[Edoardo]

Hello sachu
 
so you mean this amp does not "shines" on the highs?
 
and...
 
"Not as resolving as some of the amps I am used to."
 
Amps... ...Such as?
 
I am not complaining, it is just that I am seriously thinking about buying this amp but having a small budget and little choice  I would like to know what you are comparing this amp with!  

 Just to know how to weight your considerations...
 
 
thiank you
 
 
Quote:

 
Sound quality
Pros:
Plenty of power reserves in this amp. 
Clean sounding 
Nice midrange
 
Cons:
Rolled of on the top and a little on the bottom.
Not as resolving as some of the amps I am used to.
 
 

 

[MrSlim]

Quote:

I wouldn't call myself a "hack" when completing a BH build. This might be a bit off-topic, but any tips for a new DIYer? I've studied some electronics before and can read schematic diagrams and such, would a y2 be a good start?

 
I think you might want to start with something that is more exclusively "through hole" (ie no SMD soldering). While there are some good instructional resources on the web, getting some experience with building something that relies less on precise soldering like SMD will probably give you the confidence to try something more challenging. While the amount of SMD soldering is minimal on the y1/y1, it is on critical components. I myself did a SOHA + JISBOS and 2 x CTH's (tricky in themselves due to their compact nature) before I tackled a Y2.   Most people suggest starting with a CMOY, and that is probably a good suggestion. As a next step, a MiniMax or CK2III is what I would suggest, since they have integral power supplies, and are relatively simple to put together..

 

 

[Br777]

There are at least a couple people asking for comparisons to other amps, and specifically other more expensive amps.  I know this is not a simple question to answer by any means, but what i think many of us would like to get an idea of is - how high up in the price and quality chain does this amp hold its own.
 
for example, its a safe bet that it wont out perform a audio gd roc, but can it rival the likes of a meier concerto.. or is it on par with amps a little less quality.. of course some amps cost a lot and may not perform, so really the quality comparison is whats important..   even a simple list of which amps this amp performs better than, and worse than would be very appreciated im sure.
 
I for one own an hifiman ef5, and if i could sell it and buy either of the Schiit amps without losing sound quality, id be all over it.
 
I hope that is clear.. for some reason i had trouble putting my request into words
 
Thanks all

 

[Br777]

Wow!  ya'll sure know how to get off topic and bicker.  Very impressive.  Its no wonder some of you have thousands of posts

 

[clou91]

Just sat through and read all 18 pages, no joke. I have some Sextetts on the way, so hopefully Schiit's tube amp gets good reviews! 

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Hey all, thanks for all the impressions. KW, I haven't had a chance to call you back, things have been fairly busy around here. But thank you for the nice voicemail! Your impressions match up very well with ours.
 
A couple of quick comments: the Asgard seeming rolled-off on top is interesting, since it has mucho bandwidth. Amazing bandwidth, actually. It may be a function of "apparent" versus "actual" highs. In the Sumo amps, which were large, discrete, low-gain op-amp type designs (with Hawksford error correction on the MOSFET outputs), the more we concentrated on getting the open-loop performance compensation right, the softer the amp sounded.
 
We spent plenty of time on Valhalla to ensure it paired well with Senns in general, as well as AKGs, so there shouldn't be any concern there. Of course, you'll be the final arbiters of that!
 
As far as construction and photos, yes, I'm sorry, there's no real conspiracy here, I've just been slammed by multiple things to do. Hence the iPhone photos. We're working really, really hard to make sure Valhalla ships on its scheduled date of 8/15. And yeah, we're hand-soldering. These boards are simple enough to do that, and I've always liked hand-soldering as opposed to wave--but I expect we'll be going to wave eventually. Ah, and regulators--yep, they're discrete MOSFETs. No magic, just trying to maintain the sonic character of the amp. Though the power supply rails might not be quite what you expect.
 
Until next time . . .
 

 

[takezo]

i love the asgard with the grado gs1000. the best i've heard them from my experience.
the bass is almost on par with the orthos in speed and resolution. and the mids are
buoyant and fluid with the highs seemingly tamed. i think these will match perfect
with the rs1i's as well. the hd600/650 are sweet too. don't have any akg to comment.

 

[Doc B.]

 
Quote:

Today, people don't have the time, skills, equipment, or patience for kits.  With today's litigious society, liability insurance alone would put you out of business

 
In my limited experience those two issues are not what keeps a manufacturer out of the kit business. The thing that keeps them out of the kit business is the level of commitment to customer support that is required. Not meaning to hijack this thread, I think these new amps are a very cool idea and I wish the principals much success! Wacky names and made in USA - my kind of folks.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

In my limited experience those two issues are not what keeps a manufacturer out of the kit business. The thing that keeps them out of the kit business is the level of commitment to customer support that is required. Not meaning to hijack this thread, I think these new amps are a very cool idea and I wish the principals much success! Wacky names and made in USA - my kind of folks.

