Spirit Torino – Valkyria

 

Valkyria by Spirit Torino is the work of a perfectionist who took a “whatever it takes” approach. Valkyria is whisked away to cloud 7 by Spirit’s proprietary dual isobaric system and ten powerful magnets. 

This LaFerrari of headphones is limited to only a few dozen units worldwide, so if you’re looking for something truly unique, look no further. Combine these headphones with something truly amazing, such as our GS-X MK2, for out-of-this-world sound!

 

Spirit Torino Design and Build quality

A titanium sculpture for the world’s most powerful twin pulse motor. Every aspect of this project was created with a single goal in mind: to create a new headphone listening standard, regardless of the technology used.

The two turret drives, which have an exceptional weight/performance ratio and are powered by ten powerful neodymium magnets, are arranged in such a way that the entire magnetic flux is concentrated on the voice coil.

The patented isobaric power supply can drive to the limits of audibility, necessitating the pairing of electronic components with a completely black background.

The new Grade 5 titanium frame, which has twice the rigidity of our previous frames, is a highlight of our Inertia frame concept, allowing for an impressive acoustic focus and three-dimensionality of the sound event.

The light and extremely flexible Valkyria cables deserve their own chapter. The precious audio signal is carried by a double, completely symmetrical wire structure composed of a circumferential braid of 16 pure silver cables.

An ofc copper coaxial core per channel, for a total of 36 cables soldered directly to the turret drives with silver solder to prevent current scatter.

Silver cables with the appropriate cross-section are used to connect the drives internally. The amplifier is connected via standard 4-pin XLR or twin 3-pin XLR with the best rhodium-plated Canon Furutech terminations.

The Valkyria system as a whole contributes to an unparalleled listening experience in terms of transparency, resolution, speed, dynamics, timbre, three-dimensionality, and natural sound reproduction.

 

High-Quality Sound System with Spirit Torino

The Spirit Torino Radiante employs a single dynamic driver manufactured by South African Nhoord Audio. This differs from the Twin Pulse’s two-driver configuration but is also understandable given the Radiante’s smaller size and portability.

When the earpads are removed, a tuning system appears: it’s a layer of felt with holes in it and rotating it changes the way the midrange is presented. There are two options: non-blocking or blocking. 

With the latter having the spokes on the holes in the driver housing. The non-blocking one sounds best, as the other one emphasizes the upper midrange, making it sound bright and out of balance.

Despite its semi-closed design, the Radiante has a large soundstage that extends in both width and depth, giving the impression that music is being played in a large hall. Imaging is especially good because the central image is usually in front of the listener rather than between the ears.

That’s quite an accomplishment, and it’s complemented by the instruments being placed on the stage with great precision. Instrument separation is also excellent, with instruments easily identifiable even in complex tracks.

The Radiante, like all other Spirit Torino headphones, has a distinct tuning style that emphasizes bass and sub-bass in particular. This is due to the tuning adhering to the equal loudness contours, which describe how the human ear perceives frequencies at the same volume when sound pressure varies between frequencies.

Bass, in general, appears to require more sound pressure to be perceived by the brain as being at the same volume as the other frequencies, according to this theory.

 

Comfortable Sound Effect 

In fact, the bass is very prominent in the Radiante’s signature. It is not overpowering, but it is the signature’s dominant sound, sitting above everything else in most recordings. The most noticeable part is the sub-bass, with a peak volume of around 30 Hz and a slight decrease at 20 Hz. 

Because of the bass dominance, the overall sound appears dark. Bass is powerful, consistent, rich, detailed, and even aggressive at times. It’s a wet bass head’s dream.

It hits hard and gives you the sensations of a live event. Tracks like Sleep’s Dragonaut are incredible because they transport you to the front row of a band concert. It’s enormous.

Although bass does not leak over the midrange, its presence has an effect on it. And it is in the sense that it is extremely warm, with a greater presence in the lower region. It’s actually V-shape, with some emphasis on the area near the treble border.

 It’s a little recessed, but it’s still perfectly audible and accessible – it doesn’t sound too far away. The level of detail here is incredible: you can clearly hear smaller details like the pick hitting the string in the introduction to Slayer’s South of Heaven.

In that same track, you can clearly hear the stick hitting the drums with the appropriate speed and sensation of impact.

The Treble is mostly in line with the midrange in terms of volume, so it doesn’t form the typical V with the bass. It’s amazing how details emerge from the mix, even in complex tracks. Unfortunately, the extension does not appear to be on par. Resulting in a treble that does not sound as airy and open as it could.

 

Last Thoughts about Sprint Torino

The Spirit Torino Radiante offers many of the benefits of open-back headphones, such as a large soundstage, and fast bass.

A sense of space beyond the ears, while also providing some isolation. They are, in fact, semi-open, or semi-closed, depending on your preference. It provides a good compromise between the two types of headphones.

They provide a unique approach to sound – a difference that is not for everyone. The Radiant’s large bass presence, combined with its comfort. It makes a product for a select few (along with the price, of course).

 

Sprint Torino Specification 

MODEL	VALKYRIA
TECHNOLOGY	Twin Pulse isobaric System
DRIVE	2x drives Spirit
MAGNETS	13.7 + 13.7 Kg
BLUETOOTH	no
CABLE LENGTH	1,8 m integrated cable double copper + silver
MAX. POWER HANDLING	4,000 mW
IMPEDANCE	64-ohm
SENSITIVITY	90 dB
HEADPHONE TYPE	open back
FREQUENCY RESPONSE	18-35,000 Hz
WEIGHT	580 gr
TEMPERATURE RANGE	0 ° C to 50 ° C
PAD	Leather / Alcantara + Ventilation Pad System Evo