[rgmffn]

I've had my Vali now about 5-6 wks.  I'm lovin' it!  It's either Puter >> Foobar >> Modi >> Vali >> HD598 or Q701 or X2s... OR, Emotiva ERC-3 (CD player) >> Vali >> X2s.  I prefer listening to the CD player.  I believe it sounds best.  Actually, I'm finding it hard to stop listening!  The Fidelio X2s just sounds so good on this pairing.  I've got my eye's closed, head back, zoning out.  The sound is so big with this combo.  It must be the emphasis in the upper bass region.  I open my eyes and look over at what the HPs are plugged into expecting to see something about the size of a small car battery.. but no, it's a little Schiitin Vali! 

 
 
I did a couple of small mods to the Vali.  If/when I ever get enough posts to be able to upload, I'll post some pics. 
 
Thanks all!  I love reading about your experiences.

 

[Arnotts]

WTH? What...The...Hell.

My Vali arrived today and it was intended for my work setup, Modi/Magni/HD650. Since I didn't even plan on ordering the Vali, all that stuff is at work. With ZERO expectations, I put the Vali in my home setup swapping out my Mjolnir for a Gungnir/Vali/LCD-X chain. I hated the Magni with both the LCD-2s and LCD-Xs, which made both cans sound sloppy and congested. Although I loved the Lyr with just about everything--it sounded too thick with both the LCD-2/LCD-X, and smeared detail. So, I expected the Vali to be a poor pairing with the LCD-X.

I'm A/B-ing the LCD-X with the Vali and the Mjolnir--both being fed by the Gungnir. The Vali is rocking the LCD-X, that's the only way to put it. The Vali has a beautiful analog signature with punchy deep bass and rich mids, but maintains very crisp treble. The Vali doesn't have quite the detail, instrument separation, and air of the Mjolnir, but damn if it doesn't sound beautifully musical. The soundstage is also a bit more closed in, but honestly--it sounds very very good. I could listen to the LCD-Xs out of the Vali all day--the synergy is great. More thoughts to come, but the Vali is way better than it should be for the price and is actually a reasonable option for the LCD-X. Very much in shock on this!

This post is two years old... but wow does it still hold true.
 
I just plugged my LCD-X's into my Vali...
 
Incredible

 
 
Just as Barry said, it's very musical and enjoyable. Not the most technically excellent pairing for separation and soundstage, but it's not bad by ANY means in these areas.
 
For the price this thing is ridiculous. Equal or better in a lot of aspects to my Gustard H10 (which in itself is excellent value).

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

Side note about the Vali- was having annoying issues with the "hiss" that would get louder and louder. I was to the point of sending it back, but just realized its my router that needed moved. I moved it about 3 feet and found significant improvement on the annoying background hiss. So anyone out there wracking their brain over this issue try moving other electronics out of range. Also I was using the AKG K712 as headphones with the Vali in case anyone thought that my headphones may have been as issue as well.

 

[Yoplaboum]

Hi !
Using my Vali now for 3 months.
It's used with a Beyer 990 Pro 250 Ohms. No problem at all about hiss or background noise. The volume is set, most part of the time, on 10 or 11 o'clock.
I love this little amplifier !! It's full of life, it's all fun ! I think, too, that it suits well the V-profile of my headphone. I can listen this set for hours, I re-discover my CDs

. Great results on voices and acoustic instruments (small jazz groups are fantastic !)
The only thing (not really disturbing) : The "diiiing" when you move your Vali, or when you power it. It's really a small thing.
I recommand this little amp with this headphone. Without restriction !!

 

[masterfuu]

I had the little sciiter for two weeks before sending it back for repair. For some reason the ringing would appear and get louder and louder. I got the asgard which also was great. But about vali I used with grado rs1 and it was magic. Vali is without doubt unbelievably great sounding amp it made music and movies alive and amazing. Closest quality in sound I found after vali is my woo audio wa7. But at x10 price it's only slightly better. If I ever get rid of wa7 I may go back to vali and get lost in world of music again.

 

[Evshrug]

Side note about the Vali- was having annoying issues with the "hiss" that would get louder and louder. I was to the point of sending it back, but just realized its my router that needed moved. I moved it about 3 feet and found significant improvement on the annoying background hiss. So anyone out there wracking their brain over this issue try moving other electronics out of range. Also I was using the AKG K712 as headphones with the Vali in case anyone thought that my headphones may have been as issue as well.

Yeah, I was trying out a Raspberry Pi as a digital player and transport, the music files fed to it over wifi, and the wifi transmitter created annoyance. However, I moved my amp to the other side of the desk (still using my janky cheap RadioShack RCA cable), and all was well again.
Till I got a phone call, but then I put that on the wifi side too, lol! Maybe some day I'll make a lead chamber for my tube amp.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

Yeah, I was trying out a Raspberry Pi as a digital player and transport, the music files fed to it over wifi, and the wifi transmitter created annoyance. However, I moved my amp to the other side of the desk (still using my janky cheap RadioShack RCA cable), and all was well again.
Till I got a phone call, but then I put that on the wifi side too, lol! Maybe some day I'll make a lead chamber for my tube amp.

