Hello? It doesn't take much to beat them. Not even close to the M300's imo.
^ All of the above and the only positive thing you had to say was dat cat gif???
It's like i don't even know you anymore Masa' WAYNE!!! T_T
^ All of the above and the only positive thing you had to say was dat cat gif???
It's like i don't even know you anymore Masa' WAYNE!!! T_T
Yes. I'm still waiting for my 4x45 SET amp to be built. In the meantime, the Vali is getting me by with the Abyss, HE-500, and Paradox. I can easily afford a $1k (buy used, sell used) in the interim, but I don't see anything I'd rather use at this point. I already have a Mjolnir, but that amp is on speaker duty. Maybe an Eddie Current Super 7 if I can find one for cheap.
I've said it before, but the $500-$1200 range is pretty barren. A lot of craptastic stuff in that bracket.
YMMV. BTW, I thought I should mention this. Get a Bifrost with the digital board upgrade. Anything less and you are using less than 50% of Vali's capability. Modi doesn't cut it. This is huge. I'm using ~$4K DAC+USB/i2s converters with mine.
Depends upon the headphone used. But with the headphones I listed above or with an HD800, a resounding yes. Lyr is notably warm sounding and has better macro-dynamics (bass impact and slam, although Vali is no slouch). Vali is more neutral and reproduces more micro-dynamics and micro-detail than Lyr. Vali is more lively sounding and detailed. Vali wins for me.
50% huh? You're a funny guy! Do you work for Schiit now? Maybe they should start sending you a paycheck!
So how much does the ODAC hold back the Vali? About 55% based on your calculations?
The Modi holds the Vali back a tiny bit and I don't use it so much, but i've heard it. With some music it was really not noticeable at all.
Seriously with the average mid-fi headphone do you actually think people will notice?
I'd have to be nuts to suggest a $400 DAC with a $120 amp and only an HD-600 or Q701.
I really hope a $1600 amp doesn't sound like this. NOTE: I do like the Vali though, but some of these comments are bizarre.
Maybe my sarcasm detection meter is running low.
Right now it's very comparable to my current amp, which cost $250-$300 on sale. Maybe that thing sounds like a $1600 amp too. I actually think it's was better than the O2/Magni/Asgard1/2. Well, I'm just glad I found a Schiit amp that's pretty good.
Someday i'll try this fancy-pants Bifrost with board upgrade. If it's even a 10% improvement over what I have then i'll be surprised.
The ODAC, when it's working properly (with good USB power, which is hit or miss depending upon your laptop or PC) is a very very good DAC. The reason I don't wholeheartedly recommend it is because of its varying performance according to the power quality of USB ports.
I think people with mid-fi cans like the HD-600, HE-400, etc. will definitely notice. I stand by my recommendation of a $400 DAC with this $120 amp. But as you mentioned, recording quality is crucial. Not really worth it if most of what we listen to consists of Japanese anime music soundtracks or odd-ball Pink Floyd dance remixes.
I used to own your current amp - the HR Microamp. It's probably one of the better ones in the HR lineup. The higher-end HR stuff sounds like nasty nasty solid-state. However, my opinion of the Microamp is contrary to that of yours. Its SQ is worth $49 to me. The HR Microamp sounds really closed in and kind of dead and boring. (Honestly, I'd take a CMOY / CHA44 with choice op-amps +/- 12 voltage rails over it. I actually built one years go and dumped the HR Microamp afterward.) I figure this is due to differences in source and recordings. YMMV, FWIW, my 2 cents, IMHO, etc.
When I stated exactly that, a few monts ago, various people ridiculed it (incl TMRaven).
I am using a $350 DAC, the HRT MSTwoPlus, and I know exactly how it compares to the $150 HRT MSTwo. My peception is that I would rather have the $200 spent in the DAC than after the DAC in the chain.
Why? Because once your DAC is missing information, even a $1600 amp and HD-800s cannot put back the missing information. In fact, the quality amp and super-analytical headphones will clearly show you that your DAC is not reproducing what is on the recording.
