[bcowen]

OMG. YES WE ARE!!!! Geez -- why don't you and Frankie just get a room already!!

So...I'm guessing you didn't like the shorted-out GE's I sent you for Christmas? Please try to remember it's the thought that counts.

 

[Ripper2860]

Those were shorted out tubes? I was wondering why every time I plugged them into the Christmas lights the strand quit lighting up.

 

[G0rt]

So...I'm guessing you didn't like the shorted-out GE's I sent you for Christmas? Please try to remember it's the thought that counts.

GE's sound better shorted, yes?

 

[bcowen]

Those were shorted out tubes? I was wondering why every time I plugged them into the Christmas lights the strand quit lighting up.

If it helps any, I've found almost no discernable sonic difference between a GE with a dead short and one without. Your amp may balk at a shorted one, but it won't sound any worse.

 

[bcowen]

GE's sound better shorted, yes?

I've heard reports that silence sounds better than a GE, so in effect, yes.

 

[G0rt]

I've heard reports that silence sounds better than a GE, so in effect, yes.

Good to know my investment in shorted GE's is well placed.

 

[bibbs]

Adaptor arrived, plugged the Brimar in and i must say its nice. ok so not a giant leap forward in sound Q but its smooth, open but a bit woolly in the bass. gone is the shrill top end which works very well with the beyers. suits vinyl very well.

my only gripe is there is not enough wallop even at max volume, in fact the Vali and the Mani are both maxed out using the denon 301mk2.

 

[bcowen]

Adaptor arrived, plugged the Brimar in and i must say its nice. ok so not a giant leap forward in sound Q but its smooth, open but a bit woolly in the bass. gone is the shrill top end which works very well with the beyers. suits vinyl very well.

my only gripe is there is not enough wallop even at max volume, in fact the Vali and the Mani are both maxed out using the denon 301mk2.

While the tube certainly affects the final presentation, you have a bigger problem unless you've already addressed it. Your Denon has an output impedance of 33 ohms, and the Mani presents a 47 ohm load to it (if set as recommended for an MC cartridge). While final loading values are best set by ear, a general rule of thumb for an MC cartridge is the load impedance (Mani) should be around 10x the cartridge's output impedance, or around 330 ohms in your setup. You're running the cartridge relatively unloaded, and while that won't cause any harm to anything you'll get frequency response aberrations. If the loading is too low, guess what? Wimpy and/or ill-defined bass (generally speaking). If it's too high you usually get a rolled off treble and a sound that is dull and lifeless. If you're using the 47 ohm load, try switching to the 47k load setting. That's way too high, but it'll give you an idea of the sonic changes that loading can bring about (and no animals will be harmed in the process).

I haven't heard the Mani, but it appears to fall along the same lines as all other Schiit -- very high value for the dollar and great sonics for the money. But for $129 you can't have it all, and adjustable loading is one of those things that didn't make the cut. Proper loading won't have much (if any) effect on the overall loudness capability, but if you're cranking things to the max just to get some wallop in the bass (and wouldn't otherwise listen at those levels), getting the loading right may put a smile on your face. Fortunately there is an inexpensive (if inelegant) solution: adding some parallel resistance via splitters. MC cartridges have very low inductance so you don't need to worry about capacitive loading which would complicate things -- you just need some resistance. Using two of the splitters exampled below (1 per channel) you'd add the correct value resistor into an RCA plug and put it in one of the female jacks, plug your tonearm cable into the other female jack, and then plug the male end into the Mani. You can enclose the resistor in the outer shell of the RCA plug so it isn't quite as ugly (or fragile) as shown below. You'd want a good quality film resistor in the 330 ohm - 350 ohm range, as that in parallel with the 47k load setting on the Mani would get you in the 330 ohm range needed to hit that 10x value. Just remember if you use something like this you'd want the 47k Mani load setting...adding a 330 ohm resistor in conjunction with the 47 ohm setting would make things even worse (you'd get less than 47 ohms).

 

[Joe Garfield]

I'm thinking of making something like that (well not exactly) so I can turn up my Vali a little more. On either gain setting my listening level is 9:00 or lower with HD650s and there's channel imbalance below 8:00, plus I like the sound on high gain better.

 

[bcowen]

I'm thinking of making something like that (well not exactly) so I can turn up my Vali a little more. On either gain setting my listening level is 9:00 or lower with HD650s and there's channel imbalance below 8:00, plus I like the sound on high gain better.

I like the high gain on both the Vali2 and the Lyr3. Both can play the Aeons as loud as I want to listen in low gain, but like you I just prefer the high gain. Seems more dynamic and hits harder in the bass. Fortunately with the Aeon's load I'm up around 10:00 on the Lyr and around 11:00 on the Vali for most listening, so I'm pretty well out of that imbalance region that most reasonably-priced pots suffer from.

 

[KoshNaranek]

You have entered the Twilight Zone. The Intersection of Mullard Valves and Dr Who (John Pertwee)

 

[Joe Garfield]

I just ordered NOS Siemens and Valvo 6BK7B tubes. 6BK7 is supposed to be interchangeable with 6BZ7 which is what Schiit provides for the Vali. (Maybe 6BZ7 is why the amp doesn't sound great as shipped? lol)

I was wondering if anyone has longish term success running 6N1P? Schiit said in another forum that the heater current is (but barely) within spec of the rest of the components. Some sites (including a Russian 6N1P spec) claim that 6N1P is a direct replacement for 6DJ8 besides the increased heater current (600mA vs 365mA.)

 

[Keno18]

I just ordered NOS Siemens and Valvo 6BK7B tubes. 6BK7 is supposed to be interchangeable with 6BZ7 which is what Schiit provides for the Vali. (Maybe 6BZ7 is why the amp doesn't sound great as shipped? lol)

I was wondering if anyone has longish term success running 6N1P? Schiit said in another forum that the heater current is (but barely) within spec of the rest of the components. Some sites (including a Russian 6N1P spec) claim that 6N1P is a direct replacement for 6DJ8 besides the increased heater current (600mA vs 365mA.)

I don't have experience with the 6N1P per se but the 6sn7 draws the same current and have been running that on the Vali for over a year with no ill effects.

 

[Ripper2860]

6N1P are the stock driver tubes in Valhalla 2 and is a suitable sub for 6922 and 6DJ8, so should be no worries.

 

[Joe Garfield]

Thanks guys!