[fidelcastroil]

so for that I can get a Valhalla 2 amp and Tesla T1 which I think would work great my my main medium, 60s-70s rock'n roll vinyl
is this the best use of my money or would something else be better?

 

[jodgey4]

Any reason you're looking at that gear in particular? I really like my LCD-2's for that era of rock, maybe a used pair of those should be considered... but I'm biased . That's a great amp, all Class-A .

 

[Beyakusenn]

I used to own the T1 and I enjoyed it a lot! However, for $1000 there is also the possibility for you to get electrostatic headphones. If you are looking only at new gear, it would be something like the STAX SRS-3170.
 
In the second hand market you can find even better electrostatic systems for very reasonable prices. I do own a STAX SRS-4040 Signature system myself and I paid €700 ($780) for it.

 

[fidelcastroil]

looked into electrostatic headphones which the STAX SRS-3170 were more then 1000$ btw but I also want the tube goodness and comparability that this amp gives with my other stereo I have plus I don't have any amp rn and I would want to expand
 
Also looking at the LCD-2 its like 900$ so still a bit out of range cause Im budgeting 300-400 for an amp and 700 for headphones

LCD-2

 

[jodgey4]

LCD-2 and the Audio-GD NFB-15 or NFB-11 would be stellar, and in budget. LCD-2's go for as cheap as $600 sometimes.

 

[Youth]

T1 is a great headphone if you like treble 

 

[Beyakusenn]

  looked into electrostatic headphones which the STAX SRS-3170 were more then 1000$ btw but I also want the tube goodness and comparability that this amp gives with my other stereo I have plus I don't have any amp rn and I would want to expand

At PriceJapan.com you can find these systems for their Japanese prices. The SRS-3170 is $819 and the newer version of the system I have now, the tube amp driven SRS-4170, costs $1157 new.

 
Also looking at the LCD-2 its like 900$ so still a bit out of range cause Im budgeting 300-400 for an amp and 700 for headphones

The LCD-2 has a different sound signature to the T1 or the STAX headphones. The LCD-2 has a more accentuated bass while the other headphones mentioned above are considered to be fairly neutral with a bit more energetic treble. What sound signature are you looking for?

 

[fidelcastroil]

basically Im not looking for bass as I rarely listen to heavy bass music so I guess the LCD-2s aren't for me, I do however listen to a lot of other music genres so a far more neutral sound would be great I also have head that T1s really harsh treble at first but after a few days of burn in it gets much tamer
 
I will have to keep looking into STAX though as that seems like something I would be interested in but as of now I don't have a dac or an amp or really any kind of decent system at all which is why Im a little hesitant of going with electrostatic because of comparability issues with my other devices

 

[Badfish5446]

I think you've got yourself a pretty good start there, I found the T1 to sound fantastic with rock recordings of that era... depending on the master you can pull some really nice details out of the older recordings.  I'm not against treble nor am I a treblehead... my "favorite" sound signature is neutral mids and treble with a bass boost to recreate the bass reinforcement typically seen by speakers in a home listening area (vs. anechoic testing chamber).  The T1's are currently tied for my favorite headphone due to the speed of the transients, overall neutral signature, very deep and wide soundstage and the ability to work with most genres.  The only caveat with the Valhalla 2 is it may not be sufficient if you decide to give planar-magnetic 'phones a try (depending on the make/model).  The new gain switches help with compatibility but it may still be lacking with planar cans.  I found them overly bright initially, but they settled in with about 20-40 hours of use.

 

[jodgey4]

Whoever said the LCD-2 is bass heavy is objectively wrong by all counts (actually bass light according to some). Subjectively, I agree as well. The LCD series is very good at the neutral/natural sound. The T1 has a bit of extra midbass and a treble spike, but I would also consider it close to neutral.

 

[Beyakusenn]

I might nor have chosen my words carefully enough. The LCD-2 is not bass heavy. I never said it was, but my previous comment might have sounded that way. It just has a bass that is a bit more prominent than what is considered to be neutral.
 
The first models of the T1 had a large treble peak, but later models had a more modest treble peak. The T1 2 has dampening and that might have solved some 'inconsistencies' the T1 had that were caused by the resonating housing.