[audioismyhobby]

I just bought an Asgard 3, should be here Friday. I already have a Valhalla 2, so will be quite interesting to compare these two. The Valhalla may be more pleasing with a detailed DAC and cans that are very detailed (AKG Q701?) where as the Asgard may be more pleasing with a warm tube DAC and cans that are more forgiving (S HD600?), if that makes sense to anyone. Just a guess as to what I may prefer.

 

[Selbi]

you probably wont notice a significant difference

Here's the thing: this doesn't really ease my mind. See, my big problem with this upgrade "dilemma" in big ol' quotes is that no matter where I look, reviews and opinions are always just "this is good and it doesn't really matter what you pick, you'll have fun with this device." Absolutely, I can see this.

But this raised a paradoxical situation, at least to me: On one hand, there are clear cuts between price levels with their attributed sound performance; on the other hand, those higher levels are rarely recommended even with their price difference in mind. It gives me anxiety to feel like I'm missing out or, on the flipside, spending too much.

So, for the sake of my initial question, let's assume for a minute the Asgard 3 with a 4490 DAC module and a Schiit Stack cost exactly the same. Does the Asgard still win?

 

[tcellguy]

It's hard to say "better" or "worse". The Magni 3+ and Asgard 3 had very similar detail retrieval. However the tonality were very different based on my recall (haven't heard either in a while). The Magni 3+ seemed more like a mini-Jotunheim with strong bass response and crisper treble. The Asgard 3 had larger sound stage but somewhat soft treble. It may come down to synergy with your headphones. A lot of people seem to love the THX 789. To me it was very detailed, but I preferred the tonality of all the Schiit amps I've heard. The 789 seemed a bit bright and compressed, while the Asgard 3 sounded more dynamic, had a larger soundstage, and was overall more fun at the cost of a less detailed midrange and softer treble. I prefer Jotunheim and Lyr 3 to all these other amps, but I've seen others who strongly prefer the THX series or Asgard 3.

 

[ev666il]

Not too much to add in terms of aural performance (I also haven’t heard the Magni 3+), but I’ll say this. If there is even a small chance that going for the cheaper option will leave you feeling like you’re missing out, go for the Asgard 3. There’s no point in spending any amount of money on a purchase that is less than 100% satisfactory to you; if the end result is that you’re wondering what could have been, had you spent the extra penny, you’ve wasted money.

If you buy the A3 with a DAC card, you can always buy a separate, better DAC down the road and keep the A3 as amp. I did so with the Multibit card, which I’ve recently replaced with a Bifrost 2.

 

[Currawong]

Couldn't have said it better I reckon.

 

[tafens]

If you buy the A3 with a DAC card, you can always buy a separate, better DAC down the road and keep the A3 as amp. I did so with the Multibit card, which I’ve recently replaced with a Bifrost 2.

I did exactly that with my Lyr3; started out with the multibit dac card and upgraded to the Bifrost2.
The multibit card now lives in the Asgard3 I ordered with it (couldn’t resist, and I needed to put the card somewhere to keep it useful)

 

[tafens]

Thought I’d try to move a discussion about Asgard3 that somehow started in the HD660S thread that probably better belongs here.. this is a copy of my last post in that sub thread:

Honestly I think the Asgard 3 is very similar to the Lyr 3 without the tube rolling ability and the slight tube sound the Lyr 3 has. The Lyr 3 just has a little bit smoother treble (though this depends on the tube) and is a bit more resolving. But don't get me wrong the treble is very smooth and natural on the Asgard 3, by far the smoothest and cleanest I've heard around it's price range. I listen mostly with Beyers so I know real fast if an amp or dac has issues with the treble. Just as with the HD 6xx line I'll know real fast if there is some problems in the upper mids.

I really like the Asgard3 and it certainly has similarities with the Lyr3. It probably should have, too, as both use the same Continiuty(tm) topology (Lyr3 for its solid state part).

A few days ago I did a comparison between my Lyr3 and Asgard3 on the Bifrost2. But before I get to that though, a word about the multibit card vs Bifrost2 on Asgard3; albeit I did not do a thorough comparison on this, I felt that Bifrost2 gave the Asgard3 a more dynamic sound, removed some uncomfortable treble presence and also gave it a larger sound stage as compared to the card.

Now for the Lyr3 and the Asgard3. I use a Tung-Sol 6SN7 GTB (reissue) tube in the Lyr3 and listen with HD6XX headphones. Both amps on high gain.
I had the Asgard3 sandwiched between the Bifrost2 and the Lyr3 (and yes, yes, the Lyr3 on top.. ), and to switch between them I had to first move the interconnects and then the headphone to the one I wanted to listen to.

TL;DR: Asgard3 is very good, but I prefer the Lyr3.

