[bigro]

  Hi Head-fi members,
 
I was wondering if you think that the Schiit Vali would go well with my Shure SRH1840 ? They are 65 ohms so I am dont know if the impedance is too low to use with this amp. I am interested in an amp which will add some warmth to the sound without removing from the detailed highs or mids. I am especially intersted in more punchy bass (not out of control).
Do you have any recommendations?
 
/Mads

I Use the PSB M4U1 With the Vali which are 32 Ohms. And I have used the Audio Technica ATHM50X which are 38 ohms with the Vali. Both Work very well. As far as adding warmth, Maybe a Little. It is very hard to tell this is a Tube Hybrid amp. To me, It does what its supposed to do... disappear. As far as making the bass more punchy. Probably Not going to find that with the Vali or even the Magni 2 U for that matter, both amps are fairly neutral.  I may be wrong here but Shure's are not exactly known for being "punchy" I find them very neutral and almost a little dark. You may want to use an EQ for the added bass or find headphones that are known for being bass heavy. There is a whole thread for Bass head Cans.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/716711/the-hardest-hitting-headphones-are-the-extreme-bass-club#post_10502979

 

[MadsSK]

 
I Use the PSB M4U1 With the Vali which are 32 Ohms. And I have used the Audio Technica ATHM50X which are 38 ohms with the Vali. Both Work very well. As far as adding warmth, Maybe a Little. It is very hard to tell this is a Tube Hybrid amp. To me, It does what its supposed to do... disappear. As far as making the bass more punchy. Probably Not going to find that with the Vali or even the Magni 2 U for that matter, both amps are fairly neutral.  I may be wrong here but Shure's are not exactly known for being "punchy" I find them very neutral and almost a little dark. You may want to use an EQ for the added bass or find headphones that are known for being bass heavy. There is a whole thread for Bass head Cans.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/716711/the-hardest-hitting-headphones-are-the-extreme-bass-club#post_10502979

The thing is that I do like my Shure's a lot! I love the mids and the highs and I am NOT looking for a pair of "Bass head Cans". I just want to feel the bass a bit more in the low end. Also I have tried using an eq but I feel that it makes the sound across the whole range muddy and worse. As I need a new amp anyways I just want one which adds warmth and bass and not one which removes it or adds treble.

 

[StanD]

 
The thing is that I do like my Shure's a lot! I love the mids and the highs and I am NOT looking for a pair of "Bass head Cans". I just want to feel the bass a bit more in the low end. Also I have tried using an eq but I feel that it makes the sound across the whole range muddy and worse. As I need a new amp anyways I just want one which adds warmth and bass and not one which removes it or adds treble.

Amps have a flat FR, so trying to change the tonality (boosting bass) of headphones by using an amp is IMO not going to get that done. Perhaps you need to try a different EQ setting. What type of EQ did you use and what were the settings. I'm not personally familiar with those headphones but perhaps the difference in sound you seek is not in their nature. Perhaps you are looking for more sub bass extension. Did you ever get a chance to listen to a pair of magnetic planar headphones?

 

[inseconds99]

Vali 2 Released  $169
 
Started a new thread for it here.
 
Looks pretty cool and I was just in the hunt for a new dac/amp. Perfect timing.

 

[StanD]

  Vali 2 Released  $169
 
Started a new thread for it here.
 
Looks pretty cool and I was just in the hunt for a new dac/amp. Perfect timing.

Now that's a real upgrade.

 

[DagsJT]

I got my Vali 1 yesterday and I'm having to pair it with an Astro Mixamp for a DAC and I must admit I wasn't too impressed. Coming from a SoundBlaster G5, the Mixamp & Vali just sounded a bit flat and closed in, lacking soundstage and imaging.
 
Unfortunately the Modi 2 Uber is out of stock for a few weeks and the ODAC isn't easy to get from a UK seller. Is there any other DAC's I can get in place of the M2U? Preferably with optical and USB input.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

I got my Vali 1 yesterday and I'm having to pair it with an Astro Mixamp for a DAC and I must admit I wasn't too impressed. Coming from a SoundBlaster G5, the Mixamp & Vali just sounded a bit flat and closed in, lacking soundstage and imaging.

Unfortunately the Modi 2 Uber is out of stock for a few weeks and the ODAC isn't easy to get from a UK seller. Is there any other DAC's I can get in place of the M2U? Preferably with optical and USB input.

Was wondering what can your using with the Vali/mixamp combo?

 

[DagsJT]

Was wondering what can your using with the Vali/mixamp combo?

 
AKG K7XX's.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

Gotcha. I'm running the Vali/mixamp with k712. We Shouldn't be too far off from each other... Anyways I have yet to hear something different from the mixamp. Probably don't know what I am missing. But I do like the Vali/712 combo for music.

