Mjglo,
I agree that the Valhalla is not bright per se, however it is the quality of the highs as contrasted to that of Tesla that is in question as well as other fundamental differences. In regard to highs it is the difference between organic and natural versus synthetic and grainy. With Valhalla in my system highs have an etched quality much like what I see when I apply too much sharpening to an image. "Sharpening" and "Detail" are two different things. Anyone who works with images in Photoshop knows that applying sharpness to an image does not create true "detail," applying sharpness actually obscures fine inner detail, while creating a flat "etched" and "grainy" appearance. This is exactly what I hear when listening to Valhalla in my system. With my Tesla cables I hear an organic transparent detail that sounds like live music presented in natural space. With Valhalla I hear a compressed two dimensional sound that unnaturally hovers between my speakers. With Tesla my room is transported to the live venue while with Valhalla I hear a stereo with the sound locked in a narrow relationship to my speakers.
All of this is of course academic until you hear your system properly cabled with Tesla cables properly matched to your system and speakers. Other factors include cable elevators for your speaker cables, and the proper cables between pre-and power amps, speaker cable models that match your speakers (Precision Ref vs. Apex really depends on your room as well as your system and speakers), the proper cable to voice your system between source and pre-amp, power cords, and so on.
