400 and he-500.  it seems to provide a little sweetness to the 400 that i felt was missing.  sometimes i thought the 400 was a bit, and i mean a small bit, harsh, particularly with high notes (using the magni, of course).  the vali helped smooth that out.  also, i experienced a sense of realism that i hadn't before, and space.  just a great overall listen.  ("because" on abbey road is a great example)  
 
that being said, and having tried to keep up with this thread as much as possible, i haven't noticed many talking about how the vali pairs with the lcd-2.  anyone care to share their experience?  

 

[TheGame]

I think I recall some posts with members commenting on it with the lcd-2, but I cannot point you to the posts, I've been reading this thread so long, I wouldn't remember where they are, but pretty sure there have been a few comments about it.

 

[Misterrogers]

Some actual thoughts from a Vali owner--bravo!

This sounds like another example of the Vali sounding very good through a high quality DAC. Depending on the uber amp you're ordering, you may want to keep the Vali around for the different signature--that's what I'm doing with my LCD-Xs. The Vali costs less than after market cables and is going to make a hell of a bigger difference.

Yep. Seriously, your DAC should always be the best part of your chain (or at least very good). You don't have to spend 4K to realize a great DAC; a pimped Bifrost will get you in that league. In my DIY efforts, I build/tune/tweak DAC's 4 to 1 over amps; I have two on my bench right now. Nothing. NOTHING has made as big a difference to my chain as the DAC. Over the years we've all watched our peers jump on the FOTM amp/headphone, only to return it disappointed that it just didn't sound like it was advertised. While there are a number of contributors to this, I can't help but believe that a 'CrapDAC' is a major contributor. Vali seems to scale very very well (mine's inbound), but many amps have more to give - the DAC 'downstream' is just killing the bits. 

 

[laserfj]

   
What the Vali does add is "wetness".

 
Don't take this the wrong way, but you are full of it.
 
I can endure you using quite a few words to describe amps that are clearly meaningless, but here you have crossed the line.

 

[TMRaven]

I dunno wetness makes a lot of sense to me, especially since dry is such a common word.

 

[TheGame]

No disrespect to your comment laserfj, as I try to respect others opinions with an open-mind. But in my "opinion" the term "wetness" that purrin used is a good way of describing the sound.