[jonathan c]

@AudioGal , I like that you ‘know about’ rather than use the normal setting …

 

[Barnstormer13]

Folkvangr added impressions....5 days on:

• Most listening with a Soekris 2541 (plays it a bit more straight than my Yggdrasil OG or Burl B2)
• Most listening with stock tubes (I have more exotic swaps for the 6N1P's.....but think the Russian 1P's and 6P's sound pretty decent in general and getting grounded on 'stock' sound).
• Don't care for/don't use the solid-state impedance soul-sucker multiplier

I hear this as a pretty detailed amp with strong technicalities (imaging/staging).

Most "wildcard" amp I can recall I've personally spent meaningful time with. High degree of variability between headphones, DAC's, and even source files. For streaming I typically bounce between Amazon HD and Qobuz....I typically hear Q a bit louder/slightly more dyanimc.....out the Folkvangr way noticeable between the two going through the same DAC on the same setting.

ZMF Atrium a fantastic pairing, typically getting to listening levels around noon on the dial w/high-gain. HD800S pairs very well....warms up the typical signature and you get a very cohesive presentation (in a headphone where that can be a typical complaint) while keeping the majority of it's technical/staging strengths. I like the HD800S the very best with a few amps that really lean into it's nebulous sparkle stregnths.....but this is still a really solid pairing. What doesn't work with the Atrium typically works with the HD800S for me, and usually plenty of head-room outside of some softer source files.

I hear this amp as generally neutral to a touch wet. It is mid-forward to me.....mids are the thing with this amp. Bass is solid in quantity/texture given realities of a pure tube amps....and treble articulates and extends well without spiking or being the star of the show. I find this a pretty speedy amp relative to the tube world. I get some decent holographic/tubes magics in the mids....but I would not call this overall bloomy/fat ala' a typical 'vintage' sound.

I've enjoyed this as a multi-tasker genre-wise....but have found it shows it's best moves with metal/rock and jazz. Vocals typically very nice as well.

The speed+detail/stage+slam makes for a real nice presentation for rock/metal.....but can overwhelm the ear on certain tracks or long listening sessions. Going to phones like the HD800S can tame that back down vs. the Atriums.....but at times (mix/master dependent) the mids can jump way ahead of the other sonic elements and you get a bit of an unbalanced presentation. So far much more "works" than doesn't.....and the prior comments are true of many "slammy/dynamic" dacs or amps. Mix to mix, Folkvangr can sound out-out fantastic to really solid to slammy-stew.

Aesthetic as hell

Schiit has earned a reputation as the value-price, best-in-class "audio everyman" company. In regards to Folkvangr, someone may think "wow, this must be Schiit's take on a very high-end all-audience tube amp". I'd counter this is more like a "Schitt Special Reserve" release. I'm very pleased to have picked it up, as it happens to excel with music I listen to most and works with my existing DD-heavy headphone line-up. I think it performs relative to its price when fed in the right chain. This would NOT be anywhere close to my recommendation for someone just jumping into the tube-amp world or looking for a generalist next-step up. I would take Jason S's comments to heart...Schiit released something they though sounded aces but it is not an all-audience product ala' much of the rest of their line-up. If you know amps/tubes well...and are looking for the evolution of a Valhalla 2 X Mjolnir 2 sound.......this really suits the bill. For newbies.....going in at $2K with something that takes 10 tubes, not particular easy roll options, highly variable to chain, funky/low power profile.....their are better 'learning the ropes' options. This is my personal opinion of course and not meant to stir the pot.....but if you main planars I can't see this being a good choice unless you just have money to burn.

Well said and I generally agree (except for the Atrium comments- never heard the Atrium).

I’ve found for most headphones, the output impedance is low enough even without the impedance multiplier to work fairly well.

 

[headfoo]

It’s here! And it’s beautiful. Also, warm, but that’s ok. Got it driving my Clears and I love it. Not using the multiplier.

 

[mrAbundio]

This would NOT be anywhere close to my recommendation for someone just jumping into the tube-amp world

That'd be me. I'm the total newbie to the tube world who was going to play it safe with an Auris HA-2SF and decided to go with the FV instead. YOLO. And it arrives in two days; excited to figure out what kind of thing I got myself into.

 

[JS27]

That'd be me. I'm the total newbie to the tube world who was going to play it safe with an Auris HA-2SF and decided to go with the FV instead. YOLO. And it arrives in two days; excited to figure out what kind of thing I got myself into.

You may have a great synergistic DAC and sweet-spot DD's...and just love it. The 'good' thing if you've taken the plunge on Folkvangr is it's not like it's complicated to run. Thulsa Doom will not come and slaughter your village looking for the Riddle of Vacuum You plugs in the bulbs in the right holes....you click ON....biscuit city. What my comments were more around is......relative to some competing $ options....Folkvangr isn't the Bunny trail down the mountain. It's not a rollers paradise. It's pretty picky with synergy. Doesn't mean it won't work for you.

