[moosemp]

I tried the Riviera extensively with the Valkyria, and was impressed. I also tried the Viva with a different headphone (Audeze LCD 4), and was NOT impressed. So far, the best paring that I've listened to in my life is Valkyria with the amp pictured above, the Sigfried. Which is not surprising, considered that the Sigfried was designed specifically for the Valkyria. The fact that it can be used as a proper loudspeaker amp is an added bonus, imo.

In fact it was in Munich when I decided to buy Valkyria and in Spirit Torino room it was paired with SIGFRIED. It was about 1 hour short session that was enough to make decision. I was positive Valkyria would play with my AIC10 perfectly and I was right. It would be one of a kind experience to compare AIC and SIG head to head.
I also listened briefly to Zahl amp, too short to give it a justice, but after session VALKYRIA/SIG iI was not impressed very much.
I must say if you want to hear all this headphone stuff you need to go to Munich this year. Not crowdy, nice atmosphere, meeting with engineers and packed with TOTLgear- a place to go especially if you live in Europe. Or you can fly to Warsaw this autumn.

 

[Spawn300Z]

Thanks for sharing. I'm actually considering this amp, Riviera AIC-10, Viva Egoista 845 or the FOTM Zahl HM1. I really wonder if anyone had the opportunity to try all these units recently.
Or dare I say................own them all

I own and love the Riviera AIC-10. I was also fortunate to be on the list for the 2023 run of the Zahl HM-1. Can’t wait to receive it. I figured I would have a great 1-2 combo with the both of these.

 

[paradoxper]

I listened to this amp during show in Munich and was impressed, but these were conditions not optimal to make statements. It costs some 10000E maybe more, so purchase must be based on carefull and long lasting evaluation. Too expensive as hp stand

Was there any discussion or supplied information regarding the topology of this amp?

 

[moosemp]

Was there any discussion or supplied information regarding the topology of this amp?

I do not know but I had a nice and friendly conversation with Mr Ricci and then with ing ZAHL. I am positive you could get info from them. I am not deep into schematics

 

[normie610]

Was there any discussion or supplied information regarding the topology of this amp?

Not sure about the topology, but these pics are from Spirit Torino's website:

 

[paradoxper]

Not sure about the topology, but these pics are from Spirit Torino's website:

Ah. That is actually very interesting. Was not anticipating a hybrid topology.

 

[moosemp]

Ah. That is actually very interesting. Was not anticipating a hybrid topology.

Indeed. It makes SIG a must try again and possible head to head comparison with ZAHL, AIC 10 and ENVY.
And again- this is possible in Munich and what makes it a must is possibility to talk with people who made it and clear most issues otherwise impossible to explain. I have booked hotel already. Would be great if some members of this forum could gather after hours with big glass of beer on Marienplatz
Riviera will be in other hall but others are just side by side. Quiet possible we could be able to listen to preamp and AIC in RIVIERA booth

 

[moosemp]

The weekend has begun for me and listening to Riviera and VALKYRIA makes me think what else can I expect in TOTL . The ONLY contender is ENVY. I can’t afford biggest -most expensive sets like Sennheiser, SHANGRI-ŁA SR ON ANYTHING IN THIS PRICE RANGE so I do not care, but comparison is just interesting_ like supercars …. watches , etc.

 

[normie610]

Ah. That is actually very interesting. Was not anticipating a hybrid topology.

It actually is! (and the plot thickens....)

 

[kwilkins]

Last week I purchased a used Valkyria from a fellow Head-Fi member. It is still early days, but I wanted to share some initial impressions.

Most of my limited audio knowledge has come from reading posts and reviews on Head-Fi. I find it very helpful when a person posting or doing a review provides background on their experience and what gear they have or had. I’ll provide a brief overview of my experience as I think it will help frame how I hear the Valkyria and what I am comparing it with.

I bought my first headphone amp Corda Opera in 2010 and a pair of Grado headphones. I didn’t use them all that much and within a year I moved to a two-channel system. About two years ago I purchased a Sony DMP-Z1 and Focal Utopia. I loved them and was bitten by the headphone bug,,,,,, hard. I jumped down the rabbit whole headfirst and two years later still haven’t come up for air.

