[Sean_MR]

Out of curiosity that maybe I was using a bad outlet or power strip, etc., I tried different outlets around the house, and all the same results.

More importantly, out of curiosity, I maxed out the Asgard 3 on high gain with the Aeon 2 Open's. It was definitely very loud, but tolerable for a couple seconds (Edit: actually completely tolerable on some songs...). So either I have extremely, irreparably damaged hearing (hopefully not at 25), or something's up with the amp.

 

[Hashi8888]

Out of curiosity that maybe I was using a bad outlet or power strip, etc., I tried different outlets around the house, and all the same results.

More importantly, out of curiosity, I maxed out the Asgard 3 on high gain with the Aeon 2 Open's. It was definitely very loud, but tolerable for a couple seconds (Edit: actually completely tolerable on some songs...). So either I have extremely, irreparably damaged hearing (hopefully not at 25), or something's up with the amp.

LOL, wow that must be super super loud at max. I had to look up Aeon 2, darn nice, can’t touch it at that price. It is also 13 ohms, should be painfully loud even at 12:00 position?

I have the humble he-4xx and just tried the hd-6xx with my Asguard 3. I put my DAC volume at 90 out of 100 level. I have to use High gain setting for both headphones.
At 12-2 o’clock position it is pretty loud but still clear. I kept this Asguard mainly since it had the output power and I didn’t want to lose on the restock and ship fees.

I really wanted to try the Vahalla 2 for tube rolling. No money or room both both unfortunately.

 

[GearMe]

Out of curiosity that maybe I was using a bad outlet or power strip, etc., I tried different outlets around the house, and all the same results.

More importantly, out of curiosity, I maxed out the Asgard 3 on high gain with the Aeon 2 Open's. It was definitely very loud, but tolerable for a couple seconds (Edit: actually completely tolerable on some songs...). So either I have extremely, irreparably damaged hearing (hopefully not at 25), or something's up with the amp.

Only kinda following your issue/thread responses...so sorry if I'm missing something or this is covering old ground.

FWIW...I don't have a set of cans that this amp can't drive without a problem including high-Z Senns / Beyers, harder to drive planar, etc.


Believe you have the Optional DAC Module...so could be DAC or Amp. If I were troubleshooting, I would...

a. Check just the amp by feeding it a signal through RCA in to see if it plays at louder levels. I occasionally play tunes from my LG G7 phone headphone out directly to my Asgard 3 (instead of my Bifrost); works fine using a 3.5mm to RCA adaptor. If the amp works fine then it's the DAC card.
b. From Schiit User Manual...Use a high-quality, USB 2.0-rated cable of 2M or less in length. (i.e Swap the USB cable? to see if that's the issue)
c. a TRRS-to-TRS adapter if your headphones require one
d. Wouldn't think this could be driver related but the User Manual does mention that "On some Windows machines, you may need drivers, available at schiit.com/drivers"

 

[HumdrumPenguin]

LOL, wow that must be super super loud at max. I had to look up Aeon 2, darn nice, can’t touch it at that price. It is also 13 ohms, should be painfully loud even at 12:00 position?

I have the humble he-4xx and just tried the hd-6xx with my Asguard 3. I put my DAC volume at 90 out of 100 level. I have to use High gain setting for both headphones.
At 12-2 o’clock position it is pretty loud but still clear. I kept this Asguard mainly since it had the output power and I didn’t want to lose on the restock and ship fees.

I really wanted to try the Vahalla 2 for tube rolling. No money or room both both unfortunately.

You also need to check efficiency (92 dB/mW Closed, 94 dB Open). Lower dB = harder to drive. Even at 13 Ohms, both the Aeon 2 and HD6XX (300 Ohms, 103 dB/mW require a very similar position on the Asgard 3 pot (I'm using the closed version for comparison since that's the one I have). As far as I know, dB is measured on a logarithmic scale, where +3dB requires double the power.

 

[Sean_MR]

Only kinda following your issue/thread responses...so sorry if I'm missing something or this is covering old ground.

FWIW...I don't have a set of cans that this amp can't drive without a problem including high-Z Senns / Beyers, harder to drive planar, etc.


