(This is a repost of a review I did in the forums)
The Asgard has been on back order for about 2-3 weeks. It started shipping again this past week and I just got mine this afternoon (1/22/2011) and I thought I'd add my own impressions. Please go easy on me...this is my first ever review of an audio component and my first ever on Head-Fi. :-)
Customer Service...or Jason ROCKS!
Like others, I am stunned by the incredible responsiveness of customer service. Certainly they have the benefit of a small operation and therefore an intimate connection to inquiries. Nevertheless, we should applaud a company who answers an email question within 10 minutes on a Saturday afternoon. Maybe I got lucky, but others have mentioned similar stories often enough that we have to just accept that they offer exceptional service and responsiveness.
Delivery time was also great. They handed off to the carrier when they said they would...although I should note that the speed of the actual transit is the responsibility of the carrier (FedEx home delivery in my case) and not Schiit.
Accessories
As others have noted, the Asgard ships with a power cord, a 1/8" to 1/4" adaptor, a stereo 1/8" to RCA cable, and adhesive rubber feet. The RCA cable is very thick and sturdy. It is probably not the match of high-end audiophile cables, but its much better than the cables that come with most consumer electronics. The rubber feet are small and shallow--they give only about 1/8" of clearance.
I'm thinking about replacing them with some AcoustiFeet, which I like using for my computers. They could have helped some of the mechanical hum that some folks have reported. However, it's probably unnecessary...remember the speedy email response that so impressed me? The 6moon review mentioned the low-level buzz issue as well as a side note that Schiit was already working on the solution. I wanted to know if they had addressed it yet and Jason said that all units now shipping (they just came off of backorder last week) should have the fix. I can say that my unit seems absolutely silent.
Sound Quality
I'm burning in the Asgard at home with a Senn HD590 and a Grado SR225. Both sound incredible. My previous amp was a Rega Ear demo unit that I bought at a steep discount from a local high-end stereo shop. The Rega was definitely a huge huge improvement over using my PCs stock headphone jack (or at least it was once I found and corrected a faulty cold solder joint). However, right out of the box I noticed vastly improved detail on the Asgard with both the Senn and the Grado. I thought that the Rega had opened up huge detail, but the Asgard really blows my mind.
I don't know the terminology most people use, so I can't say what it is about the sound, but I feel a stronger emotional connection to my music listening with the Asgard than I did with the Rega. I don't mean to be overly effusive, but some of my tracks sound as if the performer is running his or her fingers through my mind. I'm listening to an Ottmar Leibert piece right now and it's so good I feel little shivers between my shoulder blades. I keep finding excuses to come into the den for just one more "taste".
I can't hear the high-end roll-off that some people have reported. However, I should note that I'm an over-40 listener and I have definitely lost some high-frequency hearing (I really can't hear that "mosquito ring tone" for example). So it may be that there is roll-off occuring above my threshold to notice it. Who knew that my impending decrepitude would be a blessing in disguise?
This amp is ultimately going to end up in my office where it will most likely be used with a Denon AHD5000. I am really really looking forward to that!
No Snap, Crackle, or Pop
I really appreciate that there is no audible pop when inserting or removing headphones from the amplifier. Same with turning the amp on and off. This was a problem with the Rega.
Running Hot
Does this amp run hot? Compared to the Rega it sure does. I've had it running now for 5 hours (in the horizontal layout) and relative to the Rega it is very hot. However, in an absolute sense its just very warm...definitely not going to cook anything on it. I doubt it would even melt my daughter's crayons...not that I'm not crazy enough to try. I come from the PC world, so I would say that it is about as warm as a low-end passively cooled video card. I have absolutely no qualms about the amount of heat I'm observing.
Correction: I was checking the temp at the top of the case. The bottom of the case is significantly hotter...I probably *could* melt a crayon against the bottom of the case. Definitely going to find some bigger feet and/or setup vertically.
Criticisms/Feedback
I only have a few minor nitpicks to offer. First, the Rega Ear has a set of passthrough RCA outputs with a manual cutoff switch. This is great for PC use...I hang the Ear off my DAC and pkug my computer speakers to the RCA passthrough connectors on the Ear. That allows me to easily enable or mute the external speakers while leaving the headphones plugged in full-time. I will miss that but I'll deal...somehow...(cue violins)...
Second, I'd prefer it if the brushed aluminum case were finished/coated. I like the current look but I'm not fond of the feel of bare aluminum. Still, it's not a big priority for me. I knew this from the forum comments and it didn't factor into my purchasing decision at all. (Correction: I got PM from Jason and the cases are "clear anodized"...I think this was mentioned before on this forum thread, but I had forgotten).
Third, it would be nice to include some feet with more clearance. Right now I have the Asgard lying on a pair of chopsticks until I can find my extra pack of AcoustiFeet.
Conclusion
I am very happy with this amp and I am pleasantly surprised at the low cost. To me, this amp looks, feels, and sound much more expensive. I would gladly recommend the Asgard to my friends and family.
