Schiit Valhalla Tube Rolling thread.

[X1XNobleX1X]

For the Valhalla 2, do you think tube rolling with the Gold Lion E88CC would be a good improvement for HD800s?
 
 
Anyone got any other suggestions?
 
 
I generally listen to pop music.
 
 
 
http://www.thetubestore.com/Tubes/6922-E88CC-Tube-Types/Genalex-Gold-Lion-E88CC-6922

 

[sysfail]

My first time posting in this thread, hi all.

Had a small concern.

Am I going nuts or is it just extremely difficult to install / re-install tubes on schiit amps? I am very familiar with the ''rolling'' process
and find it to be very easy just inserting half way into the socket, then rock/roll them gently into place.

I recently switched out my gold lion ECC88 back to stock, just for kicks. Upon removing stock and reinstalling the gold lions,

I found it almost impossible to reinstall both tubes.

I actually bent the pins on one of the GL tubes but was able to use tweezers to re-align the pins. It took a scary amount of force to
finally get them back into the sockets (I wasnt just 'pressing down'). I was a bit scared to turn the amp back on but they are installed 
and work fine for now.


Has anyone else had this kind of difficulty with the sockets and aftermarket tubes?


 

I think it's supposed to be very snug installing and removing tubes from the Valhalla, even more difficult because it's deep in the chassis which makes it hard to get a grip on. Shouldn't be impossible though. I use a cloth to get a better grip and wiggle it slowly on and off, you need a pretty good amount of force.

 

[sysfail]

For the Valhalla 2, do you think tube rolling with the Gold Lion E88CC would be a good improvement for HD800s?


Anyone got any other suggestions?


I generally listen to pop music.



http://www.thetubestore.com/Tubes/6922-E88CC-Tube-Types/Genalex-Gold-Lion-E88CC-6922

Not sure about those tubes but I use Amperex Bugle Boy tubes with my HD800 and I'm very much happy with them. Along with a good EQ you can really tailor them to whatever sound you like. The Amperex Orange Globes are another good choice as well, but more for the HD650 on the Valhalla for me.

 

[Nick-s-f]

  For the Valhalla 2, do you think tube rolling with the Gold Lion E88CC would be a good improvement for HD800s?
 
 
Anyone got any other suggestions?
 
 
I generally listen to pop music.
 
 
 
http://www.thetubestore.com/Tubes/6922-E88CC-Tube-Types/Genalex-Gold-Lion-E88CC-6922

Guess I'll chime in. I do not have an HD800 but do have an HD600 and the GL's are less colored than stock on the V2. Soundstage width shrinks a bit, detail increases, and the whole sound signature is very even from bass-mids-treble.

They are more focused and chameleon-like than stock, but less fun. I prefer them to stock (I prefer neutral sound), but for something like an HD800, can't say.

 

[RoninChaos]

I use Amperex Bugle Boys in my Valhalla 2 and they're great with really anything that is recorded well. Throw in something that's recorded poorly or low quality mp3 files and it'll probably sound bad with any tube and any setup on the HD800.

Keep in mind my HD800 is modded.

Hey man. Where did you get your bugle boys?

 

[sysfail]

Hey man. Where did you get your bugle boys?

 
A seller from ebay.

 

[T Bone]

A bought a set of NOS Russian 6N1P and 6N6P tubes from Mr. Tom featured in this old thread:
Best of the bunch - Russian tubes for Valhalla
 
He was right - they are a significant upgrade over the stock tubes that the Valhalla ships with.  I was impressed with how you can completely change the sound with a simple tube swap. I tried a few other tubes, but I liked the sound of these NOS tubes the best. 
 
I am selling my Valhalla and I've got the tubes for sale in the classifieds.   ...if you're into tube rolling - give these a try

 

[X1XNobleX1X]

  A bought a set of NOS Russian 6N1P and 6N6P tubes from Mr. Tom featured in this old thread:
Best of the bunch - Russian tubes for Valhalla
 

Are these the same?
 
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/181263834045?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2648&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
 
 
 
They don't seem very expensive, do you think it would be a worthwhile upgrade for HD800s?

 

[T Bone]

  Are these the same?
**LINK REMOVED***
 
They don't seem very expensive, do you think it would be a worthwhile upgrade for HD800s?

No, they are not the same.  The tubes Mr. Tom had were vintage NOS tubes, not current production like the ones in your link.  If you've got $1,700 invested in head phones - $40 in tubes is a trivial investment.  The stock Ruby tubes in the Valhalla are kind of boring.  ...not bad, but not great either.   To answer your question "are they a worthwhile upgrade for HD800s?" - I'd say probably. 
 
According to Wikipedia - the 6N1P-EV is the "ruggedized" version of the 6N1P so it should be fine.  At that price, go for it.
 
For me - rolling in new tubes is half the fun of owning tube gear anyway.  You can tune the sound to your personal preference and headphones. 
I have put one tube on the left channel and another tube on the right so that I can compare tubes head-to-head.  It's pretty interesting.  
 
The Valhalla manual lists these tubes as being compatible:

1. The 6N1P input tubes can be swapped with 6DJ8, 6BZ7, 6922, ECC88
2. The 6N6P output tubes can be exchanged for 6H30Ns, but that’s about it

 

[T Bone]

  For the Valhalla 2, do you think tube rolling with the Gold Lion E88CC would be a good improvement for HD800s?

 
Gold Lion E88CC would not suck  I would give that combo a try.  Might be a bit bright.

 

[Oskari]

The tubes Mr. Tom had were vintage NOS tubes, not current production like the ones in your link.

The tubes in the ebay photo were made in 1972.

 

 

[T Bone]

The tubes in the ebay photo were made in 1972.

I had to click through and blow up the photo to make out the date code - it looks like you're right.
They looked so good I thought they were current production.
 
Ironically, I just bought a pair of NOS 1972 Phillips 5R4GYS for my PrimaLuna pre-amp in my vinyl setup - made a significant difference.

 

[X1XNobleX1X]

Hello everyone,
 
I'm interested in purchasing a pair of Bugle Boy tubes.
 
 Can anyone please tell me what the actual differences are between these 5 different pairs?
 
http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/m.html?_odkw=&_ssn=mercedesman6572&_armrs=1&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR2.TRC1.A0.H0.Xecc88+bugl.TRS0&_nkw=ecc88+bugle&_sacat=0
 
 
Ranging from $40 USD to $90 USD.
 
 
Just wondering, if there is any worthwhile sound/quality differences between the five.
 
 
There are also these:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XAMPEREX+BUGLE+BOY+6DJ8+ECC88.TRS0&_nkw=AMPEREX+BUGLE+BOY+6DJ8+ECC88&_sacat=0&rmvSB=true
 
What would someone recommend to be a reasonable costing tube from the link above.
 
 
The only difference I see is the silkscreen on the front and seem to better matching the more you pay although, I have no idea what I'm talking about

 

[GumbyDammit223]

  This is the Valhalla tube rolling thread. You should expect to hear the virtues of that pursuit here.
 
 
In my case, I like the sound of my Valhall 2 with the tubes Schiit provides. I bought a second set of stock tubes from them as spares. I spend my time listening to music, not tubes.

 
I love that last sentence!

 

[Magick Man]

Via email Schiit says their LIIST SS "tubes" will work with the Valhalla 1 & 2 (input set). That could be interesting.