[leesure]

So: Vali, Magni, or other similar priced amp for the HE-500? Best synergy/pairing, recommendations please if anyone has heard these combos.

While I think the Vali would do wonders for the rather flat (IMO) sound of the HE-500's, I don't think it will drive them to their potential.  They are considerably less efficient than the LCD's.  The Magni/HE-500 combo, while I have not heard them together, doesn't strike me as the most likely to sound fantastic either.  I found the HE-500's to be very accurate, but a bit dry.  The slight edginess of the Magni, I'm thinking, won't do much to improve that.  Tho if I had to choose between the two, The Magni would be the way to go.  If you don't need the mini size and can spare the extra change, the Asguard2 would be a better option from the Schiit line. 

 

[CEE TEE]

  Hmm anyone tested Vali with Sennheiser HD600? 
 
That would make a pretty sick sub 500$? sweet sounding package.

HD600/Vali.   That's my plan until I build my Crack/Speedball.  
 
But the Vali can fit as a bedside rig and my TTVJ Portable Millet Hybrid can stay at work.
 
Not sure where I will have room for the Crack, actually...

 

[purrin]

 
While I think the Vali would do wonders for the rather flat (IMO) sound of the HE-500's, I don't think it will drive them to their potential.  They are considerably less efficient than the LCD's.  The Magni/HE-500 combo, while I have not heard them together, doesn't strike me as the most likely to sound fantastic either.  I found the HE-500's to be very accurate, but a bit dry.  The slight edginess of the Magni, I'm thinking, won't do much to improve that.  Tho if I had to choose between the two, The Magni would be the way to go.  If you don't need the mini size and can spare the extra change, the Asguard2 would be a better option from the Schiit line. 

 
^ pretty much my thoughts and couldn't have said it any better - and I actually have tried the HE-500 with Vali, Magni, A2, Mjolnir, etc. Magni, if you can spare the change, A2. It ultimately depends upon your sonic preferences, your source, recordings, etc.

 

[shirazir]

 
An in your opinion the best one is what, lmao?

 
The sub-$1k offerings from Burson or Woo Audio would be a good start....

 

[MrEleventy]

I love this thread.  Everything wonderful and awful about Headfi all in one.  Marvelous entertainment.  I think the amp is simply too cheap not to try it out and see for myself.  

+1, and if you don't like it... resell it. To me.

 

[purrin]

   
The sub-$1k offerings from Burson or Woo Audio would be a good start....

 
Maybe Soloist, but different sound. HA160, nope. WA3, nope. WA6 (non-SE), nope. WA7, certainly not.

 

[jexby]

   
^ pretty much my thoughts and couldn't have said it any better - and I actually have tried the HE-500 with Vali, Magni, A2, Mjolnir, etc. Magni, if you can spare the change, A2. It ultimately depends upon your sonic preferences, your source, recordings, etc.

 
and I've got the HE-500 with the Asgard2 and Lyr (with some good tubes in them!), both fed by Bifrost Uber.
 
I prefer the Lyr with quality (not stock!) tubes.
Asgard2 sure isn't a bad choice.
 
Purrin,
besides the old design of Lyr (lacking some clarity, micro details) did you use anything other than stock tubes in it?
 
only heard the Vali with the LCD2 at RMAF.  was impressed for sure.
maybe a dream combo would be Vali + Audeze LCD-X ?  curious.
 
still wish there was a Uber Modi for 1/2 price of a Uber USB2 BiFrost to pair with the Vali...

 

[eke2k6]

   
^ pretty much my thoughts and couldn't have said it any better - and I actually have tried the HE-500 with Vali, Magni, A2, Mjolnir, etc. Magni, if you can spare the change, A2. It ultimately depends upon your sonic preferences, your source, recordings, etc.

 
This next sentence is not me being cynical or sarcastic, I promise.
 
I'm really considering the Vali, but this talk of the Magni being equivalent puts slight doubt in my mind about just how good the Vali is supposed to be. I thought it was supposed to be the equal of amps around $1k.
 
