[tamleo]

Hello,
Im a newbie. Can anyone tell me how the stock tube is compared to other 3rd brand ones at ~$20? I think Schiit chose 6BZ7 to be stock tube because it is the best p/p option or something, isn't it?
Thanks

 

 

[ToddRaymond]

Tamleo, if you descend far enough into the rabbit hole that is tube rolling, you may eventually find that cost isn't everything.

I haven't bothered to try any other tubes in that price range, as I already had purchased a few pairs of much pricier ones ('74 and '75 6N23P SWGP Reflektors). Then I purchased some 6N3P-E Reflektors (thanks to @rnros' invaluable sharing of his experiences), and for ~$2 US/tube, I could not be more pleased.

It's all personal preference, but I would highly recommend doing the following: Go to this post and read everything, and click every link* in it - http://www.head-fi.org/t/815368/happy-as-a-pig-in-schiit-introducing-modi-multibit/1425#post_12963738

There's also tonnes of info in the Lyr tube rolling thread(s), as well as the Lyr 2 and Mjolnir 2 treads.

Happy listenin'.

*EDIT: Except you'll want THIS adapter: http://r.ebay.com/D2T8pJ

 

[tamleo]

Tamleo, if you descend far enough into the rabbit hole that is tube rolling, you may eventually find that cost isn't everything.

I haven't bothered to try any other tubes in that price range, as I already had purchased a few pairs of much pricier ones ('74 and '75 6N23P SWGP Reflektors). Then I purchased some 6N3P-E Reflektors (thanks to @rnros' invaluable sharing of his experiences), and for ~$2 US/tube, I could not be more pleased.

It's all personal preference, but I would highly recommend doing the following: Go to this post and read everything, and click every link* in it - http://www.head-fi.org/t/815368/happy-as-a-pig-in-schiit-introducing-modi-multibit/1425#post_12963738

There's also tonnes of info in the Lyr tube rolling thread(s), as well as the Lyr 2 and Mjolnir 2 treads.

Happy listenin'.

*EDIT: Except you'll want THIS adapter: http://r.ebay.com/D2T8pJ

Thanks,
Do you mean 6N23P?
I saw all tubes in those links but still had some curiosities about the stock tube. I will buy all at once when order the Vali in my traveling trip to the US. Because i live outside the USA so it's very hard and expensive to buy this kind of stuffs from my country 

 

 

[mickkyfly]

I am new here and will like to say Hi to everyone 

 

[ToddRaymond]

  Thanks,
Do you mean 6N23P?
I saw all tubes in those links but still had some curiosities about the stock tube. I will buy all at once when order the Vali in my traveling trip to the US. Because i live outside the USA so it's very hard and expensive to buy this kind of stuffs from my country 

 

 
I meant 6N23P when I wrote 6N23P, and I meant 6N3P-E when I wrote 6N3P-E.  I did, however, mean to write black hole, as opposed to rabbit hole.
 

  I am new here and will like to say Hi to everyone 

 
Hullo!

 

[RickB]

I am new here and will like to say Hi to everyone 

Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet.

 

[Noremac82]

I have been away for a while working on what i now am calling my "big" amp. My little Vali2 is still plugging along like a champ. The mods have held up fine after at least 4 or 5 hours of listening each day. I swapped out some of the smt resistors and caps for some that I knew the specs on and might have eeked out a little more SQ that is only perceivable by me. So yea, it was worth it haha. I am being very facetious there. No I don't know if it improved it at all but it did help me to learn a few things about designing and choosing components for an amp so that was the major benefit to me.

I have bought quite a few new tubes over the past months. I got a couple more amperex 7308 because I am, well I was, using them in the phono stage of the big amp. Of course I had to try them in the vali2 and I will have to say, in their stock configuration, no cryo treatment, I really like them. The cryo treated one I got just isn't my cup of tea. It's just too sharp sounding for my taste. I really should sell it but I will most likely hang on to it in hopes of finding that perfect spot for it.

The 7308's were my favorite until an older gentleman at work kindly allowed me to purchase one of his telefunken ecc88. He gave it to me for a really good price so I absolutely had to have i. I think you all know how that story goes. I am glad I couldn't control my urges because that baby sure can sing. Some of the other tubes had what I thought was wonderful soundstage, and they do. I am not knocking them at all. This thing is on a different level though. I now know what people mean by holographic. This thing has sounds coming from every direction. With music you get a front row seat. With gaming and movies, the adjective that really comes to mind is immersed. Based on that experience I purchased a Siemens ecc88 and I am just as pleased with it. So now I am thinking these guys will have to be implemented into my "big" amp in some way. We will see how that goes.

