[RCBinTN]

I just want to say thanks to all who posted your insight and impressions on this thread.  Sorry about those who experienced trouble with the A2.  I've never seen a site where the manufacturer monitors the posts and responds to answer questions.  Well done, Jason.
I purchased the A2/uberB as my first desktop combination about a month ago, before I found and read this thread. 
I have experienced zero hum from my A2.  Also, it doesn't get very hot but I'm driving low-impedance devices with it.
The A2/B combo provides a big improvement to the sound quality with all my devices.  The old setup was simply a computer/dragonfly.  I have no experience with other desktop equipment.
In particular, I noticed great improvement to the bass when driving the Shure SE535.  The brilliant treble/mids are enhanced but the bass is much better so those IEM's are now a real pleasure to experience.
Other equipment I'm driving with the A2/B are the Ed-8 and LCD-X.  I was thinking about selling/trading the Ed-8 until I heard them driven by the A2/B.  Now they sound quite good and balanced even less scratchy in the mids.  The LCD-X are just a great set of cans and sound extraordinary with the A2/B.  On the LCD-X appreciation thread, people are raving about them driven by the balanced Schiit equipment; that may be on my horizon as well.
Overall, well satisfied with the A2/B equipment especially at it's price point.
I particularly wanted to thank those who posted comments about the A2 driving higher impedance cans like the HE500 and HD800.  Good to know the A2/B combo will likely drive the HD800 which are on my wish list.
Happy New Year!
 
All the best -
RCBinTN

 

[ben_r_]

I had a quick question about the Asgard 2's pre-amp outs. Im wondering exactly how those would work and how I can use them in the new setup Im putting together. Can I say have a Bitfrost as the DAC and feed the output from that to the input of the Asgard 2 and then the output from the Asgard 2 to my Bottlehead Crack and have the Asgard 2 act as just a pass through to the Crack when I wanted to listen to that? It would be nice if this setup worked this way because then I wouldnt have to be swapping cables when I wanted the Bitfrost to feed the Crack. Will the Asgard 2 work that way? Would it have to be powered on to act as a pass through? Or is it not a pass through and an actual pre-amplification from a lower level source like say an iPod or something? If thats the case then the Asgard 2 would have to be powered on in order to feed the Crack correct?

 

[MattTCG]

Yes, the Asgard 2 would have to be on to work in that fashion. It would actually be working as a pre-amp iirc. 

 

[fenderf4i]

Yes it works as a preamp, the volume control on the Asgard is active.

 

[Hacienda]

Hi everyone,
 
I'm looking at this amp for use solely with my computer. I currently have AKG K550 cans. I noticed that the Asgard has L & R RCA connections but my computer doesn't. Can I still get it to work and do you think it would be good with my headphones?
 
Thanks

 

[jeremy205100]

  Hi everyone,
 
I'm looking at this amp for use solely with my computer. I currently have AKG K550 cans. I noticed that the Asgard has L & R RCA connections but my computer doesn't. Can I still get it to work and do you think it would be good with my headphones?
 
Thanks

You need to get a DAC with it. If you just use a 3.5mm to RCA from your computer to the amplifier you will be double amplifying the signal which will hurt the audio quality. The DAC takes the digital signal directly from your computer and converts it into analog, which the amplifier (the Asgard 2 in this case) would then amplify. 
 
I can't comment if it's good with those or not because I don't have the Asgard 2 nor the K550.

 

[Hacienda]

  You need to get a DAC with it. If you just use a 3.5mm to RCA from your computer to the amplifier you will be double amplifying the signal which will hurt the audio quality. The DAC takes the digital signal directly from your computer and converts it into analog, which the amplifier (the Asgard 2 in this case) would then amplify. 
 
I can't comment if it's good with those or not because I don't have the Asgard 2 nor the K550.

Thank you very much.
 
OK. So that would push me towards the $800 mark. Are there any other headphone amps that you could recommend? I did look at the Rega but would that give me the same problems. My budget is around $400.

 

[jeremy205100]

Maybe the magni and modi (also from Schiit).

 

[Hacienda]

Any thoughts on the Rega?

 

[jeremy205100]

I've never heard of that company. Doesn't mean it's bad, but I don't have an opinion on it.

 

[walls]

After spending some time with the Uberfrost and the A2 I have to stick with my original statement that compared to the WA2 and even the LD2++ I am just not that impressed with the A2. Sure it pumps out plenty of power but the overall soundstage just seems, for lack of a better word, flat. Now the Uberfrost I love, it's a fantastic DAC at a great price. So my A2 will be going up for sale .

One thing about these units, whoever decided to put the power switches on the back needs to quit drinking so much when designing things, lol. what a pain in the ass to reach around the units to switch them on or off. My stuff has to be placed in a rack, makes it difficult.

 

[MattTCG]

^^ The rear switches give it a cleaner look and are also a result of the circuit board design. 

 

[ben_r_]

  ^^ The rear switches give it a cleaner look and are also a result of the circuit board design. 

"Result of the circuit board design"?! lol the circuit board could have been designed to put the switches anywhere. It was done for a cleaner look and that alone.

 

[MattTCG]

^^ I concede to your better logic. 

 

[Tuco1965]

They definitely look clean.  Switches on the back aren't a big deal but I have an open setup.