The whole point of this is you're trying to excuse tube microphonics....But no, among other things, you have to claim that microphonics can somehow add to the listening experience (sympathetic microphonics?). Yeah, that's entirely possible ... but it's also entirely random.
Instead, it's your gushing for a $119 microphonic amp and recommendation to pair it with $5000 headphones that has me troubled.
Dude, give it a rest. Honestly I'd appreciate it if you stopped distorting the original context of my comments regarding microphonics and the use of Abyss with the Vali.
- Nowhere did I ever indicate that tube microphonics is something desirable. In any case, the initial tube microphonics disappear after thirty to sixty seconds. It remains fairly stable and impervious against additional microphonics unless one slams on the desk or hits the chassis of the amp. You seem hell bent on making the Vali microphonics sound much worse than it really is. It's a temporary issue immediately after turn-on and switching headphones.
- Nowhere did I ever explicitly recommend the Vali as the amp to pair with the Abyss. Now I did mention (on another website mind you), that "I'd hook up the Vali to the Abyss and call it day". I don't see what the problem is with this statement unless you are some sort of audio snob. Quite honestly, I see no problem with those wishing to run their Abyss from an Asus Xonar soundcard. I dunno. What you do suggest? Pairing the Abyss up with less resolving amps <$1k amps from Woo and Burson? I also have a Mjolnir, but I prefer the Vali over the Mjolnir in many instances, especially for those headphones which don't need the power and driver control of the Mjolnir. I don't understand what your problem with this is? Oh wait, it's a "microphonic" amp. In that case, please re-read #1 above.
Originally Posted by tomb /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Why don't you let the amp be announced on its own? Feel some obligation because you were given a privilege to listen to it before anyone else?
Do you think the Vali is the first piece of gear that I've had the privilege to listen to before most others? I mean who exactly are you to tell me what to say? Who assigned you the role of the Righteous Gatekeeper of Allowable Hype on Head-Fi?
I typically note negatives of gear rather then write positive things about them. I get criticized for being a "hater" (K3003, HD700, Meridian Explorer, SRH1440, Leben, etc.). I heard the Vali, I loved it. I thought it punched well above its weight class, doing many and most things better than amps up to $1500. I rarely get excited by gear, but this piece I did get excited about. So I wanted to talk about it and let the general HF community know about it. It's a little bit of change of pace for me.
Other people "hype" all the time here. Warren does it. Mike Mercer does it. Project86 does it. Skylab does it. LFF used to do it sparingly. Jude certainly does it. Some other people even hype stuff that is measurably (and subjectively sonically bad). I don't even get paid for this, nor do I get a free Vali, nor does Jason sponsor my website, nor does Jason approach me. In fact, I believe this is the first time I've brought attention to something I really liked. So s
eriously, what is your problem dude?
More than anything else, it sounds like you are sore because you weren't able to offer anything like this yourself. You may as well not even bother listening to it since you seem so dismissive and biased against Schiit - that they provide "
affordable, quality amps and DACs." The fact is, with some on their new stuff like the Asgard 2, I am starting to feel that they are not only "value" leaders, but also provide great stuff in pure absolute terms.
Just because I'm a MOT, it doesn't mean you can take cheap shots, either - even though you seem to fall back on that in every post. From my perspective (a formerly trusting one) you seem to enjoy a reputation of testing and measurement. Well, a responsibility goes along with that. For instance, why are you going to wait until "Jason tells me it's dangerous?" Does not the database of measurements that you produce tell you enough? Are you now stating that all of this thread is suspect unless "Jason tells me it's dangerous?"
Again, give it a rest dude. The Vali's microphonics are not going to blow up anything. I know from my testing that the amp is safe. (There are plenty of measurements on the Vali already if you know where to look.) If you took the Vali apart and examined its design/topology, you would probably also gain insights into why it sounds as good as it does.
Again, you've purposely taken one of my statements (one made in irony) "Until Jason tells me it's dangerous" and perverted it into another one of your semantic arguments. Now - you do realize that I only made that statement because of your preposterous suppositions (indirect implications because direct implications would be too strong a claim on your part as an MOT) that Brownian motion in air particles or simply blowing on the Vali would cause microphonics resulting in the diaphragm of the Abyss to fly out of the headphone.
EDIT: Sorry. That's more negative than just about anything I've ever said on Head-Fi. Mods, please delete if you think appropriate. I'm just a little crazy at the idea of tube microphonics becoming the norm for $5000 headphones.
People run microphonic tubes on $3500, $4000, $5000, $10,000 headamps. Why should Vali be scrutinized more? Because it costs less?
That much is true, for sure.
I will quit fighting ... it's not good.
I'm still ill and recovering so I've got nothing else to do. Please keep going. Maybe I'd respect more of what you had to say if you had actually handled or hear the Vali yourself.
