Ever since I became fascinated with sound and music (two or three years ago) I quickly realized audio gear doesn't come cheap. I was forced to only really buy budget gear unless it was my birthday or some kind of holiday. Anyways, Christmas was a week away and I needed to pick a few headphones, a dac, and an amp. This time I could get something truly special, I looked around at reviews on head-fi and I found Schiit! After browsing Schiit's website and laughing from there faq, I knew the Asgard was for me.
Build Quality and Design
I think it looks great! At first I wasn't a huge fan of the power switch being on the back but it probably would have looked ugly on the front. The entire body is rock solid, nothing feels flimsy or loose and nothing pushes in when force is applied. If you've been reading reviews of the Asgard then you probably have heard a lot about how the amp gets EXTREMELY HOT, but it's really nothing to go crazy about. I personally like my gear to get hot because it gives a sense of power and strength, plus it makes my friends (Beats By Dre users) think it could power a city.
Sound
My headphone collection: Grado SR225i, AKG K702, Audio-Technica ATH-A900x.
I only really use my K702's for gaming because of their amazing imaging and soundstage but for music I was never really a huge fan. I love my a900x's! I use them for all music genres and gaming as well as movies although I don't really watch movies much because itunes sounds bad and blu-ray is too expensive. I use my Grado's mostly for rock and acoustic stuff. I sometimes use the tape mod and sometimes I don't, it really just depends on what I'm listening to. Before Asgard, I was using the dreadful Hifiman EF2A to power my AKG's (I didn't have the Grado's or A-T's at the time.) It was horrifying sounding! Trying to listen to John Mayer was like trying to wrestle five bears while wearing roller skates!! Nothing against Hifiman, but that amp just wasn't for me. My purchase made me feel terrible for a month so I decided I would research the heck out of any piece of audio gear I purchased next. After spending some time looking at different amps on head fi and other sites it was one week before christmas and I went with the Schiit.
As of now I really like my Asgard. It has a warm, relaxed, slightly dry and sterile sound signature. It's very smooth but I wouldn't call it watery or colorful and there is not a lot of treble really going on. At times I can get bored and I end up switching to speakers because of the lack of treble and perhaps detail. The way i'm describing it's sound may not seem pleasant but all of these unpleasant characteristics combine to make a nice smooth and relaxing yet powerful experience that goes well with Grado's.
Thats my review! As a head fi newbie I hope anybody that read it enjoyed it and maybe helped them make a decision. By the way, I only use lossless files when listening. Even though i'm just a teenager, I don't mess around with itunes and mp3's. Thanks again for reading my review.
Build Quality and Design
I think it looks great! At first I wasn't a huge fan of the power switch being on the back but it probably would have looked ugly on the front. The entire body is rock solid, nothing feels flimsy or loose and nothing pushes in when force is applied. If you've been reading reviews of the Asgard then you probably have heard a lot about how the amp gets EXTREMELY HOT, but it's really nothing to go crazy about. I personally like my gear to get hot because it gives a sense of power and strength, plus it makes my friends (Beats By Dre users) think it could power a city.
Sound
My headphone collection: Grado SR225i, AKG K702, Audio-Technica ATH-A900x.
I only really use my K702's for gaming because of their amazing imaging and soundstage but for music I was never really a huge fan. I love my a900x's! I use them for all music genres and gaming as well as movies although I don't really watch movies much because itunes sounds bad and blu-ray is too expensive. I use my Grado's mostly for rock and acoustic stuff. I sometimes use the tape mod and sometimes I don't, it really just depends on what I'm listening to. Before Asgard, I was using the dreadful Hifiman EF2A to power my AKG's (I didn't have the Grado's or A-T's at the time.) It was horrifying sounding! Trying to listen to John Mayer was like trying to wrestle five bears while wearing roller skates!! Nothing against Hifiman, but that amp just wasn't for me. My purchase made me feel terrible for a month so I decided I would research the heck out of any piece of audio gear I purchased next. After spending some time looking at different amps on head fi and other sites it was one week before christmas and I went with the Schiit.
As of now I really like my Asgard. It has a warm, relaxed, slightly dry and sterile sound signature. It's very smooth but I wouldn't call it watery or colorful and there is not a lot of treble really going on. At times I can get bored and I end up switching to speakers because of the lack of treble and perhaps detail. The way i'm describing it's sound may not seem pleasant but all of these unpleasant characteristics combine to make a nice smooth and relaxing yet powerful experience that goes well with Grado's.
Thats my review! As a head fi newbie I hope anybody that read it enjoyed it and maybe helped them make a decision. By the way, I only use lossless files when listening. Even though i'm just a teenager, I don't mess around with itunes and mp3's. Thanks again for reading my review.
Can I use the Little Dot MKII pre-out to feed the Schiit Asgard 1 input without damaging the Asgard?
I ask because of this recommendation in the Little Dot MKII manual.
"The Little Dot MK II is not recommended for use with a DC or direct coupled power amplifier.
The preamp signal in the Little Dot MK II includes the driver and power tubes for better
compatibility with power amplifiers with low input impedance (eg, transistor-based power amplifiers). "
Thank you for your help.