[Chastity]

My HD580s are original Precisions, made in Ireland with the raised name plate making them third gen I believe. The 580s are very different to the 650s in sound, imaging and soundstage. At this point, via my Burson, I think they are superior to the 650s but the A3 may change all that. The only area where the 650s are superior is the bass and that .could also do with some improvement.

I bought directly from Schiit because Addicted to Audio did not have them in stock. Neither did Schiit when I ordered them but this has been resolved in just over two weeks. The shipping method I used was about $AUS55 which is not bad from the US. I contacted ATA about when they might have the Asgard back in stock but they weren't sure. If your friend in NSW wants to wait for a while ATA may have them soon. They are an outstanding company to deal with.

My friend and I hit ATA, and he picked out the Zen DAC V2 and Zen CAN to drive his M1570. Thx for letting him know about that dealer.

 

[emorrison33]

My new Asgard 3 is scheduled to arrive from the US this Wednesday according to FedEx. I have already purchased a Modi 3+ DAC from my usual Australian supplier to pair with it from my iMac.

I am examining my motives for purchasing the A3 which I'll explain here. My main DAC/Amp is the excellent Burson Playmate 2, It's powerful at 3.5 Watts into 16 ohms and this is one of the reasons I've got it. I also have a pair of Sennheiser HD650s and I simply can't hear what a lot of people say about how good they are. To me they sound like a pair of cans costing about a third of the price. However, the message I've received is that if I use the right amp, one with gobs of power, then the 650s will just come to life. My thinking was that the Burson had this power but it's not on display when I use the 650s with it.

So I did some research and googled something along the lines of 'best amp for HD650s'. The Dark Voice 336SE came up on quite a few sites but I'm not really interested in tubes and something that will only drive high impedance cans. Non tube amps mentioned included the more expensive Bursons and the Aune, but these are all relatively expensive. Then the A3 started to appear and when I saw what it cost I though 'no way, not for that price!'. It wasn't until someone published the power ouput specs that I sat up and took notice. 3.5W into 32 ohms - man that's more than twice the power output of the Burson. I then started reading and watching reviews and if this amp is as good as many say it is then I'm due for a very pleasant surprise.

Now the dilemma ostensibly, I've bought the A3 and the Modi 3+ specifically to drive just one set of headphones and I won't know until I pair them up whether this will bring out the best in the 650s. Doesn't sound like prudent purchasing does it? However, there is more to this tale. I also have a pair of HD580s and I absolutely love them. They are my go to cans for the likes of chamber music and solo instruments as well as the human voice. The PM2 has certainly improved what I initially heard from them so, will the A3 make them even better yet? At 300 ohms impedance I certainly hope so. I'll also be interested to see how they work with my Audeze LCD1s. Now, unlike most planars, they only have an impedance of 16 ohms and my PM2 drives them beautifully. What I like about the A3 is that it will apparently work equally well with low impedance headphones as well so I'll be able to use my Flare iems too. Will it make them sound better? I suppose I'm going to find out.

I have the HD6xx (drop version of the HD650) and the Asgard 3. I think you will like the pairing especially with the Modi3+. I do prefer the HD6xx with the Jotunheim 2, with a balanced cable though. My personal opinion is the Asgard is a little laid back, and the Jot wakes up the HD6xx more. I use the Bifrost 2 as my DAC in my home setup, but also have the Modi at work. I think you'll be happy with the pairing you purchased...the Modi is slightly on the brighter side of neutral. But that's my opinion with all the AK chips I've heard.

 

[Chastity]

I have the HD6xx (drop version of the HD650) and the Asgard 3. I think you will like the pairing especially with the Modi3+. I do prefer the HD6xx with the Jotunheim 2, with a balanced cable though. My personal opinion is the Asgard is a little laid back, and the Jot wakes up the HD6xx more. I use the Bifrost 2 as my DAC in my home setup, but also have the Modi at work. I think you'll be happy with the pairing you purchased...the Modi is slightly on the brighter side of neutral. But that's my opinion with all the AK chips I've heard.

