A earth shattering matinée ... with the eponymous recording 
.
Behold the Valkyria!
.Behold the Valkyria!
Spirit Torino Valkyria
- Thread starter Barone Birra
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TomKorn
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That would be the perfect match given the nameA earth shattering matinée ... with the eponymous recording
Behold the Valkyria!
is that a good recording?Continuing on my reacquaintance with piano repertoire, thanks to the Valkyria special talent for piano reproduction ...
This 2017 recording from K. Matsuda is the epitome of grand, powerful, full bodied, no holds barred piano performance. A rather transparent, yet very meaty rendition of a closely miked, hyperrealistic capture. Very involving physically, a tour de force!
These two legendary recordings, extremely finely remastered, are where the hefty, bold Valkyria sound really helps. These are very lively (especially Gould), extremely finely articulated and transparent, yet can turn out slightly leaner than ideal on overly analytical headphones.
Finally, a masterful recording from Alpha (great classical label by the way), with a warm, full-range dynamics, and very atmospheric album.
Attack and decay are exceptional, highly percussive passages are startling, very satisfying, and so is the harmonics richness, and the Liszt magical transcription of Beethoven 9th exploits all the powers of this spectacular music making machine, the pianoforte.
This 2017 recording from K. Matsuda is the epitome of grand, powerful, full bodied, no holds barred piano performance. A rather transparent, yet very meaty rendition of a closely miked, hyperrealistic capture. Very involving physically, a tour de force!
These two legendary recordings, extremely finely remastered, are where the hefty, bold Valkyria sound really helps. These are very lively (especially Gould), extremely finely articulated and transparent, yet can turn out slightly leaner than ideal on overly analytical headphones.
Finally, a masterful recording from Alpha (great classical label by the way), with a warm, full-range dynamics, and very atmospheric album.
Attack and decay are exceptional, highly percussive passages are startling, very satisfying, and so is the harmonics richness, and the Liszt magical transcription of Beethoven 9th exploits all the powers of this spectacular music making machine, the pianoforte.
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So in the last few days I had some interesting surprises when switching between the AB-1266 and the Valkyria. After multiple years of ownership of the Abyss - and an exhausting system tuning around them - I tend to assume that I know their (many) strengths and (very few) weaknesses inside out, yet after several months of Valkyria listening I find I am still mapping their hunt territory 
Some milestones have been placed, the major being that the Valkyria is a piano lover dream and the TC are electronica and all bass-heavy / highly processed music kings.
Moreover, vocals are more satisfying and incarnated with the Valkyria, and classic rock or blues is more energetic and impactful with them, while recordings in large venues (outdoor live concerts, big churches, classical concerts recorded by emphasizing ambiency effects) are more impressive and realistic with the TC.
Then there is a grey area, which includes classical small ensembles (from solo to chamber) and jazz, where I prefer the TC resolution, imaging and bass articulation or the Valkyria timbre accuracy, energy density and midrange forwardness depending on the recording, the mood of the day etc..
One area which is very relevant to me - as it covers roughly one third of my listening - is about large scale classical works, like big symphonic compositions - mostly - and opera.
For this type of music I have always preferred the TC over the other headphones I have owned / tried, including Susvara, SR1a and SR009/S, mainly because of their very wide, deep soundscape, precise spatial and musical layering, and visceral impact.
But, in the last few days I have come to realize that I have under-estimated the capabilities of the Valkyria with this type of music, and that was when listening to these two albums.
Abbado / Wiener rendition of the Beethoven 3rd is a ripping from a CD that I purchased in the late 80's and that I have listened to hundreds of time ever since. It is a very peculiar interpretation, with an introspective, dramatic accent and a sense of doomed heaviness thoughout. It is not a technical masterwork by audiophile standards, though.
With the TC you get the balcony seat, with the orchestra deployed in front of you and a sense of hieratic detachment from the performance.
With the Valkyria, you move much closer to the orchestra, both physically and emotionally, there is an additional eloquency to the sound, for lack of a better word. The soudstage is still large in head-fi terms, so the enveloping effect is there, plus the strings are more fleshed out and the dynamics is more real, the density of sound is also more compelling at the expense of some detail loss.
With the legendary 1957 recording of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, featuring Maria Callas and Tito Gobbi, the most stentorious vocals passages are rendered in such an effortless, yet full, sonorous fashion by the Valkyria and all the nuances of Callas / Rosina character, from the sensuous to the provocative, comical, to the virtuosic, to the full blown are conveyed with massive emotional attachment to them, that the AB-1266 cannot match. Also, the interplay between the singers and with the orchestral part is more sparse with the TC, while the Valkyria produces a more holistic message.
