I'm running my HD 650 headphones through my Harmon Kardon 3380 receiver. If I instead ran them through the Valhalla 2 will I hear an improvement?
57445
I believe so, but upgrade the tubes for sure, you'll notice better bass detail than the stock tubes. I also highly recommend a DAC between your audio source and the Vallhalla, as this will provide even greater clarity. 24bit/ 192k should be perfect. There are a ton of DAC's out there & the Schiit one is good. I personally switched from the Vallhalla to The Passport (includes DAC w the amp) and love it.
517422
If it sounds better or not is subjective to the opinion(s) of each listener, if you're not happy with the sound I'd suggest getting an Equalizer so you can contour the sound it puts out to satisfy your taste. The unit itself works great and has proven to be dependable so far.
357440
Hi CSC. I have the same question, I am about to upgrade to a DH70 from an H31. Did you ever get a reply on the comparison? Or did you buy the HD70 and found out yourself?
1160287
I'd be remiss if I answered your question, as stated. I run my 100a through a graphic equalizer then into two Boston Acoustic VR-12s, a Dayton Audio 100 watt subwoofer amplifier and 12" Pioneer woofer. Tuning the amp's output to my listening environment and taste significantly disguises the inherent audio emphasis of the 100a.
541375
The best amp I heard with the HE500's was the Schiit Mjolnir balanced amp. It was a dramatic improvement over the Lyr.
2231695
The Valhalla does drive 32-ohm headphones well. I have the sr60i and it sounds great, particularly for guitar-driven rock music.If the sr80i is your only headphone, you might want to consider the Schiit Magni, which I have, or for a tube sound, the newer Vali, which I do not.
1536330
Comparing the 2 setups? The Acoustimass sounds better Imo... I actually set up the Acoustimass 3 and added these 161's to the rear channel of the amp. Sounds great
481604
I don't know. I bought a new H D 202. They weren't very expensive and had much better sound than my old HD 222. I'm happy with my new 202's.
2193944
These are actually 300 ohm cans...and a separate DAC or DAC/amp will make a significant difference as the DAC on your computer is not the greatest. I have the latest MacBook Air and I also have a very expensive CD player. There was an immediate improvement when using my DAC/amp with the HD600. I don't have Schiit, but it would be the same effect
84210
run it clean,no gain it will sound great.if you use the gain ,its all you will need..it has plenty of gain
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I have a CS2 center and have the Monitors bi-amped with the front high output of my Pioneer VSX-1121-K receiver. Bi-amping made a noticeable difference in the sound.
2271934
I have a Denon AVR-1912. Though it may seem expensive, it is very clean on sound quality and it is very powerful, and jam packed with useful features. I also use it with the Klipsch HD 500 and a pair of old KG 1's by Klipsch (Remember those?) and they sound wonderful. I have also an old 1980's amplifier by Denon that I use on a daily basis , and it still works wonderfully. I have had the AVR-1912 for a while now, and I don't see myself changing the receiver soon. I love Denon products, and they deserve consideration. The AVR-1912 isn't the only option, as other receivers by that company are cheaper, and sound well, but the 1912 is known by many sites as a very good receiver. Short term- Expensive Very Great sounding Long Term- Great Deal (Hopefully) Hope this helps!
1218338
You could probably use the headphone outputs to drive powered speakers, but I don't think it makes a lot of sense. Basically the A3 is a solid-state transistor amp with a tube preamp stage. Since you would be using powered speakers, you have no need of the solid-state amplifier stage, but you are paying for it. It would make more sense to just get a tube preamp to use with the powered speakers and save the money (you can search Amazon for "tube preamp"--or if you can go a little higher in price, the Schitt Audio Valhalla is an amazing product: schiit.com/products/valhalla-2 http://www.amazon.com/Schiit-SCH-02-Valhalla-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B004LCH5KG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415826715&sr=8-1&keywords=schiit+valhalla+2 The Valhalla is a pure Class-A triode circuit. This is the best tube circuit configuration which provides all of the desirable characteristics of vacuum tubes. As an amplifier, it has a few disadvantages, such as limited power output and high power consumption/heat dissipation, but those issues are mitigated in a preamp which doesn't have to drive speakers.
555181
I connected two amps to it and it could not handle it. Go with a better eq. Clarion EQS746 1/2 DIN Graphic Equalizer with Built-in Crossover this is a better option.
1840255
ABSOLUTELY. Anytime you get a dedicated card the overall quality will be a TON better. The amount of customization and power that a dedicated card will run to your speakers will be awesome. I'm not sure how it compares to headphones, but I noticed a huge jump in quality and of course the equalizer alone let me tune everything to have very epic bass and no distortion.
1124523
LDIII has more 2/3 order distortion(more tube like). Valhalla is very clean(more SS like). Both sound good. Just comes down to what type of sonic signature you prefer.
2239271
No these headphones works best with an amp. I actually have 4 different kind of amps for my 650.