Schiit Vali 2+ Review (Tube Headphone Amp)

[solderdude]

The lower the output level the less harmonics are added and the 'cleaner' (as in more like SS) the sound is.
Up to 5mW (in low gain) it basically is about just as good as SS.
Then consider most people do not listen at levels higher than 1mW average (5mW peak), which equates to around 95dB to 100dB SPL average and 105-110dB peaks, when using normal to high sensitivity headphones.
So chances are, all 'tube magic' you could wish to hear may be non existential as the added harmonics are below detectable level.

 

[brydon10]

The lower the output level the less harmonics are added and the 'cleaner' (as in more like SS) the sound is.
Up to 5mW (in low gain) it basically is about just as good as SS.
Then consider most people do not listen at levels higher than 1mW average (5mW peak), which equates to around 95dB to 100dB SPL average and 105-110dB peaks, when using normal to high sensitivity headphones.
So chances are, all 'tube magic' you could wish to hear may be non existential as the added harmonics are below detectable level.

I'm curious as to how Amir hears these more limited dynamics in the Vali. I know he is a trained listener but I just can't hear any difference. That's true, I don't like to listen at very loud volumes because I want to protect my hearing.

 

[solderdude]

He listens at higher SPL and when using the HD650 he will certainly have been well above 5mW where distortion increases rapidly reaching arguably audible levels.
This is kind of important if you want to hear a full dynamic range and hear lower level distortion products.
I am sure Amir only listens briefly during this so exposure time is limited.
A similar thing is true for the very low imp Ether CX, which is quite revealing and low distortion.
Clues are in here:

I started first with Drop Ether CX headphone. The sound was universally distorted and the more you pushed the amp, the worse it got. There was also clear lack of detail that was so evident as I would switch back and forth with RME headphone output.

I switched then to Sennheiser HD-650. Here I was pleased to see there was plenty of power to drive them hard. Alas, subjectively I thought the highs were grungy and dirty with nothing else positively added to the signal.

 

[MacCali]

I'm curious as to how Amir hears these more limited dynamics in the Vali. I know he is a trained listener but I just can't hear any difference. That's true, I don't like to listen at very loud volumes because I want to protect my hearing.

Indeed man, you are absolutely correct. First consider your life before entering the, what some consider quality audio realm, upper echelon of audio. Everything you probably heard and owned are dominated by mediocre performance. It does not bother your ears.

As a firm believer in objectivity, I consistently tell people on here to be considerate of the circumstances. The circumstances I put forth from experience and a few others also mention with similar.

I am uncertain if it may strictly pertain to amps or not. But when I make these statements that’s the specific portion of the chain I talk about. Reason being I own an amp(stereo) that has horrible measurements, and before I knew what the measured performance was I enjoyed the unit. Yet on the other hand my main reference system is almost entirely based on Amir’s suggestion or flagship measurements; however you wish to put it.

Between the two there’s definitely an audible difference. But my key point which I push is it is not as bad as one would suspect.

This is the very reason why for decades before ASR, these companies would basically sell you crap at a high price tag and people would rave about it. Why is that? If an amp that has a sinad of -40 isn’t that god awful as one may imagine without a doubt something in -80 will pass with flying colors to 99% of people. Especially those who have never had a very capable system.

Not sure if your brain or ears are having any compensation or “Analog Signal Processing”. These are just my findings and the reason why so many outsiders come on here and say our results of a reviewed product are boulder-dash