The issue with many AKM based DACs is the lack of ability to access the on-chip PCM filters which would allow you to customize your DAC to your setup, which include the Schiit DACs. Shame really, as I found you can get some great balanced sound out of one. The SMSL M300 MKII (AK4497) has access to this, and I found the Super Slow filter (FL5) to sound most natural, and not be bright biased at all.

 

[emorrison33]

The issue with many AKM based DACs is the lack of ability to access the on-chip PCM filters which would allow you to customize your DAC to your setup, which include the Schiit DACs. Shame really, as I found you can get some great balanced sound out of one. The SMSL M300 MKII (AK4497) has access to this, and I found the Super Slow filter (FL5) to sound most natural, and not be bright biased at all.

Sorry for derailing the Asgard thread, but I have the Fiio M11 DAP that has the 2xAK4493 chips. I've used it with the Asgard 3 until I purchased the Bifrost 2 & Jot 2 (use Surface Pro as the source) for my home setup, so the Modi 3+ is being used with the Asgard 3 now at work. I've honestly never played with the filters on it. It does have an option named Super Slow Roll-Off, said to give a "natural sound" when choosing that filter. Same thing I assume as the Super Slow?

 

[Chastity]

Sorry for derailing the Asgard thread, but I have the Fiio M11 DAP that has the 2xAK4493 chips. I've used it with the Asgard 3 until I purchased the Bifrost 2 & Jot 2 (use Surface Pro as the source) for my home setup, so the Modi 3+ is being used with the Asgard 3 now at work. I've honestly never played with the filters on it. It does have an option named Super Slow Roll-Off, said to give a "natural sound" when choosing that filter. Same thing I assume as the Super Slow?

Yep, same thing. You should have a few options, that being one of them.

 

[emorrison33]

Yep, same thing. You should have a few options, that being one of them.

This is something I found awhile back when I first bought the M11:

Anyway, I'm working from home today, so tomorrow I'll try out the M11 in Super Slow Roll-Off with the Asgard 3. Thanks for the info! Much appreciated.
EDIT: Slow Roll-Off is the default.

 

[Cloudz82]

Just got my Asgard 3 Thursday and was wondering how long should I allow for burn-in?

 

[cdacosta]

Just got my Asgard 3 Thursday and was wondering how long should I allow for burn-in?

For me was a little over 200 hours. After 150 hours IIRC changes were minor.

 

[Cloudz82]

For me was a little over 200 hours. After 150 hours IIRC changes were minor.

Ok thanks, I'm around 25 hours in and I gotta say this amp is really impressive.

 

[cdacosta]

Ok thanks, I'm around 25 hours in and I gotta say this amp is really impressive.

For the money I agree, Asgard 3 is very impressive.

 

[Odin412]

Ok thanks, I'm around 25 hours in and I gotta say this amp is really impressive.

It's a great amp with a very pleasant and non-fatiguing sound.

 

[Neweymatt]

For the money I agree, Asgard 3 is very impressive.

Absolutely! Not sure why it took me so long, but I finally sat down with the Asgard3/ESS, feeding the UM 3DT. What a stunning listen that is!!

While I'm grateful to have other gear to enjoy, that could easily be a walk-away rig for me, and on a very reasonable budget.

 

[lpd2]

could easily be a walk-away rig for me

It pretty much is for me. I use a Liquid Spark DAC with spdif from pc mobo. THX 887 and smsl su9n weren't really an upgrade by comparison (other than features) and I decided to sell those as its redundant with no real benefit. A3 has a bit better sound to my ears. Can't imagine a better chain than this with the Beyer T1.2 especially. Interesting to see this amp measures very well.

 

[ozz]

Oppo + A3/MB Card +Focal Clear has been my walk away rig for over a year.

 

[Guts390]

Would you guys say the Asgard 3 is a decent upgrade over the atom stack? And if so, should I get the multibit dac card or just use my atom dac with it? Been looking around for something not quite as neutral as the atom and I think this might be just the thing. Any input is appreciated.