With a name like SCHIIT, it better sound good...

[EWBrown]

I've been "tempted" by the Valhalla, I wonder how it would fare with the Sennheiser HD600s? The write up for the Asgard FET HPA mentions the Senns as being a very good match.

Something to ponder about, NEXT year...

FWIW, JRB's write up on it says that they used Tube CAD to develop it. So if it isn't a direct Aikido ripoff, it comes close.

I guess my Norse Mythology is somewhat lacking, I though that Asgard were the "gray" aliens from Stargate, and not Thor's drinking, plundering and pillaging companions Also Asgard are among the "elite" on The G33K Zon3

/ed B

[burnedfingers]

Makes me wonder if shit for brains was the designer.

[EWBrown]

I'd say the average audiophile doesn't know Schiit from Victrola.

Or Schiit from Radiola...

/ed B

[soundbrigade]

I get very suspicious when products get new-age names, like Shakti.

[mashaffer]

I get very suspicious when products get new-age names, like Shakti.

Glad I am not the only one. :)

mike

[EWBrown]

I get very suspicious when products get new-age names, like Shakti.

And be especially suspicious about little yellow rubber duckies called "Quackti"

Oh, BTW, there is an upcoming no-bull- Schiit high powered eardrum slammer hybrid HPA named "LYR"

I wonder if that is pronounced "Lir", "Lear", "Lyre" or "Liar"

Update 3/9/11:



LYR is out, and costs a Benjamin more than Valhalla, or two Benjies more than Asgard. Hybrid design, uses one 6DJ8/ECC88 per channel and FET outputs, and is capable of 6W RMS per channel, into 32 ohms. Not intended to be used as a Sennheiser otr Grado-melter, or an eardrum endurance-tester, but it is designed to handle those lower impedanc (50 ohms) and less efficient "orthodynamic" planar magnetic headphones.

I suppose it could work with high efficiency 32 ohm speakers, too

/ed B in NC

[soundbrigade]

Have you seen my Quackti?? It even muffles unwanted noises ...

[Writer Frog]

I wonder if my one-time acquaintance, Diane Rhea, would marry the founder of this company and adopt the hyphenated last names...

[Geek]

Have you seen my Quackti?? It even muffles unwanted noises ...

That never ceases to quack me up!

[EWBrown]

Schiit Happens - stay tuned

Valhalla is the hall of the slain, in Norse legend.
And yes, we know, it's supposed to be within Asgard.
Go with it, OK? We're dumb Americans.
Anyway, you don't have to die for this Valhalla.
But then, you don't get to meet Odin, either.
Sorry about that, maybe in a future release.

Quackti not included.

/ed B

[Gingertube]

A friends teenage daughter assures me the schitt doesn't just happen - it is invariably caused by a-holes.

On brand names, here in Oz, I've been using the unofficial brand name of " Down Under Designs" and build in DUD amps.

Cheers,
Ian

[EWBrown]

If a duck has feathers on top, does it also have down under


If you are wondering about what I meant "Schiit Happens", I finally succumbed to my morbid curiosity, and bought me some Schiit. The Valhalla, Aikido-like, four tube unit.

Sounds pretty darn good, with the Sennheiser HD600s. Not as much SPL power as my Bottlehead "Crack", which can cause major eardrum pain, though uit has more than enough SPL for my needs and likes.

I would be hard pressed to say which one sounds better, Schiit or Crack, they have somewhat different qualities, but I haven't yet developed a preference for one over the other. I figure the Crack is better for rock, the Schiit is better for acoustic, jazz, classical, etc. The Crack is just a tad bit "edgier".

I have so far resisted the temptation to take off the covers for a through inside look, I can get a pretty good idea of the general circuitry just by looking through the four tube holes on the top cover. It's gonna happen, stay tuned...

6N6P is very similar to 5687, 7044, and ECC99, but for the pinout, so these are not "rollable".

The construction is near military-grade, and the component quality is excellent, no cheap stuff inside. From what I can see by peeking thru the side vent holes, the PSU uses two board-mounted transformers, one for the filaments and the other for the B+. Filament current consumption is about 2.7 amps, so that's about 17 wats being dissipated before th B+ is taken into consideration. It definitely runs real warm, but not overly hot. An ST-35's PA774 runs a LOT hotter...


/ed B

[EWBrown]

After a few hours of operation, I decided that it was time for a real look under the covers A procedure which is much easier said than done, as there are lots of 4-40 screws to remove, and some of those took a bit of patience and perseverance to remove. Just think of those vexingly complicated 1950's and 1960's vintage wooden "Chinese" puzzles which were fairly challenging to take apart, and then put back together again.

First of all, I should have known that it has no SRPP circuitry at all, it is clearly stated that this is a non-inverting circuit, and SRPPs invert.

The topology is a common cathode 6N1P VA stage (not to be confused with grounded cathode), and a 6N6P White cathode follower. For those who have Tube-CAD, the VA is hum-bucking common cathode "D" , directly coupled to a White CF "A"

Each VA stage consumes about 8 mA, and each WCF output stage consumes about 28 mA, for a total of about 76 mA for both channels, at 212VDC.

The power supply uses two separate MCI brand PC mounted transformers (made in California) , one for the 212 VDC B+, the other for the filaments' 6.3VAC.

Most resistors are Dale, 1% 1/2 watt, some 1 watters are used where needed. The power supply has a total of nearly 2,000 uF of capacitors, and this unit is dead quiet, no hum, ripple, buzz or noise. The volume control is 100K stereo Alps "Blue Velvet" Caps are a mix of Nichicon electrolytics and Wima MKS4.

I'll post more specific details later, right now I have five pencil- scribbled sheets with schematics, parts values, component designations, voltage measurements, commentary, notes, etc, which currently more resemble ancient Egyptian heiroglyphics than any true technical documentation.

I even toook a few photos of the board, which is very neatly and cleanly designed. Everything is PC board mounted, there are no wires or cables.

The best part is, I got it all reassembled, with no missing or extra parts left over, and it still works

/ed B

[dhuebert]

The best part is, I got it all reassembled, with no missing or extra parts left over, and it still works

You made me laugh. That is so true, even for a professional sometimes you have parts left over.

Don

[EWBrown]

Quackti has just met his match, behold The Quackin:



vs Quackti: