I have used Valkyrja speaker cable for my headphones for almost 2 years now. It was supposed to be the last thing to upgrade in my system, but ever since the Odin was released I was yearning for it and kept writing about it in my logs every day. The only reason I wanted Odin was because it has Dual Mono-Filaments instead of Single; two threads around the cable is better than one, and I was willing to pay many times more for that extra thread.


The Odin speaker cable didn't have the proper design to be able to use it for headphones, but the Odin interconnect was perfect. The problem was that I wasn't sure the Odin would sound better because it has deeper silver plating than Valkyrja (85 vs 60 microns), so it would cut off the bass details from the music and make it sound colder and thinner. And since the conductor was one gauge thinner (23 vs 22 awg), it would remove bass from that as well, but it would give crazy speed! And who doesn't like speed?
But it made me a little uncomfortable to slice open the $20k Odin to find out if the bass sacrifice was acceptable enough, so I decided to live in ignorance and keep using the Valkyrja for my headphones.

Then I started building my 4th audio system around a dCS Ring DAC and I found out that Valhalla power cord wasn't needed anymore to veil out the empty blackness from the missing information of normal DACs, so I started using stock power cables wrapped in ERS Paper instead. Now I had extra Valhalla power cords left over and didn't know what to do with them so I wrapped them around my body.

While building up the neutral sound of my 4th system I had to remove the Valhalla interconnect as well. I replaced it with 7cm Valkyrja and got better sound, but it was very flat and boring. Since I didn't use Valhalla for analog signals anymore, I could bypass the amp and pre-amp. I plugged my headphones to the XLR outputs of the DAC and everything got warmer and bassier, I didn't like it but it sounded more neutral so I had to keep it. But I kept complaining of too much warmth every day, I don't like warmth, it is too sweaty and uncomfortable. So then I installed a 3rd transport and tweaked it to get a cold sound signature, but it still wasn't enough.

I missed the Valhalla a lot, she is my wife and now she was gone from my system. I wanted her back, I didn't care if I got less detail, I needed her, I love her so much. But before putting back the amp and analog interconnects, I decided to try one last tweak...

For a long time I have thought about using Valhalla power cord for my headphones because it has Dual Mono-Filaments unlike the Valhalla speaker cable and analog interconnect which only have Single Mono-Filaments. But since the power cord is 16awg it was going to give too much bass compared to the 22awg analog cables. I wasn't expecting it to sound better at all but I tried it anyway, because what else will I do all day than mutilate audio gear? So I cut the Valkyrja speaker cable near the Y section and soldered the Valhalla power cord there. It's very heavy, uncomfortable and dangerous, but audiophilia isn't for sissy girls anyway. To get better sound you need to be extreme, if the system blows up from a short-circuit, you just fast for a new one. In my system, the Valhalla matters the most anyway, I can be without my audio gear, but I can't be without my love.


AKG K1000 headphones + 330 cm Valkyrja (22awg)
AKG K1000 headphones + 35 cm Valkyrja (22awg) + 2m Valhalla (16awg)

First impressions: I put the headphones on and immediately I heard crazy bass like I expected, but I didn't expect it to be that sharp. The low-level details are really good but not as detailed as with Valkyrja because there is heavy bass in front of those details. But without that bass in the way, the low-level detail would be better than Valkyrja! So the Valhalla power cord is better overall. I'm surprised that the Dual Mono-Filaments made this big of a difference.

The deeper silver plating gives more whiteness and it's very smooth. With a thinner conductor it would sound white and edgy which would give the illusion of more clarity, detail and blackness, but with the thick conductor that whiteness is made longer and smoother which gives the illusion of more realism.

It confirms my findings that Valhalla cables should be slightly thicker than the system needs, because the deep silver plating adds whiteness to the sound to compensate for the muddiness that comes from thicker cables. The end result is less low-level detail than neutral, but also more body, whiteness, distinctness and smoothness than neutral, this makes it overall sound very clean, transparent and musical like you are listening to real life. When it sounds like this I don't care that a little low-level detail is missing, especially since with Dual Mono-Filaments there is already too much of it. If there is an overkill of low-level detail in the system it's possible to take advantage of that and add more body to the music by using a thicker cable, but this would make it too dark so you need to compensate for it by adding whiteness to the sound, and that is what Valhalla does with the deeper silver plating. It distorts the sound to make it sound clean like real life.


http://a571.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/102/l_04fbdeac3d50815421ee10ffd268b152.jpg (http://poollogics.is-a-geek.net/pictures/forum4/Apartment2/K1000-ValhallaPC/full.00.JPG)

http://a359.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/22/l_1a46914503f523f7a8ded24bf1ca3dfe.jpg (http://poollogics.is-a-geek.net/pictures/forum4/Apartment2/K1000-ValhallaPC/full.01.JPG)

http://a606.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/12/l_ebd8512eecf8e299191b24d60f821e05.jpg (http://poollogics.is-a-geek.net/pictures/forum4/Apartment2/K1000-ValhallaPC/full.02.JPG)

http://a561.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/20/l_6738872834b1e39c1ddb2a99fc78e518.jpg (http://poollogics.is-a-geek.net/pictures/forum4/Apartment2/K1000-ValhallaPC/full.03.JPG)

http://a558.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/114/l_3de9a3e59a705150ef25034ee1eb5f3d.jpg (http://poollogics.is-a-geek.net/pictures/forum4/Apartment2/K1000-ValhallaPC/full.04.JPG)

http://a264.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/61/l_ea5f272d38f0c969d6681ebef6fda18f.jpg (http://poollogics.is-a-geek.net/pictures/forum4/Apartment2/K1000-ValhallaPC/full.05.JPG)

Where have you been the past months? I thought perhaps you were on that Oceania flight that crashed on that unknown "Lost" island!!!@@@

Are you selling your headphones and power cord for over 20K so it qualifies for this forum? Who is the buyer???

The shock treatments didn't work, eh?







J/K :D

it took him all that time to come up with a post this insane.

More whispered Youtube videos please.

In a sick way I am looking forward to his next posting...

I would expect the electrons to leak out of the cabling with that many soldered connections exposed:) This would cause a weakening of the signal and in humid conditions.....coronal discharge and possible harm to nearby human beings.

Where have you been the past months? I thought perhaps you were on that Oceania flight that crashed on that unknown "Lost" island!!!@@@

I was busy accumulating my first dozen future wives, I have wives all over the world and I'm planning to get 100 by the end of this year. But after I listened to the Valhalla for my headphones, I don't feel like I need any wives at all! Valhalla is that good!

I was busy accumulating my first dozen wives, I have wives all over the world and I'm planning to get 100 by the end of this year! But after I listened to the Valhalla for my headphones, I don't feel like I need any wives at all! Valhalla is that good!

Do your multiple big power cords get you more wives? I'm afraid mine did nothing other than my wife taking down the long one to my old projector and being temped to strangle me with it. Fortunately she took a sign from The Joker in Batman, and she flipped heads or tails, and I got to keep my head.

I am serious here.

The shock treatments didn't work, eh?
During my first impression I could feel my pants tighten from the sound of Valhalla, it is true love. Valhalla is the only treatment I need, without Valhalla I don't want to live anymore.

During my first impression I could feel my pants tighten from the sound of Valhalla...

What were you impressing on that was tightening your pants so much?!? :o

I was busy accumulating my first dozen future wives, I have wives all over the world and I'm planning to get 100 by the end of this year.

Makes sense... Someone has to pay for all that Nordost cabling! :D

Do your multiple big power cords get you more wives? I'm afraid mine did nothing

Just a guess Steve but probably you have a short power cord ,your gift of gab will only take you so far.

Art

With the fragility of the AVS server lately perhaps all this ValhallaPC crap should all be deleted to make more room for informative posts!

Have you tried any of the new Synergistic Research Tesla series cable? I am in the process of replacing all of my Nordost cables with it.

During my first impression I could feel my pants tighten from the sound of Valhalla, it is true love. Valhalla is the only treatment I need, without Valhalla I don't want to live anymore.


Are you sure it wasn't the male vocalist over your headphones?:p

Thank you sweet baby G-bus, he's BACK!

During my first impression I could feel my pants tighten from the sound of Valhalla. Valhalla is the only treatment I need, without Valhalla I don't want to live anymore.


