[ThanatosVI]

Thank you @TomKorn for coming over today! We gave a couple of headphones a listen and had a wonderful conversation about audio.

Which headphone is the spirit on the bottom left?

 

[Tarttett]

Which headphone is the spirit on the bottom left?

I would believe that those, possibly, would be a set of those Radiantes.

 

[mammal]

Which headphone is the spirit on the bottom left?

I would believe that those, possibly, would be a set of those Radiantes.

Yes, those are Radiante closed back.

 

[TomKorn]

Which headphone is the spirit on the bottom left?

Yes, it's the Radiante.

 

[mammal]

Late evening listening, enjoying some piano music (Max Payne game soundtrack).

 

[mammal]

Spirit Torino Valkyria and how it fares against Abyss AB-1266 TC, Hifiman Susvara and Focal Utopia

I have been very fortunate that @TomKorn came over to my house with his Spirit Torino Valkyria demo unit (that retails for 12 000 CHF / EUR). He was kind enough to allow me to keep the unit for a week, so here are my first impressions after the first 48 hours of critical listening and comparative headphone swapping with Abyss, Hifiman and Focal TOTLs. All of these headphones were driven off dCS Bartók, which outputs 2.8W into 66 Ohm, which is powerful enough for Utopia and Valkyria, but some will say not powerful enough for AB-1266 nor Susvara. For those, I have used Viva Egoista 845 tube amp (review coming), that is rumoured to output 15W (unsure into what load).

Build quality, looks and comfort

I will be honest with you - I am not sold on the looks. They are over the top design, and the cable is just too much. Needless to say, the quality is top notch, very soft ear pads, genuine luxurious leather and the cable is very nice to touch. Honestly, pictures do not do it justice, how amazingly well put together unit it is, really feels luxurious. As for cable, I have three issues with it: 1) it is non-detachable, but manufacturer claims performance reasons; 2) the cable is a bit loud on my wooden table, but manufacturer offers putting a sleeve on it; 3) the XLR plug is on a thick side, but manufacturer offered making a different termination, so that it is not so snug in my amps.

The headphone is quite heavy, but sits on your head comfortably. The ear cutout is round/circular, not oval, which presented an issue for my wife when wearing earrings. For me, no issue though, I can wear the headphone for 4 hours straight, the weight doesn't get to me (remember, I have AB-1266 and am fine with the comfort there as well).



So how does it sound? What a piano beast, I tell you

This is a very interesting headphone. I would summarise Valkyria as "meat on bones" headphone. I did not expect so much resolution from an unknown brand, but it is very good (not as good as 1266, closer to Susvara). Its soundstage is much more intimate (which I liked in Utopia and HE-1) and fits nicely to some synth pop like The Weeknd.

Its bass surprised me to be honest, it is more boomey compared to 1266, but still keeps its layering (unlike Utopia), and has a bit more quantity than Susvara. Its overall presentation is darker than Susvara (which has to my ears joyful but sometimes thin mids), whereas Valkyria mids are thicker. It works very well for piano and string instruments, as if they were recorded in a studio (very little reverb), instead some open concert haul. I am not sure if I prefer Susvara or Valkyria on vocals though (definitely not 1266, those are cold, recessed as if person was singing from a hallway in comparison). I have never heard Max Payne piano soundtrack better than with Valkyria. I still think mids are best on Sennheiser HE-1, but that one is also not so universal (small soundstage compared to 1266, decent bass, but not as much as 1266, Valkyria or properly amped Susvara).

It is more coherent than 1266 (which is very detailed, a bit cold/metallic, and holographic - which works magic on vocal less EDM), and Susvara to my ears are a bit thin/boring in comparison to Valkyria, which are definitely "enhanced", but they do (I know I am repeating myself) piano hammer hitting the felt so satisfactory.



So what's next? Will I purchase them?

I don't know. Their sales rep has been amazing to me, communicated all of my comfort creature and usability issues back to Spirit Torino immediately, which offered fixing the cable termination (to use something less thick), as well as cable sleeving, so I am confident these can be sorted out. As for sound, mind you, these are just my 48h impressions, I need more time with them. One issue I had is that the thick XLR termination they used on the cable is not allowing me to use Viva Egoista 845 amplifier (all other headphones I can use no problem), so I have been only using dCS Bartók to drive them, which has been no issue, as they are very efficient.

