I can't say. I learned from comparing different DACs that the DAC alone is not the factor that ultimately shapes the sound. It's the implementation and the amp section among other things.
R2Rs tend to add soft-sounding, which isn't there in reality.
I see it the other way round.
Hmm. I am just testing the new Cayin N6ii-Ti with R2R. There is more crispness and clarity in the sound, almost like a veil was lifted compared to other motherboerds with "regular" DAC/amp section. But of course that's just what I am hearing.
.From what I understand as far as amplification is concerned, the Audio GD HE-9 goes very well with the Valkyria. Or is there better? But using the DAVE I couldn't use the ACSS connectors. So I ask you a question: is it better R7 HE using ACSS connectors or DAVE using XLR connectors?R2R vs. Delta-Sigma, not unlike tubes vs. solid state, PCM vs DSD, Class A vs. Class D, NOS vs. upsampling (or analog vs digital, or dynamic vs. planar vs. electrostatic vs. ribbon etc. etc.) is another of those difficult technology-centric discussions aimed to translate a given design principle into a de-facto superior, or more lifelike, sound reproduction.
Indeed it is true that many top flight DACs (MSB, Lampizator, TotalDAC, Aries Cerat to name a few) use R2R designs, and are known for their so-called 'organic' or 'analog' sound (which for some reasons it is often equated to 'real'), so there must be something good on that approach.
But then there are dCS, NAGRA, MERGING, Chord, T+A, Esoteric, EMM Labs, Bricasti, etc. that, while being often labelled as more 'clinical' or 'analytical', to a varying degree, often show-up in six-figures systems.
The interesting thing is that in both camps (R2R and non-R2R) if you ask the designers you will always get the same answer: they preferred their approach because it sounds more like real, live, unamplified music.
In my humble opinion and direct experience, technology implementation (with all its trade-offs due to the technology itself and to the target price), system synergies and personal preferences play a much more relevant role.
For the Valkyria specifically, for instance, I personally would look for a very neutral, transparent and clean sounding upstream chain, rather than richer, darker, more 'organic' gear. The DAVE with the M-Scaler, directly driving the Valkyria, is one example - among many other totally different options - of synergistic pairing to my ears
As always, you summarised all possible flame wars into one intelligent written piece, thank you! No wonder you have 3:1 ratio on your head-fi likes to posts, haha.R2R vs. Delta-Sigma, not unlike tubes vs. solid state, PCM vs DSD, Class A vs. Class D, NOS vs. upsampling (or analog vs digital, or dynamic vs. planar vs. electrostatic vs. ribbon etc. etc.) is another of those difficult technology-centric discussions aimed to translate a given design principle into a de-facto superior, or more lifelike, sound reproduction.
Indeed it is true that many top flight DACs (MSB, Lampizator, TotalDAC, Aries Cerat to name a few) use R2R designs, and are known for their so-called 'organic' or 'analog' sound (which for some reasons it is often equated to 'real'), so there must be something good on that approach.
But then there are dCS, NAGRA, MERGING, Chord, T+A, Esoteric, EMM Labs, Bricasti, etc. that, while being often labelled as more 'clinical' or 'analytical', to a varying degree, often show-up in six-figures systems.
The interesting thing is that in both camps (R2R and non-R2R) if you ask the designers you will always get the same answer: they preferred their approach because it sounds more like real, live, unamplified music.
In my humble opinion and direct experience, technology implementation (with all its trade-offs due to the technology itself and to the target price), system synergies and personal preferences play a way more relevant role.
For the Valkyria specifically, for instance, I personally would look for a very neutral, transparent and clean sounding upstream chain, rather than richer, darker, more 'organic' gear. The DAVE with the M-Scaler, directly driving the Valkyria, is one example - among many other totally different options - of a synergistic pairing to my ears
I am curious, what are your crosfeed expectations? I have never tried it with Dave, but TT2's crossfeed made my music (EDM) sound weird. For example, Bartok's was the same thing, but their new "Expanse" crossfeed version sounds much more like a speaker would (a lot more reverb and lower end boom, like I would expect EDM to sound on a speaker setup in my room). Just curious, not trying to pick up on Dave!
