[MattTCG]

  Ugh, wish I could get them. I'm about flat out broke since I just got the Val 2 and HD800. 
 
The stock tubes actually aren't bad at all. I have some $80 a pair Matsush1ta (1 = i, spam filter thinks I'm cursing) E88CCs with Mullard tooling and rolled them. Soundstage is huge on these but with the HD800 everything seemed way too distant. I actually somewhat prefer the stock tubes to them since it has a more in your face sound. 

 
Glad to see that you ended up with the hd800. Hopefully I played some small part in that decision. 

 

[mightygabriel]

I was wondering how bright the tubes of the Valhalla 2 should shine. 

One of my smaller tubes is quite bright, the right kind of bright though - not the plate-bending gas-leaking kind of bright. The other one is a bit dimmer, I thought that might be due to manufacturing, not sure though, I'm new to this biz. 
Now for the big ones - They're even dimmer than the small one. Should that be the case? As far as I can see they're socketed correctly. Just wondering if I'm getting the sound I paid for or if something's wrong here - never had a headphone amp before. 

Any help would be appreciated, thank you! 
(I can provide pictures if necessary)
 

 

[Rem0o]

  I was wondering how bright the tubes of the Valhalla 2 should shine. 

One of my smaller tubes is quite bright, the right kind of bright though - not the plate-bending gas-leaking kind of bright. The other one is a bit dimmer, I thought that might be due to manufacturing, not sure though, I'm new to this biz. 
Now for the big ones - They're even dimmer than the small one. Should that be the case? As far as I can see they're socketed correctly. Just wondering if I'm getting the sound I paid for or if something's wrong here - never had a headphone amp before. 

Any help would be appreciated, thank you! 
(I can provide pictures if necessary)
 

Had 1 (very) bright tube at some point, it started making noise real quick after I got it (6n1p).  Just watch that tube, and if you start having noise in that channel, you know the culprit. The rest of your tubes seem fine. A slight variation in light intensity is normal. In my experience, all 6n6p in Valhalla are dimmer than the 6n1p.

Hope that helps.

 

[JustinBieber]

   
Glad to see that you ended up with the hd800. Hopefully I played some small part in that decision. 

You certainly played quite a big role in my decision. The HD800s are something you need to spend a lot of time with to appreciate IMO. A couple of short term listening sessions at meetups gave me the wrong impression of them.
 

  Had 1 (very) bright tube at some point, it started making noise real quick after I got it (6n1p).  Just watch that tube, and if you start having noise in that channel, you know the culprit. The rest of your tubes seem fine. A slight variation in light intensity is normal. In my experience, all 6n6p in Valhalla are dimmer than the 6n1p.

Hope that helps.

My 6N6Ps are actually brighter than the 6N1Ps and my E88CCs, doesn't really matter though. All tubes I've had are slightly darker/brighter. 
 
Anyway, my impressions so far on Valhalla 2 are pretty dang positive. As expected, great with the HD800, and surprisingly with high gain the HE560 actually gets very loud when playing high dynamic range tracks (15-17+ on the DR index scale). However, bass is a bit muddy/distorted when you push it hard, it's definitely not bad though - and if Valhalla could do this with HE560 I imagine HE400/400i/more efficient planars would be fine.
 
Will have some more detailed info up by Sunday/Monday, hopefully. 
 
Pics: 
 

 
 

 

[JustinBieber]

Here are my mini Valhalla 2 impressions. This amp really deserves this. I was expecting more info/reviews on it. Connected via Foobar2000 > AMB y2 > Valhalla 2 > Sennheiser HD800 and Hifiman HE560 preorder.
 
Build:
I don't even need to go over this. We all know Schiit has stellar build quality. 
 
Noise, gain, potentiometer:
 
There is no noise on low gain, with high gain I hear a very faint hum/buzz at 3 o' clock to the very end of the potentiometer. I always use low gain for the HD800 to avoid interference and they're efficient enough to work fine with more headroom to spare on low. 
 
No channel imbalance with both the HD800 and HE560 either. Some of their cheaper amps like Magni have quite a bit of channel imbalance at low volumes. 
 
Tube comparisons:
 
The stock Russian tubes actually aren't bad at all, they appear to be Novosibrisk 6N6Ps and Voskhod 6N1Ps.
 
I rolled in Matsush1ta E88CCs w/ Mullard tooling (about $80 a pair) and actually somewhat preferred the standard tubes, which are dirt cheap too. Why? The soundstage is just too damn big on the Matsush1tas, everything sounded distant. The Matsush1ta tubes would work best with Grados or something with a forward/up close soundstage IMO. The HD800 already has a large soundstage and doesn't really need the extra boost.
 
Sound w/ HD800:
 
And just to be fair I did my impressions with the stock tubes.
 
The HD800 pairs well in standard form. Just a tiny bit of treble emphasis/glare is removed and there is a bit more “meat” to the mids which really helps balance the HD800 out. 
 
Schiit says, “If you’re expecting syrupy, tubby, euphonically colored tube sound, you’re in for a shock.” on Valhalla 2's description. I agree with them, and I felt the same way with the original Valhalla. Both are not heavily colored amps, and you're not going to achieve the stereotypical ”tube sound” with them. That may be a pro/con based on preferences.
 
