Schiit Valhalla 2 Time?

[Bill Why Man]

Dear 'Cans Fans,

I'm new to the headphone amps game. I've got a nice one in my McIntosh MA5100, currently driving some modest Sennheiser HD 558's.

I've been getting an upgrade itch in the headphone department, and I think I may want a dedicated headphone amp. I have a limited budget. I'm thinking about a tube sound to listen to my records, not for computer/digital. I have a Thorens TD-160 (a tank!), so I will have to connect the new amp into my preamp/amp. Is this a good idea? Will I be able to work around the McIntosh lines, or will it color the sound too much to make a difference?

I've been drawn to the Schiit Valhalla 2. It's nice in price, tubes, looks, company attitude, and audiophiles' word-of-mouth, but I've never experienced one up close. Does anyone have any experience with this model? What have they paired it with? Has anyone used this with a regular amplifier to listen to vinyl? Would the Valhalla 2 even have a better soundstage than the one in my vintage McIntosh?

Any contructive criticism or advice would be most appreciated. Thanks!

Best,

Bill

 

[cossix]

It cimes down to how accurate you want your sound! I use a solid state amplifier for my pc listening but am definitely considering investing in a tube amp for my turntable just "because old school". Solid State will generally win out in terms of accuracy and detail, but tubes may be the type of sound that speaks to you the most! I generally recommend starting with solid state and getting tubes afterwards so that all your headphones will sound different enough and you can enjoy a new type of sound. At the end of the day, you'll have to try tubes to see if you like it. Schiit Valhalla is known to sound like a solid state amp for the most part, which makes it a good entry mid level tube amp because I would imagine it fits in between solid state sound and hardcore tube sound

 

[ahmadfaizadnan]

I am not sure whether it will pairs well with your macintosh but I had it pair with bifrost and they are amazing. I have to admit that valhalla 2 is not really warm but I roll tube to make it warmer. But, I never use vinyl as my source so I am not sure what difference it'll give but valhalla 2 itself is a great amp.