[pieman3141]

Nobody has an answer to the clipping point question yet?

 

[c61746961]

Does it happen in both channels? Perhaps the contact between the jack and plug is rusty and has limited bandwith. Try cleaning the plug with isopropyl alcohol and test again, there are recurrent contact problems with the cup jack.

 

[HOWIE13]

What's the clipping point of the Vali 2? I have a variable DAC that I'm using as a preamp, so I've set the Vali 2 at 50% volume, and I'm using the DAC as the actual volume knob (it's analogue). The DAC outputs a max of 2V on the RCA jacks, so I'm lowering that to ... something lower (it's a DacMini, so 2 O'clock is the supposed "unity gain"). Is this a good way to do things? Should I have the volume on the Vali higher or lower?

I have done something similar with my M-DAC and Vali2, though it's not my present set-up. Vali2 shouldn't audibly clip with a 2V input as that's an industry standard and my Vali2 doesn't.
If you want an accurate technical answer to your question I suggest you contact Schiit.
As to whether it's a good way to do things, there is nothing wrong with what you are doing-I used that set up as I was having balance problems with a few particular recordings and was able to control the volume of each channel separately from the M-DAC. 
Just experiment, enjoy, and trust your ears to tell you what's right for you.

 

[RollinHard843]

Whoever it was that sang the praises of the Pope pcc88 tube from Upscale Audio, thank you

I enjoyed the vali 2 with the stock tube and i used a couple cheap upgrades for a while, just so i could really see how tube rolling impacts the sound (i had no idea prior to this amp).

I like the JJ ecc88 (current production) for its soundstage and imaging but sometimes it seemed TOO bright, and i tend to like bright. It also lacked some bottom end but i was okay with that.

The Electro Harmonix 6922 had bottom end and warmth, but the soundstage seemed narrower and a bit less defined.

I was hoping for something to correct all of these issues and man, the Pope pcc88 DELIVERS. Big soundstage in width and depth, nice imaging, bright but not uncomfortable with Grados, plenty of bass, not muddy. $60 is a lot to pay for a tube but it really was a complete upgrade. I love it with the Grado RS2e now ill have to see how it fares with my LCD2.

 

[WayTooCrazy]

I was hoping for something to correct all of these issues and man, the Pope pcc88 DELIVERS. Big soundstage in width and depth, nice imaging, bright but not uncomfortable with Grados, plenty of bass, not muddy. $60 is a lot to pay for a tube but it really was a complete upgrade. I love it with the Grado RS2e now ill have to see how it fares with my LCD2.

I wonder how that compares to the BEL EL88CC I just picked up. I don't have much reference from that to the stock tube, as the stock one was only in my amp for a day or so.

 

[Noremac82]

Whoever it was that sang the praises of the Pope pcc88 tube from Upscale Audio, thank you

I enjoyed the vali 2 with the stock tube and i used a couple cheap upgrades for a while, just so i could really see how tube rolling impacts the sound (i had no idea prior to this amp).

I like the JJ ecc88 (current production) for its soundstage and imaging but sometimes it seemed TOO bright, and i tend to like bright. It also lacked some bottom end but i was okay with that.

The Electro Harmonix 6922 had bottom end and warmth, but the soundstage seemed narrower and a bit less defined.

I was hoping for something to correct all of these issues and man, the Pope pcc88 DELIVERS. Big soundstage in width and depth, nice imaging, bright but not uncomfortable with Grados, plenty of bass, not muddy. $60 is a lot to pay for a tube but it really was a complete upgrade. I love it with the Grado RS2e now ill have to see how it fares with my LCD2.

You sir are correct.  I have an old set of Audio Technica headphones that are as boring as they come and that Pope tube really lights a fire under their hind ends and gets them going.  With the HD650's its a whole new level.  That tube is supposed to be the same as a Amperex Bugle Boy but I dont know.  All I know is it sounds good.  
 
I got in one of their Amperex 7308's (Green Label) yesterday.  I only had a chance to listen to it for about an hour last night and no direct comparisons just yet.  So far I am liking it though.  It has more of a spacey sound to it if that makes any sense.  I am thinking it will really shine in some Pink Floyd or maybe even something like My Morning Jacket.  Songs that just have that big, open sound that makes you feel tiny and insignificant!  I am going to have some time tonight and in the morning to do a little more analytical listening and will report back maybe Sunday.  I dont get the feeling it is going to like metal but we shall see!
 