I think that was my problem on TT2 (again, did not try on Dave), further warmth and reduction in width. Perhaps my EDM mastered music just does not have hight/depth, but has enough width and with crosfeed on, it collapsed on itself. Thanks for sharing!
I'd love to audition the T+A SDV 3100.I have no direct experience with the Audio GD models you mention, but Andrea Ricci himself is a big fan of Kingwa gear (and also a reseller...).
Again, my advice is to visit Spirit Torino showroom so that you can try with your ears their cans with AudioGD amps and dacs.
As for the DAVE, in that case you would not need an amp for the Valkyria, just going straight out of the DAVE gives you plenty of headroom and the highest transparency.
Actually, I have yet to find an external amplifier that bests the DAVE direct output for anything except hard to drive planars like Abyss or Susvara, unless one is looking for specific colorations / flavours or doesn't like the DAVE signature (in which case of course the best option being to replace it altogether).
Another huge asset of the DAVE (with or without amp) which I find especially enjoyable with live acoustic music - even more, in combination with the Valkyria - is the crossfeed feature (another example where implementation makes all the difference, as most crossfeed I tried in the past were disappointing to say the least).
Coming back to the Valkyria, in building a system around them, unlike say AB-1266, Susvara, SR1a, Stax (where amp matching comes first) I would prioritise the source components over amplification.
Audio GD is usually referred to as a great value for money brand, making the case for a very nice starting point budget-wise, but I am confident that the Valkyria have the potential to scale with upper echelon components.
Which components? Then you have to do your homework, as there are dozens of possibilities and there is no substitute for direct auditions especially once you go up the ladder of summit fi gear.
I am in one of my minimalistic mood phases lately, so if I had to start from scratch I would be curious about high end all in one (streamer, server, hp amp) systems like the dCS Bartok (which I actually auditioned twice in the past), the Mola Mola Tambaqui, the T+A SDV 3100 (both of which I have never heard unfortunately).
Good luck and enjoy your own audio journey
the DAVE does not have an XLR headphone output. Could this be a limitation?I have no direct experience with the Audio GD models you mention, but Andrea Ricci himself is a big fan of Kingwa gear (and also a reseller...).
Again, my advice is to visit Spirit Torino showroom so that you can try with your ears their cans with AudioGD amps and dacs.
As for the DAVE, in that case you would not need an amp for the Valkyria, just going straight out of the DAVE gives you plenty of headroom and the highest transparency.
Actually, I have yet to find an external amplifier that bests the DAVE direct output for anything except hard to drive planars like Abyss or Susvara, unless one is looking for specific colorations / flavours or doesn't like the DAVE signature (in which case of course the best option being to replace it altogether).
Another huge asset of the DAVE (with or without amp) which I find especially enjoyable with live acoustic music - even more, in combination with the Valkyria - is the crossfeed feature (another example where implementation makes all the difference, as most crossfeed I tried in the past were disappointing to say the least).
Coming back to the Valkyria, in building a system around them, unlike say AB-1266, Susvara, SR1a, Stax (where amp matching comes first) I would prioritise the source components over amplification.
Audio GD is usually referred to as a great value for money brand, making the case for a very nice starting point budget-wise, but I am confident that the Valkyria have the potential to scale with upper echelon components.
Which components? Then you have to do your homework, as there are dozens of possibilities and there is no substitute for direct auditions especially once you go up the ladder of summit fi gear.
I am in one of my minimalistic mood phases lately, so if I had to start from scratch I would be curious about high end all in one (streamer, server, hp amp) systems like the dCS Bartok (which I actually auditioned twice in the past), the Mola Mola Tambaqui, the T+A SDV 3100 (both of which I have never heard unfortunately).
Good luck and enjoy your own audio journey
And so is the amplification of DAVE better then HE9?I have no direct experience with the Audio GD models you mention, but Andrea Ricci himself is a big fan of Kingwa gear (and also a reseller...).
Again, my advice is to visit Spirit Torino showroom so that you can try with your ears their cans with AudioGD amps and dacs.
As for the DAVE, in that case you would not need an amp for the Valkyria, just going straight out of the DAVE gives you plenty of headroom and the highest transparency.