Anything above 10k in head-fi world is a steep price to ask. One has to carefully consider what else can be had for this kind of money. Viva amp is 12.5k, Rossini Clock is 9k, 009S+BHSE can be had under 10k, as well as SR1a+HSA-1b. One thing is for sure, with Valkyria you are getting something very unique and special, essentially made for you, and some people will like that. Let's see how Valkyria sounds once Spirit Torino gives me an adapter to use it with Viva (thick XLR to less thick XLR). Thanks for reading and stay tuned.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Spirit Torino Valkyria and how it fares against Abyss AB-1266 TC, Hifiman Susvara and Focal Utopia

I have been very fortunate that @TomKorn came over to my house with his Spirit Torino Valkyria demo unit (that retails for 12 000 CHF / EUR). He was kind enough to allow me to keep the unit for a week, so here are my first impressions after the first 48 hours of critical listening and comparative headphone swapping with Abyss, Hifiman and Focal TOTLs. All of these headphones were driven off dCS Bartók, which outputs 2.8W into 66 Ohm, which is powerful enough for Utopia and Valkyria, but some will say not powerful enough for AB-1266 nor Susvara. For those, I have used Viva Egoista 845 tube amp (review coming), that is rumoured to output 15W (unsure into what load).

Build quality, looks and comfort

I will be honest with you - I am not sold on the looks. They are over the top design, and the cable is just too much. Needless to say, the quality is top notch, very soft ear pads, genuine luxurious leather and the cable is very nice to touch. Honestly, pictures do not do it justice, how amazingly well put together unit it is, really feels luxurious. As for cable, I have three issues with it: 1) it is non-detachable, but manufacturer claims performance reasons; 2) the cable is a bit loud on my wooden table, but manufacturer offers putting a sleeve on it; 3) the XLR plug is on a thick side, but manufacturer offered making a different termination, so that it is not so snug in my amps.

The headphone is quite heavy, but sits on your head comfortably. The ear cutout is round/circular, not oval, which presented an issue for my wife when wearing earrings. For me, no issue though, I can wear the headphone for 4 hours straight, the weight doesn't get to me (remember, I have AB-1266 and am fine with the comfort there as well).



So how does it sound? What a piano beast, I tell you

This is a very interesting headphone. I would summarise Valkyria as "meat on bones" headphone. I did not expect so much resolution from an unknown brand, but it is very good (not as good as 1266, closer to Susvara). Its soundstage is much more intimate (which I liked in Utopia and HE-1) and fits nicely to some synth pop like The Weeknd.

Its bass surprised me to be honest, it is more boomey compared to 1266, but still keeps its layering (unlike Utopia), and has a bit more quantity than Susvara. Its overall presentation is darker than Susvara (which has to my ears joyful but sometimes thin mids), whereas Valkyria mids are thicker. It works very well for piano and string instruments, as if they were recorded in a studio (very little reverb), instead some open concert haul. I am not sure if I prefer Susvara or Valkyria on vocals though (definitely not 1266, those are cold, recessed as if person was singing from a hallway in comparison). I have never heard Max Payne piano soundtrack better than with Valkyria. I still think mids are best on Sennheiser HE-1, but that one is also not so universal (small soundstage compared to 1266, decent bass, but not as much as 1266, Valkyria or properly amped Susvara).

It is more coherent than 1266 (which is very detailed, a bit cold/metallic, and holographic - which works magic on vocal less EDM), and Susvara to my ears are a bit thin/boring in comparison to Valkyria, which are definitely "enhanced", but they do (I know I am repeating myself) piano hammer hitting the felt so satisfactory.



So what's next? Will I purchase them?

I don't know. Their sales rep has been amazing to me, communicated all of my comfort creature and usability issues back to Spirit Torino immediately, which offered fixing the cable termination (to use something less thick), as well as cable sleeving, so I am confident these can be sorted out. As for sound, mind you, these are just my 48h impressions, I need more time with them. One issue I had is that the thick XLR termination they used on the cable is not allowing me to use Viva Egoista 845 amplifier (all other headphones I can use no problem), so I have been only using dCS Bartók to drive them, which has been no issue, as they are very efficient.

Anything above 10k in head-fi world is a steep price to ask. One has to carefully consider what else can be had for this kind of money. Viva amp is 12.5k, Rossini Clock is 9k, 009S+BHSE can be had under 10k, as well as SR1a+HSA-1b. One thing is for sure, with Valkyria you are getting something very unique and special, essentially made for you, and some people will like that. Let's see how Valkyria sounds once Spirit Torino gives me an adapter to use it with Viva (thick XLR to less thick XLR). Thanks for reading and stay tuned.

Very nice comparison there!

