This review is a waste of time.  It doesn't reflect any serious attempt to judge the product on its own mertis, but rather represents the author's lashing out at people with more experience and better judgment who have expressed a different view.

Did angry guy ever figure out that a 3 star review is not a negative on Head-Fi? You probably didn't even read it.
I gave it a fair chance and spent way more time with it than I should have. It holds back every source I have. Basically the Vali and HD-650 craps up the sound of all of them.
 
To me it's a hyped up $120 Toy or some sick joke that's not really better than an E9 for most things. E9 isn't as terrible as some make it out to be. I really wanted to love this thing, but found it impossible. In case you didn't see it, I liked it a lot with the Q701. An amp that can't even produce clear sound with an HD-650 and DJ100 isn't worth keeping.
 
I actually hope people read this and save some money and not fall for the hype. I guess they can try it since it has a 15 day trial. The Magni is a better option. I'm not a Schiit hater or anything and can definitely suggest the Magni and Modi. They're worth the money.
 
If anyone disagrees they can just post their own review instead of yelling at me if they disagree.
 
3/5 is more than fair.
 
 
 

I always get the feeling you dislike everything that does not sound exactly like your modded q701s with an O2 amp. 

Wow...because he didn't absolutely love a new FOTM everyone rips on him?  tdockweiler said he loved it with the Q's but hated it with the 650.  So to his ears, it doesn't pair well.  Fine.  Others may have different opinions and that is what this 'hobby' is all about.
 
And I'm sorry, but where is the bias?  He didn't like the Vali but clearly suggests the Magni instead.

Believe it or not I don't dislike everything that doesn't sound like a Q701 with an O2 amp! O2 with the Q701 actually isn't perfect and Vali was actually a tad better with the Q701! That's some pretty good praise of the Vali right there...
 
All I expect from an amp is it to not dramatically alter how my headphone should sound and give me a clear sound. Heck, I even liked the E9 and that's not very close to the O2 sound. I'm OK with some mild/nice colorations. For example I love the sound of the older Ipods with the Wolfson DACs.
 
I probably severely nit-pick about things and perhaps the main reason I didn't like the pairing with the HD-650 is that it was so closed in sounding. When I listen to any amp with my DJ100 it usually tells me what exactly it's doing. The bass was too sloppy to be usable.
 
 
One fault of this review is that I didn't get to try it with dozens of headphones. I used the modded Q701, HD-650, 598, DJ100 and two K400s. I really need to buy a DT-880 sometime. If it gives an uncolored sound (not coming from the amp) with that thing then that's proof for me it's just no good with the HD-650. I really did try a ton of sources with the HD-650 and didn't get much improvement.
 
People should remember that this review is hardly negative..
 
I also don't believe I ever said that the Vali was too warm or colored. More that it just was awful with the HD-650 and DJ100. It's not hard for an amp to only be good with only specific headphones. That's probably the case here.
 
BTW I should have skipped this and spent my money on the Bifrost. I imagine since I love the Modi i'd love the Bifrost! I hope to try it sometime. Perhaps they have a somewhat similar sound. The AKM DAC chipsets sounds really good to me! I think there is one in my Sony Blu-Ray player as well and that thing sounds very good somehow.
 
I bet if Schiit ever makes a Magni V2 it'll be an awesome amp. All I'd change is to make the treble a touch smoother. Perhaps they made a silent update and some are less bright. I believe I gave the Magni a 4/5 review. I don't think my reviews of their stuff is unfair at all.

You mark the amp down on value.  At $120 I'm wondering why you don't see it as good value for the money?  Simply because it doesn't pair well with one particular headphone?
 
I'm also wondering where this comment comes form? "If it requires a $500 DAC to get good sound with the HD-650, then that's a complete fail. There is absolutely no reason the Modi should be bad for this setup."   Why would you think it requires an expensive DAC to sound good?

I don't see it as a good value for ME because it only worked well with my AKGs and not the HD-650/DJ100. If it's not going to work well with any bassy or warm headphones I really don't want to keep it. I really do wish I had a DT-880 for it or something with a huge mid-bass hump.
 
I tried to figure out why I got such poor results with the HD-650, but people tell me:
A) I'm not hearing it like i'm supposed to because I have crappy gear (yes, it's true none of it costs more than $400)
B) I don't have enough experience (nonsense) and that people should not trust my judgement.
 
