[xenithon]

Hi all. I wanted to ask if anyone has tried a Schiit Audio pairing of amp and DAC with their HD800s. Specifically, the Valhalla 2 amp and Bifrost DAC.
 
I am currently looking to put together a minimalist desktop system - I know that this is not an “end game” system (budget won't permit at this stage) but from what I have read about the components separately, the combo should drive the headphones sufficiently well, without breaking the bank...and the Valhalla 2 would also help tame some of the brightness of the HD800.
 
If anyone has heard the Valhalla 2 / Bifrost with the HD800, please let me know how you found them together.
 
Thanks
X

 

[daerron]

Hi Xeni, check over at the Schiit Lyr 2 thread as well, there were a couple of users that were very happy with that combination and one user who liked it even more than the Valhalla 2. In terms of the Bifrost, seems like you have to upgrade to the Uber to get a good performance boost.

 

[xenithon]

Thanks very much for the info. I would go with the Uber upgrade, yes. In terms of amps, I read a number of threads (both Schitt related and HD800 related) and while the Lyr 2 has far more power, I've read about synergy with the Valhalla as it is warmer. All in the ear of he beholder I suppose

 

[Asr]

The Lyr 2 has more power capability than the Valhalla 2 only with low-impedance headphones (generally under ~120 Ohms). The Valhalla 2 actually has more power output than the Lyr 2 with high-impedance headphones (300 Ohms and greater) and should be the obvious choice for such headphones, which includes the HD800, especially given that it's an OTL amp (which is the ideal technical amp-matching for the HD800).

 

[daerron]

Yep agreed, though if I read the specs (850mW vs 660mW for the Lyr 2) its not a major difference. I guess the voltage swing would be more important for the HD800 in addition to the amp being quiet? The advantage of the Lyr 2 is that it also has some serious power for low impedance cans, which could be handy if you want to dabble with the new lightweight orthodynamic cans in the future and with the gain settings you could also use them with very sensitive headphones. Just seems like a well thought out headphone amp with a lot of flexibility and the ability to roll tubes to tweak the sound. The Valhalla 2 could be more a one trick pony.