I am blessed to have a sizable budget for hobbies, but I work a lot (hence the budget) and wish I had more time for music. The combination of the budget, time constraints, and my nature has resulted in me purchasing a ridiculous amount of gear. I read something about a piece of gear and think “oh, I bet that would sound great” then I buy it. I realize this is not an ideal way to discover what gear I actually like the most because I’m never spending enough time with anything. I do greatly enjoy comparing gear though. I have a couple Oriolus Audio Switcher’s that enable testing multiple headphones/IEM’s with a DAP or multiple DAP’s with one headphone or IEM. When using a desktop system, I will often have two or three full size headphones and switch back and forth listing to them on the same song. I know this is not the best way to test gear but it is something I enjoy doing. However, I’m at a stage where I want to transition from being a gear junkie to diving more into the music and explore genres I’m not familiar with.

My current gear:

Headphones: 1266 TC, Utopia 2022, Meze Elite, Sony MDR-Z1R, Susvara, ZMF Caldera. Valkryia.

IEM’s: Oriolus Traillii, UM Mason FS.

Headphone Cables: Three Danacable Nirvana’s, JPS Labs Superconductor, Eletech Aeneid.

DAP’s: A&K SP3000, Hiby RS8, Sony NW-WM1ZM2, LP6 TI 7th Anniversary.

Desktop: Mola Mola's Tambaqui, DCS full Lina stack, Auris Audio Headonia, Woo Audio WA23 Luna, HeadAmp GS-X MK2, Sony TA-ZH1ES, Zähl HM1 Reference Desktop Headphone Amplifier on order for April delivery.

I like to purchase used gear and find when selling it within a reasonable amount of time the sell price can be very close to the buy price. The list of gear I’ve had and sold is probably a bit larger than the list of gear I currently own.

That background was much longer than I thought it would be, so on to the Valkyria.

I am not an audiophile, perhaps an audiophile in the making, but I don’t have the language or experience to explain things in the way many more experienced people on this thread can. I’ll do my best.

Aesthetics: I care very little about the aesthetics of headphones, they are on my head and I can’t see them. I can understand how some people would think the Valkyria is ugly and some think it is beautiful.

Comfort: This is an area that is almost as important to me as SQ. If a headphone isn’t comfortable, I can’t enjoy it. I loved the sound of the Diana TC but could never find a comfortable fit, so they didn’t work for me. I find the Valkyria very comfortable but with two caveats. The previous owner had a padded leather headband sewn on, I have only worn the Valkyria with this headband and can’t comment on comfort with it in stock form. The second thing is when I move my head the pads make noise as they slightly move on my ears. I’m finding this distracting and wondering if anyone else is experiencing this and if there are other pads I could try that would work better. There is very little clamping force on my ears and so this “looseness” seems to add to the issue. I welcome any advice on this. All in all I find the Valkyria quite comfortable and can wear them for a couple of hours without issue.

Price/Value: My view on price/value is it is completely subjective. If you can’t afford something or think it is overpriced, then that is what you believe. If you can afford something and think it is worth it, then you are right for you.

Sound Quality: This is where my level of experience is going to somewhat limit my ability to describe the sound of the Valkyria. I can’t explain the technical aspects of the sound but will attempt to convey the experience. I try not to gush too much about gear, but boy oh boy, the Valkyria is amazing and unlike any headphone I have tried.

Prior to hearing the Valkyria I thought the 1266 TC was the most different from all the other headphones, not necessarily better, but different. The physical design of the 1266 and the openness of the earpads creates bass and a soundstage that is noticeably different from the other TOTL headphones. The difference (and this case I do mean better) between the Valkyria and all other headphones (including the 1266) is profound to me.

When listing to other headphones I will often be paying attention to a particular part of the song “wow that base is so tight and amazing” – “boy this headphone has remarkable detail in the treble” – “listen to that separation of instruments” – “holy cow the sound stage just got so wide” etc.