Say I had a HE-500, a Mad Dog, and HD-600, would I notice an improvement in pure SQ of the Vali over the Magni, sound signatures ignored? I ask because the first few pages insinuated that the Vali could really exert control over the drivers of the HE-400, an ability I know is independent of raw power output.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

I think I will pull the trigger on one of these, sound a facinating project and I have been teethering on the edge of the Schiit world for for too long. Time to try at home.

 

[purrin]

   
This next sentence is not me being cynical or sarcastic, I promise.
 
I'm really considering the Vali, but this talk of the Magni being equivalent puts slight doubt in my mind about just how good the Vali is supposed to be. I thought it was supposed to be the equal of amps around $1k.
 
Say I had a HE-500, a Mad Dog, and HD-600, would I notice an improvement in pure SQ of the Vali over the Magni, sound signatures ignored? I ask because the first few pages insinuated that the Vali could really exert control over the drivers of the HE-400, an ability I know is independent of raw power output.

 
OK, here's the deal with the HE-500. It tends to be soft in the bass (a little one-notish, blurry, etc.) and it requires power to come alive, sound not so compressed, have better articulation in the bass, etc. From the Vali, the HE-500 sounds soft, even though the Vali is more capable of transmitting the essence of my two not so inexpensive DACs. The question for me becomes this: Can I live with something no so good (softness, macro-dynamic compression) to get something really good (resolution, immediacy, microdynamics)? With the HE-500 I am more tempted to go with the "driver control / dynamics" option. Hence Magni (more power, lower output Z), A2, or even Mojo for HE-500. Although I have to admit the HE-500 from Vali is very tempting.
 
The HE-400 on the other hand is way more efficient than the HE-500. The HE-400 also happens to have better quality, more articulate bass than the HE-500, possibly the best quality bass of the entire HFM lineup. So in the case of the HE-400, it's hands down Vali because Vali does not appreciably lower the quality of the HE-400 bass compared to A2, Mojo, etc.
 
It's never a black and white thing where A > B for me.
 
Finally, do not fail to consider the quality of your DAC and recordings. I found the Vali extremely resolving - it will resolve $2k-$3k DACs.
 
 

  Purrin,
besides the old design of Lyr (lacking some clarity, micro details) did you use anything other than stock tubes in it?
 
only heard the Vali with the LCD2 at RMAF.  was impressed for sure.
maybe a dream combo would be Vali + Audeze LCD-X ?  curious.
 

 
Mostly with stock tubes. I have heard one Lyr with some $$$ tubes and admittedly there was an improvement, but it's still limited by the platform.
 
I've heard good things about the LCD-X from people I trust (not just Jude, Mike Mercer, and Warren LOL!). Someone else I trust got to listen to the LCD2 with Vali @ RMAF and thought this: "Maybe it's the relative size/cost/simplicity of the thing relative to the headphones it was driving that helps it be such a stunner, but Vali has serious chops. Clear, dynamic, linear, slam, very slightly euphonic (minimal, not OTL euphonic). "

 

[eke2k6]

   
OK, here's the deal with the HE-500. It tends to be soft in the bass (a little one-notish, blurry, etc.) and it requires power to come alive, sound not so compressed, have better articulation in the bass, etc. From the Vali, the HE-500 sounds soft, even though the Vali is more capable of transmitting the essence of my two not so inexpensive DACs. The question for me becomes this: Can I live with something no so good (softness, macro-dynamic compression) to get something really good (resolution, immediacy, microdynamics)? With the HE-500 I am more tempted to go with the "driver control / dynamics" option. Hence Magni (more power, lower output Z), A2, or even Mojo for HE-500. Although I have to admit HE-500 from Vali is very tempting.
 
The HE-400 on the other hand is way more efficient than the HE-500. The HE-400 also happens to have better quality, more articulate bass than the HE-500, possibly the best quality bass of the entire HFM lineup. So in the case of the HE-400, it's hands down Vali because Vali does not appreciably lower the quality of the HE-400 bass compared to A2, Mojo, etc.
 
It's never a black and white thing where A > B for me.
 
Finally, do not fail to consider the quality of your DAC and recordings. I found the Vali extremely resolving.

 
Thanks for that.
 
