Comments on Profile Post by zottel

You just need to keep it sane. A lot of people don’t. The suggestion that one can use a WE tube that costs as much as the Vali is…well, a different priority.

I've said this so many times, but I'll say it again: I hate everything about tube amps except the way they sound. First time I heard Starlett with my HD650 I'm pretty sure my jaw was on the floor and my eyes bulged out

That being said, @joch has good advice. Keep it sane, and understand that you don't have to roll tubes. Most of the time, if you don't like the sound of a tube amp with the stock tubes, a tube roll is not going to change your mind.

@joch It doesn’t help that the Vali 2+ with the WE tube sounded noticeably better than with many other tubes I tried. :(

It is inexpensive enough and will likely be easy to flip if not to your liking, but I do understand the hesitation. This hobby can easily become obsessive if not careful.

There was a period (2017–19) where my solid state amps were unable to make me *feel* the music. The OG Vali 2—with a hundred dollar Mullard—fixed that. Since then, however, I use solid state most of the time. If you’re pleased with your current amp, save your money. You never know what real need you’ll need it for. Bear in mind, if this is applicable, that a hybrid won’t cut it with the good Sennheiser phones.