[tmonk1]

So I plugged in my Schiit Vali 1 and something is wrong with it - the sound is super low quality, lots of noise, crackling, popping, any tracks I play don't have any bass just vocals, etc. Something is wrong with my Vali

The strange thing is that when I unplug one of the input plugs (either red or white), the sound is significantly better, but still not normal.

Things I tested:
- different headphones
- different cables
- amp only, no dac
- turn on/off repeatedly

Any thoughts on what could be wrong?

 

[fianbarr]

It might be a bad tube, if it's the vali 2 you can try to roll (change) it? Else drop an email to Schiit.

 

[NA Blur]

Did you install the tube(s) correctly and into the correct socket(s)?

 

[NA Blur]

Sounds like a grounding issue or low input voltage from the DAC causing some clipping on the output.