So I'd been using the THX AAA 789 for the month since receiving it, thinking it would replace my Asgard 2 if I liked it. During this time the Asgard 3 was announced alongside the Bifrost 2 and I went to Schiitr to take a listen and really liked both a lot -- I went more to check out the BF2 than the Asgard 3 as the 789 made me a happy camper at the time.
Something was bugging me about the 789 after awhile though -- everything felt oddly 'flat' or somehow compressed or lacking dynamics. I initially thought it was a huge improvement over the Asgard 2, but then switching back to the A2 I found that while my issues with it remained (it's kinda shouty, not great as far as clarity) it actually trumped the 789 in slam and impact and overall timbre (mids sounded better overall). Somehow the bass seemed to reach deeper, too -- the 789 had a more defined midbass so far as bass drum hits went, but there was just something 'narrow' sounding about it. With both 789 and A2 on tap I was actually plugging into the A2 more than the 789: something seemed wrong with this picture.
Anyway, decided to take this cue to drop by Schiitr again and buy an A3 (I have a BF2 on backorder while they sort out their manufacturing issues); am listening now and it's really, really, really solid. It's a huge improvement over the A2 insofar as resolution and clarity -- it's really a phenomenally crisp-sounding amplifier -- without losing any of its really excellent timbre and musculature. It's heads and shoulders better than the 789 as far as musicality goes, but for reasons I find difficult to quantify with adjectives and descriptors. The more time I spent with it, the more the 789 seemed to sound 'square', or clipped or rounded-off. The dynamics of the music seemed somehow more compressed -- snares and cymbals and electric guitars didn't 'pop' out of the soundscape the way I was used to; you heard them fine, the detail was there, but they seemed seated within the soundscape, rather than ever being imbued with the energy to rise out of it in a normal way.
I do wish it were balanced, especially since the BF2 has balanced out now -- but maybe that's something for the Jotunheim 2 to tackle. I think if they bring this newfound sound signature (read: cleaner background and less shoutiness) to the Jotunheim line it could make for a really ****ing amazing amplifier. Schiit has really upped their game with these latest two releases and I think once more people hear these products with their own two ears they'll realize Schiit is far from obsolete in the audio game.