Valkyria and AB-1266 are confirmed as two very complimentary headphones, and being less predictable which I am liking more with certain tracks just adds to the fun of owning both
Some milestones have been placed, the major being that the Valkyria is a piano lover dream and the TC are electronica and all bass-heavy / highly processed music kings.
Moreover, vocals are more satisfying and incarnated with the Valkyria, and classic rock or blues is more energetic and impactful with them, while recordings in large venues (outdoor live concerts, big churches, classical concerts recorded by emphasizing ambiency effects) are more impressive and realistic with the TC.
Then there is a grey area, which includes classical small ensembles (from solo to chamber) and jazz, where I prefer the TC resolution, imaging and bass articulation or the Valkyria timbre accuracy, energy density and midrange forwardness depending on the recording, the mood of the day etc..
One area which is very relevant to me - as it covers roughly one third of my listening - is about large scale classical works, like big symphonic compositions - mostly - and opera.
For this type of music I have always preferred the TC over the other headphones I have owned / tried, including Susvara, SR1a and SR009/S, mainly because of their very wide, deep soundscape, precise spatial and musical layering, and visceral impact.
But, in the last few days I have come to realize that I have under-estimated the capabilities of the Valkyria with this type of music, and that was when listening to these two albums.
Abbado / Wiener rendition of the Beethoven 3rd is a ripping from a CD that I purchased in the late 80's and that I have listened to hundreds of time ever since. It is a very peculiar interpretation, with an introspective, dramatic accent and a sense of doomed heaviness thoughout. It is not a technical masterwork by audiophile standards, though.
With the TC you get the balcony seat, with the orchestra deployed in front of you and a sense of hieratic detachment from the performance.
With the Valkyria, you move much closer to the orchestra, both physically and emotionally, there is an additional eloquency to the sound, for lack of a better word. The soudstage is still large in head-fi terms, so the enveloping effect is there, plus the strings are more fleshed out and the dynamics is more real, the density of sound is also more compelling at the expense of some detail loss.
With the legendary 1957 recording of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, featuring Maria Callas and Tito Gobbi, the most stentorious vocals passages are rendered in such an effortless, yet full, sonorous fashion by the Valkyria and all the nuances of Callas / Rosina character, from the sensuous to the provocative, comical, to the virtuosic, to the full blown are conveyed with massive emotional attachment to them, that the AB-1266 cannot match. Also, the interplay between the singers and with the orchestral part is more sparse with the TC, while the Valkyria produces a more holistic message.
Valkyria and AB-1266 are confirmed as two very complimentary headphones, and being less predictable which I am liking more with certain tracks just adds to the fun of owning both
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Stunning recording, a perfect example of rich, complex tonality, micro and macrodynamics and spatialization. One of my reference albums when trying out stuff.
Valkyria slashes the other headphones I have / had here with this specific recording.
They manage to convey a good deal of technicalities such as transparency, instruments separation, 3D imaging, together with a very visceral, authentic, full bodied tone color.
The dynamic drive is really engaging, percussions and guitars attack and strums are presented with a unique combination of weight and energy.
The Abyss or the SR1a sound relatively too light, distant, overdetailed, un-emotional in comparison. Susvara came closest to the Valkyria, just a bit too polite, whereas the SR009S were charmingly airy and grainless but, again, not as dynamic and fun, more on the contemplative side of things.
Valkyria slashes the other headphones I have / had here with this specific recording.
They manage to convey a good deal of technicalities such as transparency, instruments separation, 3D imaging, together with a very visceral, authentic, full bodied tone color.
The dynamic drive is really engaging, percussions and guitars attack and strums are presented with a unique combination of weight and energy.
The Abyss or the SR1a sound relatively too light, distant, overdetailed, un-emotional in comparison. Susvara came closest to the Valkyria, just a bit too polite, whereas the SR009S were charmingly airy and grainless but, again, not as dynamic and fun, more on the contemplative side of things.
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Ragnar-BY
1000+ Head-Fier
@simorag are you using Valkyrua with AIC10 or DAVE directly?
jeffhawke
500+ Head-Fier
I actually had a listening session recently with the Valkyria and the Riviera AIC10. It was my best headphone experience ever, and I have tried and owned many, many headphones in my life, but none could compare with this combination. Truly life-like.
