[commtrd]

 

   
Rent??, do they really rent phones

Yes, for 5% of the purchase price, you can audition them at home for 2 weeks.  The charge is non-refundable, but can be used as a credit if you decide to buy the headphones.  They also do the same with cable.
 
https://www.thecableco.com/Product/NEW-Headphone-Lending-Library

Prolly be worth a c-note to try out the LCD3f with the ragnarok to see how they compare with the X!

 

[cizx]

You can pay me $100 to try that for you.  Heck, for $150 you can come over and try it yourself.

 

[commtrd]

  You can pay me $100 to try that for you.  Heck, for $150 you can come over and try it yourself.

Right! Uhm the idea is to try it on MY Ragnarok with extended listening time comparing it to my X... 

Thanks for the gracious offer...

I mean wouldn't it be better to do that than just cough up another couple grand to buy the 3f without listening to it first? Frankly I think I am so happy with these headphones I have now I may just not worry about it. Better to save that money for when the Yggdrasil comes out I think.

 

[cizx]

Well, depending on how I like Ragnarok with my HD 800, my LCD-3F might be available...

 

[NinjaHamster]

You guys are making all the non-US based readers jealous! It would be amazing to be able to rent headphones etc. to try them under limited time duress in your own home, with your own system. Lucky !!

 

[setamp]

I received my Ragnarok yesterday and have only had a couple of hours listening time so these are very initial first impressions.

My setup includes:

Bryston BDP-1 player
Lampizator L4/G4 Dac
Eddie Current Balancing Act Amp (Royal Princess 300B and Mullard Ecc32) for comparison.
Audeze LCD3-F

I find the Ragnarok to be best ss amp I have heard to date.  It sounds a lot like a good tube amp and does some things better and some things not as well as the best tube amps.

Again, these are very early impressions without sufficient time to listen to a wide range of music and to become fully accustomed to the sound of the Ragnarok.

Tone - The Ragnarok is beautiful.  It sounds warm but is not rolled off in any way nor is there a low frequency bump to accomplish this.  It just sounds right tonally. 

HF - The Rag and ECBA are very similar in the highs with maybe a very slight advantage to the Rag in detail.  Both have very sweet HF's.
Mids - They sound very similar tonally.
LF - The ECBA has more weight in LF's while the Rag as a touch better control.  I wish the Rag had a little more weight and I wish the ECBA had a little less of a hump in the upper LF's.

Overall, both amps are pretty well balanced but the ECBA seems to be slightly darker due to weightier bass.

Soundstage.  The Rag is slightly more forward and in-the-head while the ECBA is slightly more set back.  They are roughly equal in left-right limits of soundstage as well as front-back distance.  The ECBA presents a better center image which creates a more real musician in space representation while the Rag spreads the image across the soundstage.  While not as realistic, it is fun to listen this presentation as it gives the impression of a larger image and more perceived details. 

Both amps are very quiet with black backgrounds with perhaps a slight nod to the Rag.

Je ne sais quoi - I can't put this into words but the ECBA is able to sound frighteningly real.  Notes have a roundness and an organic quality that tubes somehow convey.  I think it may be due to microdynamics, the nuanced shading of tones that provide the psycho-acoustic information that hit my buttons here.  I have yet to hear a ss amp do this.

I now have a quandry.  I am approaching retirement age and would like to move to solid state to limit my tube replacement costs going forward (300b's can be pricey!).  The Ragnarok is very close to the ECBA.  It does some things better - especially in LF detail.  It does some things equally well such as sweet HF's and mids with great tone and presentation.  It falls behind the ECBA on realism - the ability to produce real, whole images.

My opinion could change dramatically over time.  I am used to the ECBA and find it easy to compare and contrast.  With more time on the Rag I hope to learn its sound signature and perhaps the imaging clues will become more apparent.  In addition, my ECBA is burned-in, well set up, and tube matched to my ears while the Ragnarok is fresh out of the box.  I look forward to spending more hours with this amp.


 

 

[Androb]

I received my Ragnarok yesterday and have only had a couple of hours listening time so these are very initial first impressions.


My setup includes:


Bryston BDP-1 player

Lampizator L4/G4 Dac

Eddie Current Balancing Act Amp (Royal Princess 300B and Mullard Ecc32) for comparison.

Audeze LCD3-F


I find the Ragnarok to be best ss amp I have heard to date.  It sounds a lot like a good tube amp and does some things better and some things not as well as the best tube amps.


Again, these are very early impressions without sufficient time to listen to a wide range of music and to become fully accustomed to the sound of the Ragnarok.


Tone - The Ragnarok is beautiful.  It sounds warm but is not rolled off in any way nor is there a low frequency bump to accomplish this.  It just sounds right tonally. 


HF - The Rag and ECBA are very similar in the highs with maybe a very slight advantage to the Rag in detail.  Both have very sweet HF's.

Mids - They sound very similar tonally.

LF - The ECBA has more weight in LF's while the Rag as a touch better control.  I wish the Rag had a little more weight and I wish the ECBA had a little less of a hump in the upper LF's.


Overall, both amps are pretty well balanced but the ECBA seems to be slightly darker due to weightier bass.


Soundstage.  The Rag is slightly more forward and in-the-head while the ECBA is slightly more set back.  They are roughly equal in left-right limits of soundstage as well as front-back distance.  The ECBA presents a better center image which creates a more real musician in space representation while the Rag spreads the image across the soundstage.  While not as realistic, it is fun to listen this presentation as it gives the impression of a larger image and more perceived details. 


Both amps are very quiet with black backgrounds with perhaps a slight nod to the Rag.


