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I finally bought an Asgard 2 and it's arriving next week. Does an amp like this need burn in like headphones do or is it as good as it gets right out of the box?
I finally bought an Asgard 2 and it's arriving next week. Does an amp like this need burn in like headphones do or is it as good as it gets right out of the box?
Some people think so, but IMO a SS Amp does not require burn in, but our imaginations might. Our auditory memory is short so comparing across an extended time period is not reliable.
I received my Asgard 2 today. The build quality is absolutely amazing. I have used it with each of my three headphones (Beyerdynamic DT-990 600 Ohm, Sennheiser HD 558 and Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro) and have noticed an improvement in soundstage, but nothing stunning. I am still using a TEAC-UDH01, and compared to the TEAC's built in amplifier I am not as wowed as I thought I would be. Does it take time to open up? I just thought that for $249 I would see a bigger improvement. I was also very surprised that the low-gain mode can power my 600 Ohm DT-990s. All of my files are AIFF lossless. This is only my second equipment purchase, and I am having a hard time deciding if it's worth keeping. Does anyone have any advice?
Thanks for the advice. The TEAC is the same MSRP, but it is a better DAC than amp. I thought the amp was the limiting factor so I decided to get the Asgard 2. I'm going to have much more time to use it over the weekend so I'll try it out more then.
I was considering the Valhalla but it's a necessity that it works with all headphones I have (lower and higher impedance ones) and any I might get in the future. It seems like the Valhalla would be amazing with my DT 990s, but not so great with my others. The Valhalla also lacks the pre-outs, which I could be using in the future. I also didn't really want to spend more than $249. I liked that the Asgard is so versatile. The TEAC is nice, I tried several different DACs before settling on it. I was shocked that it offers balanced outputs for that price, it made it a future proof purchase for me. I guess it's even better than I thought. I'll be sure to update you all over the weekend.
I tried several other amps in a local hi-fi store over the weekend. The wooden Grado one was decent but it was twice the price and doesn't offer the solid construction that Schiit does nor the pre-outs. There was a chinese brand I tried that sounded terrible. I definitely like the Asgard the best out of the ones I've heard, I just need to decide if it's worth the upgrade over the integrated TEAC one that I already have.
I didn't like the fact that tubes are so fragile and need to be replaced. It just seems like an added pain. I'm sure I'll get a tube amp when I'm older but for now it's just a hassle and another expense. I've reached the point where the returns are diminishing insanely fast, which sorta sucks. I remember when I first got my DT 990s and used them with the receiver for my speakers and I was astounded.
Back on topic though, I'm going to try the Asgard 2 with my Bowers & Wilkins C5s tomorrow. I'm curious to see how it handles them. It also didn't get as hot as I was expecting. I only used it for like 30 minutes, and it got warm but not like hot enough to cook on like people said. I'm impressed with how it opened up the soundstage. It sounded much more like my KEF speakers than before. I didn't notice much difference with the other two headphones, but those are cheaper than the amp itself so I guess that's to be expected.
How long will this amp last me if I eventually get better headphones? Like how does it pair with the HD 650s, the HD 800s, the Beyerdynamic T90s and T1 and stuff like that? I've heard the Valhalla is good with the Beyerdynamics and HD 800s but I haven't read much about how the Asgard works with them.