[ev666il]

You guys using low or high gain ?

High gain here, but I’m not really complaining—more like pointing out how it works for me. I’m very happy with the Asgard 3 in general

 

[whitecastle]

Is anyone using this amp for classical music?

 

[Asahi Templar]

Well I gave in and just ordered a Asgard 3 now that the black ones are back in stock. I got a SMSL SP200 but it was defective so I returned it and decided to go with a Asgard instead.

Luckily there is a black Modi which matches the Asgard now so decided to grab that too. I would have gone with one of the cards, but I will wait for a newer version or to see if a super modi type deal comes out later.

Looking forward to trying it out with my Hifiman HE5se, I suspect it will be a great pairing.

 

[Baten]

Black asgard black modi seems pretty killer

 

[goryglory0209]

Well I gave in and just ordered a Asgard 3 now that the black ones are back in stock. I got a SMSL SP200 but it was defective so I returned it and decided to go with a Asgard instead.

Luckily there is a black Modi which matches the Asgard now so decided to grab that too. I would have gone with one of the cards, but I will wait for a newer version or to see if a super modi type deal comes out later.

Looking forward to trying it out with my Hifiman HE5se, I suspect it will be a great pairing.

Great I wanted a black one. I was also leaning towards smsl but had experience with Aune. The Chifi is ok but I don't know QC on Chifi products is not that great. I am enjoying the Asgard 3 and put in a order today for Modi Dac. Hope it does not comes like the broken unslodered switch like on Asgard 3...lol

 

[Asahi Templar]

Great I wanted a black one. I was also leaning towards smsl but had experience with Aune. The Chifi is ok but I don't know QC on Chifi products is not that great. I am enjoying the Asgard 3 and put in a order today for Modi Dac. Hope it does not comes like the broken unslodered switch like on Asgard 3...lol

Yeah i think the black Schiit stuff looks awesome.

Not gonna lie I would have gone nuts for a black/red Asgard lol. That Magni looks awesome.

I was certainly disappointed with SMSLs QC and really build in general in the case of the SP200.

The knob on the SMSL Sp200 is the worst one I have ever seen on a amplifier at any price point. It was really really awful, exceptionally so. It was loose, wobbly and felt like it was going to pop off when you turned it.

They also did a bait switch in that the review units had a different potentiometer (much better!) than the production ones. I was less than pleased to say the least. They also changed to a linear potentiometer instead of a logarithmic one which is quite frankly insane to do with a super powered amplifier like that. I imagine it wont be too long before we get reports of someone blowing up a headphone with it, as you must turn the potentiometer extremely carefully or go deaf.

Dont think I will be buying anymore SMSL products honestly.

Hopefully there arent too many QC issues with the Asgard, looks like only a very few have reported any so that is a good sign. Build quality is certainly going to be better lol.

 

[goryglory0209]

Yeah i think the black Schiit stuff looks awesome.

Not gonna lie I would have gone nuts for a black/red Asgard lol. That Magni looks awesome.

I was certainly disappointed with SMSLs QC and really build in general in the case of the SP200.

The knob on the SMSL Sp200 is the worst one I have ever seen on a amplifier at any price point. It was really really awful, exceptionally so. It was loose, wobbly and felt like it was going to pop off when you turned it.

They also did a bait switch in that the review units had a different potentiometer (much better!) than the production ones. I was less than pleased to say the least. They also changed to a linear potentiometer instead of a logarithmic one which is quite frankly insane to do with a super powered amplifier like that. I imagine it wont be too long before we get reports of someone blowing up a headphone with it, as you must turn the potentiometer extremely carefully or go deaf.

Dont think I will be buying anymore SMSL products honestly.

Hopefully there arent too many QC issues with the Asgard, looks like only a very few have reported any so that is a good sign. Build quality is certainly going to be better lol.

I agree I am based in Hong Kong and I have tried many Chifi products and to be honest what I used to get spoiled with old products like Onkyo and Woodstock I found that quality aspect in the Asgard 3. The knobs , metal casing exactly remind s me of old 90 era of amps . Chifi are cheap with very little QC. When I saw the smsl sp200 I was almost sold that thx tech and that too better pricing than massdrop,But then I realized there has to be something for that cheaper price and when i saw it in person I was like this looks that you get what you are paying. I went for the Asgard 3 and red black is my fav too but at that time only silver was available. Wish they made red blacks too. My modi has just been shipped and I hope it turns out good. I was done with this Aune X1s dac which is ok for a starter but in the long run becomes wierd sounding. That being said I still like the Chifi blon03 iem. Hehehe Hope your product turns out to be good and you like it.

 

[goryglory0209]

Just received the Modi 3. God I put it on and i was on the floor with seizure . The AuneX1s was a piece of garbage what I was hearing from 1 year. Listening Tidal and there is a big gap between this and CHifi I used. Lets see what it does in coming days. Its a perfect pair with the Asgard 3. On a Sennheiser 599 right now will try Beyerdynamics

 

[gwitzel]

I have a question: I would like to buy a proper setup for my girlfriend for her office. I just have ordered the Asgard 3 MB. The headphone requirement is closed or semi-closed. So I bought the Beyer DT770 Pro, but we are thinking about getting he DT880 for comparison and sending back the one we like less. My question: would you recommend the 250 or the 600 Ohm version of the 880 together with the Asgard 3 MB?