Spirit Torino that I ever tried is only Ragnarr, and I can imagine Valkyria is improve in every way compare to it, but the house sound of Spirit Torino remain there (Forward, full body vocal, punch and bold bass with intimate presentation).

 

[TomKorn]

Here's my report of the listening session with @mammal.
Thank you very much for inviting me!

​

More is (almost) not possible - High End Headphone Battle​

By Thomas Scharfenberg on July 15, 2021

Last Monday I was able to visit a customer to try out and compare some of the best headphones in the world with them.
After a few weeks of waiting until we were both fully vaccinated against Covid-19, we could finally start.
The impressive setup consisted of:

Sources​

• dCS Bartók (Roon Endpoint)
• iPAD & Laptop with Roon Library

Headphones​

​

• Spirit Torino Valkyria

• Abyss AB-1266

• Hifiman Susvara

• Focal Utopia

... but coffee first​

After we had a cozy chat over a coffee, we started. The Susvara and Utopia were quickly put aside, as they did not meet both of our requirements for the desired sound. Both models are more neutral or flat, while my customer's AB-1266 and the ST Valkyria offer a much more emotional music reproduction.

Of course it's a matter of taste. Therefore this should by no means mean that these are bad headphones! My client and I simply prefer a "more musical, emotional, full-bodied" way of playing.

The AB-1266 and ST Valkyria offer exactly that. And yet they are very different. I guess there are hardly any headphones that can cover the entire music spectrum perfectly. Hence my customer's wish to add another pair of headphones to the AB-1266.

The AB-1266 is perfect for his favorite EDM music: driving bass, clear highs and lots of details. This is what it takes and what the Abyss brings.

For classical music, orchestral soundtracks, jazz and live recordings where perfect voice reproduction is important, something else is needed:
The Spirit Torino Valkyria is the first choice here .

After alternating rehearsals (of course, in compliance with all Covid rules of the BAG, including disinfection of the devices used), we largely agreed. The following impressions are of course only my own.

​

Abyss AB-1266​

• Very "airy" treble reproduction
• Massive bass and sub-bass, can bleed a little into the midrange and cover it
• Excellent detailing with increased height, can sometimes be a bit harsh, a little sibilant
• Slightly subdued and somewhat artificial sounding midrange, especially with voices
• Excellent stage and space
• Lack of coherence: All parts are very good on their own, but they don't "click" into one another

Spirit Torino Valkyria​

• Intimate, direct presentation
• The bass is clean, tight, and fast with less sub-bass expansion compared to 1266
• Voices are directed a bit forward, sound more natural and direct, both female and male
• Excellent coherence
• Guitars and string instruments as well as piano sound sonorous and very natural
• The stage is less big than on 1266, but much more intimate, perfect for live experiences

​

My conclusion​

Both headphones offer something outstanding, are quite different, but complement each other very well. Depending on your taste in music, one or the other will prefer one or the other model.

Being able to test these high-end headphones on such a dream setup was a great experience and an absolute highlight for me. This clearly showed what an impressive music experience is possible with headphones!

The exciting conversations and the exchange with my customer rounded off the experience and made the day unforgettable for me. Fortunately, it won't be the only one of its kind!

 

[best56]

But personally, it is a meaningless comparison. The amplifier used is the one inside the DAC used (dcs Bartok) absolutely inadequate to amplify Susvara and/or Abyss (it delivers just 1.4 watts per channel at most) that therefore went with the handbrake pulled. Suitable only to drive the Utopia, that among these headphones under test, is the easiest to drive. IMHO, of course...and meaningless test, with this set up.

Personally, I have tested for ten days the Valkyria, with my own set up, like Viva Audio Egoista, The Dark Star, Wells Audio Headtrip, Huracan 845 SE-MKII and Goldmund THA2, in comparison with Top Headphones like Audeze LCD-4, Abyss 1266, Raal SR1A, TP Ragnarr, last Release, and others. And the conclusion is that I found the Valkyria to be excellent and enjoyable, but not superior to the aforementioned Headphones. I also confirm that the Valkyria's Headstage, is as you found it.

 

[best56]

Spirit Torino Valkyria and how it fares against Abyss AB-1266 TC, Hifiman Susvara and Focal Utopia

I have been very fortunate that @TomKorn came over to my house with his Spirit Torino Valkyria demo unit (that retails for 12 000 CHF / EUR). He was kind enough to allow me to keep the unit for a week, so here are my first impressions after the first 48 hours of critical listening and comparative headphone swapping with Abyss, Hifiman and Focal TOTLs. All of these headphones were driven off dCS Bartók, which outputs 2.8W into 66 Ohm, which is powerful enough for Utopia and Valkyria, but some will say not powerful enough for AB-1266 nor Susvara. For those, I have used Viva Egoista 845 tube amp (review coming), that is rumoured to output 15W (unsure into what load).