Actually, I have yet to find an external amplifier that bests the DAVE direct output for anything except hard to drive planars like Abyss or Susvara, unless one is looking for specific colorations / flavours or doesn't like the DAVE signature (in which case of course the best option being to replace it altogether).
Another huge asset of the DAVE (with or without amp) which I find especially enjoyable with live acoustic music - even more, in combination with the Valkyria - is the crossfeed feature (another example where implementation makes all the difference, as most crossfeed I tried in the past were disappointing to say the least).
Coming back to the Valkyria, in building a system around them, unlike say AB-1266, Susvara, SR1a, Stax (where amp matching comes first) I would prioritise the source components over amplification.
Audio GD is usually referred to as a great value for money brand, making the case for a very nice starting point budget-wise, but I am confident that the Valkyria have the potential to scale with upper echelon components.
Which components? Then you have to do your homework, as there are dozens of possibilities and there is no substitute for direct auditions especially once you go up the ladder of summit fi gear.
I am in one of my minimalistic mood phases lately, so if I had to start from scratch I would be curious about high end all in one (streamer, server, hp amp) systems like the dCS Bartok (which I actually auditioned twice in the past), the Mola Mola Tambaqui, the T+A SDV 3100 (both of which I have never heard unfortunately).
Good luck and enjoy your own audio journey
Love your reviews and insights, especially since your musical tastes are so aligned with mine. I'm not a tenths as experienced or knowledgeable as you are when it comes to audiophile gear and SQ but I can certainly relate with every detail you describe. Like you, I'm much more about getting into the performances and into the "moment" of what the artists are trying to express, really trying to feel what they are feeling.Hi @Mikey99, congrats and thanks for sharing your notes! I agree with everything you reported, and I'd like to reinforce how complementary the Valkyria are to the AB-1266 ... they are the two most 'exciting' headphones I tried (together with the SR1a), but they do their magic in a very different way.
Where the Abyss impress with their bass extension, theatrical soundstage and transparency, the Valkyria get in your blood with timbre density, dynamics and harmonics richness.
After a rather long and expensive optimization path (culminated to a Superconductor cable, an AIC-10 equipped with a very special NOS Mullard tube from the 50's I found after a long chase and many pairing attempts, a very fine cable loom), I tend to believe that I have maxed out what I can get from the AB-1266, including their tuning for my specific tastes. As such, I would even define their sound "smooth", in that the grain is extremely fine, sibilance is gone and in general I do not find any particular harshness anymore (unless it is inherent to a given recording).
What the Valkyria brings to the table is a darker, more masculine tonal balance, with a fuller, more sonorous character from the midrange down to the bass, and an evenly distributed, seemingly unlimited dynamic drive in that same region. Compared to the mildly V-shaped signature of the AB-1266, this produces a more focused, less expansive and airy soundscape, and a more visceral emotional connection with all midrange-centric content.
The AB-1266 are still king when it comes to sub-bass and out-of-your-head experience, and they are my go-to choice for electronica and - with exceptions - for very large orchestral compositions.
Something I came to appreciate of the Valkyria is how they bring life into anemic recordings that you can sometimes find in older classical albums and even in some classic rock ones (see below). In these situations, the Abyss sound a tad thin / dry and the thicker, richer presentation of the Valkyria makes up for a much more enjoyable experience.
The two albums below are a perfect example why one would like to go as far as having these two headphones at hand. A Kiss in the Dark is a spectacular binaural recording, very fun and enjoyable with the Abyss, but the Valkyria takes the realism of the timbres to the next level, making you really believe Alexis is singing for you in the flesh.
With Homogenic, the sub-bass kick in from the AB-1266, their holographic detail and sparkle, their transparency is - to me - just untouchable by the V. (or by any other headphones I tried, for that matter).
Finally, this album is an example of how to reach listening Nirvana through alternative paths. With the AB-1266 you 'hear' the venue with its character and subtle cues, and you look through a very clear and transparent window into the event, the layered arrangement of the musicians is stunningly obvious. With the Valkyria, the instruments seem more 'right' both in tonality and dynamics (especially the piano, the drums and the trumpet), the energy coming from the musicians is projected at you with more immediacy and viscerality.
