[thefitz]

I read this:

Are Valhallas “rollable?”
Earlier Valhallas (August 2010-April 2012) are not designed for tube rolling. All Valhallas shipped since May 2012 are rollable to accommodate E88CC, 6DJ8, 6922, 6N23P, etc on the input stage (that is, the shorter tubes.)

on the FAQ page of this: https://web.archive.org/web/20130830020951/http://schiit.com/products/valhalla

Any idea how we can tell when the Valhalla v1s were made?

 

[Guidostrunk]

I read this:

Are Valhallas “rollable?”
Earlier Valhallas (August 2010-April 2012) are not designed for tube rolling. All Valhallas shipped since May 2012 are rollable to accommodate E88CC, 6DJ8, 6922, 6N23P, etc on the input stage (that is, the shorter tubes.)

on the FAQ page of this: https://web.archive.org/web/20130830020951/http://schiit.com/products/valhalla

Any idea how we can tell when the Valhalla v1s were made?

Send an email to schiit with the serial number on the back.

 

[Lvivske]

I read this:

Are Valhallas “rollable?”
Earlier Valhallas (August 2010-April 2012) are not designed for tube rolling. All Valhallas shipped since May 2012 are rollable to accommodate E88CC, 6DJ8, 6922, 6N23P, etc on the input stage (that is, the shorter tubes.)

on the FAQ page of this: https://web.archive.org/web/20130830020951/http://schiit.com/products/valhalla

Any idea how we can tell when the Valhalla v1s were made?

I actually just shot them an email with my serial to find out, guess serials dont matter. I also asked if a 6922 could be used in the input:

1.) I honestly don't know the exact year unless you happen to have your order number handy, however that looks lie one of the earlier models.

2.) It is not recommended to tube roll with the original Valhalla.
All the Best,
Tom E.

 

[thefitz]

Well, my 6N1P tubes I bought a couple of years ago have a '61 date code on 'em, so I'll ride those out - just curious!

 

[Lvivske]

lol okay well mine's a 2010, had to go through my post history to find out

headfi > schiit's book keeping

but I guess I'll trust Guidostrunk on using the 6922 still...

 

[Lvivske]

-delete-

edit: bought the JJ E88CCs and Photon 6N6Ps, and some socket savers for the hell of it, and crossing my fingers

 

[Lvivske]

So figured it was time to update this thread now that all my ducks are in a row.

First, lets just dispel some notions put out by Schiit: Early Valhalla's can tube roll no problem. I have a 2010 model and threw the E88CC's in the 6N1P slot...I survived

I bought the JJ (gold pin) E88CC pair for a very reasonable price off TubesDepot, they were recommended for warmth a few dozen pages back and yeah, immediate, noticeable improvement. This is my first time changing tubes and my complaint with the V1 has always been its sterile, shrill sound, especially when paired with my HD800s (early ones, the shrillest). Going to the E88CCs gave me and immediate boost in lows, punch, and warmth. It was so noticeable I had to completely re-EQ my entire setup because it crossed the line into muddy. Day and night. With burn in and a few weeks of play, and fine tuning my Equalization (EQ is the hugest thing for me) I honestly feel like this was a move that put me into endgame territory. Seriously, I've tuned in this tone that's just sitting perfectly with me, like notes are their own sub-chords, like I'm getting an audio massage. I haven't played video games in weeks. This is not the same amp & headphone combo I bought a decade ago that I put into storage for years.

Obviously, I already have plans on what to change next, but the new DAC, new earpads, new tubes, and Apple Music switching to Lossless/HiRes all in one month has been a sea change that's left me listening to music more than ever and I'll probably want to chase the dragon more than ever now.

Next, the Photon 6N6Ps came in today from an eBay seller, broken. Luckily I had some random foresight to buy 2 pairs, so was able to salvage a pair together. I did notice that 1 from the broken pair had a different sticker with alternate values on it, and one from the 'matched' pair was a different model based on the symbol & markings, so ended up pairing the visual twins together and crossed my fingers. (Side note, in sitting here I noticed that the 6N6Ps that Schiit gave me stock did not match either, different heights, logo, and internal parts - can you guess which are stock and which the Photon?)

(center and right are stock Schiit)

Initial impressions are that the Photons made things slightly less warm, brighter, but also more resolving and punchier. They also sounded cleaner with nothing playing, the ambient hum may have gone down a decibel or two. It might be what I needed to balance things, it might get better, it might need to mellow out, we'll see. It definitely needs to burn in still so I'm reserving judgement, but everything still sounds *great*, and that's where I'm at now.

edit: My software EQ that has minor tweaks to problematic frequencies crashed in the background at some point today before making those impressions, which entirely accounts for the brightness shift, so those opinions are void. Bass feels stronger now though, which accounts for the punch....I'll wait for them to fully settle before updating this because I'm totally thrown.

So yeah, rolled my V1 to the endzone and it feels great.

Here's some pics. Oh, and I got socket savers - looks better and helps with the internal heat

(Special thanks to Guidostrunk for helping me on this)

 

[jonathan c]

~ The Schiit Valhalla II came today and I enthusiastically put it to work. I have been more than curious about how it would fare as an OTL h/p/a with lower impedance headphones: specifically the Focal Clear (original, 55 ohms) with Dekoni fenestrated sheepskin pads.
~ First the tube ‘ammo’: NEVZ 6N6Ps and Siemens 7308s. I wanted to stay within the 6DJ8/6922 category. Gain setting: low (output impedance = 3.5 ohms). This was feasible since the Clear sensitivity is 104 dB/V.
~ Assessment: Fantastic! The music had “thereness” in abundance with excellent dynamic range. Frequency response had no real aberrations. Vocals and ambience were rendered beautifully with real emotion and reverberation. Acoustic bass had depth, fullness and string feel to it. Percussion and transients had no smear - were lifelike. Soundstage was wide and cleanly delineated. The Valhalla II at $349 (ex shipping) certainly “punched well above its weight class”.
~ Obviously, the Valhalla II was not going to eclipse the Woo WA6 equipped with Brimar Footscray rectifier and driver tubes. But the Valhalla II was very respectably close. I am keeping it!…gameroom system…

 

[regaet]

Try the Tubemonger Brimar 4033 with adapters.

 

[Ripper2860]

+1 to the above!!! Why limit yourself?

Not saying that they're better than Footscray, but if someone thinks they are better off sticking with 6922/6DJ8 'native' tubes on VH2... well, they're missing out!!

 

[Lvivske]

Try the Tubemonger Brimar 4033 with adapters.

why? what's the verdict?

 

[regaet]

why? what's the verdict?

Read pages 96-98 of this thread

 

[jonathan c]

Try the Tubemonger Brimar 4033 with adapters.

I use the Brimar KB/FB CV4033 (Footscray 1956 / 1957) with adapters in Woo WA6 1st Gen. The Valhalla II is intended to be part of a second setup: the holy grail tubes are to be used in my study system.

 

[Lvivske]

Man, just when I felt incredibly satisfied with these JJ's...

Added it to my shopping list

 

[jonathan c]

+1 to the above!!! Why limit yourself?

Not saying that they're better than Footscray, but if someone thinks they are better off sticking with 6922/6DJ8 'native' tubes on VH2... well, they're missing out!!

The Valhalla II is going in a second system…no need for holy grailing…