Believe you have the Optional DAC Module...so could be DAC or Amp. If I were troubleshooting, I would...

a. Check just the amp by feeding it a signal through RCA in to see if it plays at louder levels. I occasionally play tunes from my LG G7 phone headphone out directly to my Asgard 3 (instead of my Bifrost); works fine using a 3.5mm to RCA adaptor. If the amp works fine then it's the DAC card.
b. From Schiit User Manual...Use a high-quality, USB 2.0-rated cable of 2M or less in length. (i.e Swap the USB cable? to see if that's the issue)
c. a TRRS-to-TRS adapter if your headphones require one
d. Wouldn't think this could be driver related but the User Manual does mention that "On some Windows machines, you may need drivers, available at schiit.com/drivers"

I have a high quality durable cable with ferrite cores from Tripp Lite that I bought just to use for the Asgard, so hopefully it’s not that! Unfortunately though I don’t currently own any RCA cables to test with. And if I recall, I didn’t need to download any drivers because I’m running Windows 10 and my laptop immediately recognized and setup the Asgard the first time I plugged it in.
Edit: oh, and I’m using the default 1/4” cables that came with the Aeon 2 and Anandas. So those should work I believe!
Regardless, after reading through HumdrumPenguin’s comments, the fact that we have the same headphone and I can literally max out mine on high gain and have it be tolerable on certain songs, means something’s up (either with me or the amp haha).

 

[tincanear]

I have a high quality durable cable with ferrite cores from Tripp Lite that I bought just to use for the Asgard, so hopefully it’s not that! Unfortunately though I don’t currently own any RCA cables to test with. And if I recall, I didn’t need to download any drivers because I’m running Windows 10 and my laptop immediately recognized and setup the Asgard the first time I plugged it in.
Edit: oh, and I’m using the default 1/4” cables that came with the Aeon 2 and Anandas. So those should work I believe!
Regardless, after reading through HumdrumPenguin’s comments, the fact that we have the same headphone and I can literally max out mine on high gain and have it be tolerable on certain songs, means something’s up (either with me or the amp haha).

The Asgard 3 should be pretty loud at 12:00 volume setting, especially with the front panel gain switch on high gain.

+1 on testing the Asgard with RCA inputs (from something like an old CD player, tape deck, or from a phone's headphone jack (phone's jack may need the TRRS to dual RCA adapter)

might be settings under windows 10 mixer (has master volume as well as settings for the various sources like system sounds, etc).

also check the settings within your media player app (it might have eq and volume controls as well)

with the USB source, there should be either sound or none at all. the tripp lite USB cable is likely just fine.

if you're short on desktop space, the Fulla and Hel are much more compact units and feature both USB and analog inputs.

Remember to turn down the volume knob on the amp before adjusting the windows sound settings so you don't blow up something like those nice cans or your eardrums. Asgard 3 can put out 3.5 watts-- serious power for a headphone amp.

 

[McLambo]

I want one so bad... But for mainland europe/NL no stock for the forseeable future

 

[Sean_MR]

The Asgard 3 should be pretty loud at 12:00 volume setting, especially with the front panel gain switch on high gain.

+1 on testing the Asgard with RCA inputs (from something like an old CD player, tape deck, or from a phone's headphone jack (phone's jack may need the TRRS to dual RCA adapter)

might be settings under windows 10 mixer (has master volume as well as settings for the various sources like system sounds, etc).

also check the settings within your media player app (it might have eq and volume controls as well)

with the USB source, there should be either sound or none at all. the tripp lite USB cable is likely just fine.

if you're short on desktop space, the Fulla and Hel are much more compact units and feature both USB and analog inputs.

Remember to turn down the volume knob on the amp before adjusting the windows sound settings so you don't blow up something like those nice cans or your eardrums. Asgard 3 can put out 3.5 watts-- serious power for a headphone amp.

Thanks! I checked all that. They’re all set to 100/max unfortunately

 

[rkw]

Thanks! I checked all that. They’re all set to 100/max unfortunately

In your Tidal settings for the DAC, are Exclusive Mode and Force Volume turned on?

When these settings are turned on, volume is maxxed out from Tidal to the DAC and they override other Windows settings. If you still don't get high volume, something is wrong and it may be time to contact Schiit customer support.

I maxed out the Asgard 3 on high gain with the Aeon 2 Open's.

What else have you listened to the Aeons on, and how was the volume? Can you rule out that something is wrong with your headphones?

 

[Sean_MR]

In your Tidal settings for the DAC, are Exclusive Mode and Force Volume turned on?



