very well done. i enjoyed reading that

That's one of the better reviews out there.. thanks. Good job.

Great review! Thank you for pointing out some of the annoyances.  Good to know Rag performance is on par with the Gsx mkII, however I can see that I will get annoy very quickly with the volume control and input selection.  This is the kind of review I like to see more of.  Thanks again.

Outstanding review !!
 Power Sw. on the rear is someone's pet , can't figure out why , I would pay extra to have it on the front . If I put the ignition Switch of a Car in the Back Seat area I'd have to appear before Congress , someone over-there at Schiit is giving us the finger ! , still , I own 4 Schiit products .
  This is a great piece of work ( this review ) , thank you for taking all the time to report .  Love to see you doing more of this for Tyll and his little band of brothers .
Tony in Michigan

how does the ragnarok compare to master 9?

Nice review. Thanks. I must say that the power switch on the back is a pet peeve of mine, especially on a crowded desk with stacked gear, as I have. Most of my amps have the power switch on the front and I do like this. I would also pay a few dollars more to have the power switch on the front.

Good job! Good info!

Another heavy weight in this category is Audio-gd Master 9.

Thanks for the feedback.
 
@ Xecuter - I hope I'll never have to make that decision. It would depend on whether I wanted to run speakers, 2 balanced sources, or HE-6 headphones (which I have not tried with the Ragnarok yet, hopefully at the upcoming Chicago meet).
 
@ KMSV - I don't see any issue with the stepped volume control other than when trying to get "80dB" to show up on a SPL meter. You don’t do that during normal listening. The input selection works perfectly. The gain selection is touchy but it works and once it’s set you're good.
 
@ tonykaz, @ swannie007 - I think Schiit's original switch placement was probably a cost saving \ seemingly low impact decision that just doesn't translate well into the full sized amp.  I have no idea how many people would actually rack this amp so it becomes a problem.  That said I don't much like the rear placement on their gear either, I'm forced to leave it with the butt end out all the time.
 
@ Louder - Now THAT is the right question. Unfortunately I only have the Master 8 currently.    The urge to upgrade may soon become irresistible.

Awesome review! The ability to drive speakers would seal the deal for me, along with my experience with Schiit's build quality combined with the lower price. Thanks.

Very Comprehensive & well written review. Well Done Sir.

great review!#!#

will this make it to the chi-uni-fi? 

Dubstep - That is the plan. Could use a pair of HE-6 to listen to if you are attending (hint hint)
 
I was also considering bringing the the A\B listening setup with the GS-X, depends on how much other gear will be there.

Very good review. I noticed you said "I level matched each amp\headphone combination with pink noise to 70dB (for PCM files) or 80dB (for DSD files) before listening. ". When I do the same, the pink noise usually ends up much louder than my real listening level, so does that mean to say that you listen only at relatively quiet levels?

Currawong - My normal listening levels are ~ 57 to 67dB, I believe I measured that against pink noise at one point. In direct amp-to-amp listening for this review I never went over 80dB but I did find myself up at that line several times.

Great review, thanks for putting it together.  Any chance you've heard the CMA800R?  In your opinion, is the Rag a step above? 

dbalvo - I have not heard that amp, though I very much want to. Only one Questyle dealer in the U.S. and nowhere near Chicago.  So much equipment, so little budget.

ogodei - If you ever find yourself in Seattle, I can fix that problem for you.  I'm quite happy with it, but would go higher end if I knew what to get.  I just sold my Liquid Gold because the sound didn't work for me but I've still got the upgrade bug.  The Rag looks interesting...

Thanks for comparing the Ragnarok to the GS-X, I have a better appreciation for both of these great solid state statement amps.

I'll add my thanks for taking the time and effort to do this great review.