The gentleman at work also threw in a telefunken ecc85 for me to try. I looked at the spec sheet and it met the requirements so I gave it a try. With it I am hearing a reoccurring theme with the german tubes. All are as open as I could ever imagine. The ecc85 isn't as detailed as the ecc88 but it definitely has its spot in my tube rotation.

Lastly I took a gamble on an eBay lot of 3 supposed Siemens Halske pcc88's at a mind blowing price of 45 bucks shipped from germany. I figured what the hell, I don't drink anymore, I don't gamble, why not live on the edge a little. Well I am glad I did because it was better than I expected. There were two of the Siemens Pcc88's but the third was another of the Siemens ecc88's. Score for the home team! The pcc88's sound identical to the ecc88 in my opinion. Or at least I can't tell a difference. They all are now my absolute favorite tube for the vali2. They sound great with my 650's, mk3's and the audio technica's that I can't remember the model of to save my life right now, ath-700 maybe.

I think I will call it an overall win and not press my luck on the random, low sale count ebay users for a while. I am sure old lady karma will be looking for her share so I gotta watch out.

Any of the tubes I have mentioned(minus the ecc85) are about as good as they can get so I would highly recommend any of them. The 7308's are extremely detailed and have a respectable Soundstage. The German tubes are just wide open with very respectable detail. They may also have better bass but the jury is still out on that. So it boils down to picking your poison. Do you want to hear the second oboist clear their throat, or do you want to be immersed in the recording? To me it really is that simple. I know what my choice is but everyone has different expectations from their equipment. I am thankful that I have the choice between the two but I wanted to put those observations out there in case they may help someone else make a decision between the two.

I guess it's back into the shadows to work on my "big" amp. I just thought I would pop on and give a few updates on my little vali2 amp and some of the tubes I have tried in it recently. I am now looking for some of the old reflektor tubes but can't make any sense of which are supposed to be good so I need to read up in order to avoid getting stuck with something that's just OK. I have sadly reached the point where I want the absolute best. That's why it's taking me so long to get this other amp built. I have spared no cost with it really so it's either a save to buy it or look for sales kind of deal at this point. I would prefer to build my "end game" amp once and only once so that I can go on to some of my other hobbies. This hobby didn't just dent my wallet, it has chewed it up and poo'd it out! If I keep going this would have to be my only hobby and I gotta stay diverse haha. Regardless, once I have it done my Vali2 along with the fostex mk3's will be going to work with me and will have a comfy home on my desk.Now If I could just stop buying tubes for the vali2 my build might go a little faster!

I would also like to say please don't take my luck with that ebay purchase as the norm. It's most certainly is not. When I first got into this hobby I got burnt a couple times by trying to save money and find deals. I found out the hard way that it's usually a you get what you pay for kind of thing. I guess that lucky ebay score was the God's way of making up for the fact I got bamboozled a couple times early on in this hobby. I'm leaving it as what it is and will only be buying from reputable dealers now. I dont mind paying a little extra for the guarantee of knowing I will be getting exactly what I ordered.

Take care everyone and keep those posts coming! I check this thread frequently to see what everyone is listening to.

 

[rnros]

   
I meant 6N23P when I wrote 6N23P, and I meant 6N3P-E when I wrote 6N3P-E.  I did, however, mean to write black hole, as opposed to rabbit hole.
 

LOL. You heard the man, he says what he means and he means what he says... Erhh, never mind, he got the holes mixed up.

 

[tdockweiler]

Has anyone tried both the Vali1 and Vali2 with the Q701? IMO the Vali1 was one of the best budget amps for the Q701 (only).
I think for the Q701 it sounds better than the O2 and Magni 1.
 
If this sounds even better for the Q701 then I should get it.
 
How is it with the HD-650?
I hate the HD-650 with the Vali1. I don't of course expect it to be the perfect match.
My guess is that it's slightly better with the HD-650 than the Vali1. I know it has way more than enough power to drive the HD-650.
To MY ears the HD-650 sounds bad on amps that are too warm. The Vali1 didn't sound that warm to me, but with the HD-650 it did.
I think maybe it was just bad synergy.
 
Expecting the Q701 AND HD-650 to sound great on the Vali2 is probably asking too much! Few amps seem to do this well.
 
I just got a Little Dot 1+ to play with and I'm kind of disappointed that it sounds so bad with the HD-650 and SOMEHOW the Q701.
Obviously it wasn't really meant for the HD-650, but it can drive it easily.
 
I guess the Vali2 is worth a try and I already have some tubes for it.