When these settings are turned on, volume is maxxed out from Tidal to the DAC and they override other Windows settings. If you still don't get high volume, something is wrong and it may be time to contact Schiit customer support.


What else have you listened to the Aeons on, and how was the volume? Can you rule out that something is wrong with your headphones?

I actually use mainly Amazon Music HD, I just switched over to Tidal to mimic a comparison by another member.

The Asgard 3 is the first headphone amp I tried with the Aeon 2, I got them both at the same time.

I don’t think it’s the headphones, because I also have the Hifiman Anandas which I believe are even more sensitive than the Aeon 2, and I can max those out as well.

Regardless, I already sent back the Asgard 3 yesterday, so now it’s just a matter of waiting for Schiit to receive it and do their tests!

 

[tincanear]

I actually use mainly Amazon Music HD, I just switched over to Tidal to mimic a comparison by another member.

The Asgard 3 is the first headphone amp I tried with the Aeon 2, I got them both at the same time.

I don’t think it’s the headphones, because I also have the Hifiman Anandas which I believe are even more sensitive than the Aeon 2, and I can max those out as well.

Regardless, I already sent back the Asgard 3 yesterday, so now it’s just a matter of waiting for Schiit to receive it and do their tests!

The sensitivity difference between the Ananda and Aeon 2 should be small compared to the issue you have described. with most headphones (except HE6 and other very inefficient older model planars), there should be plenty of volume by the 12:00 position on the volume dial, in high gain mode.

Did you test your unit with the analog RCA inputs also connected? if the amp has a defective source selection switch (shorted) that could be explain the low volume.

 

[angelus55]

which amp and dac out of the following would you recommend?

i was interested in getting a asgard 3 and modi 3 dac, thx amp thx 887 with a balanced dac or the modi 3 or 788 amp/dac combo, since i cant seem to find any good priced balanced dac to go with the 887 to equal the same price as the 788 thx combo if you think balanced is worth it, but i dont like the idea of buying new balanced cables for my headphones

i have the lcd2 classics and i might get the hd 800 s later this year if i can save enough for it if it matters

and i currently have the magni 3 amp that came out before the + and heresy models connected to my pc, and no dac

 

[tincanear]

which amp and dac out of the following would you recommend?

i was interested in getting a asgard 3 and modi 3 dac, thx amp thx 887 with a balanced dac or the modi 3 or 788 amp/dac combo, since i cant seem to find any good priced balanced dac to go with the 887 to equal the same price as the 788 thx combo if you think balanced is worth it, but i dont like the idea of buying new balanced cables for my headphones

i have the lcd2 classics and i might get the hd 800 s later this year if i can save enough for it if it matters

and i currently have the magni 3 amp that came out before the + and heresy models connected to my pc, and no dac

consider adding a Modi-series DAC first, before spending a lot on new headphones.

presumably, since you are considering the HD800S to complement the LCD2 Classics, are you looking for a brighter, crisper more detailed sound? if so, might want to look into the Modi 3 DAC first. for a smoother, more relaxed sound that will complement the HD800S, consider the Modi Multibit. either of the standalone Modi DACs (instead of the DAC modules) will work with your existing Modi 3 amp.

 

[angelus55]

consider adding a Modi-series DAC first, before spending a lot on new headphones.

presumably, since you are considering the HD800S to complement the LCD2 Classics, are you looking for a brighter, crisper more detailed sound? if so, might want to look into the Modi 3 DAC first. for a smoother, more relaxed sound that will complement the HD800S, consider the Modi Multibit. either of the standalone Modi DACs (instead of the DAC modules) will work with your existing Modi 3 amp.

thanks i am going to get the one of the modi 3 anyway if i get a standalone amp since i need the inputs so i can use my headphones with my ps4

based on what you said about the amp, do you no recommend i upgrade my amp at all then?

 

[tincanear]

thanks i am going to get the one of the modi 3 anyway if i get a standalone amp since i need the inputs so i can use my headphones with my ps4

based on what you said about the amp, do you no recommend i upgrade my amp at all then?

try the DAC upgrade first, and listen to it for a week at least with different types of music. At that point, if still looking for a new amp, consider either Asgard 3 or Jotunheim if you want to upgrade the amp (these have the better Alps RK27 volume control potentiometers, and beefier power supplies). I would consider the Magni 3+ / Magni Heresy to be side-grades from the Magni 3.