You're right, customer support issues are huge in a properly run kit business!  Somebody has to pay for all that support and all of those insurance premiums.
 
Wacky names, made in the USA, yup, my kind of Schiit too.

 

[sachu]

Quote:

Hey all, thanks for all the impressions. KW, I haven't had a chance to call you back, things have been fairly busy around here. But thank you for the nice voicemail! Your impressions match up very well with ours.
 
A couple of quick comments: the Asgard seeming rolled-off on top is interesting, since it has mucho bandwidth. Amazing bandwidth, actually. It may be a function of "apparent" versus "actual" highs. In the Sumo amps, which were large, discrete, low-gain op-amp type designs (with Hawksford error correction on the MOSFET outputs), the more we concentrated on getting the open-loop performance compensation right, the softer the amp sounded.
 
We spent plenty of time on Valhalla to ensure it paired well with Senns in general, as well as AKGs, so there shouldn't be any concern there. Of course, you'll be the final arbiters of that!
 
As far as construction and photos, yes, I'm sorry, there's no real conspiracy here, I've just been slammed by multiple things to do. Hence the iPhone photos. We're working really, really hard to make sure Valhalla ships on its scheduled date of 8/15. And yeah, we're hand-soldering. These boards are simple enough to do that, and I've always liked hand-soldering as opposed to wave--but I expect we'll be going to wave eventually. Ah, and regulators--yep, they're discrete MOSFETs. No magic, just trying to maintain the sonic character of the amp. Though the power supply rails might not be quite what you expect.
 
Until next time . . .
 

Thanks for the reply and info Jason.
 
As to the rolled off highs, I just felt that there was a veil over the details in the upper mids and high frequencies. Like as if the details were being held back. 
 
Still am very impressed with what the Asgard has to offer and this is disregarding its price. It is just a pleasant shock that it is priced at just $250+ shipping. Unreal.

 

[Clusterfunk]

Well, I got mine today. No good headphones to test it on yet (my HD650s are supposed to arrive today). I can however say that it makes the sound from my Bose In-Ear headphones (temporary) sound much fuller (listening to Dark Side of the Moon, SACD).
 
The manual was actually pretty fun to read too!
 
Schiit is the bomb.

 

[chesebert]

Just ordered one. I hope this has similar sound sig as Sugden amps (from the impression thus far, I think it does).
 
As MI's manufacturing base crumbles, at least we can look to CA to lead the way
 
 
... and it's shipped.
 
this gotta be the fastest order fulfillment I have ever experienced!
 

 

[Leny]

 
Quote:

Though the power supply rails might not be quite what you expect.
 
 

 
Don't just dangle that and then walk off !
 
Guessing hat on: separate rails per channel, negative supply, with positive ground? Current sources on input and output followers feed to negative rail hence high PSRR ???
 
C'mon, one more clue?
 
 

 

 

[mmayer167]

Just posting back, I've had my Asgard for a day now.
Nothing really bad to report at all, the small humm that has been reported by a few others really is not noticeable.
 
I'm really digging the smoothness of this amp!  It is suppressing some of the mid range on my k601 which I'm not too excited about, but overall Schiit was right, this amp just really doesnt
jive with the AKG's like the Senn's supposedly. Don't think it doesn't sound good, its just not what I would call a great synergy. My 601's do sound better on the Asgard than on the rolled Indeed hybrid, I can just tell
the Asgard and the 601 aren't off like a dress on prom night...
 
For my M50's on the other hand...  Holy Moly do they sound good with the Asgard

, the flabby bottom end is really tight now and they
are super flat, even better than before without the Asgard.
 
So between the two cans I have to give a good listen to the Asgard I can say i really am liking it thus far. The highs seem ok to me, but time will tell. Everything else about the amp is very professional!
Fit and finish is very good, and will stand the test of time.
As time goes on, I'll be deciding whether to keep the amp based on the way it burns in. I'm on the edge, so the burn in time (or getting used to period) will be the decider for me.
 
....As I've written this little post the little Schiit seems to have grown on me, maaahahahahaha, what an interesting name.    But in seriousness, i would bet this is the best $250 SS amp you can buy. Aaand feel good about it being built in the USA! Thank you Jason, and happy listening to all 

       
    
    Here are two pictures of the Asgard on my desk, the only piece out of the pic is my uDAC.    sorry, edited pic size... they were HUGE for a second, aand they're crappy cuz they were taken with my phone.

 

 

[Br777]

I think I have a certain warped obligation to buy a Schiit amp for my thunderpants...  
 
think about it...
 
think about it....
 
Shiit... thunderpants...asgard....
 
ooooooooooooh yeeeeeah... thats what i'm talkin about!!!  

The temptation is almost irresistible !