[Billheiser]

Have zeroed down on the Vali to power my HD 650. But from what I read the DAC seems to make a lot of difference on how the Vali performs.

I own a dragonfly 1.2 which is often touted as warm in nature. Anyone here has any first hand experience pairing the Vali with the Dragonfly 1.2?

No; but indirectly yes. I have the dragonfly 1.2, and the Vali, on different setups. Like them both, but I have just used the 1.2 inclusive of its built in amp. It's good - no complaints - but I prefer the sound of my Vali when I get home.
Again, this is not a perfectly direct comparison, so it's of limited help to you.

 

[reddington]

No; but indirectly yes. I have the dragonfly 1.2, and the Vali, on different setups. Like them both, but I have just used the 1.2 inclusive of its built in amp. It's good - no complaints - but I prefer the sound of my Vali when I get home.
Again, this is not a perfectly direct comparison, so it's of limited help to you.

Thanks for the reply. Really appreciate it. Am running my 650s directly off the dragonfly as of now. Can't complain.

Besides I really have no reference point to compare. Never heard the 650 off any other amp.

 

[Billheiser]

Thanks for the reply. Really appreciate it. Am running my 650s directly off the dragonfly as of now. Can't complain.

Besides I really have no reference point to compare. Never heard the 650 off any other amp.

That's a good system.  Was listening yesterday to HD600's from the Dragonfly, thumbs up.
 
I have a temporary hypothesis, for me and my equipment - the amp is more important than the DAC.  Using iPhone & iPod internal DAC into the Vali sounds a bit better to me than the Dragonfly (connected to my laptop, Amarra processing iTunes full resolution library) used as DAC/amp.  Obviously this is based on a limited sample of equipment, but that's my opinion for now.

 

[jjacq]

Have the 400i + the Vali, great bass response that remind me of the LCD-X. But question, are they highs usually a bit rolled off with this amp? Just making sure. Also my NFB 15.32's DAC stage is wonderful with this thing. Now I have a SS and tube amp setup I'm happy with.

 

[Billheiser]

  Have the 400i + the Vali, great bass response that remind me of the LCD-X. But question, are they highs usually a bit rolled off with this amp? Just making sure. Also my NFB 15.32's DAC stage is wonderful with this thing. Now I have a SS and tube amp setup I'm happy with.

Nice!  In my ears, highs are not rolled off at all. Schiit's own specs say "20Hz-20Khz, -0.2db, 5Hz-100KHz, -3dB", so that's as straight as can be.

 

[potterpastor]

I do. I had the Vali and my dragonfly 1.2 connected to my laptop.To my ears, it sounded just as good or better with just the Vali.

I now prefer using the Dragon fly 1.2 with my laptop and my Vali with my Sony receiver.

 

[reddington]

I do. I had the Vali and my dragonfly 1.2 connected to my laptop.To my ears, it sounded just as good or better with just the Vali.

I now prefer using the Dragon fly 1.2 with my laptop and my Vali with my Sony receiver.

Thanks. How about the Vali being fed off the dragonfly? I mean use Vali as the amp and dragonfly as the DAC.

I mean how much difference does it make with your hps connected just to the dragonfly being compared to the hps connected to the Vali which is connected to the dragonfly.

 

[potterpastor]

I used one of those auxiliary cables where the auxiliary part of the cable was plugged into the dragonfly (which was plugged into my laptop) and the red and white other end of the cable was plugged into the Vali. The headphones were plugged into the Vali. I think that's the set up I tried.

If I were to try it again, I would use a better quality auxiliary cable, that may have made a difference.

But I definitely received the more powerful sounds with the Vali directly connected with my Sony receiver and my iPod touch connected directly to the receivers auxiliary jack. It could've had more to do with the Sony receiver being a more powerful unit than the laptop

 

[betula]

X3 on its own (or as a DAC) + Vali + HD600 = hours of bliss
(and yes, a decent auxiliary cable makes quite a big difference)

 

[Delirious Lab]

Have zeroed down on the Vali to power my HD 650. But from what I read the DAC seems to make a lot of difference on how the Vali performs.

I own a dragonfly 1.2 which is often touted as warm in nature. Anyone here has any first hand experience pairing the Vali with the Dragonfly 1.2?

I've had Dragonfly → Vali → HD600 as my home gear for the past 10 days... here's the gist of my PM reply to the above, in case it might help others:
 
To be honest with I have been unable to tell the difference between the Dragonfly and the Fiio E07K which I was previously using (and is now part of my office rig), other than both DACs sound way better than the computer's HP out.  Cleaner sound and better instrument separation.  I would venture to say that with these kind of budget DACs, whatever sonic differences there may be will pale in comparison to the change that a tube amp will bring.
 
