Schiit Vallhalla 3

@wharfy The stock tubes had sibilance with one on my tuners. Mostly good with the other sources. The replacement tubes fixed that. I got the info on these tubes on the head-fi thread on the Valhalla 3.

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The switch I wanted to use was one my friend Danny from Requiste Audio had built. It was a transformer-based switch that did XLR and RCA bi-directionally and could also convert between the 2. It sounded amazing but I needed more inputs and he is sort of retired from building these things. I was able to track down the same thing from these guys.

Allegri + - Townshendaudio  (RCA only)

Allegri Reference - Townshendaudio  (not truly balanced, next version will be).

However, I decided to save some cash and had that custom switch made.

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If I were to move on from the Valhalla 3 it would be for the 

HPA-15000 OTL/OCL – Allnic Audio (which I had in the house)

ASRA / RHPA-7500 – Allnic Audio (cheaper but needs RCA out (possible). I heard this in January at a headphone meetup.

Op, are you aware of the Decware CSP3 OTL? Its base version is priced at $1.55k  (almost on par with Shiit+quality switch) and offers 2-in/2-out RCA, with 20 dB gain at line level without feedback (similar to the Valhalla 3). The output impedance is higher, but you can lower it by using alternate tubes. Is it worth taking a look? You might need to wait a bit, though.

OP has indicated the sound he’s after comes from OTL (no output transformers) and OCL (no output caps) topology, which is a rather rare find in tube amps. The Decware is OTL, but not OCL (it uses output caps). In fact the vast majority of tube preamps on the market are OTL but not OCL. Quite interesting the Valhalla 3 achieves this, actually. The purpose of the caps is to block DC on output (big problem if your amp is DC-coupled). 

VAC Signature and Master are examples of transformer-coupled preamps (OCL but not OTL). 

I bought a Valhalla 2 as an experiment. I needed a headphone amp but I only use headphones when necessary so the price was right. I was impressed with how well it paired with my HD600s. 

Then I connected it to my system with the RCA output, but through my Schitt Kara. At first they didn't sound much different. The Valhalla in passive mode vs the Kara in gain mode. I wanted to drive the tubes harder so I lowered the Kara volume, still in passive. Then I turn the Valhalla 2 up to about 3 o'clock and used the Kara volume control to adjust. 

It was a revelation hearing it that way. The "tubiness" came through in a musical way and I would set it just below where I could hear some peak distortion. Kludgy but sounded really nice. 

But I didn't want that as a long term setup so I ended up buying an LTA MZ2 which has that beautiful sound at any volume. Now I use the Valhalla just for headphones. I haven't heard the 3 but I can understand why it makes a good preamp. And Schitt gear keeps getting better. A smart pathway for a low cost but great sounding system. 

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I’m not sure how many people actually realize—or care—how the V3 sounds. According to one trustworthy reviewer, it doesn’t sound as warm as most audiophiles would expect from a typical OTL tube preamp like the Bottlehead Crack. Nor does it resemble the general Schiit house sound. The tonality of the V3 actually leans toward the brighter side of neutral and is a bit leaner than, again, a typical tube preamp, which often delivers a warm, thick presentation.

My educated guess is that part of this is attributable to the OCL design. Without a doubt, both OTL and OCL make the preamp more transparent, but it might end up being too much of a good thing. This is what’s preventing me from pulling the trigger and trying it. Ideally, I’m looking for a preamp that adds smoothness, liquidity, richness, and just a touch of warmth to my already neutral system.

@lanx0003 The Valhalla 3 in stock form is not tubey rich. It is a bit lean. The Allnic and Valhalla 3 are both OTL/OCL and they are very detailed; I think a hallmark of OTL/OCL design. I owned the uber detailed Benchmark preamps and the OTL/OCL preamps are as detailed. However, the Allnic is also very rich and holographic.

The Valhalla 3 is not lean after the change from the stock tubes. I only have tried the stock and the tubes I listed above. There are other tubes that people recommend with the Valhalla 3 that is even warmer. 

At this point I am very happy with the new tubes. I am listening to the ’bright’ tuner as write this and the new tubes make the tuner sounds really good.

The Valhalla 3 does not need much burn in, and the 15-day home trial period is long enough to hear it at full protentional.