That's quite the impressive stack you have. What cable are you using with the HD600?
I just received my Valhalla 2. A few days earlier than anticipated. Tried it with the stock tubes and now trying it with the aftermarket tubes. To be honest I don't notice a big difference between them. The amp does get quite toasty. For now I am just using the DAC in my MacBook Pro. But tomorrow or Saturday I will change to the DAC in my Marantz HD-DAC1. Right now it's connected to my two channel stereo setup and I don't feel like unplugging everything. Given how short the front tubes are it was pretty annoying to swap the tubes. So I will be looking for some tube risers/socket savers.
I could never hear much of a difference between tubes in my Valhalla 2 and I think that's by design. It's a no-fuss OTL tube amp made to sound good with whatever you throw in it and I really like that. I can't pull that crap with my WA2. It seems to have a different sound for every combo of driver, power and rectifier you use.
The blue cable is an ultra-low capacitance one from Custom Cans UK. It accompanied the HD-600 that I ordered with a Custom Cans CNC-milled backweight for the earspeaker drivers.
I could never hear much of a difference between tubes in my Valhalla 2 and I think that's by design. It's a no-fuss OTL tube amp made to sound good with whatever you throw in it and I really like that. I can't pull that crap with my WA2. It seems to have a different sound for every combo of driver, power and rectifier you use.
Well if every tube combination sounds essentially the same there's no point in "tube rolling". I guess that can be seen as a good thing financially speaking.
In terms of sound, the bass extends a little deeper without any “bump” in the response. Bass/midbass transients are clearer, as is the midrange (the Sennheiser hallmark) and lower treble. There is no peakiness in the upper treble.
I could never hear much of a difference between tubes in my Valhalla 2 and I think that's by design. It's a no-fuss OTL tube amp made to sound good with whatever you throw in it and I really like that. I can't pull that crap with my WA2. It seems to have a different sound for every combo of driver, power and rectifier you use.
A case of your ‘earage’ may vary. With the Valhalla II, the difference between, say, a Philips BEL E88CC (a 6922 type) and a Brimar CV455 KB/FB 1956 (a 12AT7 type) with adapters is clear.
A case of your ‘earage’ may vary. With the Valhalla II, the difference between, say, a Philips BEL E88CC (a 6922 type) and a Brimar CV455 KB/FB 1956 (a 12AT7 type) with adapters is clear.
The caveat to my judgement is that I've only rolled 6DJ8 tubes. Is the voltage of the 12AT7 the main factor that makes it sound different from other 6DJ8s?
The caveat to my judgement is that I've only rolled 6DJ8 tubes. Is the voltage of the 12AT7 the main factor that makes it sound different from other 6DJ8s?
~ That is part of it. The 12-volt characteristic of the 12AT7 necessitates the use of the 12A*7 (top) -> 6DJ8 (bottom) adapter. Also, internal construction features of a particular 12AT7 tube affect the sound: triple mica vs double mica, D-getter / square getter vs halo getter.
~ My experience with hpa that ‘natively’ use 6DJ8 / 6922 type of tubes (Monoprice Liquid Platinum, Schiit Audio Mjolnir II, Schiit Audio Valhalla II, Woo Audio WA3: all of which I own) is that sonic performance improves in many parameters when a 12A*7 is used.
Hello all, just picked up two new pairs of tubes for my Valhalla 2 (and just picked up a Modius DAC VERY happy with it).
Out of these two pairs, which do you guys like best.
I have some
Electro-Harmonix 6922 matched pair
AND
Genalex Gold Lion 6922 (E88CC) matched pair
The EH are around 20 a tube and the Lions are around 45 a tube. Has anyone had any experience with these?
Also, I know that you can't "roll" the power tubes in the valhalla 2, but does anyone know any other cool brands of that size, and how much does the power tube contribute to the overall sound?
~ That is part of it. The 12-volt characteristic of the 12AT7 necessitates the use of the 12A*7 (top) -> 6DJ8 (bottom) adapter. Also, internal construction features of a particular 12AT7 tube affect the sound: triple mica vs double mica, D-getter / square getter vs halo getter.
~ My experience with hpa that ‘natively’ use 6DJ8 / 6922 type of tubes (Monoprice Liquid Platinum, Schiit Audio Mjolnir II, Schiit Audio Valhalla II, Woo Audio WA3: all of which I own) is that sonic performance improves in many parameters when a 12A*7 is used. In short, the best 12A*7 type > the best 6922 type.
Hello all, just picked up two new pairs of tubes for my Valhalla 2 (and just picked up a Modius DAC VERY happy with it).
Out of these two pairs, which do you guys like best.
I have some
Electro-Harmonix 6922 matched pair
AND
Genalex Gold Lion 6922 (E88CC) matched pair
The EH are around 20 a tube and the Lions are around 45 a tube. Has anyone had any experience with these?
Also, I know that you can't "roll" the power tubes in the valhalla 2, but does anyone know any other cool brands of that size, and how much does the power tube contribute to the overall sound?
According to Jim McShane the gold lion's start to sound pretty decent after a week of burn in, but I still prefer NOS tubes by a long shot. A good NOS power tube will add a bit to the dynamic range but not really change the overall sound, IMO. The 6N6P is/was only made in Russia and has no equivalents that I know of.
Do you have recommendations for the 6922 (6N1P) slot? I'm up for trying anything, this is my first tube amp, and I know very little about the hobby so far. I'm enjoying it though.
Do you have recommendations for the 6922 (6N1P) slot? I'm up for trying anything, this is my first tube amp, and I know very little about the hobby so far. I'm enjoying it though.
Do you have recommendations for the 6922 (6N1P) slot? I'm up for trying anything, this is my first tube amp, and I know very little about the hobby so far. I'm enjoying it though.
I don't have a Valhalla anymore (I had the 1 years ago), but I follow this thread to get ideas for rolling my in Vali 2+. I have the opinion that the 6922/6DJ8/E88CC is a deeply flawed family of tubes. The treble is splashy and the bass is weak. Plus, many of them are extremely microphonic. You need a holy grail that costs three figures to get it right.
In the Vali 2+, the Voskhod rocket 6N1P-EV is the best by far. Good warmth, texture, layering, and timbre.
Which 6N1P came with your Valhalla? Most of the others are brighter and more aggressive than the Voskhod.
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