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Valhalla 3

The Fully Modern Tube Headphone Amp

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$499.00

Ships 5-7 days

Description

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What’s a fully modern tube amp? It’s one that combines the best part of tubes—pure triode topology and massive power supply—with the best technology and protection of today. The result? Valhalla 3, a tube amp to enjoy confidently with virtually any headphone.

Nothing Between You and the Tubes
With Valhalla 3, there’s nothing between the tubes and your headphones. No transformer. No capacitors. You’re hearing nothing but the tubes. This OTL/OCL topology makes Valhalla 3 the rarest of breeds, an amp where tubes directly connect to your headphones. 
 
Boost When You Need It
Tubes, even directly connected, are best for high-impedance headphones. But that’s not a limitation for Valhalla 3. Engage the impedance multiplier and enjoy much higher power output, while still maintaining that tube connection and tube sound.
 
No Feedback On Tap
Valhalla 3 gives you two gain settings—low and high—both with feedback. Or, choose no feedback at all, for unique flexibility with high-impedance headphones.  
 
Sophisticated Analog Computer Protection
Valhalla 3 constantly monitors DC to protect your most valued headphones. Unlike most protection systems, there’s no microprocessor or digital circuitry involved—instead, an analog computer has full control, and will dis-engage the output at any sign of trouble.
 
Designed and Built in the USA
By “designed and built in the USA" this is what we mean: the vast majority of the total production cost of Valhalla 3—chassis, boards, transformers, assembly, etc—goes to US companies manufacturing in the US. Our chassis and transformers are made in California, and PCBs are California or Utah. The whole thing comes together in our San Antonio, Texas production facility. 
 
5-Year Warranty and Easy Return Policy
Valhalla 3 includes a 5-year limited warranty that covers parts and labor. One exception: tubes. Tubes are covered by a separate 90-day warranty. If you don’t like your Valhalla 3, you can send it back for a refund, minus 5% restocking fee, within 15 days of receiving it.

SPECS THAT MATTER

Power: plenty for high-impedance headphones (without impedance multiplier) plenty for most headphones (with impedance multiplier engaged)
Noise: inaudible on most headphones and IEMs; may have some noise floor on very very sensitive IEMs.
Distortion: abysmal by modern standards, 1000x higher than most of the stuff we make, but has very nice triode profile 
Heat: amp gets very warm, tubes get extremely warm; should be placed in a cool, well-ventilated location; this is normal and the amp is designed easily exceed its 5-year warranty despite the heat
Size: very desk-friendly
 
OTHER SPECS
 
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20Khz, +/-0.05dB
 
Output Power
 
Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 750 mW RMS per channel with impedance multiplier
Maximum Power, 300 ohms: 250 mW RMS per channel without impedance multiplier
 
Note: rated at 10% THD since this is a tube amplifier
   
THD+N
 
Low Gain: Less than 0.05% at 1V RMS into 300 ohms
High Gain: Less than 0.2% at 1V RMS into 300 ohms 
 
IMD
 
Low Gain: Less than 0.05% at 1V RMS into 300 ohms, CCIF
High Gain: Less than 0.25% at 1V RMS into 300 ohms, CCIF
 
SNR
 
Low Gain: Greater than 110dB, referenced to 2V RMS, A weighted
High Gain: Greater than 95dB, referenced to 2V RMS. A weighted
 
Crosstalk
 
Less than -75dB, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 300 ohm load
 
Output Impedance
 
SE ¼” TRS output:
 
Low gain: 25 ohms
High gain: 40 ohms
No feedback: 60 ohms
 
Preamp output: less than 200 ohms
 
Input Impedance: 50k ohms
 
Gain: 
 
Low: 1.25x
High: 6x
No feedback: 10x 
 
Topology: All-triode, noninverting, single voltage gain stage, current-source biased front end and optimized WCF output stage, output transformerless (OTL), DC coupled input and DC coupled from the tube output (OCL)
 
Tube Complement: 6N1P dual triode input, 6N6P dual triode output, 1 each per channel. 6N1Ps rollable to 6DJ8, E88CC, 6922, 6BZ7, and similar types. Do not exceed 2.7A total heater current.
 
Protection: DC oversight and mute via analog computer style protection system, turn-on delay, DC servo
 
Power Supply: 100% linear power supply with internal 48VA transformer, discrete regulated 200V tube rail, +/-100V output rails with capacitance multipliers, +/-12V regulated rails for impedance multiplier and oversight.
 
Power Consumption: 27W typical
  
Size: 9 x 6 x 2, excluding tubes. About 3.25" tall with tubes.
 
Weight: 7 lb
 
 

 How can you call this “fully modern” if it doesn’t have Forkbeard?
“Fully Modern” doesn’t have to mean “has an app that reports to Jason Stoddard’s wall-mounted bathroom PC.”

Wait. What? Forkbeard does that?
No. Forkbeard doesn’t even connect to WiFi. It doesn’t report anything to anyone. 
 
