[mhconley]

I am looking at adding a Schiit Valhalla to my system to drive my Sennheiser HD 598s.  Anyone else using this or a similar headphone with the Valhalla?  What are your impressions of the amplifier?  I don't think it can be beat at the price but I've never heard it.

Thanks,

Martin

[saisunil]

I think that should sound delicious

I had 598s for a week or so - it was not my sound so I took a small loss ...

I do not think they are as hard to drive are their older siblings - you could even look into a portable amp like O2 and save money and gain portability ...

[hibuckhobby]

I have the 598's as well as two 650's.  The 598's are easier to drive...lower impedance.  The bass you get...or don't get from them is fairly amp dependent.   They are fairly neutral, so (for me) an amp with a little warmth is a big plus.   They have good clarity and decent transparency.  The soundstage is wide, but not particularly deep.

I had an Aasgard that I didn't like with any of my Sennheisers.  I can't comment on the Valhalla...other than to say that they claim to add just a little "tubey goodness" to the mix.  They would have plenty of power for the 598's.
Hibuck....

[milford3]

Martin, I have the Schiit.  It drives my Beyer DT 990's @ 600 Ohm very, very, well.  As for tube goodness, you bet. 
The bass is fast and tight.  The only drawback so far is that the unit operates hot.  I can't wait to get home from work and switch that puppy on.

[ajzepp]

I had some email exchanges with Jason of Schitt a few months ago about the Valhalla...it was certainly on my short list when I was looking for an amp, and it seems to have a very solid reputation among headphiles. Milford has shown some pics of his, and I have to admit I'm very impressed with the aesthetics. If it sounds as good as it looks, it's a great buy.

[mhconley]

Thanks for all the feedback...  I will pull the trigger shortly.

Martin 

[Noseyears]

The 598's are easy to drive, even a portable pairs well with them. Unless you want to upgrade to hard to drive headphones in the future. 

[Bear]

read this blog:http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/07/banned-at-head-fi.html

  www.nwavguy.com

[hibuckhobby]

That's an old problem...but "was" there.  I had an Aasgard, but it didn't work for me tonally, so it went back.  Still, at the price point, it's very hard to do better.   I did better buying used.
Hibuck....

[mhconley]

@Bear
Since I always plug-in headphones after powering on and unplug them before powering off this issue, if it also affects the Valhalla, looks to be a non-issue for me.

@hibuckhobby
I definitelly do not mind buying used.  What are would you recommend available used in the $350 range?

Martin

[Bear]

at least you are aware of the potential risk.  The o2 built is $150-160ish.

Shane

[JohnR]

I use the 598s. Depending on what your source is, you may be interested to read my review of the Fostex HP-A3.

[saisunil]

Nicely done ... John ...
I think, as you also noted, some of the characteristics you noted - the slowness in bass and also some lost detail - may be due to Senns ...

 

[hibuckhobby]

@Bear
Since I always plug-in headphones after powering on and unplug them before powering off this issue, if it also affects the Valhalla, looks to be a non-issue for me.

@hibuckhobby
I definitelly do not mind buying used.  What are would you recommend available used in the $350 range?

Martin

Martin...
I'm a bit of a Headroom fan.  My Headroom micro stack (both dac and amp) that I bought used were less than $300. Right now there's a Headroom Home up on a-gon for $400.  That used to be a much more expensive amp.
Hibuck....

[JohnR]

Nicely done ... John ...
I think, as you also noted, some of the characteristics you noted - the slowness in bass and also some lost detail - may be due to Senns ...

Thanks saisunil, appreciate the comment.

What did the OP decide to do?

[mhconley]

What did the OP decide to do?

OP is still contemplating...  I still have my Citypulse DA7.2xII which has, to my ears, a very decent sounding discreet component class A headphone amp.  (It is for sale as I no longer need the DAC or the preamp functionality.)  I love the sound of the lightly used YS Audio Experience A2 tube preamp I added to my system and I've been wondering what tubes would bring to the headphone sound.  The Schiit Valhalla seemed an inexpensive route toward that end.

I appreciate all the comments...  AudioCircle has been my go to reference through all my tweaking.

Martin