I said this little amp was going to be the root of me spending quite a bit of money and it has not disappointed in that regard so far.  My girlfriend can understand why I am ordering all of these "little light bulb thingys."  My tube budget has not started to pull from my gaming budget and I am completely fine with that!!  

 

[RollinHard843]

You sir are correct.  I have an old set of Audio Technica headphones that are as boring as they come and that Pope tube really lights a fire under their hind ends and gets them going.  With the HD650's its a whole new level.  That tube is supposed to be the same as a Amperex Bugle Boy but I dont know.  All I know is it sounds good.  

I got in one of their Amperex 7308's (Green Label) yesterday.  I only had a chance to listen to it for about an hour last night and no direct comparisons just yet.  So far I am liking it though.  It has more of a spacey sound to it if that makes any sense.  I am thinking it will really shine in some Pink Floyd or maybe even something like My Morning Jacket.  Songs that just have that big, open sound that makes you feel tiny and insignificant!  I am going to have some time tonight and in the morning to do a little more analytical listening and will report back maybe Sunday.  I dont get the feeling it is going to like metal but we shall see!

I said this little amp was going to be the root of me spending quite a bit of money and it has not disappointed in that regard so far.  My girlfriend can understand why I am ordering all of these "little light bulb thingys."  My tube budget has not started to pull from my gaming budget and I am completely fine with that!!  

I hope that any want for new tubes for this amp has been pushed back for a long time. Really, ive never heard music sound so good (my only other headphone amp is the original vali). I keep saying that with every little upgrade, but it hasnt been false yet

Speaking of floyd, the division bell LP reissue sounded so divine with this new tube. Every sound seemed to sing with a renewed sense of detail and realism.

 

[Noremac82]

I hope that any want for new tubes for this amp has been pushed back for a long time. Really, ive never heard music sound so good (my only other headphone amp is the original vali). I keep saying that with every little upgrade, but it hasnt been false yet

Speaking of floyd, the division bell LP reissue sounded so divine with this new tube. Every sound seemed to sing with a renewed sense of detail and realism.

Stick with it man, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the sound you are getting right now. It's on par with the Amperex 7308 from what I can tell so far. I am just not sure this new tube I got is that much better. Don't get me wrong, there is an improvement but not sure it's justified in the price. Maybe on a better setup but not with what I have right now. The main differences I am hearing is in the Soundstage and that open spacey sound that I am not sure how to describe. It's what I would imagine listening to a live show, played at normal volumes (not blow out your eardrums performance volumes) would sound like if it was just me and the band in a large auditorium or arena. It's similar to what the concert hall setting on some digital EQ's sounds like but not as pronounced. It definitely doesn't alter the crispness of the sounds though and all the detail is still there. I was reading earlier that this tube takes some time to break in and the the bass will come on so we shall see. Someone said 30-40hrs so I might just leave it on while at work but I don't know. It sounds good so if it gets better that's just a bonus.

There is no part of me that thinks it will completely replace the Pope tube in my rotation though. I forgot to mention that it seems to have gotten better with some hours on it too. It seemed to open up a little more but that could have been the headphones breaking in too. I didn't isolate and test my variables,tisk tisk tisk haha. The Pope tube just sounds good and in the ends that's all I am really worried about. I only bought the new one to see if there was another level of goodness that could be squeezed out of this rig. There is but I don't know if it's worth the cost of admission. If I had never heard the 7308 I would have been completely happy with the Pope tube. I will however suggest to anyone one of the LISST SS "tubes" though. It gives you a great alternative to the tubes for those certain applications where a tube might have a little trouble. I listen to a lot of Primus and in my opinion none of the tubes I have really do well with Claypool's bass style. It ends up saturating or something and isn't nearly as crisp as with the SS tube. I am not a huge fan of the tube sound with metal music either. It just seems like they loose some of the detail and all of the notes aren't defined as well as they are with the SS tube. It's a good option to have laying around.

