[Nicklikesmusic]

Does anyone notice that after a few hours of listening (when the Valhalla 2 gets so hot you can barely touch the volume knob) that it sounds even better, sparkly treble with a beautiful warm open soundstage that never fatigues the listener (even with HD800)? Maybe it's my head fooling me but I don't think 40min to 1 hour is enough of a warmup time to get the amp to it's best. Look forward to other people's comments so I know if I'm fooling myself or not....

 

[vocalstrance]

I agree the V2 needs to be fully warmed up to hear it at it's best. Beat is just something that comes with having tube amps though. My other tube amps take over an hour as well to sound their best.

 

[Anavel0]

Yep, that's how all tube amps are. The tubes run best after they have, literally, warmed up.

If you feel the Valhalla is getting too warm you might want to get some socket savers. They're really meant to protect tube sockets on devices that have tubes changes frequently. But for the Valhalla they just raise the tubes up about an inch. Which lets their heat not affect the chassis as much.

 

[vocalstrance]

Socket savers do help reduce the heat of the chasis, but I had purchase cheap ones and they added unwanted noise to the system. If your gonna go this route, buy quality.

 

[Nicklikesmusic]

   
Hi ModestMeowth,
 
First, I would like to encourage you to try it with your HD800, before listening to me or any other people who have moved on.  
 
I also want to confess that I have a bias against using tube gear, because I immediately fall into wondering whether it would sound better if I were to try these tubes or those tubes, instead of just accepting the amp with its stock tubes. I tend to get obsessive with such things, as evidenced by the many hours I've spent rolling op-amps in my iBasso PB2 portable amp. 
 
But getting back to the sound of the Valhalla 2, in the context of my personal tastes, I appreciated it for its neutrality, its resolution, and most significantly, for how it exhibits none of the edginess one normally hears with most solid state amps driving the HD800.  But, as I mentioned earlier, I was surprised at how laid back the Valhalla 2 sounds - as if you are seated well back from the stage, instead of front and center.  The sound stage is huge with the Valhalla 2 > HD800, greater than I'm accustomed, from years of listening to the LCD-2 on solid state amps, especially.  In time, I could have adapted, I'm sure. Along with the distant seating, however, came a lack of dynamics - a lack of punch or slam.  In truth, and I say this with almost a forced humility, that laid back, big soundstage, reduced dynamics sound of the Valhalla 2 (relative to my OPPO HA-1, for example) translates to a more natural and realistic sound than I'm used to hearing.  In other words, I'm admitting that I'm probably conditioned to enjoy a level of dynamics and closeness that is quite unnatural - but its what I like!  
 
Again, I'll say, in time, I could have adapted, but I'm on a (ridiculous) quest to push my HD800 in the direction of sounding like the LCD-2.  I know I'll never get there, but the Valhalla 2 was a move in the wrong direction for what I'm trying to achieve - except that it had none of the harsh treble that the HD800 is so effective at revealing in my solid state amps.
 
In short, I think the Valhalla 2 is a great amp for the HD800, but I'm trying to feed the HD800 with a signal that will allow it to retain its many strengths, while also acquiring some attributes of the LCD-2 (as defined by my tastes).
 
Mike

I know a lot of people read these posts to make a purchasing decision (as I once did) so I thought I would chime in with my own opinion. I own the Valhalla 2 and use a Rega Apollo CD player and the HD800. I don't think you can blame the Valhalla 2 100% for the 'sitting well back in the stage' soundstage as described above. The soundstage is extremely source dependant and the HD800 will magnify these changes. If I use a source such as this mac laptop (analogue out) I am writing upon or the Sony Z series walkman then I agree with the above comment and it is a sound that appears too distant and lacks body, dynamics and cohesiveness. If I use the Rega Apollo CD player then the front stage appears closer yet contains so many  more layers of  information which work cohesively together and it feels more real. My possibly flawed opinion is that there are some sources whose DAC's have a built in 'widescreen effect' to make them sound more open and attractive to purchasers as the different soundstage is so easily noticed. i.e. Apple iPods , new Z Series onwards Sony Walkman's. The only issue is that these sources can be 'spread too thinly' when the HD800 is involved. End of the day I guess I am trying to say that by changing the source can change everything about the system and to new owners please do not think that the Valhalla 2 exhibits these characteristics with all sources This is just my personal opinion and I agree with zilch0md on all other matters i.e.lack of harshness etc.

 

[wwmhf]

I tried AKG Q701 and K7XX on my Valhalla 2. I do not like them on this amp as much as Sennheiser HD650, the difference is quite obvious. Valhalla is supposed to work with high impedance phones better. 
 
Quote:

  Has anyone ever tried the Valhalla 2 with any of the Grados, AKGs or Hifimans? Are they any good with them. Curious as to what the bass performance on these headphones sound like, compared with the Asgard 2 or the Lyr 2? Any subjective thoughts on these headphones with the Valhalla 2?

 

[JustinBieber]

Hey guys. I'm having a strange issue with my Valhalla. It seems that when I change the gain from low to high the left channel becomes louder than the right. I'm playing some sine tones and there seems to be a obvious volume difference, and it's not from the potentiometer imbalance (lowered source and cranked the amp up).
 
Has anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions? I'm going to change the tubes after it cools down, hopefully that works.
 
 
EDIT: It looks like swapping the power tubes to the other socket makes the right channel louder than left, guess I need new tubes. Kind of perplexing how it only happens with high gain though.  

 

[Asr]

I recently bought a used unit here on Head-Fi and have it paired up with the Bifrost 4490, driving a Senn HD600, Beyer DT990-600, and Audio-Technica R70x.
 
Now I haven't really done a comparison to any other amps yet (well, not that I really have a comparable amp anyway, since the only other amps I have right now are a Gilmore Lite and Project Solstice), but all of those headphones are sounding pretty dang amazing on the Valhalla 2. Especially the HD600—holy crap does the HD600 sound amazing! I last had an HD600 several years ago, so I don't remember much from my last experience, but the HD600 on the Valhalla 2 (and Bifrost 4490) is just supremely fantastic—it's surreally vivid-sounding with the most beautiful tone I've heard since—well, the Grado HP1000 probably, which I last had a few years ago.
 
I got the HD600 pretty much just to compare it to the R70x (and the two headphones do sound quite similar btw, which I'd wanted to confirm for myself) and wasn't really planning on keeping it long-term, but this setup has me re-thinking those plans....

 

[Nalor]

Well as you found, the Valhalla 2 pairs well with high impedance headphones. I've listened every so often to my HD600's on the Valhalla 2.  Like many tubes amps, and makes those type of headphones shine.  

 

[OG10]

Got this for my soon to arrive HD800
 
Been listening to my HD600.. wow.
I love it!!
 
Have any of tube rolled that add / change anything about the sound output?
 
What are the weird ring things that people use around the tubes?

 

[Anavel0]

The rings are to help with tube interference or micro harmonics. I personally haven't noticed any need for them in the Valhalla 2. I can't say much for input tube rolling. I did have a spare set of 6N6P-IR output tubes; but they made little difference.

 

[EinZweiDrei]

Do you guys use low or high gain for 300ohms senns and 600ohmn beyers?

 

[OG10]

Er.. guys I have a constant hiss gentle crackling sound now in the background. Its barely audible but its there..
 
Is this to be expected of tube amps ?

 

[vocalstrance]

Is it in both channels, or just one? If it is just one, it is most likely a tube and you can switch the left and right channel tubes to verify. If it is both, then I don't know.

 

[Billheiser]

Do you guys use low or high gain for 300ohms senns and 600ohmn beyers?

Definitely, high gain.