Compared to my Emotiva Mini X speaker amp (which was certainly not optimal for the HD800) due to noise, high gain, and little volume control, Valhalla 2 has a notably larger soundstage, especially with the Matsushi1a tubes. I level matched both amplifiers with an SPL meter and switched back and forth. The main difference that popped out was the soundstage size. It wasn't very subtle either.
 
 
Sound w/ HE560:
 
Again, I used the stock tubes to be fair.
 
With the HE560, they actually get very loud on high gain, even with huge dynamic range tracks (17+ on the DR index scale) and there is still room to spare on the volume knob. Although it gets loud enough, it's lacking mainly in the bass.
 
When pushed hard, the bass is audibly distorted/muddy. Not only that, but sub bass has less weight and it just sounds sloppy in general. Other than that, it isn't too bad with the treble, mids, and everything else compared to my Mini X. So, if the Valhalla 2 could get that loud and do fairly decent with the HE560 I imagine that efficient planars like HE-400 should do fine like Schiit says in their FAQ.
 
 

 

[noahcombs]

I am very close to taking the plunge and purchasing the Valhalla 2. I see that there is plenty of talk on here of the pairing with the HD800. I on the other hand have the HD600 and am very interested in whether or not the Valhalla 2 is the right choice for me now. I was pretty close to the purchase, but now I am second guessing. (I also have a pair of SE535 IEMs)

 

[JustinBieber]

  I am very close to taking the plunge and purchasing the Valhalla 2. I see that there is plenty of talk on here of the pairing with the HD800. I on the other hand have the HD600 and am very interested in whether or not the Valhalla 2 is the right choice for me now. I was pretty close to the purchase, but now I am second guessing. (I also have a pair of SE535 IEMs)

I used to have HD600 + the original Valhalla. They were an excellent match IMO. I don't think you'll be disappointed, and in the rare case you dislike it, Schiit does no questions asked returns for a small fee. 

 

[noahcombs]

  I used to have HD600 + the original Valhalla. They were an excellent match IMO. I don't think you'll be disappointed, and in the rare case you dislike it, Schiit does no questions asked returns for a small fee. 

I'm not a person who ever returns anything. That is why I want to be so sure. I appreciate the reply. I am pretty sure I'll do it now. But just for more info, will my Dragonfly v1.2 be a sufficient DAC to pair with it? Or should I shell out a little extra and get one by Schiit to go with it?

 

[JustinBieber]

  I'm not a person who ever returns anything. That is why I want to be so sure. I appreciate the reply. I am pretty sure I'll do it now. But just for more info, will my Dragonfly v1.2 be a sufficient DAC to pair with it? Or should I shell out a little extra and get one by Schiit to go with it?

Should be good enough. I had mine setup with Modi which is somewhat in the same league.
 
DACs don't make a huge sound difference IMO (it's there, but subtle), especially with midrange headphones. I personally had a hard time telling the difference between Gamma 2 and the Burson Conductor SL's Ti 1793 and Sabre 9018 using the HD600.

 

[noahcombs]

  Should be good enough. I had mine setup with Modi which is somewhat in the same league.
 
DACs don't make a huge sound difference IMO (it's there, but subtle), especially with midrange headphones. I personally had a hard time telling the difference between Gamma 2 and the Burson Soloist SLs Ti 1793 and Sabre 9018 using the HD600.

Thanks again. You just saved me some money for sure. Now I can't wait to get it! Gonna order this weekend most likely.

 

[Billheiser]

I am very close to taking the plunge and purchasing the Valhalla 2. I see that there is plenty of talk on here of the pairing with the HD800. I on the other hand have the HD600 and am very interested in whether or not the Valhalla 2 is the right choice for me now. I was pretty close to the purchase, but now I am second guessing. (I also have a pair of SE535 IEMs)

The hd600 and the Valhalla 2 are a well known synergistic combination. In other words, a match made in heaven.

 

[MattTCG]

The hd600 and the Valhalla 2 are a well known synergistic combination. In other words, a match made in heaven.

 
+1 and the same sort of synergy with the 650 as well. 

 

[bigpook]

Hello all, hope this is an ok place to post this.
I have had the Valhalla 2 for a few weeks now and am enjoying the sound. Very nice experience.
 
I would like to know how the amplifier works. Explain it like I am 5 years old : )
There are 4 tubes, what are they doing? Why does the Lyr only have 2?
 
The device runs very hot but from what I read that is normal for a tube amp. 
Is the Valhalla 2 a real tube amp? May be a stupid question...but
 
I have a Bravo Ocean which has only one tube. This device sounds pretty good too, but not as nice as the Schiit.
I noticed the tubes get very hot on the Valhalla but do not on the Bravo. I am thinking they are being used in a different way. Not sure.
 
Thanks for the help!

 

[MattTCG]

The Val is a full OTL amp whereas the Lyr 2 is a hybrid...hence the difference in the tubes. Just take a look at the description page as well as the FAQ and you you'll likely find all your answers.
 
http://schiit.com/products/valhalla-2

 

[lljayll]

I have no idea why this amp isn't talked about more. Schiit did an amazing job with this thing. Better than the bottlehead crack with speedball in my opinion. It also costs less. I just got it and so far it is better than expected.