The slightly longer version; Both of them are great, no doubt about that. However, using Asgard3 as the reference, I feel that the Lyr3 has more of a wide/deep soundstage (while Asgard3 is more in your head). Lyr3 also feels more engaging, more dynamic to me, with perhaps a bit more low end bass, while Asgard3 comes out as a little more dry sounding.
Moreover; if, having switched back and forth between them, I stayed on one and listened to the end of the song before going to the next and begin switching again it was almost always the Lyr3.

If they were beers:
Asgard3: well, this is a really good pint of beer!
Lyr3: hey barkeep! get me anothet one!

Perhaps it’s a tube thing..? I’ve found that I really like the tube sound, so just as the tubes, I might be a bit biased..

 

[audioismyhobby]

Greetings everyone. So I received a used Asgard 3 in the mail yesterday and have listened for about an hour so far. I was using a Valhalla 2 with stock tubes. HD600 and Denon DM300 DAC (better than BiFrost 2 DS to my ears). I love the Asgard 3 sound for my desktop, computer work station. It is everything already said in this thread. I think I prefer the more detailed sound, wider soundstage, better tonal balance because I am use to listening to good 2 channel speaker systems and that is what they deliver. My HD 600's have never sounded so good. Anyway, I am off to spend a few weeks (or more) with the Asgard and then I will be back, see you on the other side and enjoy the music!

 

[loki993]

So its finally time for a new amp as I have been without one for a while now and Im 99 percent sure Im getting the Asgard 3, but I need an DAC for it. I dont really want to go with a combo unit and I dont want to spend 699 for a Bifrost 2. I had a magni2/modi 2 stack but I didn't like it. t kinda just made everything sound sort of dark and the music wasn't engaging. I dont like JDS stuff, I had the element and it also wasn't engaging at all. It was very clean and very detailed but the music wasn't fun, it was clinical. From what I read online this is the JDS house sound.

Headphone right now are K7xx but eventually I will change them to something else...what Im not really sure. Maybe Focal Elex, I will probably pick up a pair of jubilees.

So where is the middle ground for an asgard? Doesnt have to be a schiit DAC either.

 

[tafens]

So its finally time for a new amp as I have been without one for a while now and Im 99 percent sure Im getting the Asgard 3, but I need an DAC for it. I dont really want to go with a combo unit and I dont want to spend 699 for a Bifrost 2. I had a magni2/modi 2 stack but I didn't like it. t kinda just made everything sound sort of dark and the music wasn't engaging. I dont like JDS stuff, I had the element and it also wasn't engaging at all. It was very clean and very detailed but the music wasn't fun, it was clinical. From what I read online this is the JDS house sound.

Headphone right now are K7xx but eventually I will change them to something else...what Im not really sure. Maybe Focal Elex, I will probably pick up a pair of jubilees.

So where is the middle ground for an asgard? Doesnt have to be a schiit DAC either.

The Asgard3 is very nice, but if you want a more engaging sound, you might want to try tubes.
I find the Lyr3 with Tung-Sol 6SN7 (new production) tube very engaging, both with the internal multibit dac card and the Bifrost2 - more so than the Asgard3 with the same dacs.

However, thanks to Asgard3’s similarities with Lyr3 (both having the Continuity(tm) output stage), I’d think that it probably is more engaging than most pure solid state amps.

 

[Baten]

So its finally time for a new amp as I have been without one for a while now and Im 99 percent sure Im getting the Asgard 3, but I need an DAC for it. I dont really want to go with a combo unit and I dont want to spend 699 for a Bifrost 2. I had a magni2/modi 2 stack but I didn't like it. t kinda just made everything sound sort of dark and the music wasn't engaging. I dont like JDS stuff, I had the element and it also wasn't engaging at all. It was very clean and very detailed but the music wasn't fun, it was clinical. From what I read online this is the JDS house sound.

Headphone right now are K7xx but eventually I will change them to something else...what Im not really sure. Maybe Focal Elex, I will probably pick up a pair of jubilees.

So where is the middle ground for an asgard? Doesnt have to be a schiit DAC either.

I think asgard 3 with Topping D50s or khadas tone board will work nicely!

 

[McLambo]

Is a DAC in any way connected to soundstage depth an width, or are these typical aspects for which an amp will make the difference?

 

[Baten]

Is a DAC in any way connected to soundstage depth an width, or are these typical aspects for which an amp will make the difference?

Imo, more amp than DAC.

 

[tafens]

Is a DAC in any way connected to soundstage depth an width, or are these typical aspects for which an amp will make the difference?

Yes, dac is connected to every aspect of the sound, including soundstage. For example, I experienced quite a large difference in soundstage going from the internal multibit dac card to the Bifrost2 external dac.

The amp is also connected to all aspects of the sound, and I have experienced a difference in soundstage between amp, so I wouldn’t say that one has a larger effect than the other in general.

The end result is a combination of all units in the chain really, from source to dac to amp to headphones.

 

[Ichos]

Last paragraph is the ultimate truth!