And what a change it is.  Vali with HD600 is a midrange lover's dream.  I don't have golden ears so it's hard for me to describe it, but I especially like the way it renders guitars and vocals - very natural.  To my ears, the DAC that feeds it doesn't make a difference - not in the DF/E07K price range, at least.  (My wallet doesn't even want to know how, say, a Bifrost could slightly improve things.  Unless someone here could guarantee that I would hear a little extra bass oomph and better instrument separation, mayyyybe.  Even then, I feel the $ would be better spent on some qualitatively different cans, e.g. planars, to give me a real change.)
 
One thing about volume control: with a separate amp, the DF manual says to max out the computer's volume.  Well, I can't do that with Vali.  I listen at fairly low volumes, and there's zero room on the Vali's dial to play with.  Way too loud (I hear that's a common complaint about the DF).  So I keep Vali about 10:00 while I control the volume with the computer's volume control (which actually controls DF's analog volume).  Very convenient.  I never need to go past 50%.  So there is ample power to drive the HD6x0.
 
So yes, I'm very happy with the DF/Vali pairing.  unless I come into a pile of disposable money, I think I have found my endgame rig.

 

[Delirious Lab]

Thanks. How about the Vali being fed off the dragonfly? I mean use Vali as the amp and dragonfly as the DAC.

I mean how much difference does it make with your hps connected just to the dragonfly being compared to the hps connected to the Vali which is connected to the dragonfly.

Re your last question: I just tried my HP600 straight from the Dragonfly (Pink Floyd The Thin Ice)... I missed the Vali instantly.   There's a slightly congested feeling to the music, as if DF isn't able to give the cans all the juice they need. Maybe that's the infamous "Sennheiser veil". 
 
Overall, I get the feeling that Vali has a really good grasp on the music, compared to just the DF.  Better detail and punch.  I don't find this surprising since 1) DF is said to be a better DAC  than amp, and 2) Vali is said to be at its best with the high-impedance Senns.
 
And there's that tube sound.  OMG Gilmour's solo in Another Brick in the Wall II.  It brings out the color in the guitar like nothing else I've heard.

 

[reddington]

Re your last question: I just tried my HP600 straight from the Dragonfly (Pink Floyd The Thin Ice)... I missed the Vali instantly.   There's a slightly congested feeling to the music, as if DF isn't able to give the cans all the juice they need. Maybe that's the infamous "Sennheiser veil". 

Overall, I get the feeling that Vali has a really good grasp on the music, compared to just the DF.  Better detail and punch.  I don't find this surprising since 1) DF is said to be a better DAC  than amp, and 2) Vali is said to be at its best with the high-impedance Senns.

And there's that tube sound.  OMG Gilmour's solo in Another Brick in the Wall II.  It brings out the color in the guitar like nothing else I've heard.

Precisely what I was looking for. Thank you. Eagerly waiting for my very own Gilmour bliss.

 

[Daniel4IEM]

I'm currently running new HD650 with the Vali. Source is Spotify premium (320 mbps) through MacBook Pro using onboard DAC. Considering getting the Modi. Thoughts on added value?
 
I believe the standard recommendation is to max out source volume, in this case Mac. I find under those circumstances my volume on the Vali never goes beyond 9:00, as I apparently have pretty sensitive ears. 
Do others go with that same approach of maximizing source volume? Is this supposed to yield the cleanest, least distorted signal? Curious about the science behind this.

 

[Billheiser]

I'm currently running new HD650 with the Vali. Source is Spotify premium (320 mbps) through MacBook Pro using onboard DAC. Considering getting the Modi. Thoughts on added value?

I believe the standard recommendation is to max out source volume, in this case Mac. I find under those circumstances my volume on the Vali never goes beyond 9:00, as I apparently have pretty sensitive ears. 
Do others go with that same approach of maximizing source volume? Is this supposed to yield the cleanest, least distorted signal? Curious about the science behind this.

The recommendation to run source at max volume is ONLY when it is outputting a digital signal, so that it outputs its full resolution. The opposite applies when outputting an analog signal - because an analog output distorts the most when run at maximum volume.
So- in your current setup, you have an analog output coming from your computer into the Vali. Set your computer volume anywhere around 40-70%. Then you'll have a cleaner signal into the Vali, and a better range from the Vali volume knob.

 

[Daniel4IEM]

Thank you!!! 
Given this setup, what are you thoughts on the value of an external DAC, like a Modi?