[purrin]

  Sorry if this question has already been answered previously (didn't want to scroll through 120 pages of this thread), but has anyone used the Vali with a pair of 600 ohm DT880s?  I ask for my cousin, as he's looking for an amp to pair with his Asus Xonar ST.  For the 600 ohm DT880 specifically, how does the Vali compare to the Magni?  Would either provide a significant improvement over the Xonar ST's internal amp? 

 
Personally, I would NOT go Magni with the DT880/600. The DT880/600 is a great headphone from Beyer, probably my favorite, and this includes all the newer Tesla stuff which really aren't all that great compared to the 880/600. The DT880/600 have a nice smooth tonal balance with the exception of being slightly hot in the mid-treble or having a slight metallic quality to the treble. The Magni's tendency to be lean or slightly bright or splashy or steely would not be best. Vali will easily be the winner. Besides, the Beyer 880/600 seem to love tubes. (A great combo with the Vahalla.) The Magni is a good amp for the price. The Vali is exceptional provided there are no issues with noise or impedance mismatches.
 

 
I had the O2 and loved it, but it was not quite as good as my Micro. I was stupid and said "but this treble could be a little smoother" and sold it and tried another amp. Remind me not to do something that dumb again...

 
Replace stock voltage gain op-amp in O2 with LM4562 / LME49720 to take some of the stridency away from the O2.

 

[TheGame]

You will need a USB A male - USB B male cable. it's like modern printer USB cables I guess. One is the normal USB connector and the other side is square opposed to rectangular. I only had usb micro cables so I needed the usb cable and RCA.

edit: The Vali does come with a power cable.

The Vali just uses RCA cables right? The USB A male - USB B Male cable is just for the Modi correct?

 

[Zalithian]

 
The Vali just uses RCA cables right? The USB A male - USB B Male cable is just for the Modi correct?

Right.

 

[TheGame]

 
Right.

Thanks, the way the original post was worded, I thought I might need other cables besides RCA for the Vali, I just misunderstood the post. Thank you Zalithian for clearing that up, much appreciated!

 

[Zalithian]

Thanks, the way the original post was worded, I thought I might need other cables besides RCA for the Vali, I just misunderstood the post. Thank you Zalithian for clearing that up, much appreciated!

No problem. It was my fault. In my mind I automatically paired them together because a lot of people get the Modi and Vali/Magni as a stack.

 

[TheGame]

No Problem! Your reply was a real help, I was concerned about the cable issue. I am supposed to get my Vali tomorrow and I was worried I'd have to rush out and get more cables! So thank you very much for clearing that up for me! 

 

[RMiller]

  Wow!  Your very first post on Headfi is to tell someone he is full of it?  Nice!

 
Obviously a (double) account made for that purpose alone, that's a common thing on net forums

 

[Transformatron]

I figured I would ask one last time before I pull the trigger. I will be using my Modi (ordered) and Vali/Magni with my HiFiMan HE-300 that is modded to remove the dark sound and bring out the treble a little bit. I'm looking to give the midrange and bass a little more presence again. I feel like the Vali will give me the sound I'm looking for more than the possibly bright Magni. I'll be getting an HE-400 come tax time also.

 

[Solarium]

I'm on the verge of ordering the Vali to go along with my X-Fi Titanium HD sound card as DAC, using a HD598 (with plan to upgrade to HD600/650 in the future). I already ordered the Magni and have gotten the box from amazon (unopened so I can return the package without penalties). Do you guys think it's worth it for me to go ahead and return the Magni and get the Vali instead?
 
Is the SQ "upgrade" from Magni significant? I do want a "warmer" sound to complement the HD598's more colder and analytical sound. I also hear that the Vali has more of a bass boost which IMO the HD598 much needs. How do you guys with the HD598 like the transition from Magni to Vali?
 
One thing I think that may be bothersome is the ringing sound every time the amp vibrates. I will be putting this on a computer desk where I will be typing, the desk will be pretty stable, but the keyboard and mouse pad will be pretty much right next to it. Will this create problems for me?
 
I pretty much read most of this thread using the search with "HD600/650" "HD598" "Magni" as a subject, but any more contributions would be appreciated.

