Quote from: Out Of Your Head on June 06, 2014, 04:35:20 AM

Anyone have any opinion on Valhalla 2 vs. Lyr 2 for Paradox Slants or Enigmas? Has anyone heard both the Valhalla 2 and the Lyr 2?

Sound-wise, what's the difference between the Valhalla 2 and Lyr 2?

Lyr 2 is hybrid and has more power which is good for orthos. Vahalla 2 is all tube. Vahalla 2 is moar resolving and just overall better if you have the right headphones which will play along with it.  The downside of Vahalla 2 is highish Z. Yes there is a low gain switch, but still...

Lyr 2 still retains Lyr's warmish tonal signature, just much more lively and less dead than Lyr 1. I never liked Lyr 1 despite whatever tubes were in it. Dynamic yes, slamming yes, resolving and alive, no. I think I've said this many times before. (Just to remind people that I'm not a Schiit shill.) Lyr 2 improves on immediacy aspect. More resolving, more microdynamics. I like it.

Vahalla 2 sounds like an EC amp. Hate to make that comparison, but it's true. Vahalla 1 had certain good qualities that were compromised by it being slightly mushy and slow compared to the Vahalla 2. (BTW, my Vahalla 1 is still out on the Changstar loaner program. Feel free to PM the last person who had it and get it for comparison purposes.)

I'd go with Lyr 2 on Slants / Enigmas. Those headphones are relatively inefficient and like powah.

Yep, spot on. Except Lyr 2 has had a couple of small tweaks since you've heard it. A bit better, but the same general idea...

Just heard the Lyr 2, Vahalla 2 and Bifrost with my HD800s at a local meet today, I really like the Vahalla, its one of the few amps I have heard(not many I supposed) that gets the tonality thing right with the HD800 without feeling slow and mushy. If I have to nitpick, its that the bass could be tighter and more impactful but otherwise I would be pretty happy regarding the price.

As for the Lyr2 with the HD800s, they are not as good a match, the Lyr 2 being slight more aggressive/forward(I wonder with the terms really) with the higher mids and was brighter overall which did not do favors with the HD800s tone. What I like perhaps is that it has a tighter more bass with more slam.

The Alpha Dogs were there for testing but I don't really care for them so I could not evaluate how they would sound with the Lyr 2.

Note: YMMV, tin-ears

Have people used the Valhalla 2 as a pre-amp?  I'd appreciate impressions.  I've got a Koss ESP-950 on the way (second time!) and plan to use the Energizer until I score a good deal on a decent Stax amp.. I hear the Energizer can benefit from a GOOD pre-amp.

Congrats on the ESP-950's!
(Sorry about the off-topic post.)

Not sure why a preamp would sound better than just going into the E90 energizer directly since there is no way to bypass the preamp in the energizer.

Maybe the E90 is supposed to sound better if you leave it a full volume? I have not heard that said though.

I have heard that a better power supply makes the energizer sound better. I actually have a third party power supply for the E90, but have not done any comparisons yet.

Thanks fellas.. Marv's glowing (pun unintended) review of the V2 has me jonesing for it.. but I don't have any high impedance cans to use with it (sold the HD650 recently.. will probably get the HD800 again down the line).. so the pre-amp feature gives me a reason to spring for it.  Figure the V2 should do the HD800 justice if/when I get it.

Darin.. are you using the 3A Mouser power supply w/ your Koss E90?  I'll take other questions to the ESP thread..