Hi everyone,
I currently own a Mjolnir 2 being fed by a Bifrost 2, and I have a Rad-0 and a Verite Closed inbound once their builds are both complete. I’ve read at length about how a proper tube amp does the VC wonders, and I was looking at a variety of tube amps to compliment my hybrid MJ2, namely:
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Valhalla 2 - The cheapest option by far, but I’ve read at length about how it’s not a “tubey” sounding amp despite being an OTL amp, and doesn’t respond as strongly to tube rolling as others do.
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Woo Audio WA2 - This one seems like the most polarizing option. While I’ve read glowing reviews of it on Head-fi and Reddit, I’ve seen SBAF and the Headphone discord just dismiss Woo Audio outright, with some targeted hate at the WA2 specifically. Some say good tubes make it punch above it’s weight. Others say it’s the worst thing they’ve ever heard. Others say to not even consider anything made by WA.
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Dragon Inspire IHA-1 - Perhaps the least spoken about option. I’ve read that it responds incredibly well to tube rolling in that it’s a blank canvas for the tubes you plug into it. The Headphones Disord seems to really like it, but the SBAF thread on it is mixed, with some saying the sound is strained or lean.
Now, I know the reigning advice is “go try it first”, but that’s not really an option these days. I’d be curious to hear people’s thoughts on these amps, and would love further suggestions if people really like something I haven’t listed.
Caveat, I picked the ones I listed because I have a weird dimensions restriction to work around, so I need something on the smaller side that’s wider than it is deep.