[tehsprayer]

  My Vali has almost no microphonics at all. There have  been people who had to open theirs up and press the tubes down on to the adhesive pad to eliminate ringing.
 
It is a tough decision for sure. They are both very similar. I guess it comes down your preference as far as if you want tubes or not. I considered an o2 for a while also. I know from research that tubes suited the headphones I currently had.

I guess itll come down to the o2/odac vs vali/modi.
 
With duties and shipping fomr Schiit's location to Ontario, Canada will be the same as purchasing the o2/odac combo for $299 from headphonebar so prices will be equal.

 

[tehsprayer]

  My Vali has almost no microphonics at all. There have  been people who had to open theirs up and press the tubes down on to the adhesive pad to eliminate ringing.
 
It is a tough decision for sure. They are both very similar. I guess it comes down your preference as far as if you want tubes or not. I considered an o2 for a while also. I know from research that tubes suited the headphones I currently had.

Good to know, does opening void the warranty? I'll see what the votes and other comments have to say

 

[Spiral Out]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/685162/new-vali-schiit-amp/2100#post_10050238
 
It won't void the warranty to open it and fix the tubes.

 

[tehsprayer]

bump

 

[zowki]

I'd go with the Schiit Magni and Modi. No microphonic issues and has the same sound as the O2+ODAC. The neutral sound and low output impedance will make it a good pairing with nearly any headphone.

 

[SpiritAfrica]

I kinda want to know how the Vali compares to the Fiio E09K.....

 

[HTFreak]

Would Schiit Magni + Modi be upgrade for my Beyer 990 Premium 250ohm? Now i am listening those from Harman Kardon AVR-255 (was around 700€ avr years ago) , best thing it has Dolby Headphone which is superb for movies. It has Cirrus Logic CS42528 DAC, is that good or bad?

I am not gold ear, so can i hear the difference when listening music from computer (flacs) if i buy that schiit set?

Thx guys!

Edit. I listen mostly rock/heavy music, so i want that dynamic punchy sound! I can keep using the AVR for movies, because of the dolby headphone mode. It is amazing when watching action etc. movies! And everybody knows 990 shines with movies especially!

Edit.2 Harmans DAC info: 

cirrus-logic-cs42528

http://www.cirrus.com/en/pubs/proDatasheet/CS42528_F1.pdf

Cirrus-logic-cs42528
114 dB, 192 kHz 8-Ch Codec with S/PDIF Receiver
Features
Eight 24-bit D/A, two 24-bit A/D Converters
114 dB DAC / 114 dB ADC Dynamic Range
-100 dB THD+N

 

[Saraya]

  O2 Specs:
 

THD 1 Khz 150 Ohms	0.0016%
IMD CCIF 15 Ohms	0.001%
IMD SMPTE	0.002%
Noise (ref 400 mV)	-105 dB
Max Output (33 Ohms)	613 mW
Max Output (150 Ohms)	355 mW
Max Output (600 Ohms)	88 mW
Output Impedance	0.54 ohms
Crosstalk (15 ohms)	-65 dB
Channel Balance (50% volume)	0.6 dB
Battery Run Time

 
 
Vali Specs:
 
 
Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 650mW RMS per channel
Maximum Power, 50 ohms: 550mW RMS per channel
Maximum Power, 300 ohms: 220mW RMS per channel
Maximum Power, 600 ohms: 115mW RMS per channel
THD: <0.4%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 1V RMS
IMD: <0.45%, CCIR
SNR: >93db, unweighted, referenced to 1V RMS
Output Impedance: 6.5 ohms
 
The amps look very similar as far as power output goes. I don't think the Vali would work as well with low impedance phones as the o2, but with higher impendence cans the Vali is a little more powerful.

I found this the opposite. 
 
My AKG 612s have been proving harder to power than I initially thought. I tried them with a Schiit Vali and it strained to give them high volume and more importantly any punch. Where as the Objective 2 with it's +gain button manages to feed them the juice they require and put authority behind it. Having said that, I am aware that the Vali offers 4 gain as standard, in contrast to the O2's 2.5 and 6.5 (low/high respectively). Yet the difference between the Vali's 4 and the O2's 6.5 is very noticeable. I would think this is down to the ohms impedence on the O2 being lower than the Vali. Meanwhile the RMS at 600 ohms is apparently higher on the Vali than the O2. 
 
I don't understand then why it's more quite - other than the less gain.