With the Valkyria, I am immediately sucked into the music, the song, the singer, the instruments,,,, holistically. I’ll start listing to a song and within seconds I close my eyes and experience the music, the sound is so cohesive, with most songs there is no single thing that is grabbing my attention and causing me to “think” something about it. I simply and quickly find myself “in” the music. The Valkyria causes me to “experience” the music instead of “think” about the headphone. However, there are two areas where the Valkyria does grab my attention (both have been mentioned in this thread) the piano and especially the vocals.

Regarding vocals, there are some songs where I feel like the singer is in the room having a conversation with me or singing in front of me and to me. On some live songs the singer will talk a bit before beginning to sing, it sounds like they are right with me and talking to me. Last night I listened to the Counting Crows August and Everything After. I have a personal and emotional attachment to this album and couldn’t even guess at how many times I have heard it. Last night I “experienced” that album in a brand-new way and it was incredible. It was as if Adam Duritz said “hey, how about we come by and play this album, just for you” and then stood in front of me and sang to me.

I wrote that I try not to gush, I think I failed at that. If someone said I could only ever listen to one headphone again I wouldn’t have to think about it for one second, to me the Valkyria stands apart from all the rest.

This post ended up far longer than I intended. If someone said “You have 3 seconds, tell me what it is like to listen to music through the Valkyria”

“I’m there, it is real.”

 

[jeffhawke]

The weekend has begun for me and listening to Riviera and VALKYRIA makes me think what else can I expect in TOTL . The ONLY contender is ENVY. I can’t afford biggest -most expensive sets like Sennheiser, SHANGRI-ŁA SR ON ANYTHING IN THIS PRICE RANGE so I do not care, but comparison is just interesting_ like supercars …. watches , etc.

Not sure it's just a matter of being able to afford it, but rather of being worth it. I had a good listening session with the HE-1 and frankly, I was underwhelmed. For me, Valkyria/Riviera beats it hands down, in every aspect. Can't say about the Shangri-La though, never listened to.

 

[jeffhawke]

Last week I purchased a used Valkyria from a fellow Head-Fi member. It is still early days, but I wanted to share some initial impressions.

Most of my limited audio knowledge has come from reading posts and reviews on Head-Fi. I find it very helpful when a person posting or doing a review provides background on their experience and what gear they have or had. I’ll provide a brief overview of my experience as I think it will help frame how I hear the Valkyria and what I am comparing it with.

I bought my first headphone amp Corda Opera in 2010 and a pair of Grado headphones. I didn’t use them all that much and within a year I moved to a two-channel system. About two years ago I purchased a Sony DMP-Z1 and Focal Utopia. I loved them and was bitten by the headphone bug,,,,,, hard. I jumped down the rabbit whole headfirst and two years later still haven’t come up for air.

I am blessed to have a sizable budget for hobbies, but I work a lot (hence the budget) and wish I had more time for music. The combination of the budget, time constraints, and my nature has resulted in me purchasing a ridiculous amount of gear. I read something about a piece of gear and think “oh, I bet that would sound great” then I buy it. I realize this is not an ideal way to discover what gear I actually like the most because I’m never spending enough time with anything. I do greatly enjoy comparing gear though. I have a couple Oriolus Audio Switcher’s that enable testing multiple headphones/IEM’s with a DAP or multiple DAP’s with one headphone or IEM. When using a desktop system, I will often have two or three full size headphones and switch back and forth listing to them on the same song. I know this is not the best way to test gear but it is something I enjoy doing. However, I’m at a stage where I want to transition from being a gear junkie to diving more into the music and explore genres I’m not familiar with.

My current gear:

Headphones: 1266 TC, Utopia 2022, Meze Elite, Sony MDR-Z1R, Susvara, ZMF Caldera. Valkryia.

IEM’s: Oriolus Traillii, UM Mason FS.

Headphone Cables: Three Danacable Nirvana’s, JPS Labs Superconductor, Eletech Aeneid.

DAP’s: A&K SP3000, Hiby RS8, Sony NW-WM1ZM2, LP6 TI 7th Anniversary.

