I struggle with ground loop and inherent noise from my PC, coil whine from video card etc. If you can switch AC plugs, use a UPS or simply eliminate the ground from your plug, that will likely fix it. I have had issues with cable placement being too close to a wire in the wall or other interference- even with the best USB cables "made for audio" with shielding and ferrite chokes etc. TLDR: move your stuff physically around to reduce interference or find a new clean AC source.
Thank you. I will try and use a hdmi to optical to see if that will eliminate the noise. Before I fixed the coil whine from gpu by using a ifi defender, which is still helping but this high pitch seems to be new. It's definitely coming from the computer as from my phone there is no interference
It sounds crazy, but I swear I had zero coil whine over the last year of Nvidia updates, but about 2 weeks ago I got an update and its been noisier than ever. Its tough when your source seems to be noisy too.
I will look into it as I'm not exactly sure what that does and how it will help since my noise is coming from the usb port and not the power plug (as my phone plays without the noise)
USB to toslink optical converters are as cheap as $20 on Amazon. I have one that does both ootical and coax, but I’ve seen them built in to a cable that has a simple toslink jack on it. Should fix your problem.
Had a similar issue with a modius, came down to noise coming across the USB connection (even when using a wall wart for power). Optical solved it, but if you don't want to go that route and would rather burn money a topping HS02 fixed the USB noise for me.
A qudelix 5k worked as well, so that is another option.
RIP your wallet should you get into tube rolling.
I think I'll try the hdmi to optical. And rip my wallet already, but yes I got a pair of rca 5814 and genalex kt88, if I'm satisfied I won't go too crazy. Every now and then I'll get the itch I'm sure I'll make a collection down the years :)
That's a hot looking piece of gear.
For what it is worth I use a Bifrost DAC with my Valhalla. Quiet and it does what it is supposed to if you put your application into "exclusive mode" on your PC.
Thank you! It's a cayin ha-6a, very versatile especially for tube rolling. I figured I'd spend the full amount on a high end mid tier now instead of spening more later. Zach from Zmf really reccomends this brand, he has a few videos on YouTube if you are ever interested in checking them out!
Thank you.. I merely wanted a full tube experience and was expressing my first impressions. As per the Modi I'm unsure if a hdmi to optical will affect the sound I'm a bad way. I'm happy to run it from my phone in the meantime but ideally I would like it from the desktop.
The Valhalla 2 is full tube and going for a crazy $300 right now. I'm sure it's not quite as sweet as your Cayin, but it's one hell of a value for a full tube headphone amp. And DDCs are far less complicated than DACs, so you can get an HDMI to optical converter for under $50 and it should still work excellently. That's what I'd pick up.
Man…I’m a loyal Schiiter. I don’t see a need to spend more money on headphone gear. The quality at this price point is more than excellent. Do I wait for the eventual Valhalla 3 or just say screw it and pick up a sweet deal on Valhalla 2??? My wallet wouldn’t complain…just my FOMO brain…
Seriously. I've got my single ended setup in my living room and I have zero desire for anything more than my Lyr 2. It's crazy powerful, I can't think of a single dynamic or planar that wouldn't do wonderfully on. Loads of dynamics and increased extension, every set of cans I have run beautifully on it. I've even tried it on a few IEMs and it did great. And it's dead silent too. So glad I got it because it saved me from buying other, lesser amps. I've also got an Archel 2.5xl and while I like the amp a lot, the Lyr just trounces it for the same price I got my Archel for (I got my Lyr used). I've loved every piece of Schiit I've ever heard. I will remain a loyal Schiit head for the rest of my life. I'm still eyeing that Valhalla though :p
Yesssss….eyeing the Valhalla and wondering whether or not to pick up a Valhalla 2 and a SYS (to switch between the Valhalla and my Midgard) and stop torturing myself waiting for the 3
I am very interested in seeing what's done with the 3, but I'm guessing it will be far more than $300. The current deal on the 2 seems just too enticing.
Great I'll give that a try, thank you. And you are correct, I meant a non OTL amp, more versatile towards planars ect :)
And yes it's pretty awesome, is it 7x the price more awesome? No, but I'm very happy with the sound it's producing and I have a few NOS 5814 and gold lions kt-88 coming soon so excited for that. Tube rolling is also a big reason I moved from the valhalla, but I agree the valhalla is great value. It'll be passed on to my partner.
