[Xyzygy]

  I have HD650s coming in and am looking to order the Vali/Modi. I've been recommended BHC and things like HifimeDIY Sabre/O2 and Aune but I really like the style of the Schiit products.  I'm just wondering if there is a better place for me to order it from Canada? The shipping is about $40-50 and that is really putting a hamper on me ordering it...
 

 
Maybe check with Headphone Bar? They're a Schiit dealer. http://www.headphonebar.com/pages/About-Us.html

 

[Makiah S]

   
IMO the Vali with the Q701/K400 sounded dead neutral to my ears. I'm pretty confident that it was driving these to 100%. I didn't get that feeling with anything else, but I won't go there.
I actually think with those two it sounded more neutral than the Magni, Asgard 1 and 2. Now why it didn't give similar results for ME with other headphones is probably not something i'll ever figure out...
Vali with the Q701/K400 sounded about 97% identical in sound signature to my Headroom Micro Amp + astrodyne. That thing has TONS of power too (several watts into 32ohm) and my idea of a totally transparent budget amp.
The O2 was pretty close too, which is bizarre. Obviously the Vali has very slightly fuller mids and smoother treble.
 

Compared to my pb1 and NFB10ES2 the Vali is warmer than both, it's more transparent and natrual than my PB1 but warmer still. 

 

[geogga]

  The Emotiva Mini-X is one of the most highly recommended amps for headphones on this Forum. You should not need another amp.  See:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/629352/he-500-lcd2-d5000-dt770-sr80-on-a-speaker-amp-emotiva-mini-x-a-100-project

Sorry for bothering you again, but infact this was my option before discovering the magni. Would this be better than the magni/vali?
If so, Emotiva vs matrix mstage?

 

[Totoori]

  You should get on the Vali thread and get yourself educated. There is page after page of information about this very subject. 

Thanks! We are on the Vali thread, aren't we? =p I'll do some digging, figured it would be easier to just ask since there are a billion pages, though...
 
I tried to order from Amazon.com to Canada and they wouldn't ship it to me. I guess I'm stuck with the $40-50 shipping =p
 
I did some digging and it looks like the issue comes when it is first turned on and/or headphones plugged in only for about a minute. I will only be using one pair of headphones and nothing will ever move. Am I meant to be turning off the amp when I am not using it or something? I generally keep my PC on at all times, and often have something in the background (game, music, etc) running when I am not at the PC at basically all times. 

Am I misunderstanding?

 

[MattTCG]

Nope, I think you've got it. See the comments from wje for a nice concise wrapup. 

 

[Totoori]

  Nope, I think you've got it. See the comments from wje for a nice concise wrapup. 

Thanks! Kind of. I did some searching on WJE and didn't find much on the microphonics but instead just found that he does not like the HD650+Vali and much prefers his Magni!
 
Hahahaha. =)

 

[MattTCG]

Two pages back...
 
 
thegunner100 did a good job of digging up the quotes from Jason.  I still have the "O" rings on my tubes.  When I initially documented the process, the tubes seemed to really quiet down from a microphonics standpoint when the RTV silicon was starting to cure.  Once it finished curing, there was very little improvement in the noted microphonics issue.  Basically, it's a "feature" with the Vali amp and nearly impossible to work around.  But, Schiit has apparently been selecting the tubes to minimize the effects to a degree.
 
Now, putting all the jibber-jabber aside, we all just need to appreciate what it really is.  A $119 amp that's capable of "showing up" the competition a few hundred bucks north of $119.  I've been swapping amps all around over the past few years.  The Vali is the real deal.  Enjoy the amp, put the rest of your cash aside for other upgrades or music.
 
To get the most out of the Vali:
 
1) Turn the amp on.
 
2) Plug in your headphones - preferably with a headphone extension to keep from moving the amp.
 
3) After about 30 seconds, place the headphones on your head.
 
4) If you need to apply volume adjustments, do it with the level adjustment in your player itself (e.g. Foobar).
 
 
Additional:
 
* Keep the amp on a solid surface so it doesn't jiggle or shake around.
* Talk nice to it.  
* Appreciate what you have and the bargain you've obtained for $119.00.
* Enjoy your music!

 

[MickeyVee]

Choose USPS shipping from Schiit's site.. as I recall, it was about $22 to Canada when I ordered mine.
Quote:

 
I tried to order from Amazon.com to Canada and they wouldn't ship it to me. I guess I'm stuck with the $40-50 shipping =p
 

 

[nabwong]

It's not that loud though. It only would affect your hearing if you listened for long durations at that volume. Have you actually listened to DT880 600ohm with a Vali? 600ohm requires a lot of power...

They do not go on sale, I believe it says so on their website. I bought mine on Amazon and fulfilled by Amazon. Maybe Amazon.ca has them as well?

Oh. I didn't see you were using the 600ohm 880. I'm using the he400 and I have my volume knob on 10 o clock max.

 

[Makiah S]

Oh. I didn't see you were using the 600ohm 880. I'm using the he400 and I have my volume knob on 10 o clock max.

I don't go higher than 10 o Clock my self either with the Vali and that's using my DT 880 600 ohm and my w100-x. Although my NFB 10ES2 has a High Gain and Low Gain output Stage for the Dacs PreAmp mode [and yes I have it set to "fixed"] So... it's proving very useful with the Vali 

 

[kstuart]

 

  The Emotiva Mini-X is one of the most highly recommended amps for headphones on this Forum. You should not need another amp.  See:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/629352/he-500-lcd2-d5000-dt770-sr80-on-a-speaker-amp-emotiva-mini-x-a-100-project

Sorry for bothering you again, but infact this was my option before discovering the magni. Would this be better than the magni/vali?
If so, Emotiva vs matrix mstage?

I have not actually used the Emotiva, which is why I carefully worded it as "one of the most highly recommended amps for headphones on this Forum".  If I did not have a vintage power amp that is similar, I would probably have ordered an Emotiva for my planar headphones.
 
More than that would require some one else to respond who has used it.

 

[Totoori]

Thanks. I ordered it. The shipping sucks, but oh well!
 
He must have changed his mind on it, from what I saw in his earlier posts he was not happy with it.
 
Do I need any additional cables or anything? I have absolutely nothing but whatever comes with Vali/Modi/HD650. If I do, does it matter which I get?

 

[MickeyVee]

^^ PYST Cables - need to connect the Vali to the Modi  - update your order with Schiit so there is no additional shipping charges - pay once.
You'll also need a USB Cable - the Schiit / Wireworld cable would be great @ $20.  So add another $40 for PYST RCA and PYST USB.

 

[Totoori]

  ^^ PYST Cables - need to connect the Vali to the Modi  - update your order with Schiit so there is no additional change other than the cable.
You'll also need a USB Cable - the Schiit / Wireworld cable would be great @ $20.  So add another $40 for PYST and USB.

 
Thanks. PYST RCA or PYST XLR? Is there a quality difference between these and something much cheaper from Amazon?

 

[MickeyVee]

PYST RCA - you can go with others but the cables are nice for $20 and you'll have a hard time getting a 6" cable that's nice and will stack well with the two.  Don't forget the USB cable. Again, nice for $20 and you get them all in one shot.