[Bakerman]

New to this Forum, I just bought the Valhalla 2 last week, only listened to it for a few minutes to verify it works. Sounded pretty good out of the gate.
 
I have some matched Russian 6H23p's (78) on the way from Ivan. Should get some hours in this coming weekend.
 
Bakerman

 

[jasoncote]

Subscribed

 

[yangian]

like Valhalla 2's neutral sound for HD 600. Perfect if had more dynamic. 

 

[h2rulz]

Well, at least, I can say the HD650 with the Valhalla is a great pair!
 
Btw, are all socket savers compatible with the tubes for Valhalla as long as they are 9pin socket savers?
I'm digging the look with the Valhalla, and I do roll tubes quite frequently.

 

[MadDane]

Well, at least, I can say the HD650 with the Valhalla is a great pair!

Btw, are all socket savers compatible with the tubes for Valhalla as long as they are 9pin socket savers?
I'm digging the look with the Valhalla, and I do roll tubes quite frequently.

Yes they're all compatible!

 

[h2rulz]

Yes they're all compatible!

Thanks!
Would any socket saver on eBay do the job with no noticeable change in sound quality?
Also, are the the pins on the socket saver looser so when you pull the tubes out the socket saver doesn't come out with it? But then again, how would you take the socket saver out if that's the case?

 

[GumbyDammit223]

Thanks!
Would any socket saver on eBay do the job with no noticeable change in sound quality?
Also, are the the pins on the socket saver looser so when you pull the tubes out the socket saver doesn't come out with it? But then again, how would you take the socket saver out if that's the case?

I got a cheap Chinese pair for $6? a couple months ago.  I posted about my results here if you're interested, but they seem to work fine for me after fixing a solder bridge and a couple iffy solder jobs.  I used a pair of hemostats to grab them and work them out after discovering the problems.  I believe a couple of the savers were coming out with the tubes while the other two stayed in the box, or partially.  Not a big deal though...if you have a pair of hemos.

 

[smellster]

I picked up a couple of cheap brown socket savers off ebay as well. Unfortunately they produced quite a pronounced audible hum on my Valhalla 2. I have since replaced them with the tubemonger ones with no issues, but they're fairly expensive though.

 

[GumbyDammit223]

Again, Cheap + Chinese = Questionable Quality.  Most likely the problem was similar to mine - a partial solder bridge or flux bridge.  As I found, these things aren't high tech and can be cleaned up pretty easily if you have a good soldering iron and a third hand to hold them while working on them.

 

[h2rulz]

Hmm, getting it off ebay doesn't look like a good idea anymore.
Wouldn't have guessed there'd be so many issues with them.
And I'm not sure if I want to go thru the effort of cleaning it up myself

 
Any recommendations where I can get quality socket savers?

 

[GumbyDammit223]

If you Google "socket saver" you'll find a few companies other than eBay that sell similar products for $2-3 apiece and one company that sells some for $25 apiece (http://www.tubemonger.com/NOVIB_Socket_Saver_with_Vibration_Red_B9A_NOVAL_p/novib.htm).  I personally think that price is outrageous.  But then again, I'm not the type who would spend $750 for an "audiophile" USB cable either.  I kid not - I have the link for such a beast (https://www.thecableco.com/Product/USB-SPS).  A lot of people have had good first-time results with the cheap ones and if you're unlucky like I was, you're not out more than the cost of a 6-pack if you can't fix them.

 

[h2rulz]

  If you Google "socket saver" you'll find a few companies other than eBay that sell similar products for $2-3 apiece and one company that sells some for $25 apiece (http://www.tubemonger.com/NOVIB_Socket_Saver_with_Vibration_Red_B9A_NOVAL_p/novib.htm).  I personally think that price is outrageous.  But then again, I'm not the type who would spend $750 for an "audiophile" USB cable either.  I kid not - I have the link for such a beast (https://www.thecableco.com/Product/USB-SPS).  A lot of people have had good first-time results with the cheap ones and if you're unlucky like I was, you're not out more than the cost of a 6-pack if you can't fix them.

Thanks, that makes sense.
I'll give it a shot

 

[MadDane]

If you Google "socket saver" you'll find a few companies other than eBay that sell similar products for $2-3 apiece and one company that sells some for $25 apiece (http://www.tubemonger.com/NOVIB_Socket_Saver_with_Vibration_Red_B9A_NOVAL_p/novib.htm).  I personally think that price is outrageous.  But then again, I'm not the type who would spend $750 for an "audiophile" USB cable either.  I kid not - I have the link for such a beast (https://www.thecableco.com/Product/USB-SPS).  A lot of people have had good first-time results with the cheap ones and if you're unlucky like I was, you're not out more than the cost of a 6-pack if you can't fix them.

Yeah I think I paid $6 with shipping for mine and they've worked flawlessly.

 

[lumpo]

Hello - long-time lurker, first time poster. Just got a Valhalla 2 and I am unexpectedly underwhelmed after 3 hours on the clock, so seeking wisdom .....
 
Pairing with HD650 and somewhat independent of the range of DACs I've tried with it thus far, the sound is sort of fluffy and rounded off at both ends. The low-mids seem swamped by the high bass with loss of definition. I've also noticed a collapse in the width of the sound stage too. The high end has developed the Senn 'veil' - which I haven't heard for quite some time with my SS amps, top end has been quite clear and defined enough when there's sufficient power. Overall the sound is of an older mid-soaked cheap amp with more bass. That can't be right?!?
 
Given the fervor bestowed on this amp, especially with 650s, I wonder if:
(i) I'm being impatient and I need to wait more hours for the tubes/valves to burn in? If so, how long before one could expect a better sound,
(ii) I should just jump into tube rolling to find some input tubes that restore some better definition at both ends (Amperex 6922 or 7308 for example)?
 
As matter of comparison I just listened to a Woo WA7 - the bass was better defined but still spilling over into the mids; the top end was so much better - even blind freddy could have spotted/heard the differences in resolution of (for example) fast hi hats. Unfortunately, on our island continent (Oz), these things are way over-priced and I wouldn't have thought that the difference was so dramatically different.
 
Any advice or comments for a first-time tube HFA user gratefully welcomed.
 
Thanks
 
Lumpo

 

[yangian]

Is there anyone can tell me if I could use 5670/6n3 tubes substitute the 6n1s for Valhalla 2? Thanks.