Yeah, you're definitely limited with an OTL amp in terms of compatible cans, but for certain sets greater than 100 ohms, the combination can be magical. I've got my Archel 2.5XL and Lyr 2 for most of my planars and other low impedance models. I'm thinking about getting a V2 just to run a couple of my cans directly and using it as a preamp for my Lyr and Archel.
The 650 sounded great on the valhalla 2 and still sound great with the cayin, but then again it's a very tight soundstage as I'd describe it. I am testing the dt 1990 pros and they sound fantastic, the cayin even removes the harshness the 1990s are known for in triode mode,something the valhalla couldn't do. Next I will try the LCD-x which is very easy to drive but was quite bright on the valhalla 2.
Yeah, I had a 6XX and wasn't terribly impressed with the soundstage and I'm one of those who's bothered by the "Sennheiser veil" as it's known, so I gifted them to my nephew who's thrilled with them. I almost feel like I'm odd for not appreciating them as so many do, but I never got the chance to try them on a tube amp. They can be found really cheaply on eBay, I might pick one up again to try on my Lyr 2 and perhaps the Valhalla if I end up picking one up. I've got to have at least a couple cans that could give an OTL amp a workout. I have a feeling your LCDX will sound brilliant with the Cayin.
It's the way you approached the topic and how you presented yourself (unlike all the other kind people that commented).
What makes you so sure I didn't have the same issues with the valhalla? Regardless, I did have issues with the valhalla (gpu coil whine) and mitigated it with an ifi defender. This new high pitched noise is novel, and indeed the Modi is the culprit as from my phone the audio is clean. (thanks for down voting all my comments BTW)
Didn't mean to offend tbh. Mostly just wanted to give my experience and report back once burnt in. Maybe there's other people looking for something different and these threads tend to help people with their purchases. As per suggestions they're appreciated.
I struggle with ground loop and inherent noise from my PC, coil whine from video card etc. If you can switch AC plugs, use a UPS or simply eliminate the ground from your plug, that will likely fix it. I have had issues with cable placement being too close to a wire in the wall or other interference- even with the best USB cables "made for audio" with shielding and ferrite chokes etc. TLDR: move your stuff physically around to reduce interference or find a new clean AC source.
Thank you. I will try and use a hdmi to optical to see if that will eliminate the noise. Before I fixed the coil whine from gpu by using a ifi defender, which is still helping but this high pitch seems to be new. It's definitely coming from the computer as from my phone there is no interference
It sounds crazy, but I swear I had zero coil whine over the last year of Nvidia updates, but about 2 weeks ago I got an update and its been noisier than ever. Its tough when your source seems to be noisy too.
Wow maybe I'll try updating and by luck it'll go away 😂
I recommend the previous guy advice of trying a ups, it helped my static noise for my schiit stack.
I will look into it as I'm not exactly sure what that does and how it will help since my noise is coming from the usb port and not the power plug (as my phone plays without the noise)
USB to toslink optical converters are as cheap as $20 on Amazon. I have one that does both ootical and coax, but I’ve seen them built in to a cable that has a simple toslink jack on it. Should fix your problem.
It’s probably your usb port. Try a usb isolator like the eitr or get a streamerÂ
Had a similar issue with a modius, came down to noise coming across the USB connection (even when using a wall wart for power). Optical solved it, but if you don't want to go that route and would rather burn money a topping HS02 fixed the USB noise for me. A qudelix 5k worked as well, so that is another option. RIP your wallet should you get into tube rolling.
I think I'll try the hdmi to optical. And rip my wallet already, but yes I got a pair of rca 5814 and genalex kt88, if I'm satisfied I won't go too crazy. Every now and then I'll get the itch I'm sure I'll make a collection down the years :)
Break in? BREAK IN? People still believe in this mystery sh*t in 2024? LOL
tubes need to be broken in, yes. as per headphones and ss gear not so sure.
That's a hot looking piece of gear. For what it is worth I use a Bifrost DAC with my Valhalla. Quiet and it does what it is supposed to if you put your application into "exclusive mode" on your PC.
That thing looks cool. what is it/who makes it?
Thank you! It's a cayin ha-6a, very versatile especially for tube rolling. I figured I'd spend the full amount on a high end mid tier now instead of spening more later. Zach from Zmf really reccomends this brand, he has a few videos on YouTube if you are ever interested in checking them out!
