[cddc]

K.T., have you compared Vali against O2?
 
Or anyone can give some opinions regarding these two?

 

[K.T.]

Hi, cddc.
 
No, I have no experience with the O2. I hear it is a great amp, however, and can probably be considered a "reference" in the sense that it acknowledged as a good amp, is a known quantity, and thus gets compared to other amps in comparisons.
 
I think others can point you to comparisons of the Vali and O2.

 

[ace54]

this amp should have a digital input since RCA is a thing of the past or maybe its only meant for people with high end expensive equipment which have RCA outputs 
 
new TVs and blu ray players don't have RCA outputs 
 
i'm still looking for a digital audio to analog converter for this amp that will work with my TV 
 
all the schiit amps have RCA inputs only those people need to catch up with the times 

 

[Spiral Out]

  this amp should have a digital input since RCA is a thing of the past or maybe its only meant for people with high end expensive equipment which have RCA outputs 
 
new TVs and blu ray players don't have RCA outputs 
 
i'm still looking for a digital audio to analog converter for this amp that will work with my TV 
 
all the schiit amps have RCA inputs only those people need to catch up with the times 

The Vali is an amplifier only,not a DAC/Amp combo.  Some manufactures choose to put a DAC inside some amplifiers, Schiit did not. Based on what I have read they did not like the idea of having a DAC inside the amplifier as there is a lot of EMI generated from the amplifier itself. RCA connections are pretty much the standard used for inputs and outputs in single ended amplifiers as well as outputs for single ended DACs. The Modi is the DAC that Schiit designed to pair with the Vali/Magni. 

 

[Koolpep]

  this amp should have a digital input since RCA is a thing of the past or maybe its only meant for people with high end expensive equipment which have RCA outputs 
 
new TVs and blu ray players don't have RCA outputs 
 
i'm still looking for a digital audio to analog converter for this amp that will work with my TV 
 
all the schiit amps have RCA inputs only those people need to catch up with the times 

 
You can't be serious, ace54. You are looking for a DAC = digital to analog converter. Once the signal is ANALOG what else should you do with it then transmitting it ANALOG LOL. These are not devices for your TV, man. Nobody is stopping you to use a Schiit Modi (USB DAC) or a Schiit Bifrost (optical) both as DIGITAL as it gets. 
 
They are perfectly well within our times. The only thing they don't do is a combined DAC/Amp, because you can put the things together as you like this way. Modular. 

 

[ace54]

The cheapest schiit DAC that has optical in is the bifrost which 349.99( I wonder if its worth the money...sound improvements??) too expensive. The modi has USB input which is useless for me because my TV has only digital audio out 
 
any recommendations for other DACs with digital input and RCA output that pair well with the Vali amp?
 
thanks

 

[Koolpep]

  The cheapest schiit DAC that has optical in is the bifrost which 349.99 too expensive. The modi has USB input which is useless for me because my TV has only digital audio out 
 
any recommendations for other DACs with digital input and RCA output that pair well with the Vali amp?
 
thanks

 
Fiio Taishan D03K - http://fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000027553125&MenuID=105026003

 

[ace54]

   
Fiio Taishan D03K - http://fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000027553125&MenuID=105026003

that was already recommended to me by another member the problem with it is it doesn't support Dolby digital or DTS only PCM so it will be working half the time only when the TV is outputting PCM 
 
I think PCM is only cable TV channels and blu ray movies are Dolby or DTS

 

[Koolpep]

  that was already recommended to me by another member the problem with it is it doesn't support Dolby digital or DTS only PCM so it will be working half the time only when the TV is outputting PCM 
 
I think PCM is only cable TV channels and blu ray movies are Dolby or DTS

A quick check on the Fiio website would have revealed this: Fiio D07 
 
http://fiio.com.cn/products/index.aspx?ID=100000039443512&MenuID=105026003
 
Exactly what you are looking for.

 

[cddc]

  Hi, cddc.
 
No, I have no experience with the O2. I hear it is a great amp, however, and can probably be considered a "reference" in the sense that it acknowledged as a good amp, is a known quantity, and thus gets compared to other amps in comparisons.
 
I think others can point you to comparisons of the Vali and O2.

 
Thanks a lot, K.T. I will wait to see if someone can come up with some comparison.
 
Talking about the input/output though, as discussed by ace54 and Koolpep, I see Vali uses 2 RCA cables as input, while O2 uses a single cable with 2 male 3.5mm plugs as input. Which method is better?

 

[Koolpep]

   
Thanks a lot, K.T. I will wait to see if someone can come up with some comparison.
 
Talking about the input/output though, as discussed by ace54 and Koolpep, I see Vali uses 2 RCA cables as input, while O2 uses a single cable with 2 male 3.5mm plugs as input. Which method is better?

 
Generally RCA cables have a more secure connection, more contact surface area to transfer and last longer than 3.5mm sockets/plugs. In "normal" life this doesn't matter much. Instead of a RCA cable you just use a RCA to 3.5mm cable. The only thing I don't like about the O2 is that the input is on the front. It looks much cleaner when only the output is on the front imho.
 
Cheers,
K

 

[Jason Stoddard]

  The cheapest schiit DAC that has optical in is the bifrost which 349.99( I wonder if its worth the money...sound improvements??) too expensive. The modi has USB input which is useless for me because my TV has only digital audio out 

 
Not for long...
 
However (BIG however)--many, many TVs and AVRs don't output PCM sound from HDMI sources, due to copy protection. Make sure yours does, before you buy any DAC.

 

[ace54]

   
Not for long...
 
However (BIG however)--many, many TVs and AVRs don't output PCM sound from HDMI sources, due to copy protection. Make sure yours does, before you buy any DAC.

this is what it says in my tvs manual about the digital audio output
 
""When ATSC channel is selected, the output from the DIGITAL AUDIO OUT jack will be Dolby Digital. When channel is selected,
 
the output will be PCM.

When playing a movie on movie maker, when sound is recorded in Dolby Digital, the output from the Digital Audio Out terminal will be Dolby Digital. When the sound is recorded in other formats, the output will be PCM."
 
so this means that my TV outputs both PCM and Dolby 
 
also says that depending on your DVD player and DVD audio software the copyright function may operate and disable optical output 

 

[MickeyVee]

Hmmm.. do I smell some leakage here?? 

 Modi with Optical input too?? (USB powered so no wall wart??)​ Would be a nice match for my Vali.
Quote:

Not for long...

 

[Jason Stoddard]

  this is what it says in my tvs manual about the digital audio output
 
""When ATSC channel is selected, the output from the DIGITAL AUDIO OUT jack will be Dolby Digital. When channel is selected,
 
the output will be PCM.

When playing a movie on movie maker, when sound is recorded in Dolby Digital, the output from the Digital Audio Out terminal will be Dolby Digital. When the sound is recorded in other formats, the output will be PCM."
 
so this means that my TV outputs both PCM and Dolby 

 
No 2-channel DAC will do Dolby Digital...so beware.