Desktop: Mola Mola's Tambaqui, DCS full Lina stack, Auris Audio Headonia, Woo Audio WA23 Luna, HeadAmp GS-X MK2, Sony TA-ZH1ES, Zähl HM1 Reference Desktop Headphone Amplifier on order for April delivery.

I like to purchase used gear and find when selling it within a reasonable amount of time the sell price can be very close to the buy price. The list of gear I’ve had and sold is probably a bit larger than the list of gear I currently own.

That background was much longer than I thought it would be, so on to the Valkyria.

I am not an audiophile, perhaps an audiophile in the making, but I don’t have the language or experience to explain things in the way many more experienced people on this thread can. I’ll do my best.

Aesthetics: I care very little about the aesthetics of headphones, they are on my head and I can’t see them. I can understand how some people would think the Valkyria is ugly and some think it is beautiful.

Comfort: This is an area that is almost as important to me as SQ. If a headphone isn’t comfortable, I can’t enjoy it. I loved the sound of the Diana TC but could never find a comfortable fit, so they didn’t work for me. I find the Valkyria very comfortable but with two caveats. The previous owner had a padded leather headband sewn on, I have only worn the Valkyria with this headband and can’t comment on comfort with it in stock form. The second thing is when I move my head the pads make noise as they slightly move on my ears. I’m finding this distracting and wondering if anyone else is experiencing this and if there are other pads I could try that would work better. There is very little clamping force on my ears and so this “looseness” seems to add to the issue. I welcome any advice on this. All in all I find the Valkyria quite comfortable and can wear them for a couple of hours without issue.

Price/Value: My view on price/value is it is completely subjective. If you can’t afford something or think it is overpriced, then that is what you believe. If you can afford something and think it is worth it, then you are right for you.

Sound Quality: This is where my level of experience is going to somewhat limit my ability to describe the sound of the Valkyria. I can’t explain the technical aspects of the sound but will attempt to convey the experience. I try not to gush too much about gear, but boy oh boy, the Valkyria is amazing and unlike any headphone I have tried.

Prior to hearing the Valkyria I thought the 1266 TC was the most different from all the other headphones, not necessarily better, but different. The physical design of the 1266 and the openness of the earpads creates bass and a soundstage that is noticeably different from the other TOTL headphones. The difference (and this case I do mean better) between the Valkyria and all other headphones (including the 1266) is profound to me.

When listing to other headphones I will often be paying attention to a particular part of the song “wow that base is so tight and amazing” – “boy this headphone has remarkable detail in the treble” – “listen to that separation of instruments” – “holy cow the sound stage just got so wide” etc.

With the Valkyria, I am immediately sucked into the music, the song, the singer, the instruments,,,, holistically. I’ll start listing to a song and within seconds I close my eyes and experience the music, the sound is so cohesive, with most songs there is no single thing that is grabbing my attention and causing me to “think” something about it. I simply and quickly find myself “in” the music. The Valkyria causes me to “experience” the music instead of “think” about the headphone. However, there are two areas where the Valkyria does grab my attention (both have been mentioned in this thread) the piano and especially the vocals.

Regarding vocals, there are some songs where I feel like the singer is in the room having a conversation with me or singing in front of me and to me. On some live songs the singer will talk a bit before beginning to sing, it sounds like they are right with me and talking to me. Last night I listened to the Counting Crows August and Everything After. I have a personal and emotional attachment to this album and couldn’t even guess at how many times I have heard it. Last night I “experienced” that album in a brand-new way and it was incredible. It was as if Adam Duritz said “hey, how about we come by and play this album, just for you” and then stood in front of me and sang to me.

I wrote that I try not to gush, I think I failed at that. If someone said I could only ever listen to one headphone again I wouldn’t have to think about it for one second, to me the Valkyria stands apart from all the rest.

This post ended up far longer than I intended. If someone said “You have 3 seconds, tell me what it is like to listen to music through the Valkyria”

“I’m there, it is real.”

Your last line sums it up in the most meaningful and truthful way, and I have direct proof of this: I had invited two friends, husband and wife, for tea. He is a German music producer and owns his own studio, and the wife shares the passion for music. They're no spring chickens, and neither am I, so our memories in terms of music go way back. I offered them to try on my Valkyria, first to the guy. When his wife's turn came, I knew from our previous conversation that she loves Genesis, as I do, and she selected a live concert, the Lamb Lies Down On Broadway Tour of 1974. A few minutes, and tears started flowing down her cheeks. When I asked her, after she finished listening to the songs, she said: "You know, I was there in person, in 1974. As soon as I closed my eyes, I was transported back in time by the music, and it felt as I was there physically, again" Like you wrote "I'm there, it is real".
P.S.: You can easily adjust the clamp force of the headband by twisting it in a certain way. If you email Andrea at Spirit he will send you a short video that explains how, It's really super simple.

 

[moosemp]

Last week I purchased a used Valkyria from a fellow Head-Fi member. It is still early days, but I wanted to share some initial impressions.

Most of my limited audio knowledge has come from reading posts and reviews on Head-Fi. I find it very helpful when a person posting or doing a review provides background on their experience and what gear they have or had. I’ll provide a brief overview of my experience as I think it will help frame how I hear the Valkyria and what I am comparing it with.

I bought my first headphone amp Corda Opera in 2010 and a pair of Grado headphones. I didn’t use them all that much and within a year I moved to a two-channel system. About two years ago I purchased a Sony DMP-Z1 and Focal Utopia. I loved them and was bitten by the headphone bug,,,,,, hard. I jumped down the rabbit whole headfirst and two years later still haven’t come up for air.

I am blessed to have a sizable budget for hobbies, but I work a lot (hence the budget) and wish I had more time for music. The combination of the budget, time constraints, and my nature has resulted in me purchasing a ridiculous amount of gear. I read something about a piece of gear and think “oh, I bet that would sound great” then I buy it. I realize this is not an ideal way to discover what gear I actually like the most because I’m never spending enough time with anything. I do greatly enjoy comparing gear though. I have a couple Oriolus Audio Switcher’s that enable testing multiple headphones/IEM’s with a DAP or multiple DAP’s with one headphone or IEM. When using a desktop system, I will often have two or three full size headphones and switch back and forth listing to them on the same song. I know this is not the best way to test gear but it is something I enjoy doing. However, I’m at a stage where I want to transition from being a gear junkie to diving more into the music and explore genres I’m not familiar with.

My current gear:

Headphones: 1266 TC, Utopia 2022, Meze Elite, Sony MDR-Z1R, Susvara, ZMF Caldera. Valkryia.

IEM’s: Oriolus Traillii, UM Mason FS.

Headphone Cables: Three Danacable Nirvana’s, JPS Labs Superconductor, Eletech Aeneid.

DAP’s: A&K SP3000, Hiby RS8, Sony NW-WM1ZM2, LP6 TI 7th Anniversary.

Desktop: Mola Mola's Tambaqui, DCS full Lina stack, Auris Audio Headonia, Woo Audio WA23 Luna, HeadAmp GS-X MK2, Sony TA-ZH1ES, Zähl HM1 Reference Desktop Headphone Amplifier on order for April delivery.

I like to purchase used gear and find when selling it within a reasonable amount of time the sell price can be very close to the buy price. The list of gear I’ve had and sold is probably a bit larger than the list of gear I currently own.

That background was much longer than I thought it would be, so on to the Valkyria.

I am not an audiophile, perhaps an audiophile in the making, but I don’t have the language or experience to explain things in the way many more experienced people on this thread can. I’ll do my best.

Aesthetics: I care very little about the aesthetics of headphones, they are on my head and I can’t see them. I can understand how some people would think the Valkyria is ugly and some think it is beautiful.

