Schiit Asgard: Unboxing and First Impressions - Page 111

Has anyone here tried the ODAC (JDS labs) and asgard combo? The bifrost + asgard is financially out of reach for me 

Quote:

Originally Posted by underhysteria 

Has anyone here tried the ODAC (JDS labs) and asgard combo? The bifrost + asgard is financially out of reach for me 

I have not, but it should be good. Honestly in my experience I've found that DACs make the smallest differences in a setup, and you can always upgrade later if need be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by underhysteria 

Has anyone here tried the ODAC (JDS labs) and asgard combo? The bifrost + asgard is financially out of reach for me 

I'm using the ODAC / Asgard combo with my Denon AH-D5000.  Great match up IMHO.  I went with the ODAC because of it's smaller size and reviews.  I've read that it can go toe to toe with the Bifrost, but I've never got to compare them myself.  I'm definitely a happy camper with this set up! 

the asgard is in backorder until 10 of dec :(

I am using the Asgaard with HD598s and I love the combination.  The Asgaard provides the low end punch the Senns need.  My source is a high-end Denon universal player with SACDs and DVD-As or CDs.  My question is this:  the DAC in the Denon is rated pretty well - would I notice much difference if I inserted a Bifrost in the signal path?  Other's experiences with Denons would be appreciated.  Thanks much.  Great thread on a great product!

You will not notice much in differences of DACs.  Trust me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eirepaul 

I am using the Asgaard with HD598s and I love the combination.  The Asgaard provides the low end punch the Senns need.  My source is a high-end Denon universal player with SACDs and DVD-As or CDs.  My question is this:  the DAC in the Denon is rated pretty well - would I notice much difference if I inserted a Bifrost in the signal path?  Other's experiences with Denons would be appreciated.  Thanks much.  Great thread on a great product!

Quote:

Originally Posted by hodgjy 

You will not notice much in differences of DACs.  Trust me.

 

Have to disagree. In recent months I've compared a number of well regarded budget DACs to my VDA-1. All of them were different. None of them held up to the CIAudio. There IS a difference.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dpippel 

 

Have to disagree. In recent months I've compared a number of well regarded budget DACs to my VDA-1. All of them were different. None of them held up to the CIAudio. There IS a difference.

It also depends a lot on what it's connected to. I know it sounds stupid!

I could barely tell a difference between my DACs when I used my Fiio E9.

Not sure why.

With my Micro Amp and Magni it's stupid easy.

I love how when you connect up a dozen different sources to one very good amp they all sound slightly different

It's like you're hearing the source (or the actual music!) and not the amp.

Oh and I can barely detect any differences in my setup with the HD-598 and some other headphones. Not sure why. My 598 sounds mostly the same on everything. Even the HD-600 does sometimes.

Now my HD-650 for whatever reason seems to care about every single thing. I thought the idea that it magically scaled up well was kind of stupid.

Is there anybody in this thread who has experience of switching/upgrading from Pro-Ject Headbox II to Schiit Asgard?

I know it would be silly to compare the two as they're of different class, but still - would I hear the much needed improvements, most importantly in lows/bass? My modded Pro-Ject (I installed a better op-amp, swapped input and output caps for bigger/better quality, etc.) sounds fantastic insofar resolution, soundstage and dimensionality are concerned but absolutely sucks when it comes to bass which is very light at best (I have Sennheiser HD 580, with HD 650 on its way).

Also, how true is that Asgard gets mostly hot underneath, i.e. on its base? My current headphone amp rests on top of CD-Player and the same is planned for Asgard. If it gets "burning hot" on its base, then it's not a good idea to place it on top of another equipment and I'll need to think something out.

Your feedback is very much appreciated!

A different amp should not improve the bass.  I went through a similar issue with my Senn HD-595's.  These headphones just did not provide the sound signature I was craving with regards to the lower frequencies.  My current headphone of choice is the Denon D5000.  I'm using these with J-money earpads, and these provide the bass impact that was missing from the 595's.

 I'm not familiar with either the 580 or 650, but when I searched for a new pair to replace my 595's, I specifically avoided Sennheiser and AKG in part from observing frequency response charts compared with the 595 and reading tons of information in these forums.  I found a few forum members that appeared to agree with my opinions on the headphones I did have a chance to try, and I delved deeper into their suggested offerings before finally making the decision to go with the D5000.  I absolutely love the D5000.

Maybe you can find someone that agrees with your view on the 580 that has found a more satisfying solution?  Go with their suggestions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonitus mirus 

... and these provide the bass impact that was missing from the 595's.

I'm equally not familiar with 595's but from what I could quickly read on the net, these indeed are famous for weak low frequences, and that 580 and 650 should have more of them. But a dedicated amp can and should improve bass response from given headphones, it's just a matter of right choice and match. Thanks for your feedback anyway. Anybody else familiar with the usual suspects? :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by apollinaris 

Is there anybody in this thread who has experience of switching/upgrading from Pro-Ject Headbox II to Schiit Asgard?

 

I know it would be silly to compare the two as they're of different class, but still - would I hear the much needed improvements, most importantly in lows/bass? My modded Pro-Ject (I installed a better op-amp, swapped input and output caps for bigger/better quality, etc.) sounds fantastic insofar resolution, soundstage and dimensionality are concerned but absolutely sucks when it comes to bass which is very light at best (I have Sennheiser HD 580, with HD 650 on its way).

 

Also, how true is that Asgard gets mostly hot underneath, i.e. on its base? My current headphone amp rests on top of CD-Player and the same is planned for Asgard. If it gets "burning hot" on its base, then it's not a good idea to place it on top of another equipment and I'll need to think something out.

 

Your feedback is very much appreciated!

I don't have any experience with the Headbox II, but I did have the Asgard and HD600s for quite a while. From my experience the Asgard is a neutral amp, so if the Headbox is actually bass-light then yes, it'll seem like an improvement, but it might be that the Headbox is also neutral, in which case the Asgard might seem exactly the same (hard to say).

The Asgard gets hot in general, I believe it gets the warmest on the bottom right side (underneath and around the volume control, although it might be the other side? no guarantees with my memory). If you're concerned about heat the easiest solution would probably be to get some larger feet for it, even half an inch of clearance would probably be enough to minimize heat transfer.

I have the Asgard and the HD 650 I have plenty of bass at least to my ears.