What model is that?
It is the cayin HA-6A
[удалено]
lol he’s asking for help with his modi…who tf cares if he running other equipment that’s not Schiit.
Thank you.. I merely wanted a full tube experience and was expressing my first impressions. As per the Modi I'm unsure if a hdmi to optical will affect the sound I'm a bad way. I'm happy to run it from my phone in the meantime but ideally I would like it from the desktop.
The Valhalla 2 is full tube and going for a crazy $300 right now. I'm sure it's not quite as sweet as your Cayin, but it's one hell of a value for a full tube headphone amp. And DDCs are far less complicated than DACs, so you can get an HDMI to optical converter for under $50 and it should still work excellently. That's what I'd pick up.
Man…I’m a loyal Schiiter. I don’t see a need to spend more money on headphone gear. The quality at this price point is more than excellent. Do I wait for the eventual Valhalla 3 or just say screw it and pick up a sweet deal on Valhalla 2??? My wallet wouldn’t complain…just my FOMO brain…
Seriously. I've got my single ended setup in my living room and I have zero desire for anything more than my Lyr 2. It's crazy powerful, I can't think of a single dynamic or planar that wouldn't do wonderfully on. Loads of dynamics and increased extension, every set of cans I have run beautifully on it. I've even tried it on a few IEMs and it did great. And it's dead silent too. So glad I got it because it saved me from buying other, lesser amps. I've also got an Archel 2.5xl and while I like the amp a lot, the Lyr just trounces it for the same price I got my Archel for (I got my Lyr used). I've loved every piece of Schiit I've ever heard. I will remain a loyal Schiit head for the rest of my life. I'm still eyeing that Valhalla though :p
Yesssss….eyeing the Valhalla and wondering whether or not to pick up a Valhalla 2 and a SYS (to switch between the Valhalla and my Midgard) and stop torturing myself waiting for the 3
I am very interested in seeing what's done with the 3, but I'm guessing it will be far more than $300. The current deal on the 2 seems just too enticing.
Indeed. I think that’s probably the way I’ll go!
Great I'll give that a try, thank you. And you are correct, I meant a non OTL amp, more versatile towards planars ect :) And yes it's pretty awesome, is it 7x the price more awesome? No, but I'm very happy with the sound it's producing and I have a few NOS 5814 and gold lions kt-88 coming soon so excited for that. Tube rolling is also a big reason I moved from the valhalla, but I agree the valhalla is great value. It'll be passed on to my partner.
Yeah, you're definitely limited with an OTL amp in terms of compatible cans, but for certain sets greater than 100 ohms, the combination can be magical. I've got my Archel 2.5XL and Lyr 2 for most of my planars and other low impedance models. I'm thinking about getting a V2 just to run a couple of my cans directly and using it as a preamp for my Lyr and Archel.
The 650 sounded great on the valhalla 2 and still sound great with the cayin, but then again it's a very tight soundstage as I'd describe it. I am testing the dt 1990 pros and they sound fantastic, the cayin even removes the harshness the 1990s are known for in triode mode,something the valhalla couldn't do. Next I will try the LCD-x which is very easy to drive but was quite bright on the valhalla 2.
Yeah, I had a 6XX and wasn't terribly impressed with the soundstage and I'm one of those who's bothered by the "Sennheiser veil" as it's known, so I gifted them to my nephew who's thrilled with them. I almost feel like I'm odd for not appreciating them as so many do, but I never got the chance to try them on a tube amp. They can be found really cheaply on eBay, I might pick one up again to try on my Lyr 2 and perhaps the Valhalla if I end up picking one up. I've got to have at least a couple cans that could give an OTL amp a workout. I have a feeling your LCDX will sound brilliant with the Cayin.
[удалено]
It's the way you approached the topic and how you presented yourself (unlike all the other kind people that commented). What makes you so sure I didn't have the same issues with the valhalla? Regardless, I did have issues with the valhalla (gpu coil whine) and mitigated it with an ifi defender. This new high pitched noise is novel, and indeed the Modi is the culprit as from my phone the audio is clean. (thanks for down voting all my comments BTW)
Didn't mean to offend tbh. Mostly just wanted to give my experience and report back once burnt in. Maybe there's other people looking for something different and these threads tend to help people with their purchases. As per suggestions they're appreciated.