[jfoxvol]

  ok cool, thanks. 
 
i get worried i might choose soemthing that will hold the gumby back.

If you get the vali 2, give the stock tube some time (1-2 days) of playback before making any decisions.  I'm in the middle of tube rolling now with it.  The stock tube is really great.  I'll post impressions here once I have some time to play around with some different types.

 

[Badfish5446]

  If you get the vali 2, give the stock tube some time (1-2 days) of playback before making any decisions.  I'm in the middle of tube rolling now with it.  The stock tube is really great.  I'll post impressions here once I have some time to play around with some different types.

I would say even longer on the tubes... this is the one area where I feel burn-in is indisputable. Every tube I've owned sounded different at 100 hrs vs new, some changes I liked, others I didn't.  

 

[jfoxvol]

  I would say even longer on the tubes... this is the one area where I feel burn-in is indisputable. Every tube I've owned sounded different at 100 hrs vs new, some changes I liked, others I didn't.  

Fair enough.  Good catch.  4 days for a new tube (or NOS).  I've been using tubes for 20 years in amps for hifi and guitar.  Should have been more accurate.  Only reason I said 1-2 days is they spend time in the shop testing and burning in before it ships. 

 

[painted klown]

   
They don't seem to make a lot of difference. I had a bit of a wiring screw-up in my system, so I'm rolling them all again to check it wasn't affecting things, but with the HD800s and an Yggdrasil here are my rough impressions. Note that the differences are not dramatic.
 
Stock tube: Lively and forward. Treble can be a bit fatiguing. Would suit darker headphones better. 
Amperex 6922 PQ: More spacious and relaxed than the stock tube, but still keeping the precision of the music there.
Matsus?ita 6AQ8: Same deal as the Amperex, but possibly a hair's width more relaxed still.
Matsus?ita 6FQ7: More bass and rolled-off treble less dynamic/more flat-sounding. 
 
My thoughts are that nobody should feel that the stock tube isn't good, as the Amperex costs close to half what the amp sells for, and I'm using a DAC that is vastly better than intended for it.

Thank you for the clarification and additional info. If you have the opportunity to get your system re-wired and have some more impressions, I am sure everybody will be curious to know what you think.

 

  Yes, I preferred the sound of the original tube.
 
This is my first experience at tube rolling - definitely do not read anything I've written in that regard as gospel. I read just yesterday that I should also give the tubes more time. And I now have 2 tubes, in addition to the original tube. Perhaps I got a bad tube? Perhaps I got a cheap tube? Perhaps I simply did not like the tube that Moffat prefers? I certainly would not concern myself with a single tube experiment. I am looking forward to the next tube roll, and looking at more insights from people with more tube experience 

Thank you for the info. Glad you got your other tube in as well. When you have had some more time to roll between them, I will be looking forward to your additional thoughts. I am especially curious to know about the stock tube vs the one Mike liked. How they differ and so forth. No worries about being new to tubes. This is my first tube amp as well, and I have not yet had the opportunity to purchase any additional tubes for it, but knowing what works well is always nice to know when ordering up something to roll in there.

 
Regarding tube burn in: The general consensus (at least in this thread) seems to be that tube burn in is real. What I find interesting is that some of you are saying that you did not like a certain tube after burn in. Generally, everything reportedly gets better...something I have always found odd...LOL!

 

[hagenhays]

Hi newbie here, 1st time poster. How does tube rolling work when your only swapping the one? From what I read each tube has dual triodes-- are some tubes dual vs single? Was originally debating between the Asgard 2 and the vali 1, until the vali 2 popped up. Mine doesn't even arrive until thurs and I'm already chomping at the bit. From what I can gather the stock tube is supposed to be fairly decent??

Would love to pick up a couple vintage tubes at the $25-50 range--might be too low for this forum (don't know lol)

If anyone at a later date has some vintage tube brands they feel sound good with the vali 2, or a reputable seller let me know.

Thanks room.

Equip:
All vintage
marantz 2020
Pioneer tt pl 510
Fisher XP speakers
Sennheiser 598's [obv not vintg]lol
Modi 1 and 2 dac

 

[painted klown]

Hi newbie here, 1st time poster. How does tube rolling work when your only swapping the one? From what I read each tube has dual triodes-- are some tubes dual vs single? Was originally debating between the Asgard 2 and the vali 1, until the vali 2 popped up. Mine doesn't even arrive until thurs and I'm already chomping at the bit. From what I can gather the stock tube is supposed to be fairly decent??

Would love to pick up a couple vintage tubes at the $25-50 range--might be too low for this forum (don't know lol)

If anyone at a later date has some vintage tube brands they feel sound good with the vali 2, or a reputable seller let me know.

Thanks room.

Equip:
All vintage
marantz 2020
Pioneer tt pl 510
Fisher XP speakers
Sennheiser 598's [obv not vintg]lol
Modi 1 and 2 dac

First off, Welcome to Head-Fi...sorry about your wallet!

 
 
The Vali 2 only uses a single tube to run both channels, so when you order tubes, try to get tubes that are "triode matched" to avoid channel imbalance. The stock tube does indeed sound just fine. While waiting for my Vali 2 to arrive, I was scouring sites that sell tubes so I could take a look at what's out there, as well as find a suitable replacement/upgrade.
 
Once I received my Vali 2, I realized quickly that the stock tube doesn't actually need replacing at all. It's great IMO.
 
As far as other tube options, please read through this thread ,as well as ask any questions you may have in regards to compatibility or sound quality. I am sure you will get more helpful replies than this one, as I have no rolling experience personally. 
 
