[jeffrt]

I got mine about 2 days ago. Running with the stock tubes, with it sitting out in the open on top of a CD player, I am astounded at how hot it runs. Yes, I am familiar with tube units; of course I know they run from warm to almost hot, but let's put it this way, after 5 hours of use yesterday, the volume control was so hot that I could barely touch it momentarily without almost burning my fingertips. No, I don't have sensitive skin; my hands are fairly calloused from too much work. I couldn't let my fingers linger on that dial.

I know this unit runs pretty hot, but is this hot normal for this?

It sounds wonderful with Sennheiser HD590 Jubilees and Hifiman 400i phones.

 

[jeffrt]

Kind of surprised that no one made any comments here at all.

In any case,
I sent the above directly to Schiit and they must think this is wrong/bad. They want me to return it and they are sending me a replacement.

 

[hudsonyak]

Yeah, the volume knob on mine doesn't get anywhere near skin-burning temperature. Just warm. Something must be wrong.

 

[Ron Sherwood]

thanks for posting this.

i am on the fence between the Val2/Bifrost multi combo, the Lyr3 multi and Woo WA7.

perhaps i should entertain ss units.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I got mine about 2 days ago. Running with the stock tubes, with it sitting out in the open on top of a CD player, I am astounded at how hot it runs. Yes, I am familiar with tube units; of course I know they run from warm to almost hot, but let's put it this way, after 5 hours of use yesterday, the volume control was so hot that I could barely touch it momentarily without almost burning my fingertips. No, I don't have sensitive skin; my hands are fairly calloused from too much work. I couldn't let my fingers linger on that dial.

I know this unit runs pretty hot, but is this hot normal for this?

It sounds wonderful with Sennheiser HD590 Jubilees and Hifiman 400i phones.

if they do that with 250ohm and up headphones which have sensitivity of 96dB or higher, that's easily not normal. If it only happens with the HE400i, which has lower sensitivity and low impedance, it could be from the amp working too hard.

However if that still happens with the HD590 (120ohms IIRC), not to mention even the volume knob gets searing hot, that's not normal. Did you try a different outlet though? As much as it isn't exactly drawing a lot of power, sometimes there could be some kind of wiring in one outlet, particularly if the building is a bit old. I have a couple of wonky outlets at home - one killed one of my amps in my room, the other was all the knobs in my oven/range getting hot when the oven is over level 6 (out of nine, plus Broil setting) or when the electric stove and the oven are both working.

In any case,
I sent the above directly to Schiit and they must think this is wrong/bad. They want me to return it and they are sending me a replacement.

I'd try a different outlet before shipping it out. If the volume knob gets as hot then at least you're sure it's the amp.

Kind of surprised that no one made any comments here at all.

You kinda have to give some people more than 16hrs.

 

[jeffrt]

if they do that with 250ohm and up headphones which have sensitivity of 96dB or higher, that's easily not normal. If it only happens with the HE400i, which has lower sensitivity and low impedance, it could be from the amp working too hard.

However if that still happens with the HD590 (120ohms IIRC), not to mention even the volume knob gets searing hot, that's not normal. Did you try a different outlet though? As much as it isn't exactly drawing a lot of power, sometimes there could be some kind of wiring in one outlet, particularly if the building is a bit old. I have a couple of wonky outlets at home - one killed one of my amps in my room, the other was all the knobs in my oven/range getting hot when the oven is over level 6 (out of nine, plus Broil setting) or when the electric stove and the oven are both working.




I'd try a different outlet before shipping it out. If the volume knob gets as hot then at least you're sure it's the amp.




You kinda have to give some people more than 16hrs.

It was the same with the 35 ohm Hifiman 400i and the 300 ohm Sennheisers.

I expected a response a little quicker I guess because I had seen so very many threads with 8 - 10 posts/replies within the same MINUTE. plus I was really worried about that heat. I had the unit attached via a power conditioner, so I don't believe a different socket would have made a difference. In any case, I've already brought the unit to FEDEX.

Thank you all for your suggestions.

 

[jeffrt]

Yeah, the volume knob on mine doesn't get anywhere near skin-burning temperature. Just warm. Something must be wrong.

I thought that also. When I asked Schiit, they told me to return it. I did and they are sending me a replacement. I can only assume the Valhalla 2 should run "tube warm", not as hot as mine did.

 

[Neobenedict]

Mine runs very hot as well, might be the power of the unit (240v vs 110v). If it's running too hot, place it on something metal to dissipate the heat, or have a fan blowing near it, this will cool it down dramatically.

 

[jeffrt]

Mine runs very hot as well, might be the power of the unit (240v vs 110v). If it's running too hot, place it on something metal to dissipate the heat, or have a fan blowing near it, this will cool it down dramatically.

As I had said above, Schiit told me to return mine and they sent me a replacement which arrived yesterday, Friday, 4/20/18. I ran it for about 8, maybe 9 straight hours with the stock tubes. At the end of that time, this new unit was significantly less hot. Matter of fact, you could not call it hot at all; it was warm, and the volume knob on the old one was almost too hot to leave your fingers in contact with it for very long at all. The new one is barely warm.

From these differences, I'd say there was definitely something wrong with my old one. One should not need a fan or any cooling device with this unit. Tubes run warm, not blistering hot. By the way, I won't touch the tubes while they have current run through them, while they glow. So no idea how hot they are. Your mileage should NOT vary.

 

[FYB-2]

One of the slight mods that helps with all of Schiit's smaller gear is to put some proper 'feet' under them. I use the 3/8 - 1/2" thick rubber 'stick on' pads you can get in a bubble-pack for $5 to get them up to promote air-flow under & thru the chassis. Or whatever works for you.

BTW - seems you received excellent service from Schiit on this issue. That's good to read.