[ben_wood]

A few questions for Valhalla owners or tube experts in general: I just got a Valhalla and am a tube and headphone novice (also just got a new pair of HD 600s). First, what is the preferred method of burning in a tube device like the Valhalla? How long does  burn in take? Do tubes, as they age go bad gradually or just stop working  (see I told you I was a noob!)? And what is the best method of breaking in the HD600s? Thanks.

 

[hodgjy]

Best way to burn in tubes, amps, headphones, etc: just use them normally.  Subtle changes will occur as the devices mature.  There's no need to do anything fancy or specific.
 
Yes, tubes wear out and will eventually die.  They normally last thousands of hours under normal use.  However, they can fail unpredictably at any time.  They do need to be replaced.  They normally slowly degrade and you will notice a slight decrease in performance.  If things seem lifeless, intermittent, or weak, those are normal signs it's time to replace tubes.
 

 

[WhiteCrow]

Schiit is awesome!!!!! Jason kindly sent me some free tubes to tube roll with and I'm going too do a write up on them. So far I'm liking the  6BZ7 over everything, warmer than the 6N1P but a little less involved in the midrange. the Stock tubes are kind of middle ground, the "Neutral" of the three.

 

[totto2222]

proud schiit owner
i have a lyr rolled (of course) amperex heerlen orange globes paired with a bitfrost feeding my hd 650"s
to my old ears this pairing is like audio nirvana
 

 

[olor1n]

Quote:

proud schiit owner
i have a lyr rolled (of course) amperex heerlen orange globes paired with a bitfrost feeding my hd 650"s
to my old ears this pairing is like audio nirvana
 

 
The OGs were my favourite tubes for the HD650 too. I owned this exact rig. Killer sound.

 

[mikek200]

Quote:

 
The OGs were my favourite tubes for the HD650 too. I owned this exact rig. Killer sound.

 
Yes,add me to that list as well,the OG's & the 7308's ,are a great combination.

 

[finnbah]

I'm new to Head-Fi (sorry if I am posting this in the wrong thread - I thought it seemed like this was the most relevant thread for my questions) and am currently looking at purchasing a headphone amp or DAC (unfortunately I can not afford to buy both at the same time) for my Sennheiser HD 650s. This will be my first purchase in an attempt to improve the sound I'm getting from the 650s and from what I've read here and a few other places Schiit seems to be quite good (I also really like the way they look, though obviously how they sound is far more important to me).
Right now I am using my computer (macbook pro - ALAC from my CDs) as the main source and an old technics amplifier to power the headphones (which I imagine isn't very great), so I guess I'm just wondering what would be the best component to buy first - Headphone amp or DAC (Bifrost)? And if it's a headphone amp, which one? Right now, my budget only really extends to the Valhalla, so it's between that and the Asgard. I have read through this thread and there were a few comments about the Valhalla being the better amplifier for higher impedance headphones, but given my lack of experience with tubes (or really any headphone amplifiers) I was leaning towards the Asgard and then in a few months when I could afford it, I'd get the Bifrost. Anyway, hopefully this makes sense and thanks for any advice you guys can give.

 

[WhiteCrow]

I would go for amp. You need an amp to plug your dac into anyways...well some type of output with RCA in to come from the DAC. the Valhalla is paired well with the HD650....if I'm remembering correctly.

 

[grokit]

You don't need "tube experience" with the Valhalla, as it is not meant for tube rolling. Just plug them in and you're done.

 

[hodgjy]

X2.  What they said.  Great advice.
Quote:

. the Valhalla is paired well with the HD650....if I'm remembering correctly.

 
Quote:

You don't need "tube experience" with the Valhalla, as it is not meant for tube rolling. Just plug them in and you're done.

 

[122743]

New Schiit owner here too. Just got a USB Bifrost and a Lyr. Running them with the ALO Audio Jena cabled HD650's. Very nice so far, but also have a set of HE-500's on the way.

 

[brainbucket]

Bifrost on the way, can't wait.

 

[fr45er]

1st post after lurking for a long time....
 
Bifrost + Valhalla delivered today and using them with HD-650s.  
 
It`s a big improvement over my E7,  and I was pretty happy with that tbh.

 

[WhiteCrow]

Quote:

New Schiit owner here too. Just got a USB Bifrost and a Lyr. Running them with the ALO Audio Jena cabled HD650's. Very nice so far, but also have a set of HE-500's on the way.

Congrats, I hope you love them as much as I do.

 

[paradoxper]

I really hope you consider getting into tube rolling. If you have the funds, it's a fun journey. Congrats as well!