Congrats on the new amp and good luck!

 

[jfoxvol]

Hi newbie here, 1st time poster. How does tube rolling work when your only swapping the one? From what I read each tube has dual triodes-- are some tubes dual vs single? Was originally debating between the Asgard 2 and the vali 1, until the vali 2 popped up. Mine doesn't even arrive until thurs and I'm already chomping at the bit. From what I can gather the stock tube is supposed to be fairly decent??

Would love to pick up a couple vintage tubes at the $25-50 range--might be too low for this forum (don't know lol)

If anyone at a later date has some vintage tube brands they feel sound good with the vali 2, or a reputable seller let me know.

Thanks room.

Equip:
All vintage
marantz 2020
Pioneer tt pl 510
Fisher XP speakers
Sennheiser 598's [obv not vintg]lol
Modi 1 and 2 dac

Welcome aboard, mate.  I own a Vali 2 and have a handful of NOS tube  of various types on their way.  I can say that the stock tube is absolutely great.  It will be several weeks before I can attest to any further modifications.  Feel free to PM me with any questions on rolling.  For now, just enjoy your new amp.  Cheers.

 

[RyanRoloYo]

Currently using the Vali 2 with Audioquest Nighthawks.  Some first impressions comparing against the line out from my Macbook.  
 
The bass seems to have more extension and is more textured.  The highs seem to have more extension as well, although they are more 'chunky' and perhaps just slightly more sibilant.  The soundstage has definitely widened up a bit and the imaging has improved.  The sound in general is also more in our face compared to the naturally laid back nature of the Nighthawks which is not good or bad, just different
 
I tested it briefly with the Fidue A83s but didn't hear that much difference right away.  I'm gonna come back to those in a little bit and listen a bit more closely.  
 
So far I'm happy with it!  Gonna do some more listening and see how the tube burns in.  

 

[hagenhays]

I'm hoping the stock tube will serve its purpose (I'm not really looking to get in a cash free-fall with tubes, but curious to hear what the fuss is about). This will be my first headphone amp. My main set up is very analog and warm sounding. Hoping this will do the trick for my senn598s. I actually prefer speakers over headphones, but at some point in the day you have to be considerate to the family, lol.

 

[jfoxvol]

I'm hoping the stock tube will serve its purpose. This will be my first headphone amp. My main set up is very analog and warm sounding. Hoping this will do the trick for my senn598s. I actually prefer speakers over headphones, but at some point in the day you have to be considerate to the family, lol.

I play with my hd600s which are very similar.  Very good pairing.  I hope you enjoy.  As said earlier, give the tubes several day of playing (~100 hours) and they should be good and happy.

 

[E8ArmyDiver]

APPJ Audio amp came in last night.Set up & ran for 10 hours before listening.With stock Chinese tubes pretty much a dead ringer tonally for the Vali 2 with a bit wider SS & NONE of the sibilance exhibited by the V2.Rolled in 3 perfectly matched & balanced Mullard Tubes(1953 & 1959) & the amp became a MONSTER!EVERYTHING I could have dreamed of & it's only got a few hours on the new tubes!ABSOLUTE Heaven!
 
 

 

 

[i20bot]

 
I was using a BiFrost multibit as the DAC, haven't heard the other Uber pieces.   But I think the Fidelio 2 has great synergy with the Vali 2.  It's a really pleasing sound, can't say if it's better, but it's addictive listening to that combo in my second setup with the Fidelio 2.  I think it's definitely more engaging than the Fidelio/Asgard combo.  HE400i/Vali 2, not so much.

That's odd.  I didn't like the X2 with Vali 2 and I liked the 400i with it.
 

  APPJ Audio amp came in last night.Set up & ran for 10 hours before listening.With stock Chinese tubes pretty much a dead ringer tonally for the Vali 2 with a bit wider SS & NONE of the sibilance exhibited by the V2.Rolled in 3 perfectly matched & balanced Mullard Tubes(1953 & 1959) & the amp became a MONSTER!EVERYTHING I could have dreamed of & it's only got a few hours on the new tubes!ABSOLUTE Heaven!

Oh man, you're making me want to get one too now.  Is that 400i in the background?  Is that what you were running with that amp?

 

[rgmffn]

 
 

 
I was using a BiFrost multibit as the DAC, haven't heard the other Uber pieces.   But I think the Fidelio 2 has great synergy with the Vali 2.  It's a really pleasing sound, can't say if it's better, but it's addictive listening to that combo in my second setup with the Fidelio 2.  I think it's definitely more engaging than the Fidelio/Asgard combo.  HE400i/Vali 2, not so much.

 
 

  That's odd.  I didn't like the X2 with Vali 2 and I liked the 400i with it.
 

 
That's why we play the game. 

 

 

[Currawong]

I'm hoping the stock tube will serve its purpose (I'm not really looking to get in a cash free-fall with tubes, but curious to hear what the fuss is about). This will be my first headphone amp. My main set up is very analog and warm sounding. Hoping this will do the trick for my senn598s. I actually prefer speakers over headphones, but at some point in the day you have to be considerate to the family, lol.

 
Absolutely it will, going by what I've experienced so far. There are a bunch of people here who own multiple Schiit Audio amps, purely for the fun of it, and the tube rolling is for the same reason -- part of the hobby for some of us and nothing to do with necessity at all. 

 

[bigro]

   
Absolutely it will, going by what I've experienced so far. There are a bunch of people here who own multiple Schiit Audio amps, purely for the fun of it, and the tube rolling is for the same reason -- part of the hobby for some of us and nothing to do with necessity at all. 

+1