 

[Zalithian]

For me the ringing thing is not even worth mentioning. It lasts like two seconds. Perhaps it depends a lot on the unit and some others are worse in this regard. I use the Modi/Vali about 1 foot from my laptop and I don't have any vibration problems.

 

[imackler]

The ringing on mine is only noticeable at turn on and if I tap the case.  Really impressive. 

 

[jbarrentine]

Re: 598 - it's very nice with the Vali. I feel I'm getting everything out of this particular HP I can. 
 
Regarding ringing: Mine doesn't ring when I type. I didn't put the feet on mine, I put it on some of that thick rubbery material which is put into utensil drawers to keep stuff from sliding around. I just cut an appropriate size for it. I don't unplug so I don't have experience with ringing from that. The only time I personally hear ringing is during startup, and that's maybe 15 seconds. 

 

[Maxx134]

..
I'm sure there will be some headphones that are amazing with the Vali and others that are not so good...

Sounds to me you are hearing differences due to impedance,
But I could be wrong, it could just all be in your mind..(!) Lol

Actually no one will hear the same because no two ears and ear canals are shaped the same...
That's why I believe we need reference points..
For exanple, component "A" sounds a certain way, in comparison to component "B".. So we have a common denominator to base subjective impressions upon..

You're exactly right that an amp can't go from being transparent from one headphone to colored on the next. This is a big mystery...

Why not? Changes in sound is very common among the tube amps that like higher impedance cans..

I probably go through too many amps, but for me to keep it, it needs to be perfect. My goal all along has been to top what I already have (under $500) and the O2 got the closest. I didn't really buy the Vali to do this though and that's pretty important.

BTW I got the Ifi iCAN and an O2 incoming. Yes, i'm sorry to say that I swapped the Vali out for an O2. Vali is better for the Q701 though

So I guess I took your advice yesterday and got another O2. Should have kept it!
 

Dam I would have given you my O2 for a vali in a heartbeat..
My ALO Continental V2 sounds much, much better to me.
Then again I guess I can do the op amp swap and see if I can improve its sterile sound.

The botrom line is that in the end, I rather have an amp that I can truly "enjoy the music" so I abandoned the "transparent amp" philosophy because there is no such thing(!) In reality..
It is an impossibility that many refuse to believe .

Even thousand dollar amps will have their own sonic impression..
They ALL come across with a sonic impression no matter how good it is...

So I rather have an amp that is sweet.. OR WET...
Than an amp that "tries" to be neutral and transparent,
wich almost always will come off as cold and analytic and strident and lifeless and etc.. Add homonym...
HA!

 

[TheGame]

  I'm on the verge of ordering the Vali to go along with my X-Fi Titanium HD sound card as DAC, using a HD598 (with plan to upgrade to HD600/650 in the future). I already ordered the Magni and have gotten the box from amazon (unopened so I can return the package without penalties). Do you guys think it's worth it for me to go ahead and return the Magni and get the Vali instead?
 
Is the SQ "upgrade" from Magni significant? I do want a "warmer" sound to complement the HD598's more colder and analytical sound. I also hear that the Vali has more of a bass boost which IMO the HD598 much needs. How do you guys with the HD598 like the transition from Magni to Vali?
 
One thing I think that may be bothersome is the ringing sound every time the amp vibrates. I will be putting this on a computer desk where I will be typing, the desk will be pretty stable, but the keyboard and mouse pad will be pretty much right next to it. Will this create problems for me?
 
I pretty much read most of this thread using the search with "HD600/650" "HD598" "Magni" as a subject, but any more contributions would be appreciated.

I just ordered a Vali to go along with my Titanium HD soundcard, the Vali is scheduled for delivery tomorrow. I'll be using it with the HD650's and Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 Ohm cans. I can let you know my opinion on the sound of the Vali with the Titanium HD tomorrow as I will be listening to the Vali with the Titanium HD as soon as it arrives! SO if you check this thread tomorrow, I can give you my impressions with the Vali paired with the Titanium HD as the DAC and with the HD 650's as the cans.

 

[purrin]

The bottom line is that in the end, I rather have an amp that I can truly "enjoy the music" so I abandoned the "transparent amp" philosophy because there is no such thing(!) In reality..
It is an impossibility that many refuse to believe .

 
May the Force be with you.