[MattTCG]

Hey, I've had my A2 on hi gain for my hd650 since I got. For giggles, I decided to bump it to low and give a a whirl. Call me crazy but after adjust the volume I kinda like it better on low. 

 

[jackson123]

  Hey, I've had my A2 on hi gain for my hd650 since I got. For giggles, I decided to bump it to low and give a a whirl. Call me crazy but after adjust the volume I kinda like it better on low. 

 
I know what you mean. I had Foobar at 0dB and the A2 with high gain at 9 o'clock, but the sound was not good to my ears and the soundstage was all jacked up. So I set it to low gain, turned up the A2 Pot, and lowered foobar volume and what do you know it sounds much better. I guess there is no right or wrong way from what I gather, just depends on the person I guess.

 

[MattTCG]

Of course many will say that it comes down to the brain whispering things in your ear. But my ears are pretty decent and I say I can hear a small difference. 

 

[khomanie]

I have a noob question.  I have a asgard 2 and currently use the pre-amp to a old Stereo System with RCA inputs.  The sound is barely ok, so I need to upgrade soon.  
 
I was looking at the audioengine line.  I know I can buy either the A2, A5 or A5+.  
 
But I was wondering if I can get a powered sub with speaker wire outs for the audtioengine P4 passive speakers and use the Asgard 2's pre-amp to feed the sub to power the P4's.
 
So it would be Asgard 2 >powered sub's rca input > P4 
 
I really wanted to get some A5+ and the S8 but thats like $700 and the powered sub and P4 would be about $300-$400.
 
Thanks!

 

[cel4145]

I use a SVS SB-1000 which has RCA line in and line out. So I run the audio from my Asgard 2 to my sub and then to my speaker amp.

Update: I edited this because I missed what you were saying.

 

[cel4145]

I have a noob question.  I have a asgard 2 and currently use the pre-amp to a old Stereo System with RCA inputs.  The sound is barely ok, so I need to upgrade soon.  

I was looking at the audioengine line.  I know I can buy either the A2, A5 or A5+.  

But I was wondering if I can get a powered sub with speaker wire outs for the audtioengine P4 passive speakers and use the Asgard 2's pre-amp to feed the sub to power the P4's.

So it would be Asgard 2 >powered sub's rca input > P4 

I really wanted to get some A5+ and the S8 but thats like $700 and the powered sub and P4 would be about $300-$400.

Thanks!

Powered sub speaker line outs pass through the audio signal from the speaker level in, which has to come from the speaker amp. They are not for powering external speakers. Get a Topping TP21 or Indeed TA2021 t-amp.

 

[pdrm360]

  Of course many will say that it comes down to the brain whispering things in your ear. But my ears are pretty decent and I say I can hear a small difference. 

 
Interesting, to me it’s a bit more punchy on the hi gain for my HD700. 

 

[nkrueger]

Just got my A2.  Only been listening for about an hour, but first impressions are:  Great detail, not overly bright.  Very nicely built, no transformer hum issues, and output is silent with full gain and no input (always a good sign).  I can hear the slightest of hum if I press my ear against the case, but only then.  This is completely fine, and is not indicative of any problems.  My setup is FLAC -> uDAC 2 -> Asgard 2 -> HD 650.  The Asgard appears to have plenty of power to drive these headphones to ear splitting levels.  I prefer the low gain setting.
 
Pros:
+Excellent build quality
+Thing looks great
+It will keep my hands warm on a cold day
+Detailed sound, but not overly bright
+Excellently balanced potentiometer minimal channel imbalance even when nearly off
 
Cons:
+Bass impact seems a little low, but that might just be the HD 650 isn't known for crazy bass
 
Overall, I love this little amplifier already, and if it holds up, I would see no reason to replace it
 
Good job Schiit, as a fellow engineer, I am impressed with the build quality, price, and performance.  Keep on making great products!!!

 

[tdockweiler]

Thanks for the impressions...totally ignoring for now.

 
Getting mine tomorrow and will read all that later. Don't want to spoil my surprise.
 
Really looking forward to it..

 

[wgb113]

My Schiit is due We'd. Looking forward to it.

Bill

 

[MattTCG]

I think that the A2 is flying under the radar just a bit. Maybe being a little overlooked because of the price, if that is possible. It makes great music IMO at a very reasonable cost.

 

[tdockweiler]

EDIT: Had issue with my setup and will post new impressions later.
 
USB port too close to my ethernet jack + poor shielding on cables is very bad.

 

[TMRaven]

Madness!!

 

[MattTCG]

The A2 and the hd650 is a very good pairing IMO. Let me know what you think if you still have the 650 tdock...

 

[cel4145]

Maybe it was the AC adapter of the hub screwing things up or poor quality USB cables (Belkin brand). I made sure no other devices were connected. I swear that one of these days I'm just going to spend $30 on some USB Snake Oil just to know for sure I've got a quality USB cable.

If you have a good working USB cable, a more expensive one won't improve anything. Belkin makes good USB cables. If you are afraid you have one that is not working properly, buy a couple of Monoprice USB cables and compare them all. The odds of all three not working properly is going to to be astronomical.