The music will be rather classical-jazz with occasional diversions into other genres.

Our preferences: we own Gumby, Yggy, and Modi delta-sigma, and have owned Lyr2 and Modi 2 uber + Magni 2. I have heard Vali 2 + Modi MB, Mjolnir 2, and Jotunheim + Bifrost MB.
The combinations that we remember most favorably were Gumby + Mjolnir 2, and Vali + Modi MB. Obviously these combos sound very differently, but both sounded natural with smooth treble. I did not like the Lyr 2, which had some strange treble, somehow disconnected from the rest and with some glare. The Jotunheim seemed very impressive, but again had a touch of harshness. The go to headphones for these comparisons were Sennheisers. We both like the HD 600, but we felt we would like to try some Beyers for a change.

Some recommendations would be appreciated, thank you!

Always 600 ohm if you got the juice! (Which Asgard 3 does)

The 600 OHM Beyers were my only cans for years with my LaFigaro 332C. Serious Synergy there. I got the Asgard 3 and they were comparatively running a little bright for me. I purchased the Dekoni Hybrid pads for them and it is a very nice pairing indeed. Plenty of power for the 600 OHMs in the Asgard 3.

This was my impression too. Thank you for chiming in, I have ordered the 600 ohm version.



Great to hear from someone who owns the combination. I was afraid that it would sound too bright, in comparison to the HD600 the DT770Pro does sound bright. I am curious how they are when properly amped. Good to know that pads can be a remedy.

I will let you all know what I think as soon as we have the Asgard 3 and both headphones. Thank you!

The Lyr 3 is a very different animal from the Lyr 2. I wouldn’t exclude it out of hand. Re impedance: I don’t know if it matters that much with the A3- you should have all the power necessary for whatever. That said, if you think you might want to get an OTL amp in the future, impedance is your friend and I’d go at least 300 ohm.

Thank you, your point with the OTL amp in the future is very good. We also have a Crack amp here, so it makes sense to buy a compatible version of the 880.

The DT880 600 ohm has arrived in the meantime, and it is indeed a very nice headphone. Much nicer for my taste than the 770. The A3 has not arrived yet. Right now I am running them with the Brocksieper Earmax and a basic Modi, a very nice setup.

I am curious about the Lyr 3, but this amp is a bit over budged right now.

So, now finally I can provide some impressions with the Asgrad 3 and the Beyer DT880 600. Schiit Europe sent me first an A3 with 4490 DAC module instead of the ordered MB card. They then quickly exchanged it, but as a result I got to listen to both cards. Additionally, I have tried my Modi 3 D/S with the A3.

First of all, the A3 is a fantastic amp. Very powerful, very smooth and by no account harsh or overly analytic. It is full of detail, with a great presentation of space. It works very nicely with the Beyer DT880 600. Very natural sound, I love it. For this price (A3 + DT880) it is really quite unbelievable.

Having said this, the 4490 DAC module was not that good, at least for acoustic music with violins or piano. It sounded very hard and lean, rather artifical. The MB module is far, far better in this respect, with a natural rich tone.

However, the Modi 3 connected via the RCA inputs is again much better than the MB module. It seems simply louder first of all. Listening to the same music via Audirvana, just switching between the MB module and the Modi 3, I need to turn up the A3 much higher with the MB module. As high as 3 o'clock for some tracks. The Modi sounds similarly smooth and natural as the MB module, but much more transparent. The MB module feels a bit lifeless and veiled in comparison.

Does anybody else have similar impressions?

I plan to return the A3 with module and get an A3 amp only + Modi 3 instead. This together with the DT880 is really wonderful.

 

[441879]

So, now finally I can provide some impressions with the Asgrad 3 and the Beyer DT880 600. Schiit Europe sent me first an A3 with 4490 DAC module instead of the ordered MB card. They then quickly exchanged it, but as a result I got to listen to both cards. Additionally, I have tried my Modi 3 D/S with the A3.

First of all, the A3 is a fantastic amp. Very powerful, very smooth and by no account harsh or overly analytic. It is full of detail, with a great presentation of space. It works very nicely with the Beyer DT880 600. Very natural sound, I love it. For this price (A3 + DT880) it is really quite unbelievable.

Having said this, the 4490 DAC module was not that good, at least for acoustic music with violins or piano. It sounded very hard and lean, rather artifical. The MB module is far, far better in this respect, with a natural rich tone.

However, the Modi 3 connected via the RCA inputs is again much better than the MB module. It seems simply louder first of all. Listening to the same music via Audirvana, just swithing between the MB module and the Modi 3, I need to turn up the A3 much higher with the MB module. As high as 3 o'clock for some tracks. The Modi sounds similarly smooth and natural as the MB module, but much more transparent. The MB module feels a bit lifeless and vailed in comparison.

Does anybody else have similar impressions?

