[abhishekSPS]

 

  here is what Roger Russell from McIntosh says about cables:
 
"We have been told by advertising that the exotic speaker wires offer fabulous advantages over ordinary lamp cord. ...

And now they make, advertise and presumably sell them.
More ironic than his quote? Maybe.
 
Edit: Available even in Australia for only $2,395.00 AUD for 3 Metre set

Don't mean to derail this thread but If these cables sound so good  then shouldn't they rip the plain wire inside the earcups too that are connecting to the driver and replace that wire with some of these cable? It wouldn't work right if they didn't! And what about all the wire inside of their amps? They got to replace all that plain wire too! And their computers or what ever the source is all that plain wire needs to be replaced with that good sounding cable or its just not right!!
 
But again I don't own any expensive cable neither have any experience with them so what do I know.

 

[Arniesb]

Tube-rolling does not require "belief". Yes, on some amps the differences between tubes are minuscule, but there are designs that will convey these differences in a much less subtle manner. The Valhalla 2 is such an amp. While the stock input tubes are very good, rolling some vintage Heerlen factory Amperex tubes highlights the Valhalla 2's ability to change. Soundstage, imaging, bass impact, organic mids, crystalline highs - these are all affected and far from subtle.

Agreed that the HD650 sounds like an HD650 straight out of the box. People are fussing over burn-in and depriving themselves of enjoyment with unfounded audio nervosa.

The Valhalla 2 also sounded very good out of the box. I've owned quite a few Schiit components and all of them have changed for the better after a few hundred hours of burn-in. To my surprise though, the Valhalla 2 burn-in change hasn't been that drastic in the few weeks I've owned it. What I have noticed in every listening session, is that the Valhalla 2 sounds noticeably better after it's been running for about an hour, when tubes are aglow and the top of the chassis is hot enough to cook a steak.


Depends on the tubes used. Stock is pretty good though. Just a tad dry and I find the soundstage somewhat lacking in depth. I'm listening with Amperex Orange Label A-frames at the moment and there's an organic, analogue quality to the whole presentation. Coloured? Yes, but damn engaging.

HD650 is thick. I guess dry signature would be nice thing to bring clarity. Would be nice to try it someday.

 

[whirlwind]

:

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Originally Posted by olor1n /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  A lot of posts to wade through.Quote
 
Quote:

 

  Any consensus on the recommended burn-in time for the HD650s, or the Valhalla 2, for that matter? Is there anything I should be aware of while I'm getting acquainted with this setup? Do's and don'ts? This is my first pair of full-sized cans, so I'm stupid excited for it to arrive. 

 
The HD650s and the Valhalla 2 are an excellent pairing, as is the HD650s and the Asgard 2. The Valhalla will deliver it's peak of power ( typically 800 miliwatts per channel ) into your 300 ohm HD650s. 
 
I own the HD650 as well as the Valhalla 2 and the Asgard 2, and I'll honestly say I cannot hear a difference between them. They are both that good. 
 
I'm not a big believer in burn-in, or tube rolling for that matter, so when I get new gear I just choose my favorite tracks and start listening. Tyll Hertsens from Innerfidelity summed up his burn-in testing with this statement. "The miracle is in your head ... not in the headphones.".
 
As always, YMMV.
 
Enjoy your new system. You might find it's all you ever need.

 

 
Tube-rolling does not require "belief". Yes, on some amps the differences between tubes are minuscule, but there are designs that will convey these differences in a much less subtle manner. The Valhalla 2 is such an amp. While the stock input tubes are very good, rolling some vintage Heerlen factory Amperex tubes highlights the Valhalla 2's ability to change. Soundstage, imaging, bass impact, organic mids, crystalline highs - these are all affected and far from subtle.
 
 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 

So, my question...

Any consensus on the recommended burn-in time for the HD650s, or the Valhalla 2, for that matter? Is there anything I should be aware of while I'm getting acquainted with this setup? Do's and don'ts? This is my first pair of full-sized cans, so I'm stupid excited for it to arrive. 

I've got that set-up, they are fantastic from the start. Imo my 650's were awesome the first time I put them on so I'm not into the whole burn in thing. I think you'll be very pleased with that setup, enjoy

 
Agreed that the HD650 sounds like an HD650 straight out of the box. People are fussing over burn-in and depriving themselves of enjoyment with unfounded audio nervosa.
 
