[nbourbaki]

Any initial impressions yet?  Curious minds want to know.

 

[DoingOK]

 

[DeadBoys]

It certainly is a nice looking unit, especially for the price but the Valhalla has it licked in this respect (IMVHO of course).
Glad to see there there are a few accessories that come bundled too; a very nice touch. Also, all thier units come with a 5 year warranty.
I'll be waiting paitently for impressions. 

 

[chesebert]

I would like to the know the following specs:
1. rise time (10-90%, 1Khz square wave @ max voltage swing into 32Ohm);
2. slew rate (1Khz square wave @ max voltage swing into 32Ohm);
3. settling time (1Khz square wave @ max voltage swing into 32Ohm);
4. max Wrms power into 8, 32, and 300 Ohm.
5. input Z
6. output Z
 
I apologize if this has been published elsewhere.

 

[Trysaeder]

Hate how the jack is to the right of the knob. 
Inconvenient.

 

[rhfactor1]

If you look at internal pictures of the Asgard the jack is placed on the right hand side not for looks-but this is where the electronics board is placed. Almost the entire left side of the amplifier is taken up by the transformer.

 

[rhfactor1]

"jude" we need some listening impressions please..........just a general listening impression would be sufficient for right now. I'd like to know if the Asgard is right for me (I hate to beg and grovel-but I'll do it if I have to). Happy Listening.

 

[kingtz]

Looks so nice, and the Valhalla is even sexier! Can't wait to read more about how this and the Valhalla compare to other models at this $250-350 price range - namely the LD MKIII which I'm also considering at this point.

 

[Townyj]

Wow... that price point is insane, hope these perform rather well. Digging the website layout aswell.

 

[metalgear]

Looks like a good contender against the Burson 160 Headphone amp.

 

[Prog Rock Man]

What is the phono to mini jack cable seen in the pictures for? Does it come with a power cable or do you have to source your own?
 
I will join in the praise for the looks, superb.

 

[laxlife1234]

I think I am going to take a chance and instead of buying a pair of Westone 3's try this with my Denon D5000's, it looks actually really nice.

 

[Caphead78]

I'm really looking forward to your impressions; I am planning on getting HD 600s and need an amp to complement them near this price point.

 

[Leny]

Quote:

I would like to the know the following specs:
1. rise time (10-90%, 1Khz square wave @ max voltage swing into 32Ohm);
2. slew rate (1Khz square wave @ max voltage swing into 32Ohm);
3. settling time (1Khz square wave @ max voltage swing into 32Ohm);
 

@chesebert
Why? Have you discovered how square wave response directly relates to sound quality? Please tell.
 
@Jude
Just a feeling that you're on thin ice. If you give this amp an amazing review you are going to pI55-off all of the other vendors of low priced amps that currently support your site. It might be more reasonable to pass the amp out for independent review, so that you can retain impartiality. Just my opinion. 
 
 
 

 

 

[jude]

I've been contacted and asked for impressions.  I'm swamped at the moment, but here are some bulletpoints:
 
PROS:

1. So far, it easily and very nicely drives all low-impedance full-size headphones I tried with it (SHURE SRH840, Grado HF-2, Grado HF-1, Grado GS-1000, Sennheiser HD380 Pro) very nicely.
2. It also drives the Sennheiser HD600/650 very nicely.  The Sennheiser HD800 (which I find to be very amp-picky) is also nicely compatible with the Asgard--that pairing (HD800/Asgard) makes a very nice budget rig (if you can call any rig with a $1400 headphone in it "budget").
3. The sound signature is on the smooth side, which I like--still detailed, but on the smoother side.  It has a nice sense of ease with pretty much everything I've plugged into it.  If you want analytical, look elsewhere.
4. The Asgard has nice jump--it hasn't felt underpowered at all.  In fact, the Asgard seems to me to have ample reserves of power for most of what we'd use it for (normal non-K1000 headphones).  I've not yet driven it to where it loses any poise--keep in mind that I don't listen loud, so my testing in this regard has been rather transient.  I haven't tried it with my AKG K340 yet, which I've found to be a challenging headphone to drive.
5. It is quiet with all full-sized headphones I've tried with it.
6. It's $249.00.

 
CONS:

1. It can drive my custom IEMs, but the isolation of the IEMs (plus their sensitivity), does reveal some of the Asgard's self-noise, however low-level.  In short, it's not as quiet as most of the good portable amps I've tried with the same IEMs.  Still, the noise is low-level enough that the Asgard is still very listenable with IEMs.  (But don't make it your first choice of amp if driving UE18 Pros or JH13 Pros is your primary thing.)
2. It runs hot.  This doesn't personally bother me, but some consider that a con, so I thought I'd mention it.  If you ordered the Asgard and the heat surprises you, you must've ordered it without seeing their website, as they make clear mention of the copious heat.
3. The Asgard emits a very mild mechanical hum (from the transformer interacting with the chassis).  I didn't even notice it until I moved my rig from my work office to my home office (the latter having less ambient noise).  It is very mild, very low level--from where I sit, my laptop's fan kicking up masks it.  The quieter your listening environs, the more likely you are to hear it (obviously).  I want to emphasize that it's mechanical, and does not come through the output (you won't hear it through the headphones).  I'm not bothered by it; but I think part of that is tempered by the low price, and the Asgard's performance otherwise so far.

 
Also in the pros, the styling is very nice, and I think will find favor with many folks, especially at the price (I still can't believe the price).  One other small con:  I wish the RCA jacks were spaced a bit further apart.  My Cardas Golden Reference RCA plugs are pressing against each other (but they still plug in and work fine).
 
Again, sorry so brief, but it's still very early with the amp, and I'm simply pressed for time at the moment.
 
Long story short on the early impressions:  the Asgard is, to my ears, much more than $249.00 worth of amp, in terms of sound quality and versatility.