[RONJA MESCO]

Im shocked that Schiit wouldnt make this a regular offering

 

[Daniel Johnston]

Im shocked that Schiit wouldnt make this a regular offering

Too many NOS tubes. They have a finite amount of output tubes that once are gone, they are gone.

Folkvangr will live on as the Valhalla3 most likely.

 

[suponaudio]

This is one of the pairings I was interested in, good to know the sub bass still kicks since it’s one of the things I loved about it. I haven’t had too much time with them but treble has always been a talking about it and its sibling, was the Folk able to tame it a bit?

Treble at times is right at the cusp of being too much, but at least for me, it doesn't pass that threshold. I believe that's supposed to be one of the sound signature changes with the "anniversary tuning" variants of the TH-900.

 

[Marax]

Too many NOS tubes. They have a finite amount of output tubes that once are gone, they are gone.

Folkvangr will live on as the Valhalla3 most likely.

Speaking of, I noticed they have the Valhalla 2 on their closeout / sales page now. I haven't had time to keep up on the forums and rumors lately, have they announced a Valhalla 3 or successor?

 

[erics75]

Speaking of, I noticed they have the Valhalla 2 on their closeout / sales page now. I haven't had time to keep up on the forums and rumors lately, have they announced a Valhalla 3 or successor?

In the Schiit Happened thread Jason said the Valhalla 3 will be announced this year, either summer or fall most likely.

 

[tutetibiimperes]

I received by Folkvangr I purchased from the Classifieds a week or two ago. So far I’ve just been using the stock tubes, though it did come with an upgraded set, I figured I’d want to get a feel for the stock tune first.

I’ve found it’s a great pairing with the HD6XX as expected, and with my Beyerdynamic T90, which normally is way too thin and bright, it has some real bass with the Folkvangr.

The Beyerdynamic T1.2 is a less successful pairing. Since the T1.2 is already a warm/dark sounding headphone, I think the FV just accentuates that too much. The Audeze LCD-5 is also a poor match, it I think that’s due to its very low impedance. It doesn’t sound great with the FV even with the impedance multiplier on.

The real gem and star of my collection with the FV though is my ZMF Auteur. I’d always heard people say ZMF’s sound best with tubes but I never knew if I believed it. I’ll say it’s absolutely true now. This is a headphone I’d always struggled to like, thinking it sounded a bit dead and stuffy, but with the FV it becomes a completely different animal - dynamic, great wide open soundstage, deep bass, amazing vocals, I love it.

My problem is I went to the Florida Audio Expo (I need to write up my report on that btw) and I heard the ZMF Verite Closed, and wow, it was even more detailed, dynamic, and amazing. Now I want one of those, but I don’t care for the current wood Zach is offering them in.

I’ve seen a lot of praise for the Atrium in this thread, and I haven’t had a chance to hear one of those, it I’m worried it would just sound pretty much the same as my Auteur whereas the Verite is something different, but I’d love to hear from anyone who’s heard all three.

The new Cocobolo option for the Atrium closes is gorgeous. It’s a shame it’s not being offered on the Verite Closed.

 

[flador]

...

The real gem and star of my collection with the FV though is my ZMF Auteur. I’d always heard people say ZMF’s sound best with tubes but I never knew if I believed it. I’ll say it’s absolutely true now. This is a headphone I’d always struggled to like, thinking it sounded a bit dead and stuffy, but with the FV it becomes a completely different animal - dynamic, great wide open soundstage, deep bass, amazing vocals, I love it.

My problem is I went to the Florida Audio Expo (I need to write up my report on that btw) and I heard the ZMF Verite Closed, and wow, it was even more detailed, dynamic, and amazing. Now I want one of those, but I don’t care for the current wood Zach is offering them in.

I’ve seen a lot of praise for the Atrium in this thread, and I haven’t had a chance to hear one of those, it I’m worried it would just sound pretty much the same as my Auteur whereas the Verite is something different, but I’d love to hear from anyone who’s heard all three.
...

I struggled with really enjoying my Auteur Classic until I tried it with Folkvangr. It's really a fantastic combo.

I used to own a VC, but I wasn't terribly fond of it compared to my Atrium. I haven't heard the OG Auteur, but I can tell you the Atrium Open and Auteur Classic can be very different or quite similar depending on the pads. I found that Auteur Classic doesn't really take well to any of the non auteur family pads I've tried (Universe, BE2, Caldera, Eikon), while the Atrium has several fantastic pad pairings that give it a lot more range on how it can sound.

I do think VC is a great headphone. Verite Closed pairs show up in the classifieds quite often in Resin and LTD woods at great prices. You should keep an eye out if that's what you're after!

 

[rsmithor]

Also check the connection to your DAC and your gain tubes. Make sure they are seated. Since there's not much between tube and heaphone, it's either a heaphone jack, gain tube, or input issue.

Don't send it back until the problem is persistent.

Bifost… Clicking me to distraction… Yo’ are you sending a telegram???
If anyone is using a adapter to use with the 6.3... and it just fits in and seats itself... I advise you upgrade the adaptor… of late it's been causing he 4.3 to cut in and out from seating problem. Interesting in found an old addaptor, must be a least 15years old. Brass finish 6.3 with a screwin in 4.2 … that alone solved the seating issue. My advice toss the 6.3 push in to seat. Order the size needed… 6.3 or screw down 4.2… learned this with the Schiit Biftost 2/24 clicking like a typewriter… every time the connection dropped. Drove me to distraction. At first I thought… a trip to Schiit audio to replace a loose jack… Oh hell… and I gave up… on a lark I've and everyone else has their Audiophile junk collection… yep one 6.3 Jack... With a option for screwing in a 4.2… Obviously old school…
—☈☡

 

[Barnstormer13]

I received by Folkvangr I purchased from the Classifieds a week or two ago. So far I’ve just been using the stock tubes, though it did come with an upgraded set, I figured I’d want to get a feel for the stock tune first.