Comfort: This is an area that is almost as important to me as SQ. If a headphone isn’t comfortable, I can’t enjoy it. I loved the sound of the Diana TC but could never find a comfortable fit, so they didn’t work for me. I find the Valkyria very comfortable but with two caveats. The previous owner had a padded leather headband sewn on, I have only worn the Valkyria with this headband and can’t comment on comfort with it in stock form. The second thing is when I move my head the pads make noise as they slightly move on my ears. I’m finding this distracting and wondering if anyone else is experiencing this and if there are other pads I could try that would work better. There is very little clamping force on my ears and so this “looseness” seems to add to the issue. I welcome any advice on this. All in all I find the Valkyria quite comfortable and can wear them for a couple of hours without issue.

Price/Value: My view on price/value is it is completely subjective. If you can’t afford something or think it is overpriced, then that is what you believe. If you can afford something and think it is worth it, then you are right for you.

Sound Quality: This is where my level of experience is going to somewhat limit my ability to describe the sound of the Valkyria. I can’t explain the technical aspects of the sound but will attempt to convey the experience. I try not to gush too much about gear, but boy oh boy, the Valkyria is amazing and unlike any headphone I have tried.

Prior to hearing the Valkyria I thought the 1266 TC was the most different from all the other headphones, not necessarily better, but different. The physical design of the 1266 and the openness of the earpads creates bass and a soundstage that is noticeably different from the other TOTL headphones. The difference (and this case I do mean better) between the Valkyria and all other headphones (including the 1266) is profound to me.

When listing to other headphones I will often be paying attention to a particular part of the song “wow that base is so tight and amazing” – “boy this headphone has remarkable detail in the treble” – “listen to that separation of instruments” – “holy cow the sound stage just got so wide” etc.

With the Valkyria, I am immediately sucked into the music, the song, the singer, the instruments,,,, holistically. I’ll start listing to a song and within seconds I close my eyes and experience the music, the sound is so cohesive, with most songs there is no single thing that is grabbing my attention and causing me to “think” something about it. I simply and quickly find myself “in” the music. The Valkyria causes me to “experience” the music instead of “think” about the headphone. However, there are two areas where the Valkyria does grab my attention (both have been mentioned in this thread) the piano and especially the vocals.

Regarding vocals, there are some songs where I feel like the singer is in the room having a conversation with me or singing in front of me and to me. On some live songs the singer will talk a bit before beginning to sing, it sounds like they are right with me and talking to me. Last night I listened to the Counting Crows August and Everything After. I have a personal and emotional attachment to this album and couldn’t even guess at how many times I have heard it. Last night I “experienced” that album in a brand-new way and it was incredible. It was as if Adam Duritz said “hey, how about we come by and play this album, just for you” and then stood in front of me and sang to me.

I wrote that I try not to gush, I think I failed at that. If someone said I could only ever listen to one headphone again I wouldn’t have to think about it for one second, to me the Valkyria stands apart from all the rest.

This post ended up far longer than I intended. If someone said “You have 3 seconds, tell me what it is like to listen to music through the Valkyria”

“I’m there, it is real.”

Congratulations I do hope you will have years of fantastic experience with Valkyria.
I was lucky enough to read opinions of very well respected head-fiers on this forum and also listened to V in person. It is important I had Opportunity to talk with people from Spirit Torino and got to know their point of perceiving and reproducing music.
You have a lot of stuff, to some extent like me, but it is your own experience that matters, and you have a lot of possibilities to mess around with. I do not see anything bad in collecting gear if it makes you happy, I do The same within obvious budget constrains.
By The way- on Saturday I will meet really nice person and his wife who will bring his new hp amp to me. We will certainly have great time. THIS IS WHAT OUR HOBBY IS ALL ABOUT
ENJOY

 

[moosemp]

Not sure it's just a matter of being able to afford it, but rather of being worth it. I had a good listening session with the HE-1 and frankly, I was underwhelmed. For me, Valkyria/Riviera beats it hands down, in every aspect. Can't say about the Shangri-La though, never listened to.

I have never seen DAVIS or Jarrett, or Ella and Louis and many more , and I thought I never will, but now they used to come to me, playing and singing. I can almost touch them.
this is profound, almost transcendent feeling

 

[nrbatista]

Technical question- which stand do you use for your Valkyrias?

For Pulsar, I’m using this one, a pre production model from Spirit Torino.