As a follow up, what about the Vali makes it better than the Magni with the HE-400/Paradox? Just trying to nail down some specifics, as I have a chance to get the Magni for a really good price.

 

[elwappo99]

   
OK, here's the deal with the HE-500. It tends to be soft in the bass (a little one-notish, blurry, etc.) and it requires power to come alive, sound not so compressed, have better articulation in the bass, etc. From the Vali, the HE-500 sounds soft, even though the Vali is more capable of transmitting the essence of my two not so inexpensive DACs. The question for me becomes this: Can I live with something no so good (softness, macro-dynamic compression) to get something really good (resolution, immediacy, microdynamics)? With the HE-500 I am more tempted to go with the "driver control / dynamics" option. Hence Magni (more power, lower output Z), A2, or even Mojo for HE-500. Although I have to admit the HE-500 from Vali is very tempting.
 

 
Any chance you could comment Vali vs A2 vs Mojo for HE-500s in a little more detail?

 

[purrin]

   
Thanks for that.
 
As a follow up, what about the Vali makes it better than the Magni with the HE-400/Paradox? Just trying to nail down some specifics, as I have a chance to get the Magni for a really good price.

 
Goosebumps. I literally screwed myself up when I get the Vali back from Anaxilus (I let him borrow it first for a reason). Stayed up way too late (while I was sick and I still am sick) just listening to recordings, even music I really didn't even care for. The Vali was one of those amps that just sucked me in. I didn't want to put the headphones down. There's a liveliness or immediacy to how it renders recordings. I was doing crazy stuff in the middle of the night like listening to the PWD2 upstairs in my home office, then running downstairs to hear the AGD M7 (attached to the speaker rig), and back. The Magni never quite had that affect on me. It could have been the Tylenol, Aspirin, and Prednisone rotation combo though.
 

  Any chance you could comment Vali vs A2 vs Mojo for HE-500s in a little more detail?

 
You'd have to wait if you wanted more specifics as I don't have an A2 on hand, and I just lent out the Vali to ultrabike since he has a HD558 and we were curious how that combo would fair.

 

[eke2k6]

   
The Vali was one of those amps that just sucked me in. I didn't want to put the headphones down. There's a liveliness or immediacy to how it renders recordings. I was doing crazy stuff in the middle of the night like listening to the PWD2 upstairs in my home office, then running downstairs to hear the AGD M7 (attached to the speaker rig), and back. The Magni never quite had that affect on me. It could have been the Tylenol, Aspirin, and Prednisone rotation combo though.
 

 
Thanks. So is it possible that the differences are attributable to sound signature?

 

[tdockweiler]

   
Also take into consideration that I too was highly unimpressed with the O2. And I don't think the O2 is good for the price either. Maybe $49. The O2 is currently used as a measurement amplifier, which is what it should be used for, not for listening.

 
Well, what else is out there under $200 that's transparent and can drive my K400 and Q701 without it sounding like tinny/metallic/thin crap? Not much that i've seen. I don't have much experience with imported amps though, just the E9.
I don't want a true portable amp. Most of these "O2 killers" that are supposedly more transparent are over $300. I've found an amp that sounds more transparent than the O2 to my ears, but it's $250 or so.
 
Saying the O2 should not be used for listening is nonsense IMO. Maybe you like warmer sounding amps and you're just talking about your preferences? It had a hint of brightness with the Q701, but not too bad (less so than Magni).
I actually felt it was fine with brighter headphones (haven't tried a DT-990 or SR-325i). O2 felt worth $120 to me, but I sold it and am looking for something even better with smoother treble.
 
Have you tried the E9? I thought it was pretty good for the Q701/K701 and has some warmth. Overall it's smooth sounding but nothing like the O2 obviously. The Q701 doesn't seem to care about a 8-10ohm output impedance. I had a receiver with a 330 ohm output impedance and heard zero change at all

 
I have my doubts if the Vali will be good for the HD-650 to my ears, but maybe i'll try it. It could be the first Schiit amp I actually love. Magni was alright, but I felt the O2 was better.
If I do love it It'll probably be with the K400. Personally I hate amps that are only good with specific headphones. With a $120 amp that's used as a backup I wouldn't mind so much.