Yes the risk is a bit of the concern to me, I saw someone had vali2 and he had some ring issue , and schiit didn't repair it as they said that is normal, so at the end he returned it and bought a little-dot 1 instead.
I know the Vali 1 was somewhat notorious for that. I can't remember the specifics anymore, but it had something to do with both the tube inside and the whole design. Bear in mind it's a completely different amp from the Vali 2.
That said, pretty much all tube amps can be made to ring. Vibrations in the tube generate sound. Some tubes ring more than others. My Vali 2 rings. Just not all of the time. The action of the switches causes ringing that fades after a few seconds. Otherwise the only way I ever hear it ring is if I tap the tube with my finger. Because of the power-on relays, you'll never hear it ring unless you flip the gain switch while its on. It sounds like a soft "PING!" that rapidly fades out. Again, not something you'll hear while actually using the amp.
I dunno what happened with that guys amp. Sounds a little strange. Like I said, the original ones were prone to constant ringing - it did happen to a handful of people. But I've never heard of it being a problem with the Vali 2.
I read further and found most tube amp needs to warm up the tube before actual use? And better turn it off if not use ? I'm a bit concerned on this because I was planned to connect the vali2 to my desktop speaker, I seldom turn off my computer, I leave the whole rig stay on all the time. Will it hurts a lot to the amp and tube?
Tubes degrade like light bulbs. Average for the ones used in the V2 is ~10000 hours running. So yes you will want to keep the amp off when not in use. You can leave the dac and everything else on, just flip the switch on the amp. At least it's a really satisfying switch!
Leaving it on won't hurt the amp. Just the tube inside.
10k hours doesn't sound like a lot, but if you leave it on 4 hours a day, that's actually well over a year, at the low end. Possibly much more on the high end of what's possible. So even with heavier use, you'll likely get at least a couple of years out of a $10 tube by just turning it on only when you are at your computer and turning it off when you get up to leave or do something else. No big deal. Again, simple as flipping a switch.
Personally, I have a handful of tubes I alternate and one I tend to stick to. I have yet to burn one out in several years. I use my Vali 2 daily. Often several hours at a time.
If it really becomes a concern for you, you could always invest in the Sys for controlling your speakers. I like it because it has 2 inputs and you can use the toggle to mute the one that's active. I keep a USB recording interface feeding one and the M2U feeding the other. So when I'm working I can easily switch over to the recording interface. And when I just wanna enjoy myself or maybe hear my mixes on something nicer, I can switch right back over to the M2U. Even when not using it like that, having a mute button is appealing. I split the output from the M2U. One run goes to the sys and then the speakers. The other goes straight to the Vali 2. So when I wanna use headphones, I just switch on the amp and hit the button on the sys to mute the output to the speakers. Handy.
On the whole warm-up thing... ...I don't fully buy it. It doesn't take more than a minute or two for the heaters to bring the tube up to temperature. But hey, maybe there's a difference. People say a lot of things don't make a difference when I can hear a clear difference. I just have no idea how one would test that, if you really even could. All I know is mine seems to sound good right after turning it on. I personally don't hear a difference.
Also what's your opinion on modi2 multibit? It's another $100 but is it worth? I saw some reviews they said they can't really hear a difference. Or maybe safe to just avoid it ?
It's been tempting me for a long time. I really REALLY liked it. Thing has next-level performance, IMO. Completely different dac from the M2U. Comparable to the bifrost multibit. Personally I think people who say there's no difference between multibit and traditional are crazy, but even I have to concede that it's approaching the point of diminishing returns. But still, to get that kind of dac for $300 is a pretty big deal. If you're interested in multibit tech specifically, it's well worth the money. Otherwise, I'd probably pass.
Another thing worth noting, with the DT 990's, I think it surpasses the limit of what they can actually resolve, as I don't hear as pronounced of a difference. With my JBL LSR 305's or the HD600's, it's much more noticable... ...mostly just a lot more microdetail. It just adds a few extra layers to the sound - subtle but very meaningful. Otherwise it's just a little better tonally.
Just placed my order on a vali2 bstock, hope it sounds good !
I'm excited for you man! I think you'll really like it.
Side recc... if you have a spare, use the optical output on your mobo to the modi. Don't know if it sounds better, but it'll mitigate any problems that USB might cause. USB is just a crappy way to send high-quality audio. Plus, with optical out, you don't even need drivers.
I own 5 amps, 3 DAC's, and 11 headphones at the moment, and have owned over 200 headphones in the last 3 years. lol
my favorite budget combo is still the Philips SHP-9500S with Hm5 leather earpads and Fiio K1 amp/dac, but it scales nicely, so I don't use the fiio k1 anymore myself, lyr 3 of course
You aren't normal!
Nah, but from one enthusiast to another, I do get that. I've done a lot of mailers. And when I am able to return gear, I'll pay the shipping to try it. Same reason I go to the trade shows. It's fun to try all sorts of gear. And sometimes you're just in the mood for something different. Sometimes you get something and maybe it's not as good as what you already had, but it's hard to part with. I've had my share of sad goodbyes.
I still think most people would do well to stick to the one they keep coming back to and save the money for other things. Besides, why have two amps and one okay pair of headphones when you could have one amp and an AWESOME pair of headphones? Yanno?
I reckon most people have a favorite they'll always come back to. Well... I guess they both have unbalanced outs, so you can use the less favored one as a preamp for volume control on powered speakers. Just split the output from your dac. Kind of an expensive preamp though.
