[RestoredSparda]

 
It...shouldn't...sound...this...good.

 

[Makiah S]

 
 
It...shouldn't...sound...this...good.

Transparency of a solid state, and heart and soul of a tube? That sound about right... yea <.< it really shouldn't but it does!
 
I guess this... confirms that Jason and his team really know their schiit ;3 

 

[nabwong]

Hi guys, I'd like to add on to these. 

This amp is amazing, and I can't believe I only spent $120. Now at 20+ hours, the amp is still improving. I optimized my media player's preferences so they use the Modi's full power. I take back everything I said before. It must have been the amp still breaking in. The bass is much better now, and it's still only at 20 hours now. At full volume, there isn't any noticeable distortion anymore either. Again, I'm using DT880 Premium 600 ohm headphones, and using my computer as a source, I have no issues with driving them (and I listen to music kinda loud too). 

When you say full volume, do you mean the knob the turned up all the way?

 

[Xyzygy]

 
 
It...shouldn't...sound...this...good.

 
I concur. I have well over 100 hours now, and any early issues with the bass are absolute gone. Listening to Shigeto's No Better Time Than Now right now and blissing out.
 
The only issue I have at this point is that I'm going to have to buy a second Vali so I don't have to transport between work and home.

 

[RestoredSparda]

  Transparency of a solid state, and heart and soul of a tube? That sound about right... yea <.< it really shouldn't but it does!
 
I guess this... confirms that Jason and his team really know their schiit ;3 

 
I couldn't have put it better myself. Also, I found myself in a trance with a goofy grin on my face for an entire hour, even though I only had a half hour lunch break. Good stuff indicator.

 

[tdockweiler]

me too. My w1000X sounds divine out of my nfb vali combo. While I prefer my dt 880 fully balanced with the nfb10es2

either way the vali imo is phenominal for the price

also a touch south of neutral is a good way to describe it!

 
IMO the Vali with the Q701/K400 sounded dead neutral to my ears. I'm pretty confident that it was driving these to 100%. I didn't get that feeling with anything else, but I won't go there.
I actually think with those two it sounded more neutral than the Magni, Asgard 1 and 2. Now why it didn't give similar results for ME with other headphones is probably not something i'll ever figure out...
Vali with the Q701/K400 sounded about 97% identical in sound signature to my Headroom Micro Amp + astrodyne. That thing has TONS of power too (several watts into 32ohm) and my idea of a totally transparent budget amp.
The O2 was pretty close too, which is bizarre. Obviously the Vali has very slightly fuller mids and smoother treble.
 
I wonder what the general consensus of the sound signature of the Vali will be? To me it's close to being transparent with some very minor colorations. This is only with my AKGs though.
 

  is vali good for adding some warmth and musicality to analytical sounding cans like akg q701?
 
can anyone explain how pair sounds in your experience?
 
thanks.

 
IMO the Q701 should never sound analytical. Maybe with the O2+ODAC, but even then it's not to my ears. The K702 is somewhat.
I never felt the Vali added anything that wasn't already there on the Q701. And no, my idea of a 1000% transparent amp is not the O2. Maybe i'm wrong.
 
I would say that the Vali is the 2nd or third best amp i've heard with the Q701. I honestly only suggest it if you use very specific headphones.
 
BTW I wonder if the Valhalla sounds similar to the Vali with the Q701? Supposedly on paper the Valhalla shouldn't be a good match with the Q701, but I think it actually might be!
I know it's much weaker for the easier to drive headphones and better for say the HD-600/650 etc. Some call the Valhalla transparent and others say "Very warm". So confusing...
 
If Schiit had a solid state amp (with no ringing/tubes) that sounded exactly like the Q701 + Vali with EVERYTHING then that'd be amazing. Yep, an amp that good for 95% of every headphone that's not an Ortho or IEM.
 
I know this will be a surprise to some, but I found the E9 and iFi iCAN even warmer than the Vali + q701. Weird right? That's not a complaint.

 

[wje]

Who's game for taking this amp and converting the tube pins over to the 5-pin sockets for installing the stacks for tube rolling?  In theory, I'm assuming this is possible.  Also, it obviously should address the microphonics issues.  Though, I'm not to sure how the current sound could be FUBARd.  Too many irons in the fire for me to consider this at the moment.  Then again, if this were to happen maybe we could then give it cute name like the Lil' Lyr.

 

[theOmni]

I just bought the Vali to drive my q701 and sourced from my Titanium HD sound card! Can't wait to try out this new setup!

 

[brennanx1]

When you say full volume, do you mean the knob the turned up all the way?

Yes, I do. I might have my media program at -1 db or so but even at the absolute max volume, I don't hear too much distortion. 

 

[MattTCG]

My friend that is way, way too loud. As someone who suffers daily from music at dangerous volumes, I'd respectfully caution against listening in such a manner. Save your hearing!! 

 

[Totoori]

I have HD650s coming in and am looking to order the Vali/Modi. I've been recommended BHC and things like HifimeDIY Sabre/O2 and Aune but I really like the style of the Schiit products.  I'm just wondering if there is a better place for me to order it from Canada? The shipping is about $40-50 and that is really putting a hamper on me ordering it...
 
Do these two devices ever go on sale? Should I be ordering straight from their site? I am not used to products that can only really be ordered from the primary source!
 
I'm also worried about the stability of my desk. It is not the most stable of devices, but I can wire it to a little further away on a stable location instead. What exactly will happen if I bump my desk? What happens if I am shaking my leg and happen to be tapping the desk?
 
Thanks! This is a good choice for my HD650s, right?

 

[MattTCG]

Vali/modi is a great choice for the 650 if your budget is around $200/$250. The microphonics of the Vali can't be ignored but shouldn't be blown out of portion. You wouldn't want to put it on a flimsy surface to get the best performance. 

 

[brennanx1]

  My friend that is way, way too loud. As someone who suffers daily from music at dangerous volumes, I'd respectfully caution against listening in such a manner. Save your hearing!! 

It's not that loud though. It only would affect your hearing if you listened for long durations at that volume. Have you actually listened to DT880 600ohm with a Vali? 600ohm requires a lot of power...
 

  I have HD650s coming in and am looking to order the Vali/Modi. I've been recommended BHC and things like HifimeDIY Sabre/O2 and Aune but I really like the style of the Schiit products.  I'm just wondering if there is a better place for me to order it from Canada? The shipping is about $40-50 and that is really putting a hamper on me ordering it...
 
Do these two devices ever go on sale? Should I be ordering straight from their site? I am not used to products that can only really be ordered from the primary source!
 
I'm also worried about the stability of my desk. It is not the most stable of devices, but I can wire it to a little further away on a stable location instead. What exactly will happen if I bump my desk? What happens if I am shaking my leg and happen to be tapping the desk?
 
Thanks! This is a good choice for my HD650s, right?
 

They do not go on sale, I believe it says so on their website. I bought mine on Amazon and fulfilled by Amazon. Maybe Amazon.ca has them as well?

 

[Totoori]

  Vali/modi is a great choice for the 650 if your budget is around $200/$250. The microphonics of the Vali can't be ignored but shouldn't be blown out of portion. You wouldn't want to put it on a flimsy surface to get the best performance. 

Hi,
 
This kind of scares me. Could you explain microphonics and/or what I will run into when using the Vali? 

 

[MattTCG]

You should get on the Vali thread and get yourself educated. There is page after page of information about this very subject.