So, the Valhalla's make you crap your pants. Well, if it means going through toilet paper quicker in order to get to those precious rolls, then hey, Keep on listening is what I say. I'm still waiting to see the pictures of your entire building covered with rolls.

Are you going to wrap all your wives in toilet rolls and ERS paper to? If you do and it works let me know. I'm sure most people here can agree that wives can make lots of noise and I am always looking for a good solution to limit the noise that comes out of mine whenever I'm listening to the system. ;o)

what i find funniest is that this guy provides so much ammo to make fun of/laugh at in his insane ramblings (i believe that he is not really what he says, he is just having a big laugh, although he is so into character that he may be insane either way)

Yet all you can poke fun of is the pseudo homo erotic aspects.

Who cares if he is gay/straight whatever... have fun with the soldering, toilet rolls, bizarre understanding of electricity/physics, audiophile hyperbole, whatever.

what i find funniest is that this guy provides so much ammo to make fun of/laugh at in his insane ramblings (i believe that he is not really what he says, he is just having a big laugh, although he is so into character that he may be insane either way)

Yet all you can poke fun of is the pseudo homo erotic aspects.

Who cares if he is gay/straight whatever... have fun with the soldering, toilet rolls, bizarre understanding of electricity/physics, audiophile hyperbole, whatever.


Is ValhallaPC really BORAT into audio????

During my first impression I could feel my pants tighten from the sound of Valhalla, it is true love. Valhalla is the only treatment I need, without Valhalla I don't want to live anymore.

He's Baaaaaaaack!!! :eek::o

He's Baaaaaaaack!!! :eek::o

From his Tweaks Anonymous three month course?

Is ValhallaPC really BORAT into audio????

Much better

The next time I'm at Boeing Surplus in Seattle I need to remember to take my camera and see if they will allow me to take a picture of their 'supercomputer' that IS NOT FOR SALE, under plexiglass.

It's similar to a Valhalla contraption, everything imaginable is kludged onto something like a 486 case. An analog VU meter and a plastic faucet with tap are amongst the highlights. :D

He's Baaaaaaack!!! :eek::o
From his Tweaks Anonymous three month course?

Which obviously has had zero effect!!! :D

Which obviously has had zero effect!!! :D

Well let's hope not. That wouldn't be any fun, now would it?

Can someone some up thes Valhalla threads I see?

Are they meant to be serious, does the OP really believe in what is written, or is this more just poking fun at the idea of power cords etc making a difference?

Am I supposed to laugh or cry?

Am I supposed to laugh or cry?

Both.

It is a paradox...

Thanks for posting that stupendously unbelievable but thoroughly entertaining post! :eek: :D

Laugh or cry, it all "gives the illusion of more realism." Or, "It distorts the sound to make it sound clean like real life."

Priceless quotes.

After I upgraded from Valkyrja speaker cable into Valhalla power cord the improvement was so good that it gave me my first eargasm within minutes!


I have tried:

Stock K1000 cable
Stefan AudioArt Hardwired K1000 cable
Nordost Solar Wind speaker cable
Nordost Valkyrja speaker cable
Nordost Valhalla power cord

Each cable was a step up in sound quality and I didn't think it could get any better than Valkyrja, but I was wrong, and Valhalla gave me an eargasm to prove it!


Nordost Solar Wind impressions (http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f21/hardwired-nordost-valhalla-speaker-cables-into-k1000s-114914/)

Nordost Valkyrja impressions (http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/k1000-valkyrja-test-drive-europe-181334/)

Nordost Valhalla impressions (http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/k1000-dual-micro-mono-filament-cable-less-contact-conductor-more-detail-300673/)






Nordost Solar wind (speed!)

http://a172.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/103/l_70dc93014dd03154442611a31cd38a9b.jpg










Nordost Valkyrja (dynamics!)

http://a780.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/89/l_edb476bfa569beb319471685be4b11cb.jpg










Nordost Valhalla (eargasm!)

http://a491.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/125/l_8a14147804f89752f1b4e91e9440b8da.jpg

At first, you annoyed me a little and then- I wanted to 'tro you a beating on general principle and then I felt sort of baffled which morphed into my feeling bad for you. After this, I became amused by you which graduated to appreciation and alas you became a source of comfort and joy in this rotten and finally, you became my hero.

