[Thenewguy007]

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

I used my PC & my Sansa Clip.
On both, the HD600 sound weaker.
I tested my ATH M50 as well & it also sounded louder than the HD600.
 
Not sure the voltage output, I have the power cable plugged directly to the wall.

 

[Rem0o]

 
I'm guessing none of them need the 'lo' setting?

It's the other way arround, none of them should need the "high" setting. You want to use low gain as much as possible and push the volume knob near max in that setting if necessary . Otherwise, you'll attenuate heavily a high power circuit with more noise and distortion, which is just silly when you think about it. Think of it as choking a V8 engine behind the worst air intake system, a tinny exhaust and putting a rev limiter on it.  You won't get the power of that engine while keeping it's high noise output and terrible fuel economy and so on.

 

[Thenewguy007]

  It's the other way arround, none of them should need the "high" setting. You want to use low gain as much as possible and push the volume knob near max in that setting if necessary . Otherwise, you'll attenuate heavily a high power circuit with more noise and distortion, which is just silly when you think about it. Think of it as choking a V8 engine behind the worst air intake system, a tinny exhaust and putting a rev limiter on it. 

Correct me if I'm wrong but the high gain is for higher impedance headphones like the HD600?
 
 

 

[Rem0o]

 
Correct me if I'm wrong but the high gain is for higher impedance headphones like the HD600?

High gain pushes more voltage if you need higher volume, but it comes at a cost (higher noise and distorsion, among other things). If the volume you get at low gain let say at 3 o'clock on the knob is good, then you should stick there instead of going high gain at 10 o'clock (just an example). In that example, both will give the exact same power to your headphones, but the lower gain power should be cleaner.

 

[KLJTech]

 
I used my PC & my Sansa Clip.
On both, the HD600 sound weaker.
I tested my ATH M50 as well & it also sounded louder than the HD600.
 
Not sure the voltage output, I have the power cable plugged directly to the wall.

 
Make sure that your PC's audio Line-Out volume is set to max when feeding the Asgard 2. Using the Sansa Clip as a source means that you're amplifying the signal twice, once through the Sansa Clip and then that signal is being amplified yet again my the A2 (not good). Normally you want to send a Line Level signal (about 2 volts) to your headphone amp.
 
I use the Asgard 2 just about every day and it's a great sounding amp, but it or any other headphone amp can only sound as good as the quality of signal you feed it. 
 
Good luck! 
 
Here's a very informative review of the Asgard 2 and Bifrost in which they drive Sennheiser HD600's with the A2:
http://hometheaterhifi.com/headphone-amplifiers/headphone-amplifiers/schiit-asgard-2-headphone-amplifier-and-bifrost-uber-dac-review.html

 

[KLJTech]

 
Correct me if I'm wrong but the high gain is for higher impedance headphones like the HD600?
 
 

 
Correct, the low gain is for IEM's and high sensitivity/easier to drive headphones. 

 

[StanD]

  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.

No. Higher impedance is the result of a headphone's design. The  amount of power required is determined by the headphone's sensitivity. One needs a greater voltage swing and less current to achieve the same power level at a higher impedance. This has nothing to do with the resulting SQ.
Power = Voltage² / Impedance
My HE-500's are low impedance and require more power than my 300 Ohm HD600's. None of this has to do with larger sound, by the way what do you exactly mean by that term?

 

[pldelisle]

   
Make sure that your PC's audio Line-Out volume is set to max when feeding the Asgard 2. Using the Sansa Clip as a source means that you're amplifying the signal twice, once through the Sansa Clip and then that signal is being amplified yet again my the A2 (not good). Normally you want to send a Line Level signal (about 2 volts) to your headphone amp.
 
I use the Asgard 2 just about every day and it's a great sounding amp, but it or any other headphone amp can only sound as good as the quality of signal you feed it. 
 

 
I have my MacBook Pro connected via USB to my Gungnir and Asgard 2. I use Amarra to play music.
 
You say you have to put the PC audio line-out volume to max. If I do so, I get distortion in my headphones. I have to put the volume to -10/-15 dB to get a clean sound.
 
Is it normal ?
 
Thanks ! 

 

[RickB]

  High gain pushes more voltage if you need higher volume, but it comes at a cost (higher noise and distorsion, among other things). If the volume you get at low gain let say at 3 o'clock on the knob is good, then you should stick there instead of going high gain at 10 o'clock (just an example). In that example, both will give the exact same power to your headphones, but the lower gain power should be cleaner.