The DAVE is more than capable to drive the Valkyria, with no obvious signs of strain, compression or distortion. Even with the M-Scaler in the chain taking away roughly 3dB of headroom, I listen to the Valkyria in the -20dB / -10dB range, reaching -7/-6dB on some occasional quiet classical music recording.
In the first stage of my aquaintance with the Valkyria, I tended to like the DAVE direct output even more than the AIC-10, for its immaculate transparency, ease of depth and microdetail rendering, sharper microdynamics transients. Also, the sound became a bit tighter in the mid-bass and bass region, and slightly more open on top.
After a few months of ownership, the sound signature of the Valkyria is now fully sank in my brain, and recently I tried the AIC-10 output again (low gain), and to my surprise, I now like it better than the DAVE. The sound becomes bolder, larger, the whole midrange section acquires some further creaminess and forwardness. Of course this also depends on the tube used (my beloved Mullard being the most characteristic).
The slight loss of the legendary DAVE magic with spatial cues and extreme blackness is - while barely - detectable, and I still go back sometimes to DAVE direct depending on the recording (in some cases too much of a good thing is ... well, too much), but the additional emotional grip and presence from the AIC-10 is rewarding in most cases.
In my 8h yesterday's listening session, the tear-in-my-eyes award went to the album below. You really feel you are the wanderer, and the interplay between the piano and the singer - both being protagonists of the score at the same level - is so apparent and moving.
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Ragnar-BY
1000+ Head-Fier
Thank you. Can’t wait to try AIC10 for myself.
One of the great voices of the XX century, beautifully remastered here.
Dream, sigh, enjoy the saudade of the Fado
Dream, sigh, enjoy the saudade of the Fado
number1sixerfan
Headphoneus Supremus
I cannot afford to look at another headphone at this moment lol, but this sounds eerily similar to my overall impressions of the Shangri-La Sr. against the TC/Sr1a/009/Susvara. It's really hard imagining any of them being outclassed by a significant degree, but the words above really resonate. The Valkyria sounds really interesting, hope to hear them one day.
normie610
Headphoneus Supremus
Now this post makes me want to revisit Valkyria as one of future options
After a forced - long - hiatus due to the pandemic, I finally managed to get back to a regular practice of attending live concerts.
Well, it is striking, almost embarassing, how easy is to get used to recorded and reproduced music so much that you end up almost feeling that real instruments sound strange
Not only the timbre, but also the sound directivity, the blend of various elements in space are way less etched (to varying degrees based on the venue acoustics) compared to typical high end audio chains presentation.
In preparation of and after every concert (classical piano and chamber music for the most part) I listened to the same programs via my system.
I must say the Valkyria passed the reality check surprisingly well, and, to my ears, better than the AB-1266.
The weight of the notes, the body of all acoustic instruments, their harmonics structure is more believable, but the most significant difference is about dynamics, both micro and macro.
Whether it is a furious piano octave passage, a single pluck of a harpsichord or the blare of a trumpet, or the attack of a percussion, the Valkyria comes surprisingly close to the feeling from the live experience. It would take a very, very serious 2 channel rig in a very well treated room to do much better.
As for transparency, this is an odd one, as I (re)discovered that real listening in a concert hall is not that transparent in most cases. It depends on the hall acoustics, your location in the hall, how crowded is the hall etc., but even piano and small ensembles sound relatively fuzzy (like in the case of the picture below, and I was in row 6, less than 10 meters from the musicians), not to mention larger orchestral ensembles.
Again, Valkyria renders the air within the room and the blend between the musicians in a more consistent way than the other headphones I have or had, while being less wowing than the 1266 or SR1a.
Being fed mostly by closely-miked and heavily produced and mastered recordings, we audiophiles are addicted to a sense of hyper-realism that is - while utterly impressive - just ... not real.
I enjoy audiophile recordings although (sometimes because
) they manipulate spatial information and boost the level of detail to the extreme, but an objective drawback of these techniques is that some instruments, e.g. strings, often come out with a bite and a metallic tinge that they don't display in the real world, and at normal listening distance.
This is an off-topic and more general claim, but I tend to believe that - although some labels are doing a great engineering job already - there is still a significant margin of improvement on the recording and production side of things, possibly even more than on the reproduction chain gear, especially for classical.
Well, it is striking, almost embarassing, how easy is to get used to recorded and reproduced music so much that you end up almost feeling that real instruments sound strange
Not only the timbre, but also the sound directivity, the blend of various elements in space are way less etched (to varying degrees based on the venue acoustics) compared to typical high end audio chains presentation.