Je ne sais quoi - I can't put this into words but the ECBA is able to sound frighteningly real.  Notes have a roundness and an organic quality that tubes somehow convey.  I think it may be due to microdynamics, the nuanced shading of tones that provide the psycho-acoustic information that hit my buttons here.  I have yet to hear a ss amp do this.


I now have a quandry.  I am approaching retirement age and would like to move to solid state to limit my tube replacement costs going forward (300b's can be pricey!).  The Ragnarok is very close to the ECBA.  It does some things better - especially in LF detail.  It does some things equally well such as sweet HF's and mids with great tone and presentation.  It falls behind the ECBA on realism - the ability to produce real, whole images.


My opinion could change dramatically over time.  I am used to the ECBA and find it easy to compare and contrast.  With more time on the Rag I hope to learn its sound signature and perhaps the imaging clues will become more apparent.  In addition, my ECBA is burned-in, well set up, and tube matched to my ears while the Ragnarok is fresh out of the box.  I look forward to spending more hours with this amp.



 

Nice comparison and promising that it performs so well vs more expensive amps!

 

[Redcarmoose]

 


 I am approaching retirement age and would like to move to solid state to limit my tube replacement costs going forward (300b's can be pricey!).
 

With shipping maybe about $70 each.
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2Pcs-new-Guiguang-300B-Shuguang-300B-matched-pair-tubes-/251676937629?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item3a991d4d9d

 

[Sorrodje]

  I received my Ragnarok yesterday and have only had a couple of hours listening time so these are very initial first impressions.
 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

My setup includes:

Bryston BDP-1 player
Lampizator L4/G4 Dac
Eddie Current Balancing Act Amp (Royal Princess 300B and Mullard Ecc32) for comparison.
Audeze LCD3-F

I find the Ragnarok to be best ss amp I have heard to date.  It sounds a lot like a good tube amp and does some things better and some things not as well as the best tube amps.

Again, these are very early impressions without sufficient time to listen to a wide range of music and to become fully accustomed to the sound of the Ragnarok.

Tone - The Ragnarok is beautiful.  It sounds warm but is not rolled off in any way nor is there a low frequency bump to accomplish this.  It just sounds right tonally. 

HF - The Rag and ECBA are very similar in the highs with maybe a very slight advantage to the Rag in detail.  Both have very sweet HF's.
Mids - They sound very similar tonally.
LF - The ECBA has more weight in LF's while the Rag as a touch better control.  I wish the Rag had a little more weight and I wish the ECBA had a little less of a hump in the upper LF's.

Overall, both amps are pretty well balanced but the ECBA seems to be slightly darker due to weightier bass.

Soundstage.  The Rag is slightly more forward and in-the-head while the ECBA is slightly more set back.  They are roughly equal in left-right limits of soundstage as well as front-back distance.  The ECBA presents a better center image which creates a more real musician in space representation while the Rag spreads the image across the soundstage.  While not as realistic, it is fun to listen this presentation as it gives the impression of a larger image and more perceived details. 

Both amps are very quiet with black backgrounds with perhaps a slight nod to the Rag.

Je ne sais quoi - I can't put this into words but the ECBA is able to sound frighteningly real.  Notes have a roundness and an organic quality that tubes somehow convey.  I think it may be due to microdynamics, the nuanced shading of tones that provide the psycho-acoustic information that hit my buttons here.  I have yet to hear a ss amp do this.

I now have a quandry.  I am approaching retirement age and would like to move to solid state to limit my tube replacement costs going forward (300b's can be pricey!).  The Ragnarok is very close to the ECBA.  It does some things better - especially in LF detail.  It does some things equally well such as sweet HF's and mids with great tone and presentation.  It falls behind the ECBA on realism - the ability to produce real, whole images.

My opinion could change dramatically over time.  I am used to the ECBA and find it easy to compare and contrast.  With more time on the Rag I hope to learn its sound signature and perhaps the imaging clues will become more apparent.  In addition, my ECBA is burned-in, well set up, and tube matched to my ears while the Ragnarok is fresh out of the box.  I look forward to spending more hours with this amp.

 

 
 
Great and insightful impressions.

 

[NinjaHamster]

Thanks for the comparison SETAMP. I would have been shocked if the Ragnorok had the microdynamics of a good SET amplifier !!

 

[atubbs]

  With shipping maybe about $70 each.
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2Pcs-new-Guiguang-300B-Shuguang-300B-matched-pair-tubes-/251676937629?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item3a991d4d9d

 
Still not inexpensive for a recurring cost. Also, I suspect most people spending $4000+ on a headamp are not opting for the most inexpensive 300B tubes they can find.

 

[setamp]

The Royal Princess tubes run ~$1,200/par with the Takatsuki's beyond that. 

 

[Argo Duck]

^ Sigh. This is why I curbed my lust for an ECBA and 'cheaped out' with a Decware Taboo

Very nice comparison of ECBA and Rag setamp. Looking forward to an update as you explore further. I note purrin (who is very familiar with tube amps) has similar praise for the Rag.

 

[smitty1110]

  The Royal Princess tubes run ~$1,200/par with the Takatsuki's beyond that. 

Oh god, my wallet started to convulse just thinking about it. Well, it could be worse, you could be trying to use PSVane EL34's in an amp. There's a reason Headamp doesn't even let you upgrade tubes on your BHSE to those.

 

[setamp]

Please keep in mind these are very preliminary opinions.  I don't want to mislead anyone.  I did want to get some early impressions out there as a lot of people are looking at this amp.  I will definitely follow up after the weekend when I have had time to listen further and to roll the tube in my Lampizator to dial in the sound.