[kstuart]

  Loki or Modi to pair with this?

 
Loki is DSD files only, Modi is all other files.

 

[kstuart]

Schiit's Vali FAQ for those too lazy to go to the web site:
 

  Wait, hold on a sec. You have Magni. Why did you suddenly do a bizarre little tube amp? Did you hit your head?
Why do people climb Everest? Why do they spend $25,000 customizing a $2500 car? Why do people take salsa dancing lessons? Does there have to be a reason for everything? Bottom line, we were playing around with these little tubes, put together something for fun, and thought it sounded good. When we figured we could do a little tube hybrid for a little more than Magni, we figured you might think it was pretty cool, too. 
But…a $119 tube hybrid amp? Now we know you’re cutting corners!
No, not really. Even at $119, we have a custom chassis, a real high-voltage supply, and a solid Class AB discrete output stage. The tubes we use are NOS JAN (military spec) Raytheon 6088s.
 
So you probably cheaped out and left the protection off this amp, or something stupid like that, right?
No. Vali has a relay mute for delayed startup and fast shut-down. You can leave your headphones plugged in all the time. 
 
So what's the catch?
Compared to Magni? Several. One, Vali's ultimate power output is lower, so it's less suitable to orthodynamics and other hard-to-drive headphones. Two, many tubes, including the ones in Vali, are microphonic. When you plug in headphones on Vali, you'll hear a little "tiiinnnnggg...." noise that takes quite a while to go away. If you rap the chassis, it will do the same thing. If you work on, say, a paint shaker table, Vali's not going to be the best amp for you. Three, 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.
 
What happens when the tubes croak? 
You'd send it back to us and we'll replace them for $20. If they ever do go bad, that is. We're betting they won't.
 
I heard that ultimate accuracy is the result of exemplary measurements, including vanishingly low THD, low noise, and low output impedance, so I don’t know how this thing can sound very good.
A: Are you going to let others think for you, or are you going to listen for yourself?
 
But it's less powerful and noisier than Magni!
A: Dude, it's a $119 tube amp. So, well, yes.
 
But I don't know if I'll like tube sound.
A: Dude, it's a $119 tube amp. 
 
I hear a tube amp isn't accurate, it’s euphonic and fun?
A: $119. Tube. Amp. 
 
Ok, change the subject. Can this thing drive orthos?
Depends on your listening preference, and which orthos. With half the power of Magni, it’s not going to drive low-sensitivity orthos to ear-bleeding levels. However, it does well with the HiFiMan HE-400, the Mad Dogs and Alpha Dogs, and even the LCD-X, XC, and 2, and HE-500.
 
What about IEMs?
Man, you want everything, don’t you? The noise floor is higher on Vali than Magni. We wouldn’t use it with most IEMs, but it could work with some of them, depending on your hiss tolerance.
 
What the hell is a Vali?
In Norse mythology, Vali is the son of Odin and the giantess Rindr. There’s this amazing resource called Wikipedia. You may have heard of it.
 
I want a combined DAC/amp! Why didn’t you put a DAC in here?
We did. It’s just in a different chassis and costs another $99. It’s called “Modi.” Stack the two and tell yourself it’s a combined tube hybrid DAC/Amp for $218.
 
Can I plug in some uber-special, gold-plated, cryo-treated, 85-lb 2000VA wall wart and have even better performance?
Unless you know what you’re doing, we don’t recommend that. Vali uses an AC wall wart. Most are DC. DC won’t work with Vali. 
 
Hey, these tubes don’t really light up! You threw some LEDs in there to make it look like they’re glowing. What’s up with that?
Submini tubes running 1.25V heaters don’t really glow, sorry. And yes, there are LEDs in there. But we didn’t just “throw them in.” They bias the output stage. Nifty, huh?

 

[tdockweiler]

Is there anyone that actually makes a wall wart for this that's made in the USA? I bet it'd be $60+ though and basically a waste of money.
I'm really only curious.

 

[darinf]

  I received my shipped notification last night, so I think you may be in the second batch then.

I ordered mine at 9:00am PST yesterday. I received a shipping notice today at 11:20am PST. But I guess they haven't been picked up by FedEx yet since FedEx has no record of the tracking number.
 
Mine should arrive tomorrow, but I have to leave town before FedEx generally delivers. AARGH! I guess I will have to wait until after the weekend to get it.

 

[AHorseNamedJeff]

I'm waiting on the real life Grado pairing results... Slowly waiting. Also, great FAQ Jason, jolly good read.

 

[AladdinSane]

If this is a good solution for HD600 and Grado it would be a good option for my home headphone world. Waiting for impressions.

 

[kstuart]

 

  I received my shipped notification last night, so I think you may be in the second batch then.

I ordered mine at 9:00am PST yesterday. I received a shipping notice today at 11:20am PST. But I guess they haven't been picked up by FedEx yet since FedEx has no record of the tracking number.
 
Mine should arrive tomorrow, but I have to leave town before FedEx generally delivers. AARGH! I guess I will have to wait until after the weekend to get it.

Darin I also ordered at 9am and received shipping notice this morning and just now, the USPS tracking finally shows something "Acceptance" in Valencia at 4:49pm (it took over an hour to show up in the tracking).

 

[M-13]

Now that the Vali is in play. Where is my Lyr 2 Jason?

 
 

 

[achristilaw]

My Schitt is in the mail..... all hail the mail.

 

[mrscotchguy]

Now that the Vali is in play. Where is my Lyr 2 Jason?
:evil:

+1

 

[TheGame]

Just found out I should be able to purchase a Vali on Tuesday, I just hope with all of my might that they are still in stock by then

 

[RMiller]

Quote:

I'm trying very hard not to buy one. Very. Hard.

 
I tried the same and I failed. Good luck

 

[TheGame]

HI everyone, sorry again for posting so soon after my last post but something just occurred to me. If I am lucky enough that the Vali is still in stock this coming Tuesday and I purchase it, I was wondering how I would go about getting the most out of it in terms of hearing it properly through my Creative Titanium HD -> Vali -> Sennheiser HD650's.
 
What I mean by that is, I am using a Creative Titanium HD as my Soundcard/DAC, and it is already capable of driving 300ohm cans (according to the spec sheet on it, but I still found I needed an amp to get a decent volume level that I liked, therefore I purchased a FiiO E09K). I eventually want to get a Uberfrost, but that will have to wait for awhile as I am on a tight budget.
 
I'm sorry if I am not explaining myself very well, but my question is, when I get the Vali, should I have the volume on the Titanium HD set really low and use the Vali's volume to control the volume to the HD650's to be able to really hear the amp well? If not, how should I set the Vali up with the Titanium HD as far as settings go? I will be connecting the Vali with some pretty high quality RCA cables from the RCA Outs of the Titanium HD to the RCA inputs on the Vali, then connecting the HD650's to the Vali.
 
Any suggestions on how I can get the most sound out of the Vali when connected to the Titanium HD Soundcard?
 
Thanks for any help/tips and/or advice anyone can offer. You guys rock!

 

[BleaK]

  Any suggestions on how I can get the most sound out of the Vali when connected to the Titanium HD Soundcard?
 
 

Always max out the volume on your PC(soundcard) and software. I am guessing the Vali would be a nice upgrade and play well with the HD650.

 

[JohnBal]

I think you could get a pair of RCA interconnects and go from the L and R outputs on the soundcard to the RCA inputs on the amp. Should be fine.