NEW Vali Schiit AMP!!!
Dec 11, 2013 at 10:27 AM Post #2,176 of 4,971
The microphonics are not that bad. Once music is playing you won't notice it, not even between songs. Listening to it new out of the box now, sweet and solid little amp and the pairing with the Modi + a woodied SR80i is really very, very good considering the price one pays for the pair.
 
Dec 11, 2013 at 10:28 AM Post #2,177 of 4,971
  I know you guys are being facetious, but that just got me thinking about using the silicone screw/decouplers that silent pc makes use to hold fans on cases to attach the top.  
 
I am pretty much set on keeping the Vali, so I think I might go full tilt and void my warranty by modding the case to see if I can't get the ringing to go away.
 
Maybe some dynamat extreme on parts of the case.  Strategic Sugru placement.  Silicone caulk on the tubes themselves.

Yea I'think assuming it sounds well good, I'll end up keeping mine for office use. Let us know what you do!
 
I'm still wondering if Sciit will b making an upgrade package for the Vali, like they have done their dacs
 
Dec 11, 2013 at 10:41 AM Post #2,178 of 4,971
  The microphonics are not that bad. Once music is playing you won't notice it, not even between songs. Listening to it new out of the box now, sweet and solid little amp and the pairing with the Modi + a woodied SR80i is really very, very good considering the price one pays for the pair.

Ehh. I have mine already.  The ringing is very easy to notice, even when music is playing.  Once it goes away, of course I don't hear it :)
 
I am a tinkerer, so if I can get the initial ringing to go away faster or to prevent taps and bumps from making it ring, then I am going to have fun doing so.
 
Dec 11, 2013 at 10:52 AM Post #2,179 of 4,971
Ahh..maybe at my age, my hearing ability is much lower :) In any case, if you do find a good solution to the microphonics, please post it here so perhaps I can try to tinkle a bit myself it is not too much of a hassle. As of now, I'm just enjoying the music...losing myself to dance!
 
Dec 11, 2013 at 11:03 AM Post #2,180 of 4,971
I opened mine up today and saw that my tubes weren't pushed down that well.
 
So I pushed them down and I noticed that the microphonics when plugging in my headphones were much less pronounced. Now they only take about 20-30 seconds to settle down. Before, it was closer to 1 minute.
 
Dec 11, 2013 at 11:53 AM Post #2,182 of 4,971
Yeah, predicting how your damping efforts will affect microphonics is kind of hit and miss. You just have to tinker and see what works.
 
My Vali came with one tube was fully attached to the board. The other had the pad stuck to the tube, but they were both hanging above the board.
 
In this state, I would get a high pitched ringing that seemed to come from the center left. If I rapped the top, this ringing would intensify, but there would also be a second much lower pitched ringing (with a slower audible oscillation). That lower pitched ringing is probably coming from the second tube. The lower pitched ringing never gets excited in normal use, so is not an issue.
 
When I opened up my Vali and pushed the hanging tube down to the board, two things happend:
 
1. The intensity of the high pitched ringing decreased. It was not as loud as before. But....
 
2. The amp became MORE sensitive to vibration. It was much more excitable. Before, the ringing started when I move the amp around, or when I plugged or unplugged headphones. Now, even just touching the volume control (not even turning it) or lightly adjusting the headphone cable on the table (not plugging it in or out) will excite the ringing.
 
This goes away after about 20 seconds or so, but its like walking on eggshells to keep it from ringing.
 
So I got a positive and a negative out of pushing the tube down. This is the normal state of the amp, with both tubes adhered to the board.
 
So it's hard to tell what will occur. Still, the amp sounds marvelous when it's playing.
 
Dec 11, 2013 at 12:24 PM Post #2,183 of 4,971
I am surprised that people are still getting units with tubes that aren't flat on the foam pads. I thought I had read a post from Jason where he stated that the issue has been addressed at the factory. Maybe these are ones that were already off the line?

At the rate these units seems to be selling, you would think the new production method would be used in all units currently shipping. Am I missing something here?