Let's see - $350 DAC, $120 Vali and $180 MA900s - I would rather have that than $100 DAC and $550 worth of amp & headphones.
Not sure why people hate spending money on DACs. It's like people don't mind pairing $400 headphones to budget $100 dacs but pairing $400 dollar DACs to mid-fi cans is seen as ridiculous? After hearing what good sounding DACs can do for your musical enjoyment it's hard to go back. I have no problem with someone saying Bifrost Uber is the minimum required for me to properly enjoy the Vali.
People are so ready to stretch their budget and spend big money on cans and sometimes amps but dacs get no love. If your source isn't all that great, what's the point of amplifying that source and sending the signal along to a transducer stuck to your ears? You buy amps and headphones to better hear your source basically.
- ninjames
- I get people telling me I say dumb things all day.
Yeah ... finding it hard to take this rec from Purrin seriously after saying anything less than the upgraded Bifrost would be keeping the Vali 50 percent under its potential. It's hyperbole like that which this hobby of our's doesn't need! I'm going to get the Vali, but those impressions are basically worthless after that!
- ninjames
- I get people telling me I say dumb things all day.
I'm not sure if you're trying to honestly explain to me how audio works, but I'm not new to this. My only issue is with "50%" What you have described is not half of the sound, and the difference can not be 50%, unless this is the very first amp to directly influence its DAC to this extent in the history of our hobby. Like I said -- it's hyperbole we don't need, that "50%" It's misleading and that's why the barrier for entry into our hobby can be confusing for many.
- ninjames
- I get people telling me I say dumb things all day.
50%. Seriously.
That's all I'm gonna say now. This argument obviously won't go anywhere at this point so to spare this thread and all of you excited for your Vali, we'll just kill it.
I'm really conflicted with the Vali. I'm getting it for sure ... but I have to buy a gaming PC. And I have a perfectly acceptable setup without the Vali so the PC is more needed ... but it's so pretty and I sol my favorite tube amp last year :[
- MattTCG
- online
- 7,934 Posts. Joined 1/2012
- Location: Middle of the fairway-GA
I will say that Purrin's claims here are suspect IMO with no disrespect intended at all. Vali better than the lyr, mojo...Competes with amps at 10x the cost...
Maybe that the answer is simple. The claims are true for him. He enjoys the dac just as much as he says, which is certainly true. But, does it mean that the vali is better than the lyr, mojo and competes with $1k amps for a majority of others? My guess is not likely.
I'll certainly report my findings this week.
^ I agree completely great advice to yourself.
DAT SCHIIT VALI HYPE!!! Goin' go nutty on this one YMMV.
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^ HYPED OUT OVER AND OUT!!!
^ LMAO i thought you got butt hurt cuz of those MH1Cs and was laying low. haha
Anywho that Vali does seem like the real dealio BUT not sure if my cheapo sources will pair well with them and am sure as hell ain't gonna spend like $400 + on some dac just to milk them to their full potentials. By the tyme i am willing to spend THAT much scratch on a dac there would be a schiit load of newer and BETTER amps around so.... doesn't really add up for me. Nonetheless might try these out regardless but just wanna hear more impressions on how they pair with cheapo dacs and such.
Probably more wise to spend it on some super top secret set of can though..... hmmmmm.
Welp that was fun.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/685162/new-vali-schiit-amp/1395#post_10028497
MH1's are exactly what's wrong with this industry. A product sobadgood it was pulled from phone packaging and sold off by the truckload toliquidatorsprevent it from competing in the free market. Now we getapologists hypinghardcore audiophilesit and telling us everytrying which way to make the damn thing work to its full glory/potential.
Now you have Vali with it's obsolete hard soldered tubes being touted as the next greatest thing.
Follow that up by the awesome arrogance of some wannnabe telling us all we just don't know how to listen properly. How offensive can you get? Good reason none of these Ronald McDonalds don't own hifi shops, folks would walk in and out in less that a minute flat.