Then what does “fully modern” mean for Valhalla 3?
It means that we’ve applied new technology to increase the performance, flexibility, and safety of this pure tube amp, so you can use it without the baroque convolutions or worry of other tube amps.
 
Give me a breakdown of what “fully modern” means.
Sure. Here you go:
  • OTL/OCL topology. Valhalla 3 has no transformers or capacitors between the tubes and your headphones. This is something that’s only possible with complex power supplies and DC servos. That’s new technology that makes Valhalla 3 very different than your typical transformer-coupled or capacitor-coupled tube amp. 
  • Impedance multiplier. We’ve also added an impedance multiplier so Valhalla 3 can drive a wider range of headphones. Tubes are usually very current-limited, so they’re not spectacular for low-impedance headphones. The impedance multiplier makes the tubes in Valhalla 3 act like they are driving a higher impedance load. This makes for much higher power output.
  • Analog computer style protection. Instead of a digital, microprocessor-based oversight system, we created an analog computer style protection system to ensure that large amounts of DC don’t ever hit your headphones. As a result, you can plug in headphones and preamps whenever you’d like, leave them connected when you power up and turn off, etc—basically it makes it act like any other modern amp…but with tubes.
How is the impedance multiplier different than an output buffer?
It’s a much more complicated name, so it must be better, right?
 
Ah come on. Take your pills.
Ok. In short, the impedance multiplier means that the tubes stay connected to the output (a buffer usually goes between the tubes and the output), and it directly reflects the output of the tubes. The distortion profile remains exactly the same when the impedance multiplier is switched in.
 
How do I know when to use the impedance multiplier?
You can try it anytime; it won’t hurt the amp or your headphones. But usually you’ll want to use it if you hear audible distortion or lack volume on low-impedance headphones. 
 
Valhalla 3 sounds a bit like Folkvangr.
It is. Folkvangr, an insane 10-tube special edition amp we made a few years back, was the proving ground for Valhalla 3. Folkvangr has been a good, solid amp; now we’re bringing those ideas to a more desktop-friendly and more wallet-friendly amp. 
 
How does this compare to Valhalla 2?
Valhalla 2 is, ahem, not a modern tube amp. But to expound a bit, Valhalla 2 was the oldest product in our lineup when it was replaced. It’s difficult to compare the two, because literally everything is different. Valhalla 3 has much higher power output, is DC coupled, is more flexible, has sophisticated protection, etc. About the only thing they share is tubes—the tube complement is the same between the two products.
 
Are you serious about this being able to drive pretty much any headphone?
Most, yes. The impedance multiplier still doesn’t get you even into Magni territory in terms of power output, so very low-efficiency headphones are out.
 
How about IEMs?
On low gain, you’ll be good for most. Some very sensitive models will have problems with noise floor, even on low gain.
 
What’s this about no feedback?
Valhalla 3 includes three settings for gain—high and low gain, both with feedback, and a no-feedback setting that actually gives highest gain. 
 
Why not use no feedback all the time?
Because no feedback means highest noise and highest output impedance. There are headphones that need lower output impedance, or lower noise. 
 
How do I know what to choose? High gain, low gain, no feedback?
Try them all and find out. There are no wrong answers. You won’t hurt the amp or your headphones by trying.
 
Do the preamp outputs go through the tube stage? 
Yes. Gain and volume settings will be reflected through the preamp outputs.
 
Can I turn off the headphone outs when I’m using the preamp outputs?
The preamp outputs are automatically turned off when you plug in your headphones. Unplug your headphones to use the preamp outputs.
  
Is Valhalla 3 rollable?
Yes! The standard 6N1P input tubes can be subbed out for any 6DJ8/6922/ECC88/ECC85/6BZ7 types, including NOS, cryo-treated, voodoo-blessed, hand-assembled by elves, etc. 
 
I was told that tube amps are all about euphonic distortion and that you’re a bunch of crazy money-grubbing arseholes because you make tube amps.
Are we also crazy wannabe paupers because we make a whole range of inexpensive solid state amps that measure great?
 
No, seriously. 
Have you ever heard a tube amp?
 
No, I don’t find it necessary, having done the calculations for exact current and voltage delivery to my headphones to achieve a long-term safe listening level, and knowing the distortion floor of my particular transducers—
Okay, we see where this is going. Bottom line, we make both highly-capable, completely-neutral-by-the-measurements, inexpensive solid state amps, and wacky tube and tube hybrid amps. Why? Because some people like solid state, and some people like tubes. You know, like some people like Camrys and some like Corvettes. Like some people like Budweiser, and some people like Bordeaux. Amazing thing, the world, full of so many different experiences and so many different opinions of them. Is one right, and another wrong? If so, who is the arbiter? Bottom line, if you don’t agree with our approach, there are tons of other options out there. Have fun, and we hope you find one that fits your desires perfectly. 
 
What is Valhalla, anyway?
In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a vast hall within Asgard, the realm of the gods, where slain warriors are taken to live after their death. In our case, Valhalla is our second product ever, introduced in 2010. Valhalla 3 is the latest iteration of our all-tube headphone amp.

Valhalla 3 Manual