 
Thank you. Low gain on the Asgard always sounded better to me on my HD600 (smoother and more relaxed), but since I always saw opinions recommending high gain for them, I used that. I guess I should have trusted my ears more.

 

[audionut44]

I've been using my new-to-me Asgard 2 for a few days now and I'm quite happy with it. It's playing double duty as a preamp in my main listening system right now as I'm greatly simplifying my gear at the moment. It does far better as a preamp than I expected. Connected to my Arte Forma SS amp and DIY two-ways I'm getting a holographic soundstage and extremely neutral sound. Excellent dynamics as well. I'm only using an AirPort Express as the source for now. But I will soon be adding a DAC (Bifrost?) and a dedicated PC or streamer. I am primarily using Tidal HiFi as a music source.

 

[Electrospin]

Just got my Asgard II today.  Fairly new to the whole headphone amp thing.  Using it with a pair of Audio Technica m50X  Headphones.  I find it compares very well  out of the box with my old NAD 1300 Preamp that has a class A amp to power the head phones.  Using a Monoprice DAC connected to a Mac Pro via the optical digital out at the moment.   Very pleased with what I hear.

 

[wahsmoh]

I've been using my new-to-me Asgard 2 for a few days now and I'm quite happy with it. It's playing double duty as a preamp in my main listening system right now as I'm greatly simplifying my gear at the moment. It does far better as a preamp than I expected. Connected to my Arte Forma SS amp and DIY two-ways I'm getting a holographic soundstage and extremely neutral sound. Excellent dynamics as well. I'm only using an AirPort Express as the source for now. But I will soon be adding a DAC (Bifrost?) and a dedicated PC or streamer. I am primarily using Tidal HiFi as a music source.

I too am using an Asgard 2 for my preamp and all I can say it that it doesn't color the signal or do anything with it except give you gain while retaining the soundstage and dynamics of whatever DAC is connected to it. I'd imagine the only real limitation is that it is not balanced, and depending on your headphones you might experience better dynamics and slam with a balanced setup because there is more output.
 
My Theta DAC has a passive boost of like +2db and so my Asgard 2 gains some power there as well. I have heard my Alpha Dogs balanced and them unbalanced and I can't tell the difference other than that balanced gets louder faster and it is harder to find a good volume balance if you use a stepped attenuator.

 

[mrip541]

 I just received my Asgard 2 today. I've also had a Lyr 2 in my office setup for a bit. Do Schiit amps have a bass boost? My initial thought with the Lyr was, oh man the bass came alive! The more I listened the more I started to think it was an artificial boost.Now with the Asgard 2 it seems even more apparent. Maybe the boost is just done better on the Lyr? Maybe the tubes in the Lyr offset it with a bit of mid sweetness? Maybe I'm used to sub-par bass? Using the Asgard 2 as a preamp for my Audioengine 2s, as opposed to going straight from the Modi to the Audioengines, it sounds like I notched up a bass boost and maybe turned some mids down a few dbs. Kind of a V shape sig. The sound is great but maybe a bit thin until you get to the bass where it's boosted. 

 

[520RanchBro]

   I just received my Asgard 2 today. I've also had a Lyr 2 in my office setup for a bit. Do Schiit amps have a bass boost? My initial thought with the Lyr was, oh man the bass came alive! The more I listened the more I started to think it was an artificial boost.Now with the Asgard 2 it seems even more apparent. Maybe the boost is just done better on the Lyr? Maybe the tubes in the Lyr offset it with a bit of mid sweetness? Maybe I'm used to sub-par bass? Using the Asgard 2 as a preamp for my Audioengine 2s, as opposed to going straight from the Modi to the Audioengines, it sounds like I notched up a bass boost and maybe turned some mids down a few dbs. Kind of a V shape sig. The sound is great but maybe a bit thin until you get to the bass where it's boosted. 

I generally trust the guys at Schiit and their measurements show them to be quite flat. So no, I do not believe they have a bass boost.

 

[Electrospin]

  I generally trust the guys at Schiit and their measurements show them to be quite flat. So no, I do not believe they have a bass boost.

This goes along with my experience. Pretty well balanced to my ears.  I am new to this audiophile stuff, but it occurs to me that there could be more variables than just relative volume that might bring out or enhance portions of the music to the listener.  For what it is worth,  I do perceive an improvement in the clarity and separation of bass notes that makes the bass seem to stand out a touch more with the Asgard 2  compared to my NAD 1300.  Comparison is using the same Computer source, Monoprice DAC and Audio Technica M50X headphones.  Just a thought.