[Keevs]

Has anyone tried the Vali 2 with the Shure 846 IEM? Is it a good match? I'm thinking of it in my work setup.

 

[poocaso]

  Ordered my Vali 2 today around 5am, they had it shipped by the afternoon. Very excited for my first tube amp. Also ordered an electro harmonix 6cg7 with balanced triodes and low noise/microphonics from tubedepot. Both should be here early next week!

I've had the Vali 2 for about a week and have been really enjoying it with the stock tube. Today I received my Electro Harmonix 6CG7 with the same configuration as yours, also from TubeDepot. Initial impressions are very positive! I think you will be very happy next week with your new setup!

 

[GrouchoMarx1933]

Sounds like I might need to grab me one of those Electro Harmonix tubes before y'all snatch them up!

 

[a44100Hz]

I highly recommend getting a NOS Amperex Bugle Boy for the Vali 2. I have two, both from Holland; both sound good but one of them is blowing my mind with the TH-X00. They're a beautiful match.

 

[a44100Hz]

  Anybody owns both Magni 2 and Vali 2? How does it compared?

Both sound good. With the stock tube, the Vali 2 sounds similar to the Magni 2 but maybe a touch more musical. After using some NOS tubes I heard more differences, more of that warm filled-in tubey sound, slower decay, more echoes, more soundstage. More fun to listen to overall, feels more immersive.

One way I can try to explain it is that with the Magni 2 the sound feels like it's clipped a little in both the left and right directions, or like it's smaller. With tubes that goes away and the sound feels more wide and full. I think this is a commonly noted difference between solid state and tubes? And it's the kind of thing your ears would have to adapt to, I think. It's not night and day, but when you're listening for it, it's pretty apparent and the tube sound is more fulfilling for me it seems.

 

[Capt369]

Does anyone know how the valid 2 compares with the Valhalla 2? I'd rather just roll one tube as opposed to four.

 

[GrouchoMarx1933]

Alright, the Electro-Harmonix 6CG7 is ordered from Tube Depot! Balanced and low microphonics.

 

[rgmffn]

Alright, the Electro-Harmonix 6CG7 is ordered from Tube Depot! Balanced and low microphonics.

I hope you'll let us know how you like it.  My 6CG7 is to arrive tomorrow.  I'll be comparing it to my Electro-Harmonix 6629 EH. That sounds Great!

 

[GrouchoMarx1933]

Will do! I'll pick my amp up from the post office in the morning and try it out tomorrow with the stock amp to get a feel for it, then I'll swap it for the second tube some time after it arrives so I can compare them.

 

[Capt369]

For those interested, I started a vali 2 tube rolling thread for individual tube impressions with this amp.

 

[rovopio]

 
Both sound good. With the stock tube, the Vali 2 sounds similar to the Magni 2 but maybe a touch more musical. After using some NOS tubes I heard more differences, more of that warm filled-in tubey sound, slower decay, more echoes, more soundstage. More fun to listen to overall, feels more immersive.

One way I can try to explain it is that with the Magni 2 the sound feels like it's clipped a little in both the left and right directions, or like it's smaller. With tubes that goes away and the sound feels more wide and full. I think this is a commonly noted difference between solid state and tubes? And it's the kind of thing your ears would have to adapt to, I think. It's not night and day, but when you're listening for it, it's pretty apparent and the tube sound is more fulfilling for me it seems.

 
Thank you very much! That helps makes my decision way easier!

 

[Badfish5446]

I'm not following the thread with hyper precision so this may have been mentioned... but with my Lyr Tube rolling I found the Matsush1ta tubes to be an outstanding value ($30-40 a tube) if someone is wanting a warmer NOS option.  Can't say exactly how they would sound with the Vali 2 but I love them with my Lyr and brighter cans.  These tubes are often listed as Mullard, Phillips or Amperex (Japan).  A niece alternative to paying the $100+ per tube for their Holland based counterparts.

 

[GrouchoMarx1933]

  I'm not following the thread with hyper precision so this may have been mentioned... but with my Lyr Tube rolling I found the Matsush1ta tubes to be an outstanding value ($30-40 a tube) if someone is wanting a warmer NOS option.  Can't say exactly how they would sound with the Vali 2 but I love them with my Lyr and brighter cans.  These tubes are often listed as Mullard, Phillips or Amperex (Japan).  A niece alternative to paying the $100+ per tube for their Holland based counterparts.

I noticed some of those on Tube Monger ($30/tube and $40/tube), and both were listed as "best buys". 

 

[nordkapp]

Hey guys, I don't have time to read this entire thread so please excuse me. I own the original Vali. How does the model 2 compare? I am considering possibly grabbing one. Thanks.

 

[varzyl]

Hey guys, I don't have time to read this entire thread so please excuse me. I own the original Vali. How does the model 2 compare? I am considering possibly grabbing one. Thanks.

 
Here you go
PS: it was a 30 second search, BTW
 
Quote:

  I received mine today in Canada! I loved the original Vali so I was not sure how much improvement to expect. I was simply blown away! First of all, the hiss is completely gone on both the low and high gain modes. I have the AKG Q701, Fostex T50RPmk3 and Grado SR60e and even the Grados are completely hiss-free. On the original Vali, the SR60e had an audible hiss. However, what truly surprised me was how much more black the background was on the Q701 and T50RPmk3. I guess I had gotten used to a very mild hiss on the original Vali even on less sensitive headphones.
 
As for the sound itself, I do not speak the audiophile lingo yet, so please bear with me. Keep in mind that I am comparing it to the original Vali only since it's the only other proper amp that I own. I would describe the sound on Vali 2 as much more robust in a good way compared to Vali 1. The original Vali had a degree of lushness that was very enticing but it left its imprint on all the music that you would listen to. Vali 2 is more neutral (at least with the stock tubes), but still has a great full sounding tube sound. It definitely sounds more natural and fuller then the original Vali. It also sounds more stable and competent - maybe it has to do with the fact that it has less distortion.
 
I have not done any scientific testing, but I feel that Vali 2 has a much more well defined and grounded low end. The drums and bass sound spectacular. It pairs extremely well with the T50RPmk3. The Q701 also sounds great. I will test it later with the Grados.
 
As for the ringing and microphonics, there are none. Does not matter if you plug in the headphones, or flip the low/high gain switch, nothing.
 
In conclusion, Vali 2 is a big improvement over the original in both the sound and functionality. It is also a great value even taking into consideration how bad the Canadian dollar is right now.
 
If anyone has any questions, I will be happy to try and answer them.