EDIT: Nevermind. That was only posted 2 days ago. Probably not enough time to see the new ones coming off the line yet.
 
Dec 11, 2013 at 12:26 PM Post #2,184 of 4,971
I am surprised that people are still getting units with tubes that aren't flat on the foam pads. I thought I had read a post from Jason where he stated that the issue has been addressed at the factory. Maybe these are ones that were already off the line?

At the rate these units seems to be selling, you would think the new production method would be used in all units currently shipping. Am I missing something here?

I'll see how mine looks. It was purchased about 4 days ago
 
Dec 11, 2013 at 12:41 PM Post #2,185 of 4,971
I don't have a Vali yet, but I would think something Vibrapod like this would help a bit:

http://www.vibrapod.com/vibrapod.htm

I have some old Audioquest sorbothane feet I am going to try for myself.
 
Dec 11, 2013 at 3:08 PM Post #2,186 of 4,971
I don't have a Vali yet, but I would think something Vibrapod like this would help a bit:

http://www.vibrapod.com/vibrapod.htm

I have some old Audioquest sorbothane feet I am going to try for myself.

 
Or some of these small ones:
 
http://www.partsconnexion.com/isolation_ear.html
 
I've had success using these on standard sized audio components in the past.
 
One thing to remember about these feet is that they need to be weight loaded to effectively dampen vibration. The Vali may be too light for these to fully do their work. You may have to put some sort of weight on top of the Vali to get the proper loading.
 
If you think about an automotive shock absorber, it works because it's designed for the weight of a car.
 
If you put automotive shock absorbers on a bicycle, for example, the springs would be way too stiff compared to the weight of the bike. The bike is simply too light.
 
Same thing with these lossy isolation feet. They need to be loaded with sufficient weight in order to work properly.
 
Dec 11, 2013 at 3:33 PM Post #2,187 of 4,971
True. Especially for the Vibrapod. My experience with the AQ is that they pretty much absorb any stray vibration in the neighborhood. They feel like a tacky piece of gum. Worth a try anyway. I would only need one. They are the size of a hockey puck
 
Dec 11, 2013 at 7:06 PM Post #2,189 of 4,971
Got my Vali today (#365). I have it stacked right above Magni to make some comparisons. Looking through the holes of the vent, it appears that both tubes are in flat position. The initial ringing takes about 1 minute to go away. After that, changing the volume, moving the headphone cord, typing, moving the mouse all do not cause further ringing. Turning the volume all the way to 100% does not cause noise or static. The volume control is smoother than the Magni's when I got it initially and it doesn't cause static at certain volume levels like the Magni initially, even though it eventually went away.
 
Listening to norah jones' come away with me album right now with the setup on my sig, I first noticed how tight and more controlled the bass is. The bass isn't exactly more prominent or heavy, but it definitely sounds better. I think the sound stage is *slightly* closer, as though I am in a smaller studio recording room listening to a live performance. I never heard the "watery" sound of tubes before, but I think there's a very tiny addition of reverb, smoothing the sounds to flow almost like a gentle stream. Guitars sounds MUCH better somehow, perhaps due to this watery sensation or a tiny bit of reverb. With the entire sound warming, I think the treble isn't as clear. Certain parts of songs where there's electric guitar hitting higher notes, those aren't as clear as before and doesn't strike out as much among the other instruments playing. I think it's less analytical than the Magni, but less harsh on your ears. I wouldn't say it's "better" than the Magni, more of a choice of what type of amp you want. However, I do like it more than the Magni with my HD650. I wish I can compare it to the Bottlehead Crack though, and would absolutely love to hear that pairing with my HD650.
 
Dec 11, 2013 at 8:53 PM Post #2,190 of 4,971
Give some time for the Vali to burn in. You may find the amp sound nicer after a couple of days.

My experience was that it sounded good on day one, but not exceptional (I did some critical listening right after I got it). The next few days saw some casual background listening. On day 4 I put on the HD598s and, holy cow, does this combo sound great. Hypnotic! So much more involving than on day one.

Does anyone use the HD598 as their main phones with the Vali? It's an awesome sounding combo.
 

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