This is where the quoted $500 DAC comment comes from. I'm not trying to attack the people who tell me this but it's just ridiculous. All my gear sounds amazing with 90% of everything i've tried. Even the Modi. The Modi should sound amazing with the HD-650 on any amp that's driving it properly and doesn't have too much coloration. More than once i'm told the Modi is what's ruining the sound of the HD-650. No, it's not. Other way around in my experience.

Thanks.  
 
While I understand that you are marking the ratings for YOU, I'm sure you understand that these reviews are viewed by people trying to find gear and they may not be intimate with all of your personal preferences.
 
It was hard to understand where your were coming from in your review because, it appears now, that you were responding more to what others are saying about the Vali than offering your own vision.  
 
Not sure where all the Modi talk is coming from?  I thought we were talking about the Vali?

At 120.- it is just the attempt by Schiit to cover the bottom end of the market and as such one shouldn't expect too much.

My fault dude, that was a little harsh. I actually agree with the 3/5 rating for this amp. 

You know honestly... what makes me laugh is what you heard from the DJ 100, is what I have heard from it EVERY time I listend to it, with my E11, with my Matrix M Stage, with my HM 601, with every tube and Solid State I have EVER owned. The bass sounded like a horrible muddy mess, I might for kicks and giggles buy it a THIRD time and try it with my NFB 10ES2 just to confirm my intense hate for that can. Ehm that said, you have a good point. The Vali may not be to your tastes or geuinly terrible. I'll figure out soon for my self... and heck maybe I'll buy a DJ 100 to test with the Vali and finally put that horrific headphone to bed in my book! 
 
Still Nice review, glad you hate it [some one needs to honestly] and I'll be sharing my impressions soon! 

Sort of off-topic and I don't have a clue why you're mentioning this about the DJ100. That's OK though.
 
I don't hate the Vali and wish people would stop saying this. It's a 3 star review. I got rid of it because it only worked well with 2 of my headphones. I will never figured out why it was so horrible with my HD-650/DJ100.
 
OFFTOPIC:
The DJ100 you mentioned has some of the most well controlled bass there is. This is assuming it's on a flat/transparent amp. It HATES warm/dark gear. Perhaps there are some variations between pairs. You probably have larger ears and this degrades the impression of treble. M50 pads fix that in most cases. You could have posted that in the DJ100 thread or PMed me.
 
So far it sounds best with the Micro Amp, O2, Magni and iFi iCAN. Very similar on all of them.

Hi tdockweiler, I own AKG Q701 and have been looking for a decent amp for them. I tried one time with O2, but I was really impressed with O2. You mention Q701 pair really good with Vali, what does Vali really add to AKG Q701? Does it warm Q701's sound? Do I need a DAC to pair with Vali?  

The Vali doesn't warm up the Q701s sound at all. It does make the mids seem a tiny bit fuller compared to the O2, but it's ultra subtle. Vali also had perhaps smoother treble than the O2.
 
For the Q701 my top favorites right now are the iFi iCAN and Headroom Micro Amp. Matrix M-Stage should be good too but I haven't heard it.
 
I would definitely suggest a DAC such as the ODAC or Modi.
 
I really am not going to be suggesting the Vali to anyone.

Considering your lat sentence, do you consider the magni a better deal than the vali?

I dont get it...why are people lashing out so much? It seems like a perfectly fair and reasonable comparison to me. 3 stars="eh was just allright for me but YMMV". I never got the sense he completely hated the amp.

I find his praise of the mediocre DJ100 more surprising. Not sure if trolling or not.
We need more people going against the stream though...
The Vali is great with the HD800 but totally useless with in-ears and some sensitive cans so I can sort of see where he is coming from.

lol seems some people here are a bit butthurt. For $120 the Vali and Magni are decent to good - stops there. The only way to beat that value is an amp that is double but so much better offering night and day difference and the other option is DIY (having said that, that is including existing enclosures or so as they drive up the base cost). 
 
But I agree with Sweden, was surprised with the DJ100 review tdock offered, I'd happily take a M50 (which is saying something coming from me) over the DJ100 which are both craptastic.
 
So guess either he has a golden pair or his ears against the rest of the masses.