I’ve found it’s a great pairing with the HD6XX as expected, and with my Beyerdynamic T90, which normally is way too thin and bright, it has some real bass with the Folkvangr.

The Beyerdynamic T1.2 is a less successful pairing. Since the T1.2 is already a warm/dark sounding headphone, I think the FV just accentuates that too much. The Audeze LCD-5 is also a poor match, it I think that’s due to its very low impedance. It doesn’t sound great with the FV even with the impedance multiplier on.

The real gem and star of my collection with the FV though is my ZMF Auteur. I’d always heard people say ZMF’s sound best with tubes but I never knew if I believed it. I’ll say it’s absolutely true now. This is a headphone I’d always struggled to like, thinking it sounded a bit dead and stuffy, but with the FV it becomes a completely different animal - dynamic, great wide open soundstage, deep bass, amazing vocals, I love it.

My problem is I went to the Florida Audio Expo (I need to write up my report on that btw) and I heard the ZMF Verite Closed, and wow, it was even more detailed, dynamic, and amazing. Now I want one of those, but I don’t care for the current wood Zach is offering them in.

I’ve seen a lot of praise for the Atrium in this thread, and I haven’t had a chance to hear one of those, it I’m worried it would just sound pretty much the same as my Auteur whereas the Verite is something different, but I’d love to hear from anyone who’s heard all three.

The new Cocobolo option for the Atrium closes is gorgeous. It’s a shame it’s not being offered on the Verite Closed.

Congrats on picking up a Folkvangr. For all the unusual topology, at the end of the day it’s a very enjoyable amp, especially with high impedance phones.

The Verite Closed is my favorite HP with the FV, so I think you’ll enjoy the combo. The VC adds quite a bit of detail and layering compared to the Auteur, though the Auteur does achieve a natural euphony that is hard to beat.

 

[tutetibiimperes]

I decided to try my LCD-3s with it, and they’re a much better pairing than the LCD-5s when it comes to the FV. The higher impedance really helps here. Plus they’re sensitive enough that I have plenty of room running them on low gain.

 

[Barnstormer13]

I decided to try my LCD-3s with it, and they’re a much better pairing than the LCD-5s when it comes to the FV. The higher impedance really helps here. Plus they’re sensitive enough that I have plenty of room running them on low gain.

In my experience the Folkvangr is better than most transformerless amps in dealing with low impedance, but it really prefers 50 Ohms or more and an efficiency of 94 dB / mW or better. There’s some fuzziness around those numbers depending on the headphone, but low impedance and inefficient isn’t the best combination for the vast majority of tube amps and the FV is no exception.

 

[Daniel Johnston]

In my experience the Folkvangr is better than most transformerless amps in dealing with low impedance, but it really prefers 50 Ohms or more and an efficiency of 94 dB / mW or better. There’s some fuzziness around those numbers depending on the headphone, but low impedance and inefficient isn’t the best combination for the vast majority of tube amps and the FV is no exception.

Agreed.

The best pairing I have is the Meze Liric 30ohm/100 db/mW. The second best I have is either the Utopia or Stellia. I know @ArmchairPhilosopher likes the DCA Aeon 2 Noire with his.

Even with IM on and high gain, I can't get the Stealths or Diana V2 to sound truly good to me. They play music, and some genres well, but ultimately the FV can't keep up.

 

[tutetibiimperes]

I unpacked my Focal Elear to see how it would work, only to find I’m not getting sound out of one channel. I am using an aftermarket cable I hadn’t tried before because I somehow lost the original, so it might be that, ended up ordering another one from Amazon from a different brand so I’ll see if that works.

If not maybe I’ll take advantage of the good deal Headphones.com has on the Clear.

 

[Barnstormer13]

I unpacked my Focal Elear to see how it would work, only to find I’m not getting sound out of one channel. I am using an aftermarket cable I hadn’t tried before because I somehow lost the original, so it might be that, ended up ordering another one from Amazon from a different brand so I’ll see if that works.

If not maybe I’ll take advantage of the good deal Headphones.com has on the Clear.

The Clear IMHO is a good pairing with the FV. Dunno about the Elear, but my old Focal Elex sounded good so I suspect the Elear is a good match too.

 

[Barnstormer13]

Agreed.

The best pairing I have is the Meze Liric 30ohm/100 db/mW. The second best I have is either the Utopia or Stellia. I know @ArmchairPhilosopher likes the DCA Aeon 2 Noire with his.

Even with IM on and high gain, I can't get the Stealths or Diana V2 to sound truly good to me. They play music, and some genres well, but ultimately the FV can't keep up.

I found my DCA Aeon Closed (OG) to be truly great at low volume (which is what I usually listen at) but the FV runs out of power fast if I turn it up. The 13 ohm impedance and low efficiency is a bit of a struggle, even with the IM on and set to low gain. The lack of power manifests primarily as a loss of clarity and slam in the bass once I go much past moderate listening level.

That said, the Aeon has never been my go to headphone for listening loud. Background remains completely silent and the Aeon maintains the detail and speed I love it for.