Build quality, looks and comfort

I will be honest with you - I am not sold on the looks. They are over the top design, and the cable is just too much. Needless to say, the quality is top notch, very soft ear pads, genuine luxurious leather and the cable is very nice to touch. Honestly, pictures do not do it justice, how amazingly well put together unit it is, really feels luxurious. As for cable, I have three issues with it: 1) it is non-detachable, but manufacturer claims performance reasons; 2) the cable is a bit loud on my wooden table, but manufacturer offers putting a sleeve on it; 3) the XLR plug is on a thick side, but manufacturer offered making a different termination, so that it is not so snug in my amps.

The headphone is quite heavy, but sits on your head comfortably. The ear cutout is round/circular, not oval, which presented an issue for my wife when wearing earrings. For me, no issue though, I can wear the headphone for 4 hours straight, the weight doesn't get to me (remember, I have AB-1266 and am fine with the comfort there as well).



So how does it sound? What a piano beast, I tell you

This is a very interesting headphone. I would summarise Valkyria as "meat on bones" headphone. I did not expect so much resolution from an unknown brand, but it is very good (not as good as 1266, closer to Susvara). Its soundstage is much more intimate (which I liked in Utopia and HE-1) and fits nicely to some synth pop like The Weeknd.

Its bass surprised me to be honest, it is more boomey compared to 1266, but still keeps its layering (unlike Utopia), and has a bit more quantity than Susvara. Its overall presentation is darker than Susvara (which has to my ears joyful but sometimes thin mids), whereas Valkyria mids are thicker. It works very well for piano and string instruments, as if they were recorded in a studio (very little reverb), instead some open concert haul. I am not sure if I prefer Susvara or Valkyria on vocals though (definitely not 1266, those are cold, recessed as if person was singing from a hallway in comparison). I have never heard Max Payne piano soundtrack better than with Valkyria. I still think mids are best on Sennheiser HE-1, but that one is also not so universal (small soundstage compared to 1266, decent bass, but not as much as 1266, Valkyria or properly amped Susvara).

It is more coherent than 1266 (which is very detailed, a bit cold/metallic, and holographic - which works magic on vocal less EDM), and Susvara to my ears are a bit thin/boring in comparison to Valkyria, which are definitely "enhanced", but they do (I know I am repeating myself) piano hammer hitting the felt so satisfactory.



So what's next? Will I purchase them?

I don't know. Their sales rep has been amazing to me, communicated all of my comfort creature and usability issues back to Spirit Torino immediately, which offered fixing the cable termination (to use something less thick), as well as cable sleeving, so I am confident these can be sorted out. As for sound, mind you, these are just my 48h impressions, I need more time with them. One issue I had is that the thick XLR termination they used on the cable is not allowing me to use Viva Egoista 845 amplifier (all other headphones I can use no problem), so I have been only using dCS Bartók to drive them, which has been no issue, as they are very efficient.

Anything above 10k in head-fi world is a steep price to ask. One has to carefully consider what else can be had for this kind of money. Viva amp is 12.5k, Rossini Clock is 9k, 009S+BHSE can be had under 10k, as well as SR1a+HSA-1b. One thing is for sure, with Valkyria you are getting something very unique and special, essentially made for you, and some people will like that. Let's see how Valkyria sounds once Spirit Torino gives me an adapter to use it with Viva (thick XLR to less thick XLR). Thanks for reading and stay tuned.

The Viva Audio 845, is absolutely too powerful for the Valkyria, and you will have problems to find the right position of the Volume, better to use the Viva Egoista 2A3, is more synergistic with the Valkyria, as well as for the Solid State, the best synergy, I found it with the Goldmund THA2. In the end I prefer my Abyss, LCD-4 and Rall SR1a, because of a bigger soundstage.

 

[mammal]

absolutely inadequate to amplify Susvara and/or Abyss (it delivers just 1.4 watts per channel at most)

You got your numbers wrong, Bartok delivers 2.8W into 66 Ohm when XLRs are used.

