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Author Topic: Looking for new amp $250 or under best bang for buck amp  (Read 2773 times)

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loki993

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Re: Looking for new amp $250 or under best bang for buck amp
« Reply #10 on: October 29, 2014, 01:05:35 PM »
lol yeah the forums are definitely evil. Gotta be honest Ive even considered instead of an Asgard maybe getting a Magni AND a Vali just so I could get a taste of the tube vs SS world.....but that would probably start a long and expensive road for me lol....at least the tube rolling temptation wouldn't be there with the Vali. 


Ive never heard tubes so grain of salt but from everything Ive read about them there will definitely be a noticeable difference between them and solid state. Better? Who knows probably not, just different. They do look amazing though and I look at them all the time. Problem is I'm afraid they may bloat the bass a bit too much in my DT770s though.

How do you like the HE-400is? Im thinking those may be the planars I end up with...probably the only ones Ill be able to reasonably afford lol
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Skyline

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Re: Looking for new amp $250 or under best bang for buck amp
« Reply #11 on: October 29, 2014, 03:48:55 PM »
Quote from: loki993 on October 29, 2014, 01:05:35 PM
lol yeah the forums are definitely evil. Gotta be honest Ive even considered instead of an Asgard maybe getting a Magni AND a Vali just so I could get a taste of the tube vs SS world.....but that would probably start a long and expensive road for me lol....at least the tube rolling temptation wouldn't be there with the Vali. 


Ive never heard tubes so grain of salt but from everything Ive read about them there will definitely be a noticeable difference between them and solid state. Better? Who knows probably not, just different. They do look amazing though and I look at them all the time. Problem is I'm afraid they may bloat the bass a bit too much in my DT770s though.

How do you like the HE-400is? Im thinking those may be the planars I end up with...probably the only ones Ill be able to reasonably afford lol
Well, you can't see the tubes on the vali, so there's that... :P

Tubes performed magic with my DT880 when I had them.  The Valhalla/Valhalla 2 pairing really opened my eyes regarding what the 880s are capable of.  I don't expect the sound of the 400i to be impacted quite so dramatically, but we'll see.

I like the 400i quite a bit.  Smoother and more organic than the 880s I previously owned, but they can still do aggressive rock quite well.  Subjectively, I'd rank them slightly behind the HE-500, but it's not a large gap.  And, with the comfort of the 400i, it's the direction I went in.  Not to mention I got them for $350 through HFMs loaner program, which made it a no-brainer.
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cizx

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Re: Looking for new amp $250 or under best bang for buck amp
« Reply #12 on: October 29, 2014, 03:54:40 PM »
Vali is a solid amp.  I'd get that over a Magni.  I just ordered an Asgard 2 to tide me over until my Ragnarok ships.  I have Beyer MMX 330s, which are basically DT770 250 Ohms with a mic attached.  I will give you my impressions on those with the A2, if that'll help. 

I had a Vali in the past, but only used it with a HD 800 until I got an Eddie Current Super 7.  Vali is pretty good for the price.  I think you're going to hit the limit of the Beyer headphones before any of these amps.  Vali or Magni would probably be the most appropriate to match with them... I think a sensible formula that I've seen others suggest is that the headphones should cost 2x what the amp costs, and the amp should cost 2x what the source costs (or vice versa on the amp and source).  I'm sure people here will disagree, but when you're not dealing with ToTL gear, it's a way to keep yourself and your spending sane. :)

When you move up to better headphones (and you will), then start looking at something like a Lyr or Valhalla.  Valhalla with a T1 was a pretty good pairing.  And T1s can be found for under $700 pretty easily... and for a healthy person, TWO kidneys is really just showing off. 
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Skyline

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Re: Looking for new amp $250 or under best bang for buck amp
« Reply #13 on: October 29, 2014, 08:22:35 PM »
I'll also say that I'm very intrigued by Garage1217 amps.

I wish more people around here had tried them, so I could get a better idea of what they're all about.
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Anaxilus

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Re: Looking for new amp $250 or under best bang for buck amp
« Reply #14 on: October 29, 2014, 08:32:02 PM »
Quote from: loki993 on October 29, 2014, 01:05:35 PM
getting a Magni AND a Vali just so I could get a taste of the tube vs SS world.....but that would probably start a long and expensive road for me lol....at least the tube rolling temptation

The Vali is the cheapest and best way to get a taste of good tube sound.  I wasn't kidding when I said it sounds as good or better than some $1000 amps out there.
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RexAeterna

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Re: Looking for new amp $250 or under best bang for buck amp
« Reply #15 on: October 30, 2014, 04:45:30 AM »
Wow..I just looked up what the vali is and it's lot cheaper then I thought.  I actually am very tempted to get myself one (like seriously, I am)to try it out. Be my first headphone amp haha. Looks really solid too.
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cizx

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Re: Looking for new amp $250 or under best bang for buck amp
« Reply #16 on: October 30, 2014, 05:41:19 AM »
Do it.  You'll not regret it.  :)p1
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burnspbesq

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Re: Looking for new amp $250 or under best bang for buck amp
« Reply #17 on: October 30, 2014, 06:32:01 AM »
If you have a decent DAC on hand, Vali will give you the most bang for the buck, hands down. I like the iFi nano iCAN a lot, but it's another $50.

If you need to upgrade your DAC at the same time, the price advantage flips over to iFi. The Nano iDSD is $189 vs. $218 for a Modi/Vali stack, and it's portable.
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loki993

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Re: Looking for new amp $250 or under best bang for buck amp
« Reply #18 on: October 31, 2014, 12:42:28 PM »
Quote from: RexAeterna on October 30, 2014, 04:45:30 AM
Wow..I just looked up what the vali is and it's lot cheaper then I thought.  I actually am very tempted to get myself one (like seriously, I am)to try it out. Be my first headphone amp haha. Looks really solid too.
Quote from: cizx on October 30, 2014, 05:41:19 AM
Do it.  You'll not regret it.  :)p1

I think I'm leaning that way too, Vali. 3 questions though...

First do you think the bass on my DT770s will get bloated with the tube amp

Second how is the bass on the Vali?

Third is there enough of a difference between the Vali and the Magni to warrant getting both? The extra power of the Magni might be nice when I need it, though Im really not sure when....Maybe with AKG Sextetts but I even emailed Shiit and asked and they said any of their amps should be fine with them.

Quote from: burnspbesq on October 30, 2014, 06:32:01 AM
If you have a decent DAC on hand, Vali will give you the most bang for the buck, hands down. I like the iFi nano iCAN a lot, but it's another $50.

If you need to upgrade your DAC at the same time, the price advantage flips over to iFi. The Nano iDSD is $189 vs. $218 for a Modi/Vali stack, and it's portable.

I havent figured out the dac yet but Im leaning towards the Modi just because its good and reasonably priced.
« Last Edit: October 31, 2014, 01:22:06 PM by loki993 »
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