The Valhalla 2 also sounded very good out of the box. I've owned quite a few Schiit components and all of them have changed for the better after a few hundred hours of burn-in. To my surprise though, the Valhalla 2 burn-in change hasn't been that drastic in the few weeks I've owned it. What I have noticed in every listening session, is that the Valhalla 2 sounds noticeably better after it's been running for about an hour, when tubes are aglow and the top of the chassis is hot enough to cook a steak.
 

 

Actually I have the vahalia2 and it is sublime with my 650's & 800's. Bottlehead crack is another great option

How highs and upper mids sound with HD650?

 
 
Depends on the tubes used. Stock is pretty good though. Just a tad dry and I find the soundstage somewhat lacking in depth. I'm listening with Amperex Orange Label A-frames at the moment and there's an organic, analogue quality to the whole presentation. Coloured? Yes, but damn engaging.

 

Yeah, I think the key is to get an amp that is transparent to tube rolling....if you do.....man rolling tubes is gobs of fun.  

 

[CanadianMaestro]

Tubed amps are for those who don't have central heating.

 

[CanadianMaestro]

 

 
I'm listening to his 2015 remastered WTC right now... after listening last night to Keith Jarrett, Gould is not that bad...at all

C'mon, Glenn leaves Keith in the dust, with Bach. Piano playing, that is. Not humming...Keith takes the prize for that. 

 

[Arniesb]

Tubed amps are for those who don't have central heating.

Ha ha, good one!

 

[Sal1950]

  Power cords and connectors can have a surprising effect tone, speed and soundstage. I'm not saying it's wise to spend huge money on power cords as you'll get a better return on upgraded components. It is worth exploring if you have an end game set-up.

ROTFLMAO

 

[Tuneslover]

1 - CONGRATS!  And nice find/Nice GET.
2 - I do not have the Valhalla 2, but it's little, solid state brother the ASGARD 2.  SOUNDED AWESOME OUT OF THE BOX
3 - Any burn-in improvement I heard I attribute to the HD-650.  ONCE WARM, the ASGARD 2 has been consistent since day one.  Your tube mileage may vary though...  My guess is that there is a fair amount of rack burn-in at the factory over at Schiit that provides some performance stabilization, but I can't say for sure.
4 - I heard an increase in loudness equally across all my amps as my HD-650s burned-in, but I never noticed a marked change in sound signature or soundstage myself.  Not seeking to invalidate what others have reported regarding burn-in, just providing my personal experience with my own equipment.  The volume increase I started to notice around the 10-15 hour mark at moderate volume using headphone audition tracks from "Dr. Chesky's Ultimate Headphone Demonstration Disc" and white/pink noise patterns mixed in with random rock, blues, and classical tracks on continuous loop.  Left the setup running in my office's jacket closet with the door closed to prevent from wife from "helping" and turning everything off, thinking that I forgot again..  
[/quote



I burned my 650's in for a good 100 hrs or so and noticed a small improvement to the best of my recollection. What I have noticed is that the longer I own them the more pleasing they sound in my system. I don't know of its headphone burn-in or brain burn-in but they fulfill my audio pleasure immensely.

 

[PerfectAnalog]

ROTFLMAO

I'll help Michael out.

What he meant to say is: Noise can have a surprising effect on tone, speed, and soundstage.

 

[iancraig10]

Crikey, a double whammy of definitions!!

 

[CanadianMaestro]

B-limey!

 

[Youth]

  i see that you have C-2 amp.
were you running your T1.2 and HD800 off C-2 ?
i am planning on getting Master 11 for HD800(/'S) or T1.2 (or HD650.... you see i am not really sure at this point and i have no way of auditioning them here in Inda)
few people on master 11 thread have reported very good pairing of hd800 with m11, heck even few have said its almost comparable to, if not better than zana deux.
since you have C-2 amp i understand HD800 or T1.2 should have had simillar sound signature to what will get from m11.
i am not really a fan of bright signature so i am not sure if i should rather go with HD650 but i am also a soundstage and imaging whore.
so i would like to know were the highs really very troublesome on HD800 with C-2.
how is the soundstage and imaging on HD650 compared to HD800 or even T1 ?

 
I'm gonna send my reply to you in private message.

 

[Solrighal]

My internet is about to go down. We're moving to Spain and as soon as I can get hooked up there I'll be back but never forget, it's all about the music.
 
Stay cool.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

  My internet is about to go down. We're moving to Spain and as soon as I can get hooked up there I'll be back but never forget, it's all about the music.
 
Stay cool.

BEST of LUCK!

 

[Youth]

  My internet is about to go down. We're moving to Spain and as soon as I can get hooked up there I'll be back but never forget, it's all about the music.
 
Stay cool.

 
Maybe you can confirm if sound changes with temperature changes