 

[GhostLoveScore]

 Because i live outside the USA so it's very hard and expensive to buy this kind of stuffs from my country 

 

 
Don't you have to pay import taxes when you cross the border?

 

[JoeKickass]

  Has anyone tried both the Vali1 and Vali2 with the Q701? IMO the Vali1 was one of the best budget amps for the Q701 (only).
I think for the Q701 it sounds better than the O2 and Magni 1.
 
If this sounds even better for the Q701 then I should get it.
 
How is it with the HD-650?
I hate the HD-650 with the Vali1. I don't of course expect it to be the perfect match.
My guess is that it's slightly better with the HD-650 than the Vali1. I know it has way more than enough power to drive the HD-650.
To MY ears the HD-650 sounds bad on amps that are too warm. The Vali1 didn't sound that warm to me, but with the HD-650 it did.
I think maybe it was just bad synergy.
 
Expecting the Q701 AND HD-650 to sound great on the Vali2 is probably asking too much! Few amps seem to do this well.
 
I just got a Little Dot 1+ to play with and I'm kind of disappointed that it sounds so bad with the HD-650 and SOMEHOW the Q701.
Obviously it wasn't really meant for the HD-650, but it can drive it easily.
 
I guess the Vali2 is worth a try and I already have some tubes for it.

 
I had the Vali 1 and liked it too but the ringing was too much for me. I didn't get a chance to try it with my HD 600 but it was great with the HD 558.
But the Vali 2 is a big step up IMO.
 
I love the ability to roll tubes! If you don't want warmth you would probably like the EH 6922 tube. If you can deal with a bit more warmth the Gold Lion E88CC is very popular for it's wide soundstage.
 
But with so many sound signatures available it becomes much more likely to hit upon a "favorite" combo so I wouldn't be surprised if you find tubes that suit both headphones.
 
Here's a fun review on the Gold Lion in the Vali 2 (probably too warm you with hd 650):

 
Chalk up another Gold Lion fan.  Although I already have these..
 
Stock - ITT 6BQ7A (Japan)
            JJ6922 / E88CC
            EH- 6922  (2)
            Tesla E88CC
            EH- 6CG7
            National 7DJ8
            BEL E88CC NOS tube made in India in the late 60s/early70s (a Philips clone)
 
I was itchin' to try something else. 

 
I've been using the BEL pretty much exclusively for the past 6mos or so. I've gone back occasionally to experiment with some of the others, but usually put the BEL back in there in short order. It's been the best sounding tube I have for my HE-400i's without question. 
 
I got the Gold Lion about a week ago.  I instantly liked what I heard.  It was a fuller sounding tube, bigger soundstage.  This, was after only about 10 min of warmup though.  I listened to a couple albums. But I noticed there was a veil, especially noticeable with vocals.  I put the BEL tube back in to confirm it. Yep!  The BEL tube is soo clean, clear and forward sounding.  Although sometimes a little sharp, with the somewhat bright sounding 400i's.
 
I put the Gold Lion back in the Vali 2 and left it burn in overnight. When I got back, probably 15 hrs or so to give it another listen, the veil was all but gone! It just opened up to a great soundstage, improved bass response, and nice and smooth sounding overall. And bit warmer. Top end was just perfect. It sounds more tubey, than the BEL for sure.  It really matches up nicely with the 400i's as they are fast and sometimes a little bright if you're not careful with what you're pairing with. The more tubey sound really improved them for the better. They are not noted for having much soundstage either. ++  I think it's a great match.
 
I've been going through some of my collection and it's like they say, it's almost like hearing it for the first time. again!  
 
Given the price of the BEL, the Gold Lion is now my recommended tube for those looking for an upgrade to the stock one.
 
I'm really liking it!
 

 

 

[Headphone4Life]

I was leaning toward getting the Jotunheim but after thinking about the Vali 2 plus the Modi 2 Uber will work great imo and I'd save about $200.  I think the Elear would match fine with that setup and if anyone is using that setup with them let me know what you think.

 

[tamleo]

   
Don't you have to pay import taxes when you cross the border?

Yeah, only if i don't bring too many (above 20 tubes i guess). Many people think tubes are just for illumination and cheap.

 

[Grado Diesel]

Anyone using HD6XX or 650s with the Vali 2? I'm just curious how the Vali 2 handles these. I'm using Grado SR80is right now with mine and the brightness is just killing my ears.

 

[RickB]

Anyone using HD6XX or 650s with the Vali 2? I'm just curious how the Vali 2 handles these. I'm using Grado SR80is right now with mine and the brightness is just killing my ears.

The HD650 sounds great with the Vali 2. A very mellow and smooth sound. It might be too laid-back for some.