Yes, it does appear that truth always wins in the end.

God Bless You

Wow, Valhalla found a match in his multiple personality issue(s) in dizwip..;)

I reviewed this thread, and might have found a problem. valhalla, in your first post, third picture, the soldering iron on the right has no tip on it. That could explain your soldering 'techniques'.

Ooh, magic wire! ;)

Wow, Valhalla found a match in his multiple personality issue(s) in dizwip..;)

I reviewed this thread, and might have found a problem. valhalla, in your first post, third picture, the soldering iron on the right has no tip on it. That could explain your soldering 'techniques'.My soldering iron has always had a tip on, it's just worn out. Everytime I solder a small piece of the tip comes off, maybe I'm soldering too aggressively. I like to squeeze it into places...

Nice to see the Valhalla Report is back.

What a freeking waste of time and space....sad to see this on this board......This board used to be so informative and a great place to come and get questions answered but now with the end of CRT projectors its not worth a dime.

I have had the Valhalla for my headphones for 6 weeks now and it appears that this tweak makes the biggest improvement out of any upgrades to the audio system.


Going from stock cable to Stefan AudioArt cable didn't make an improvement, it just made it warmer. People are raving about this like it made a huge improvement, but it didn't make a significant improvement for me because I only care about real night and day improvements.

When I upgraded to Solar Wind it made the biggest improvement I ever heard. I sent out that cable to a few people and they agreed, it even turned a skeptic engineer into a believer. That's how big the improvement was.

Further upgrading to Valkyrja made almost as big improvement, but most of the improvements were in bass texture, soundstage size and smoothness. However, it was still able to keep the same detail that the Solar Wind has, even when the conductor was much thicker! The reason for that was because of the Mono Filaments wrapped around the conductor. But there was still a lot of dielectric contact with the conductor, so further improvements were possible.

The Valhalla power cord has Dual Mono Filaments which reduces the dielectric contact even further. Upgrading from 1 to 2 threads wrapped around the conductor made one of the biggest improvement I have heard. For me, it was a much more positive improvement than going from Benchmark DAC1 into a dCS stack.


It appears that the cable for headphones is far more important than the cable for loudspeakers is. Since headphones use smaller signals, it seems that the dielectric is the most important thing in the cable. When using simple logic, the Tara Labs Zero with the vacuum dielectric would be the most neutral cable for headphones, however, it would need connectors (to keep the vacuum inside) which would degrade the sound. But when you keep reducing the dielectric contact you get an overkill of low-level detail which is boring and "noisy". If you cut off the deepest layer of low-level detail, it makes it sound cleaner and blacker. This is what the silver plating of Valhalla does, it trades low-level detail for more surface detail which makes it sound both blacker and whiter than what is on the recording. It also makes it heavier and smoother which would normally make it muddy and veiled, but since the silver plating makes that muddiness whiter, it appears to sound neutral and clean. And since the deepest layer of low-level detail is missing, it makes it sound more open. The end result is that it sounds like real life because it distorts the sound.

What a freeking waste of time and space....sad to see this on this board......This board used to be so informative and a great place to come and get questions answered but now with the end of CRT projectors its not worth a dime.

I guess you're not familiar with VPC's work. He's the Will Ferrell of the A/V world. Only Will Ferrell knows he's a comedian.

This is great stuff.
Reminds me of the "thunderous overhead surround".

And Mr. Valhalla, you might want to clean up them cables. I'm sure they sound nice but toss some heat shrink on them to make them look nice too.

The first post I read on hti forum is from this guy. hopefully this isnt indicative of things to come. I think this guy has a problem. he seems to finds comfort in his madness similar to people who do crafts in the "looney bin". Prior to craft sessions they would just let them tear paper into strips all day long.

If he only knew that starting out with the source material he does is his first problem, next is his power situation, then the amp he uses, cables might be the best thing he has going then right over to his crappy headphones. He wouldnt know good sound if it was being poured into his ears directly.

He referred to "bass in his stomach" so hard he couldnt stand it. And those frequencies were being reproduced by what size transducer?

anyway, I will return at a later date hopefully to see more stable posts by other members.

Letting him go on and on with his Nordost "ads" drag this forum down IMHO.