[reddog]

Don't get me wrong, I hope they keep it at that incredibly low price, but you know that some will never consider it because of its low price point. Oh well, their loss. 

+1 Well said.

 

[Defiant00]

I read in several posts, that is kind of dark sounding, but I like neutral sound, others are saying it is too bright with the HD800 , which got me confused

 
Sounds like people might be describing their sources and not realizing it.

 

[Kozic]

I would say the Asgard 2 has a slightly warm clean sound with good power. So with dark sounding phones its dark and with bright phones its bright. No mystery there. The DAC and recordings play their part too.

 

[pearljam50000]

Any comparison of O2 with Asgard 2?

 

[KLJTech]

   
Sounds like people might be describing their sources and not realizing it.

 
Bingo.

 

[knorris908]

I believe that the past few posts reflect my opinon as well.
 
Speaking only for myself, I have never found a tendency for my ASGARD 2 to ever be anything but neutral.
 
I have 3 amplifiers I use primarily:
 
FIIO e17, iFi iDSD Micro, & ASGARD 2.  Each more powerful than the last.  Each with a unique sound.
 
Then based on my headphones, each provides me with what I seek, but in general I enjoy each one for any application.
 
Reference analytic / bright side - AKG K550 & K545
 
Warm with good detail - Sennheiser HD-650 & RS-180 has its own amp in the wireless base
 
"General purpose" - Koss Porta-Pros (Under-rated/under-appreciated headphones in my opinion)
 
BASS HEAD - JVC HA-m55x (General purpose thump) & HA-SZ2000 (EQ & Bass boost for ultimate bone-rattling bass)
 
All three amps handle most equally-well, but differently with few exceptions. (FIIO e17's power doesn't really satisfy with HD-650s, and isn't as capable as the other 2 when in basshead mode, but is the ONLY "pants-pocketable" amp solution for travel.
 
90% of the time my setup is HTPC --> iFi iDSD Micro (DAC) --> Schiit ASGARD 2  With either HD-650 or K550 attached depending on genre and source type/quality.
 
Anyone feel differently?  I'm always on the lookout for new ways to try things.
 
Cheers!
 
Ken N.

 

[pldelisle]

After three weeks with my Asgard 2, I'm still fully satisfied. Really nice Amp. But I can't compare with others, it's my first headphone amp ever along with my Schiit Gungnir. 
 
But my Sennheiser Momentum do not pull the full potential of the setup. I'm looking for a good pair of headphone. The whole thing is very warm to my taste. 

 

[knorris908]

After three weeks with my Asgard 2, I'm still fully satisfied. Really nice Amp. But I can't compare with others, it's my first headphone amp ever along with my Schiit Gungnir. 

But my Sennheiser Momentum do not pull the full potential of the setup. I'm looking for a good pair of headphone. The whole thing is very warm to my taste. 

I just got 2 AKG headphones that I'm loving with my ASGRD 2. The K550 is a bright and analytical headphone to me. Not quite as analytical as the Grado 225e was, but also not as harsh in the treble as the 225e was either. Now for REFERENCE, it is great. But if you want a bit more in the bass section, the K545 is almost as wide of soundstage, but brings more to the bottom end. By NO means bass-biased, but nicely fully on the bottom end. The only drawback is that the K545 is a MOBILE headphone, so the cord is quite a bit shorter than the one on the K550. (So I just move my seat closer). Both sound glorious with the ASGARD 2. They come in second to my HD-650s, but have the added advantage of being nicely-driven by my DX90 DAP where the HD-650s definitely need an external amp with more power. They sound pretty good straight from my iPhone 4S, 5, & iPad Airs, as well!

I was able to get my K545 for less than $125, and the K550 for less than $112 from AMAZON warehouse deals and ithe K550 arrived factory-direct from AKG, the K545 from factory refurb, but no retail box. (The box matters to me for $400-plus dollar headphones, but I'm not worried about it for these...)

To be honest, my HD-650s are still my favorites for "slow" music like orchestral/classical/dramatic soundtracks, but the AKGs are now my go-tos for pop, rock, or anything that has a fast pace to it.