I plan to return the A3 with module and get an A3 amp only + Modi 3 instead. This together with the DT880 is really wonderful.

I’m assuming you are considering the Modi 3 multibit version? Otherwise it’s not that different than the A3 card with the 4490 chipset. I replaced my Modi 3 4490 a year or two ago with a Topping D50 and found it to be smoother, less hard edged and better at imaging. In other words, to my ears the Modi 3 non- multibit has the same leaner, harder edged sound as the A3 4490 card.

I’m thinking about buying a Bifrost, but am holding off at the moment until after Christmas. Not sure it’s worth it though because the D50 really does a great job.

 

[genck]

It's normal for the RCA input to be louder, even with an older 1.5V Modi 1 it will be louder than the module. Many amps are designed this way, don't ask me why.

 

[gwitzel]

I’m assuming you are considering the Modi 3 multibit version? Otherwise it’s not that different than the A3 card with the 4490 chipset. I replaced my Modi 2 4490 a year or two ago with a Topping D50 and found it to be smoother, less hard edged and better at imaging. In other words, to my ears the Modi non- multibit has the same leaner, harder edged sound as the A3 4490 card.

I’m thinking about buying a Bifrost, but am holding off at the moment until after Christmas. Not sure it’s worth it though because the D50 really does a great job.

I actually meant the D/S version, to my own surprise. I really like my MB dacs for my 2 channel systems, but in this case the Modi 3 does sound more transparent to my ears than the MB card. Modi 3 is a hell of a DAC for the price.

I have owned Modi 2 uber in the past and I was not so happy with it either.

 

[Asahi Templar]

So, now finally I can provide some impressions with the Asgrad 3 and the Beyer DT880 600. Schiit Europe sent me first an A3 with 4490 DAC module instead of the ordered MB card. They then quickly exchanged it, but as a result I got to listen to both cards. Additionally, I have tried my Modi 3 D/S with the A3.

First of all, the A3 is a fantastic amp. Very powerful, very smooth and by no account harsh or overly analytic. It is full of detail, with a great presentation of space. It works very nicely with the Beyer DT880 600. Very natural sound, I love it. For this price (A3 + DT880) it is really quite unbelievable.

Having said this, the 4490 DAC module was not that good, at least for acoustic music with violins or piano. It sounded very hard and lean, rather artifical. The MB module is far, far better in this respect, with a natural rich tone.

However, the Modi 3 connected via the RCA inputs is again much better than the MB module. It seems simply louder first of all. Listening to the same music via Audirvana, just switching between the MB module and the Modi 3, I need to turn up the A3 much higher with the MB module. As high as 3 o'clock for some tracks. The Modi sounds similarly smooth and natural as the MB module, but much more transparent. The MB module feels a bit lifeless and veiled in comparison.

Does anybody else have similar impressions?

I plan to return the A3 with module and get an A3 amp only + Modi 3 instead. This together with the DT880 is really wonderful.

Pretty sure the internal cards do output less power so they would be quieter than a external dac at the same volumes. Makes comparing them difficult as you have to level match them to get a accurate result. They are also likely to be more vulnerable to noise from bad USB ports so not surprised the external units would out perform them.

On a different site there were a lot of people saying the Multibit module in particular was significantly worse than the Modi multibit to the point most were recommending just getting the AKM 4490 card if you were going to get a card as it performed better for them. Most people have said the standalone Modi MB is worth the extra money and space.

Would be interesting if anyone has compared the Modi 3 to the AKM card. I would be surprised if there is a significant difference other than output volume assuming the USB port it uses is decent enough as the design is nearly identical.

 

[gwitzel]

Pretty sure the internal cards do output less power so they would be quieter than a external dac at the same volumes. Makes comparing them difficult as you have to level match them to get a accurate result. They are also likely to be more vulnerable to noise from bad USB ports so not surprised the external units would out perform them.

On a different site there were a lot of people saying the Multibit module in particular was significantly worse than the Modi multibit to the point most were recommending just getting the AKM 4490 card if you were going to get a card as it performed better for them. Most people have said the standalone Modi MB is worth the extra money and space.

Would be interesting if anyone has compared the Modi 3 to the AKM card. I would be surprised if there is a significant difference other than output volume assuming the USB port it uses is decent enough as the design is nearly identical.

I agree, my impression are somewhat casual:

1) I did not directly compare the 4490 card with the Modi 3. However, the sound of violins in that one recording I have was very irritating with the card. Modi 3 does a good job here.

2) I have not controlled for the influence of the USB connection. I have used two different ports, one through a USB hub.

3) Volume matching is indeed difficult here.

 

[Plautus001]

I currently have the Modi 2 Uber, Topping D30, and Grace SDAC.

I love the Asgard 3, but I didn't want to be tied down with a card. Im thinking of getting another DAC and I have it down to three choices...

Modi 3 black $99
Topping D50S $185
Bifrost 4490 closeout in black $250

Has anyone actually tried a 4490 Bifrost and is it that much better?

I DO NOT CARE ABOUT MEASUREMENTS. I care about sound quality and tonality. (Sorry for shouting, dont want any ASR comments).