It's amazing how moving something a few feet makes such a change.... I was about to send the Vali back to get fixed. I was running out of ideas

 

[Pantsbandit]

  I've had my Vali now about 5-6 wks.  I'm lovin' it!  It's either Puter >> Foobar >> Modi >> Vali >> HD598 or Q701 or X2s... OR, Emotiva ERC-3 (CD player) >> Vali >> X2s.  I prefer listening to the CD player.  I believe it sounds best.  Actually, I'm finding it hard to stop listening!  The Fidelio X2s just sounds so good on this pairing.  I've got my eye's closed, head back, zoning out.  The sound is so big with this combo.  It must be the emphasis in the upper bass region.  I open my eyes and look over at what the HPs are plugged into expecting to see something about the size of a small car battery.. but no, it's a little Schiitin Vali! 

 
 
I did a couple of small mods to the Vali.  If/when I ever get enough posts to be able to upload, I'll post some pics. 
 
Thanks all!  I love reading about your experiences.

How difficult did you find the Vali to mod?  My soldering skills aren't great and my concern would be whether the mod benefits out weight the risk of wrecking the amp.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

I've been using Vali with my HD800s for a little while, and while I love the pairing, I'm curious how it compares with the rest of the Schiit lineup. Is Magni Uber/Asgard an appreciable step up? Are Valhalla and Lyr worth their asking price?

 

[rgmffn]

 
 

  How difficult did you find the Vali to mod?  My soldering skills aren't great and my concern would be whether the mod benefits out weight the risk of wrecking the amp.

No soldering.  I didn't roll the tubes or anything.  Just a couple of simple mods.  I like to tinker.  They just make my user experience a bit more pleasureful.
 
I added some o-rings to the volume knob.  And a little bit of white paint to easier see the setting. It makes for a better feel when adjusting. 
 
I added a little rubber tip I found in my junk to the power switch.  It feels better to me when switching on and off.  Adds a little cushion to it.
 

 

 

 
Oh, and that's a small piece of blue masking tape on the front with some scotch tape to help hold so as to have the light match my other blue equipment lighting (Emotiva) when it is in the rack with it.  You can't see the tape, only the blue light from my seating position.

 

[Ali-Pacha]

Vali + HD800 @ home, 2 weeks lend from another h-fier. Not convinced by the HD800 (too brutally energetic for me, and a bit thin in bass area), but hell I like the Vali with my HD600.
 
Ali

 

[Arnotts]

  Vali + HD800 @ home, 2 weeks lend from another h-fier. Not convinced by the HD800 (too brutally energetic for me, and a bit thin in bass area), but hell I like the Vali with my HD600.
 
Ali

I felt the same way about the HD800's until I drove them balanced from the M-DAC.
 
The Vali did not unleash enough of the potential in the HD800's to make them truly enjoyable for me. They still left the HD800 sounding a little thin/cold/analytical/digital. It still performed better than many of my other amps (M-Stage, H10 and single-ended headphone amp from the M-DAC). The Vali did very well with the HD800's, and for the price it's excellent, but if you're using HD800's then I think you should pair them with a DAC and amp that are more suitable.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

i recant my statement about the hiss going away whenever i moved my router lol. the hiss starts out faint and then grows loud enough for me to hear it through most music.i don't get how it can be practically silent some times, but 8/10 it is realllllly annoying..... any suggestions would help.  either here for everyone or PM. THANKS!

 

[Evshrug]

lead box. Lead Box. LEEEEAD BOX!!!
Could also be an issue with the power supply.

 

[Wallboy]

  i recant my statement about the hiss going away whenever i moved my router lol. the hiss starts out faint and then grows loud enough for me to hear it through most music.i don't get how it can be practically silent some times, but 8/10 it is realllllly annoying..... any suggestions would help.  either here for everyone or PM. THANKS!

 
Does it go away when you cycle the amp off and on? I have the problem where the right channel straights to get a really high pitched frequency after about 30 minutes. If I cycle the amp off and on it's good to go for the rest of the day. I have an early model of the Vali so I'm pretty sure the issue is with the tubes coming off their little pads. I can push them back down onto their pads, but they always lift back up after a day or two. I know some people were bending the leads so that they were forced to stay on their pads. I was going to do this but am afraid I was going to break them off. 
 
So I've been having to just cycle the amp on and off after the first 30 minutes of it being on. It's getting a little annoying to do this everyday, but I'm not sure what else to do.