[donunus]

bitperfect isn't really as much of an issue as the quality of the analog output through the headphone jack IMO but if your amp is really high quality, the differences when using wasapi and directsound might be more pronounced.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

To be honest, I don't notice much of a difference with or without the amp. Here's my setup:
Computer > Creative Soundblaster Live XtremeGamer > Schiit Asgard > Sennheiser HD650.

Quote:

I want to believe!

The better your source, the more you will notice a difference.  If you have a separate line out from your sound card, use that rather than the headphone out.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Some amps do change in character as they warm up and reach their operating temp. Not sure about taking 4 hours to do so though....

All you need is 30 minutes to an hour.
 
My first day run was the first time the amp had been turned on ever, so I wanted to let it run in for a bit.

 

[Nebby]

I was trying to remember how long Pass recommended for warming up his amps and I think that was it, .5-1 hr. Perhaps break it in "gently" by feeding it a sine wave driving a dummy load? That'd warm it up quickly
 
In other news, I placed an order for mine. Should be interesting to run it thru it's paces.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

I was trying to remember how long Pass recommended for warming up his amps and I think that was it, .5-1 hr. Perhaps break it in "gently" by feeding it a sine wave driving a dummy load? That'd warm it up quickly
 
In other news, I placed an order for mine. Should be interesting to run it thru it's paces.

Actually, this little Schiit idles at 300mA!  I doubt anyone could stand to listen at that level for more than a few seconds!  So a gentle feed of a sine wave would be easier on it than letting it idle!  

 

[AtomikPi]

Quote:

To be honest, I don't notice much of a difference with or without the amp. Here's my setup:
Computer > Creative Soundblaster Live XtremeGamer > Schiit Asgard > Sennheiser HD650.
 
By the way, this sucker gets REALLY hot. Like, extremely hot. It is uncomfortable to touch for more than like 10 seconds (on the bottom, anyway).

There's a chance your headphones were being driven transparently by whatever you were previously using, especially depending on how adequate your previous equipment was.
 
You may or may not hear a difference with high end amplification, it depends on the quality of the compared components, your ability to hear, and your expectations (if you expected to hear a difference, you will probably hear one).
 
If your previously amplification was insufficient, the xfi card shouldn't be so imperfect as to prevent you from hearing them. You can try using ASIO, but if you're in 7 or Vista and have the system volume maxed in the digital domain that should be adequate. According to measurements, not that measurements are everything, it should be at least adequate - low distortion, flat FR, low crosstalk, low noise, and so on (see http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/creative-x,1101-17.html ).

 

[Nebby]

Oops, for a moment there I had forgotten that it's running in Class A. Disregard my comments

Actually, this little Schiit idles at 300mA!  I doubt anyone could stand to listen at that level for more than a few seconds!  So a gentle feed of a sine wave would be easier on it than letting it idle!  

 

[reiserFS]

Quote:

There's a chance your headphones were being driven transparently by whatever you were previously using, especially depending on how adequate your previous equipment was.
 
You may or may not hear a difference with high end amplification, it depends on the quality of the compared components, your ability to hear, and your expectations (if you expected to hear a difference, you will probably hear one).
 
If your previously amplification was insufficient, the xfi card shouldn't be so imperfect as to prevent you from hearing them. You can try using ASIO, but if you're in 7 or Vista and have the system volume maxed in the digital domain that should be adequate. According to measurements, not that measurements are everything, it should be at least adequate - low distortion, flat FR, low crosstalk, low noise, and so on (see http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/creative-x,1101-17.html ).

I'd recommend him a DAC more than ASIO / WASAPI.

 

[takezo]

i take back what i wrote earlier about the asgard not synergizing well with the lcd-2.
it does, and it does it well for an amp in the portable-type price range. after a couple
of hours of warm-up the asgard tightens up admirably in the bass region and the
focus at the high region is better as well using the lcd-2. it doesn't better my other
tube amp with the lcd-2 but the asgard has more than enough juice and performs admirably.
 
the asgard is a keeper in my book, just for its ability to shine with the he-5 and the
grado gs1000. resolution is on par with other SS amps like ray samuel's hr-7 and heed canamp
amp which sells for near double the price of the asgard. but the asgard has more
power than the former amps, by a comfortable margin, shown in it's ability to effortlessly
drive the he-5.

 

[chesebert]

Quote:

i take back what i wrote earlier about the asgard not synergizing well with the lcd-2.
it does, and it does it well for an amp in the portable-type price range. after a couple
of hours of warm-up the asgard tightens up admirably in the bass region and the
focus at the high region is better as well using the lcd-2. it doesn't better my other
tube amp with the lcd-2 but the asgard has more than enough juice and performs admirably.
 
the asgard is a keeper in my book, just for its ability to shine with the he-5 and the
grado gs1000. resolution is on par with other SS amps like ray samuel's hr-7 and heed canamp
amp which sells for near double the price of the asgard. but the asgard has more
power than the former amps, by a comfortable margin, shown in it's ability to effortlessly
drive the he-5.

you should really wait until the end of your honeymoon to post any impression . . . seriously

 

[takezo]

Quote:

you should really wait until the end of your honeymoon to post any impression . . . seriously

point well taken.

 

[SemiAudiophile]

I received my Asgard today. It was well packed, and the amp itself feels real solid and has a nice aluminum finish. It's a little bigger than what I expected. 
 
I haven't ran it for more than an hour, but my initial impressions were that it was kind of dry sounding (not really thin, but dry). It didn't feel as alive or has as much weight to the sound. Mids were there, but details were kind of masked. I couldn't hear any "sparkle" in the dynamics. 
 
I only have the HF-2 and LCD-2 to try it with right now. Both headphones had similar sounding results. HF-2 and Asgard is actually kinda nice but not as detailed as m902. Right now, I prefer the LCD-2 more with the D10 because it has a more full body sound. 
 
It has the power to drive the LCD-2's for sure, I'm not sure the synergy is there though. Will post more impressions later as I run it in further over the week...

 

[takezo]

i have about 50+ hrs. on the asgard as of today and gotta say it's really
putting out a great sound now. the highs have some sparkle and more
importantly it's focused and cohesive. what does this mean? it improves
the perception of resolution, imo. the slight cloudy haze is gone from the
highs. the soundscape is not vast and the side to side is more prominent
than the front to back sound layering. it lacks the 3-d imaging found in
some other amps but for the price it does a lot of things as good as, if not
better than, amps costing twice as much.

 

[Groundzero]

Does anyone have some more detailed impressions of the Asgard with HD650s? I'm looking into budget SS amps to supplement my Woo when I don't have a few hours to sit down and really enjoy it. 

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Does anyone have some more detailed impressions of the Asgard with HD650s? I'm looking into budget SS amps to supplement my Woo when I don't have a few hours to sit down and really enjoy it. 

It does real justice to the HD-600s with a Cardas Blue Smurf Cable.  Excellent sound!