In preparation of and after every concert (classical piano and chamber music for the most part) I listened to the same programs via my system.
I must say the Valkyria passed the reality check surprisingly well, and, to my ears, better than the AB-1266.
The weight of the notes, the body of all acoustic instruments, their harmonics structure is more believable, but the most significant difference is about dynamics, both micro and macro.
Whether it is a furious piano octave passage, a single pluck of a harpsichord or the blare of a trumpet, or the attack of a percussion, the Valkyria comes surprisingly close to the feeling from the live experience. It would take a very, very serious 2 channel rig in a very well treated room to do much better.
As for transparency, this is an odd one, as I (re)discovered that real listening in a concert hall is not that transparent in most cases. It depends on the hall acoustics, your location in the hall, how crowded is the hall etc., but even piano and small ensembles sound relatively fuzzy (like in the case of the picture below, and I was in row 6, less than 10 meters from the musicians), not to mention larger orchestral ensembles.
Again, Valkyria renders the air within the room and the blend between the musicians in a more consistent way than the other headphones I have or had, while being less wowing than the 1266 or SR1a.
Being fed mostly by closely-miked and heavily produced and mastered recordings, we audiophiles are addicted to a sense of hyper-realism that is - while utterly impressive - just ... not real.
I enjoy audiophile recordings although (sometimes because
) they manipulate spatial information and boost the level of detail to the extreme, but an objective drawback of these techniques is that some instruments, e.g. strings, often come out with a bite and a metallic tinge that they don't display in the real world, and at normal listening distance.This is an off-topic and more general claim, but I tend to believe that - although some labels are doing a great engineering job already - there is still a significant margin of improvement on the recording and production side of things, possibly even more than on the reproduction chain gear, especially for classical.
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best56
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2010
- Posts
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Unfortunately, Dear Simone, people listen fast and move on. In the last few weeks, I've been offered 3 Valkyrias for sale. I've had it for over a week, and I have to say that the best matches have been with the Viva Egoista 2A3 KR Audio and the Goldmund Telos THA2. Even if in the end I preferred the Abyss1266 and the new Raal SR1a, bought new, because the other one, sent to a friend for a listening session, he kept it and bought it. Luckily I saved the Invictus Cables.!!!After a forced - long - hiatus due to the pandemic, I finally managed to get back to a regular practice of attending live concerts.
Well, it is striking, almost embarassing, how easy is to get used to recorded and reproduced music so much that you end up almost feeling that real instruments sound strange
Not only the timbre, but also the sound directivity, the blend of various elements in space are way less etched (to varying degrees based on the venue acoustics) compared to typical high end audio chains presentation.
In preparation of and after every concert (classical piano and chamber music for the most part) I listened to the same programs via my system.
I must say the Valkyria passed the reality check surprisingly well, and, to my ears, better than the AB-1266.
The weight of the notes, the body of all acoustic instruments, their harmonics structure is more believable, but the most significant difference is about dynamics, both micro and macro.
Whether it is a furious piano octave passage, a single pluck of a harpsichord or the blare of a trumpet, or the attack of a percussion, the Valkyria comes surprisingly close to the feeling from the live experience. It would take a very, very serious 2 channel rig in a very well treated room to do much better.
As for transparency, this is an odd one, as I (re)discovered that real listening in a concert hall is not that transparent in most cases. It depends on the hall acoustics, your location in the hall, how crowded is the hall etc., but even piano and small ensembles sound relatively fuzzy (like in the case of the picture below, and I was in row 6, less than 10 meters from the musicians), not to mention larger orchestral ensembles.
Again, Valkyria renders the air within the room and the blend between the musicians in a more consistent way than the other headphones I have or had, while being less wowing than the 1266 or SR1a.
Being fed mostly by closely-miked and heavily produced and mastered recordings, we audiophiles are addicted to a sense of hyper-realism that is - while utterly impressive - just ... not real.
I enjoy audiophile recordings although (sometimes because
This is an off-topic and more general claim, but I tend to believe that - although some labels are doing a great engineering job already - there is still a significant margin of improvement on the recording and production side of things, possibly even more than on the reproduction chain gear, especially for classical.
spotforscott
100+ Head-Fier
Not for myself. I've had the Valkyria for a few months and I now have very little interest in listing to either my Abyss TC or RAAL SRA1. Each to their own but for me, the Valkyria is the most engaging HP I have ever listened to for all of the reasons that Simon has described over these many pages. It is also a great match with the Chord DAVE with no amp. I will actually be selling the TC and RAAL when I get some time to get a listing up.
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