 

[Thenewguy007]

Just bought the Asgard 2 & very satisfied with it.
Very nice bump in sound quality from what i been hearing so far.

I do have a few questions:
How how is too hot? How long should it be turned on?
 
I don't want the insides short circuiting.
 
Also, is there a proper order to power off the switch, unplug the headphone & the power adapter?
I heard doing some out of order can lessen the lifespan.
 
 
Lastly is the lo & hi gain switch on the back, it's there for high impedance headphones & low impedance, but I selected the hi option on a low 32ohms headphone & it sounded better & louder than on lo.
Is setting it on 'hi" the best option for most headphones for the best sound?
 
My headphones so far are:
-Sennheiser HD600
-Philips Fidelio X1
-Audio Technica ATH-M50
-Audio Technica AD700
 
I'm guessing none of them need the 'lo' setting?

 

[theblueprint]

I asked Nick from schiit about the heat. He, and as Jason did before, mentioned that it's normal and wouldn't cause harm to any component inside. He said you can leave it on indefinitely if you wish, though I prefer to turn it on once in the morning and leave it on all day, turning it off before bed. Whatever floats your boat.

There's really no correct way to pull out your headphones and powering it down, as schiit has installed a muting relay to ensure that nothing shorts out. Some people might say amp on first then inserting headphones (and headphones out first, then turning off), but it shouldn't matter.

Regarding hi and lo gain, I use high gain for my power hungry planars (low efficiency headphones under 100 dB) and low gain for my dynamic headphones (efficiency over 100 dB). I find a slight audible hiss on my AKG K550 with the high gain, which disappears with low gain.

Enjoy your new Asgard 2! You'll love it.

 

[Thenewguy007]

Thanks theblueprint, nice to know my equipment is safe over prolonged use.
 
On another note, everybody says these have more than enough power to drive the Sennheiser HD600, but when I plugged them in to the amp, they had a very mid level sound. I plugged in the cheaper Philips Fidelio X1 headphones & the volume coming from them was literally twice as loud.
 
I'm not complaining about sound signature, just loudness. With the X1, I feel I'm getting my money's worth with the amp.  With the HD600, I feel the sound is definitely better than it is without an amp, but not the huge groundbreaking sound I was expecting. Especially not like I'm getting with the X1.
 
Is that because it is 300ohms & theoretically amps with more power than A2 = more power to the headphones & louder sound for the HD600?

 

[KLJTech]

I leave my Asgard 2 on 24/7 and use low gain for IEM's and high gain for full size can's. The amp is a true "Class A" design so it is going to run warm to very warm/hot but the case works as its heatsink so your fine. Looking at your list of headphones I'd probably run all of them on high gain. Just enjoy your music and don't worry about it! 
 
Have fun!

 

[StanD]

  Thanks theblueprint, nice to know my equipment is safe over prolonged use.
 
On another note, everybody says these have more than enough power to drive the Sennheiser HD600, but when I plugged them in to the amp, they had a very mid level sound. I plugged in the cheaper Philips Fidelio X1 headphones & the volume coming from them was literally twice as loud.
 
I'm not complaining about sound signature, just loudness. With the X1, I feel I'm getting my money's worth with the amp.  With the HD600, I feel the sound is definitely better than it is without an amp, but not the huge groundbreaking sound I was expecting. Especially not like I'm getting with the X1.
 
Is that because it is 300ohms & theoretically amps with more power than A2 = more power to the headphones & louder sound for the HD600?

The A2 can drive a pair of HD600's to almost 123 dB SPL continuous. That's enough to listen loudly and have plenty of headroom. The HD600's are not as hard to drive as some people make it out to be. The A2 is versatile, I use it with my HE-500's and HD600's and am very happy with the results.

 

[Thenewguy007]

Strange that they aren't busting out high levels of sound like the X1 is through the amp.
I haven't burned them in yet, but I can't imagine that will close the gap.
 
I had the thought higher impedance = more power to drive = larger sound.

 

[KLJTech]

What are you using as a source to the Asgard 2 and do you know what it's output voltage is?