The Viva Audio 845, is absolutely too powerful for the Valkyria, and you will have problems to find the right position of the Volume

Also factually wrong - with Bartok you can customise how much you are outputting via RCA/XLR in terms of 0.2 / 0.6 / 2.0 / 6.0 V

 

[TomKorn]

I will probably get the Audio-GD
R-7HE (2021 Edition) + HE-9 soon. I heard from Spirit Torino themselves that Audio-GD offers a superior synergy with Valkyria.

 

[up late]

how much does the valkyria weigh?

 

[best56]

You got your numbers wrong, Bartok delivers 2.8W into 66 Ohm when XLRs are used.


Also factually wrong - with Bartok you can customise how much you are outputting via RCA/XLR in terms of 0.2 / 0.6 / 2.0 / 6.0 V

You got your numbers wrong, Bartok delivers 2.8W into 66 Ohm when XLRs are used.


Also factually wrong - with Bartok you can customise how much you are outputting via RCA/XLR in terms of 0.2 / 0.6 / 2.0 / 6.0 V

Thank you for your reply, however I have the Huracan 845 SE-MKII, connected to the Weiss DAC 202 that customize outputting via RCA/XLR in terms of 1,06 / 2,12 / 4,15/ 8,30 V. Despite these output variations, the 15+15 Watts of the Valvolare with the 845, does not allow the same management with the Viva Egoista 2A3 KR Audio, that I found perfect instead with the Valkyria as well as with the Goldmund THA2.

I'm waiting for your answer and impressions, when Andrea Ricci will send you the Adapter Cable to try Valkyria with your Viva Egoista 845 & DCS Bartok set up.

 

[simorag]

More is (almost) not possible - High End Headphone Battle​

By Thomas Scharfenberg on July 15, 2021

Last Monday I was able to visit a customer to try out and compare some of the best headphones in the world with them.
After a few weeks of waiting until we were both fully vaccinated against Covid-19, we could finally start.

​

Abyss AB-1266​

• Very "airy" treble reproduction
• Massive bass and sub-bass, can bleed a little into the midrange and cover it
• Excellent detailing with increased height, can sometimes be a bit harsh, a little sibilant
• Slightly subdued and somewhat artificial sounding midrange, especially with voices
• Excellent stage and space
• Lack of coherence: All parts are very good on their own, but they don't "click" into one another

Spirit Torino Valkyria​

• Intimate, direct presentation
• The bass is clean, tight, and fast with less sub-bass expansion compared to 1266
• Voices are directed a bit forward, sound more natural and direct, both female and male
• Excellent coherence
• Guitars and string instruments as well as piano sound sonorous and very natural
• The stage is less big than on 1266, but much more intimate, perfect for live experiences

​

My conclusion​

Both headphones offer something outstanding, are quite different, but complement each other very well. Depending on your taste in music, one or the other will prefer one or the other model.

Being able to test these high-end headphones on such a dream setup was a great experience and an absolute highlight for me. This clearly showed what an impressive music experience is possible with headphones!

The exciting conversations and the exchange with my customer rounded off the experience and made the day unforgettable for me. Fortunately, it won't be the only one of its kind!

Thomas, great write-up and photos, thank you!
Your comments and conclusion largely resonate very well with what I hear as well.
I also appreciate you transparently mentioning your business relationship with Spirit Torino as a distributor in your review.
Would be nice if you make full disclosure of this by adding the MoT (Member of Tribe) of your company in your signature or profile

The Viva Audio 845, is absolutely too powerful for the Valkyria, and you will have problems to find the right position of the Volume, better to use the Viva Egoista 2A3, is more synergistic with the Valkyria, as well as for the Solid State, the best synergy, I found it with the Goldmund THA2.

A finely grained amp, with clean, tight bass pristine and ultra-high resolution is what I would recommend for amp matching, and I agree that the Valkyria need more quality than quantity.
The Egoista 2A3 and THA2 mentioned above must be phenomenal pairings, and I also suspect the additional grunt of a Viva 845 does not add much value to the Bartok internal amp in this context. @mammal could give a first-hand confirmation to these speculations.

I will probably get the Audio-GD
R-7HE (2021 Edition) + HE-9 soon. I heard from Spirit Torino themselves that Audio-GD offers a superior synergy with Valkyria.

This is very possible, as Spirit Torino used a similar Audio GD stack during the development of the Valkyria.
Spirit are strong believers, and also resellers - again, for full disclosure - of Kingwa products.

how much does the valkyria weigh?

Close to 700 grams, actually the headband distributes the load on your head pretty evenly, but of course you clearly feel them when you wear the Valkyria.
That does not prevent me from multiple hours straight of listening, by the way