Where I am new at trying to analyze what I am hearing, as opposed to just listening to it, I am still coming up with a Playlist to use during my comparisons. I am trying to get a range of the types of music I listen to but keep it somewhere around 30 minutes or so. I would like to have the first 10 to 15 minutes be the most effective test music too. The rest would just be bonus. Where my listening tastes are so eclectic I am having a hard time narrowing it down. I think I will need to do some editing and make a track that combines the important test portions of each song into a couple tracks. Then if I am ever at an audio meet or something I can play one or two of my test tracks and not be hogging the equipment for a long time. I feel like if I can't make up my mind as to if I like it or not in 15 minutes, then it's probably not leaving a strong enough impression on me to warrant upgrading and I should just move on. Yea I might miss out on something good here and there but I think this approach, as long as my test track is effective, will allow me to form a pretty good opinion on 90% of the stuff out there. No need to spend hours upon hours trying to pick out minute details. In my case that time is better spent enjoying the music

Bottom line, Keep on rocking the Pope! They weren't kidding when they said it was an often overlooked gem.

 

[ruleof72]

I just joined the Massdrop on the AKG K7XX which I'll use in my office system. Now I need an amp to power it and since I'm a happy Schiit owner (Magni v1) I'm thinking about adding the Vali2 to my collection. It looks like a great way to try out the "tube" sound. Based on what I've seen it looks like it should pair well with the AKG's. Any additional input or issues I should be aware of before I place my order?

 

[rnros]

I just joined the Massdrop on the AKG K7XX which I'll use in my office system. Now I need an amp to power it and since I'm a happy Schiit owner (Magni v1) I'm thinking about adding the Vali2 to my collection. It looks like a great way to try out the "tube" sound. Based on what I've seen it looks like it should pair well with the AKG's. Any additional input or issues I should be aware of before I place my order?

Sweet little amp. Impressive Schiit. I've used the K7XX with the Vali2 many times. Nice pairing. Very responsive to tube rolling.
I've come to using it as a first tube test for any new tubes coming in. Reliable and accurate. Connected to my Gumby when I do this, hard to believe it's a $170.
You will not be disappointed. The amp is nice right out of the box but will improve with time. The K7XXs will definitely need some time to sound right.
Enjoy.

 

[ruleof72]

Sweet little amp. Impressive Schiit. I've used the K7XX with the Vali2 many times. Nice pairing. Very responsive to tube rolling.
I've come to using it as a first tube test for any new tubes coming in. Reliable and accurate. Connected to my Gumby when I do this, hard to believe it's a $170.
You will not be disappointed. The amp is nice right out of the box but will improve with time. The K7XXs will definitely need some time to sound right.
Enjoy.

Thanks for the feedback on the Vali2. For the price it seems like a great value. Regarding the Vali and K7XX "burn in", I have heard they take some time to open up. What has been your experience with them? How many hours are we talking about?

 

[HOWIE13]

I already have a Philips PCC88 so is there any point in me buying a Pope PCC88?
My understanding was that the Pope is a Philips, re-labelled for the S American market.

 

[rnros]

  Thanks for the feedback on the Vali2. For the price it seems like a great value. Regarding the Vali and K7XX "burn in", I have heard they take some time to open up. What has been your experience with them? How many hours are we talking about?

The K7XX were a disappointment to me on first listen, so I just started burning. I only remember it wasn't quick, meaning 20 or 30 hrs. And it also wasn't a quick change, as in 'opening up.' I would typically target 100 hours to start, and I don't track it too closely. I may have a listen during the burn, may not, depends. If I do and I am not pleased, meaning it's boring or annoying, it just goes back on burn. I try to ignore the process really, I have other things to listen to. I would guess these went well over 100 hours before I was impressed.
The Vali was nice with just a little burn but it continued to improve and/or impress for awhile. I expect all equipment to need +/- 150 hours to settle in and show it's best.

 

[Noremac82]

I already have a Philips PCC88 so is there any point in me buying a Pope PCC88?
My understanding was that the Pope is a Philips, re-labelled for the S American market.

The only place I have seen this info is on Upscale's website or others referencing the info they found there. However I have not seen it in a datasheet or anything like that. I have looked a little bit but haven't seen anything yet. I haven't heard the Phillips version so I can't compare, I can only speak about the Pope tube. It does sound good,thats all I can say.

 

[HOWIE13]

The only place I have seen this info is on Upscale's website or others referencing the info they found there. However I have not seen it in a datasheet or anything like that. I have looked a little bit but haven't seen anything yet. I haven't heard the Phillips version so I can't compare, I can only speak about the Pope tube. It does sound good,thats all I can say.

Thanks, and the Philips sounds very good too.