And hey, if you have an R2R Dac, some ZMF's, and like Morbid Angel and Mercyful Fate, I can tell you that you are in for a SPECTACULAR time. I loooooove this amp. It's just I know many Head-Fi's aren't that. They are more "So I've got my Topping d90, my <INSERT LOW IMPEDANCE PLANARS HERE>.....can't wait to listen to my selection of Hans Zimmer soundtracks, 90's West Coast Hip-Hop, and some K-Pop. The new Magic Ultra Wish Sparkle Street Dogs Samurai Boyz album just came out with that guest track from Xin Lin Bao Lao Bai and I can't wait to hear it on Folkvangr. Do tubes not last forever by the way?" That person should rock and roll however they please......but they are going to have a no bueno time with Folkvangr.

 

[Barnstormer13]

That'd be me. I'm the total newbie to the tube world who was going to play it safe with an Auris HA-2SF and decided to go with the FV instead. YOLO. And it arrives in two days; excited to figure out what kind of thing I got myself into.

For a tube amp, it’s fairly flexible in terms of what it can power and most headphones are going to perform reasonably well with this amp unless you like to listen above 90 dB. Even then the majority will sound good well past 110 dB.

That said, the absence of a transformer or capacitor in the output means the sound is unique and it affects headphones differently than just about any other amp. There’s not yet a big enough set of reviews to know which headphones are winners or losers (though ZMF and Grado seem to be front runners).

If you don’t like the sound and don’t want to buy another set of headphones, you can always return it. $2k is enough that you should absolutely be in love with the sound.

 

[BLacklWf]

Some preamp action tonight

How was it as a preamp?

 

[ardbeg1975]

Accepting that the FV is a chameleon and has different sound signatures (at least to me) with various headphones, what cans are on the unofficial no bueno list pairing wise:

He6/He6se/etc.
Susvara
Arya Stealth
All Abyss or just some given power needs and low sensitivity?
What else?

 

[Orange5o]

I had this thought as well. I'll definitely be testing out my LCD-2 with it. No idea what to expect yet, but that is as you said, part of the fun.

Have you tried this pairing yet?

 

[DigitalScrap]

Have you tried this pairing yet?

My FV is supposed to be here tomorrow. I had asked Schiit to hold off shipping it while I was out of town for an extended period. Hopefully FedEx delivers. I'll come back to post impressions with the LCD-2 on Wednesday.

 

[Barnstormer13]

The more I listen to the FV with my Aeon Flow Closed, the better I think it is with planars (somewhat efficient ones anyway). I’m actually really digging the sound. I think I under rated it before because I primarily listen to dynamics and am just more used to how they sound.

@DigitalScrap: looking forward to your opinion on the LCD-2.

 

[Barnstormer13]

double post

 

[Orange5o]

Accepting that the FV is a chameleon and has different sound signatures (at least to me) with various headphones, what cans are on the unofficial no bueno list pairing wise:

He6/He6se/etc.
Susvara
All Abyss or just some given power needs and low sensitivity?
What else?

Can confirm he6se is not a match

My FV is supposed to be here tomorrow. I had asked Schiit to hold off shipping it while I was out of town for an extended period. Hopefully FedEx delivers. I'll come back to post impressions with the LCD-2 on Wednesday.

Great. Perhaps I'm looking for confirmation, but with a little eq from a loki it has been my best pairing so far.

 

[Pictograms]

Just arrived and hooked up.
So far only listened for an hour or so with the Utopia and comparing to the Woo WA2 which is also OTL.

With the Utopia the Shiit is much more balanced sounding with fantastic slam. I don’t hear much of a frequency change with the impedance multiplayer but it looses some puniness to the sound.

The Woo definitely has a higher output impedance, it adds quite a bit of bass, the cello is much more prominent on every recording I tried so far. The bass is punchy but all other frequencies seem smoother than the Schiit.

Edit*
These impressions are mainly from:
Horizons - Jasmine Myra
From Hell With Love - Beast in Black
Clumsy - Our Lady Peace
Silent Scream - Elysion
Fletcher Moss Park - Matthew Halsall

 

[Kapazza]

Accepting that the FV is a chameleon and has different sound signatures (at least to me) with various headphones, what cans are on the unofficial no bueno list pairing wise:

He6/He6se/etc.
Susvara
All Abyss or just some given power needs and low sensitivity?
What else?

Arya Stealth. I'm torn between Mjolnir 2 > Arya vs. Folkvangr > HD800S. Each have their own strengths, but MJ2 can drive pretty much everything whereas FK will only pair nicely with certain cans.