 

[DagsJT]

Gotcha. I'm running the Vali/mixamp with k712. We Shouldn't be too far off from each other... Anyways I have yet to hear something different from the mixamp. Probably don't know what I am missing. But I do like the Vali/712 combo for music.

 
Yeah, I'm not one for audiophile lingo but the G5 really sounded more spacious, more punch to the instruments and you could pick out instruments around you. This combo, not so much. But I'm slowly working my way through this thread and it seems the Vali gets a lot better with burn-in so I'll see how it goes.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

Yeah, I'm not one for audiophile lingo but the G5 really sounded more spacious, more punch to the instruments and you could pick out instruments around you. This combo, not so much. But I'm slowly working my way through this thread and it seems the Vali gets a lot better with burn-in so I'll see how it goes.

I got my Vali the same time as my 712. So both were going through changes ha. I would give it some time if you can allow it.

 

[nbakid2000]

  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.

 
This has elitism written all over it. There's so many wrong points about your argument and where you start off it's incredible.
 
Just FYI, some background - I'm 29, in college/have student debt, listen to pretty much everything (on a regular basis) you just stated "young people aren't likely to listen to" and I'm looking at a 119 dollar amp because a) $119 b) first experience with a dedicated headphone amp c) have zero experience with tube gear and am interested in tube gear. I am sure there are others (younger and older) than me with the same type of situation and/or musical interest. In fact, I'm pretty sure ANYONE looking a dedicated headphone amp (especially tube based) would be the type to have a pretty wide variety of musical tastes. (though maybe I'm wrong) Your post also makes the claim that anyone who's looking at a "lower cost" amp obviously has limited taste, which is completely the opposite, as we've all seen/heard of those audiophiles (OLDER) who spend thousands upon thousands upon thousands of dollars on equipment just to play the same 5 or 10 albums on over and over. 'Nuff said on that.
 
Either way, back on topic, I have zero experience with Schiit gear and am interested in getting a quality headphone amp on the cheap for my Senn 558/600. I have a gift card I can use from Christmas and I'm curious to know first hand what the deal is with tubes. (I come from a solid state background) The only thing I'm curious about is the microphonics and the imbalance of the channels I've read about with this amp. Also I'm curious to know what the Schiit repair cost is if I do buy it used, and it somehow is not "correctly" working. (emailed them, should be getting something back soon)

 

[kstuart]

You're quoting a two year old post, bringing to the top a thread on a discontinued amplifier, and you cannot even bother to actually read the post?
 
I said more than once "So, not referring to any particular person, but statistically".
 
Statistics are not elitist, they are just numbers.
 
And btw, no one who spends thousands to play 5 albums is an "audiophile", they are merely trying to show off their status.
 
Lastly, I would not buy a tube amp as your first headphone amp or as your one headphone amp.  Amongst Schiit gear, the Mani 2 is for that.

 

[nbakid2000]

  You're quoting a two year old post, bringing to the top a thread on a discontinued amplifier, and you cannot even bother to actually read the post?
 
I said more than once "So, not referring to any particular person, but statistically".
 
Statistics are not elitist, they are just numbers.
 
And btw, no one who spends thousands to play 5 albums is an "audiophile", they are merely trying to show off their status.
 
Lastly, I would not buy a tube amp as your first headphone amp or as your one headphone amp.  Amongst Schiit gear, the Mani 2 is for that.

A 2 year old post that YOU posted with conviction. If you were like, "that's a 2 year old post, I was in a different headspace back then, my views have changed, please disregard" then that'd be one thing. But you haven't done it yet that I've seen, and you haven't posted any (actual) statistics yet (that I've seen), just your perceived reality.
 
Back on the Vali, I was looking into it as the final step in a headphone setup. It was cheap (and yes, discontinued) but you can still get them new or new-ish. I would have no problem going with solid state headphone amps from Schiit, but due to the low price and (what seems to me) to be the majority of people on this thread saying the Vali outperformed the SS equipment, I got interested in getting this. On top of that, it seems there's no muss, no fuss with the tubes/swapping in/out/buying additional tubes (except for replacements for $20 from Schiit), which is exactly what I'm looking for. Now, I have no doubt the SS stuff probably sounds good too....I've just seen more people claiming the tube version matches extremely well with the equipment I just happen to have. That's why I was seriously looking into it.
 
Can you provide some reasons why I should get the Magni 2/Uber over the Vali as my first amp? Maybe the Vali is, in fact, not the amp for me. I'd be curious to know what the deal is and if there is truly a better option for me.

 

[kstuart]

At the time the Vali came out, the equivalent SS amp was the Magni.   Since then, the Magni 2 has been released (which I have not heard).
 
The Vali does some things very well, and some things not so well, so by that logic, it is not the best for a single amp situation.  And I have not used it with higher impedance headphones such as the HD600.
 
The other aspect is the ringing problem, which will be more annoying if you use the amp more often (as is likely with a single amp situation).  And the ringing problem is greater in some units, and less in others, which makes used purchases more difficult.