Schiit Happened: The Story of the World's Most Improbable Start-Up

[FellowTraveller]

Thank you @sixergixer (and @tincanear for this suggestion. One advantage the Ragnarok has over the options I mentioned, besides being cheaper, is that it has balanced inputs, so I could use balanced cables between the Bifrost 2/64 and the Ragnarok. I'm not sure if that is an important advantage or not, though I like the idea. As I was thinking about your suggestion I thought maybe the jump from my current 50 watts/channel to 60 watts was not going to be enough of an improvement. But then I remembered vaguely that someone (maybe Jason Stoddard) said the newest Ragnarok is rated very conservatively, and that it actually puts out more like 75 watts/channel, which @tincanear then confirmed with a reference. The current price is amazing, so I will definitely consider it as another option. Thanks again!

Late last summer I asked in this forum about amps people have used successfully with the Kara preamp, and I mentioned that this was to upgrade the audio setup for my classroom in Thailand. I would like to thank several of you who suggested buying the Ragnarok 2 instead, which was going for about $1,000 at the time. Thanks to @sixergixer, @tincanear, @valkyrieorion, and @33na3rd for making suggestions and otherwise supporting me with useful background information. I ended up buying the silver version for $1,100, and it sat at my sister's home for several months. I'm now visiting family in the US and I've had the chance to listen to it with Meze 105 AER headphones (a compromise between decent sound and comfort and usability for long meetings) and Hart cables. I had to also buy an 850 watt transformer so that I could plug it in here and listen before carting it back to Thailand. To me it sounds great so far, though I haven't had a chance to test it out with a pair of speakers. The overall tonality and coherence of the sound is great, and I'm very pleased with my purchase!

 

[sixergixer]

Late last summer I asked in this forum about amps people have used successfully with the Kara preamp, and I mentioned that this was to upgrade the audio setup for my classroom in Thailand. I would like to thank several of you who suggested buying the Ragnarok 2 instead, which was going for about $1,000 at the time. Thanks to @sixergixer, @tincanear, @valkyrieorion, and @33na3rd for making suggestions and otherwise supporting me with useful background information. I ended up buying the silver version for $1,100, and it sat at my sister's home for several months. I'm now visiting family in the US and I've had the chance to listen to it with Meze 105 AER headphones (a compromise between decent sound and comfort and usability for long meetings) and Hart cables. I had to also buy an 850 watt transformer so that I could plug it in here and listen before carting it back to Thailand. To me it sounds great so far, though I haven't had a chance to test it out with a pair of speakers. The overall tonality and coherence of the sound is great, and I'm very pleased with my purchase!

Very good to hear you are liking it! Cheers!

 

[Syan25]

Another movie with the inimitable Mr. Waits.

 

[DACattack]

@Syan25 Oh no! A humiliating blemish on my Waits fan club bonafides, for I did not know he was in that movie, one of the very few Coen brothers movies I've not seen. Mea culpa! Something I must rectify soon!

 

[sixergixer]

@Syan25 Oh no! A humiliating blemish on my Waits fan club bonafides, for I did not know he was in that movie, one of the very few Coen brothers movies I've not seen. Mea culpa! Something I must rectify soon!

It's a strange series of vignettes. Tom's storyline is a good one.

 

[valiant66]

Today’s builds, both are extra pieces.
Birdseye maple and walnut record holder, and a black palm headshell.

Those are both beautiful!
.

 

[Paladin79]

Those are both beautiful!
.

Thanks I need to get busy before I put in offers for more turntables, I have three out there right now.

 

[corndog71]

I too have been very satisfied with Ragnarok 2! I did have an issue of overheating and going into protection mode a couple of times but this happened after I had left it on for over a week.

Since then I shut it off every night and have had no further problems.

I really like the clean, detailed sound quality. It matches well with my GR Research X-SLS towers.

 

[Paladin79]

I now own one of these. Belt drive, manual, needing a custom made plinth, once I am done it may well make a nice little table for someone with a second Stjarna input just sitting there. Bayonet mount headshell.

 

[Les Strat]

I used to go into my local Indian restaurant and order lamb vindaloo spicy. The whole kitchen staff would peek out to watch the white guy eating hot Indian.

An old friend of mine, who now lives in NC, always used to order a Vindaloo after a few pints of Fuller’s London Pride at our local pub when he lived in London.

One night after probably a pint too many, he ordered a Phaal.

Two heads appeared from the kitchen at the back of the Indian restaurant to see who this madman was.

It was a cold winter night, but within 10 mins my friend was down to a T shirt and working up quite a sweat

He finished it though.

Now, when he comes to visit in the UK he always orders a relatively tame Madras.

Most people think that’s quite hot!

 

[Adam Balm]

I think it's time for another cat picture

 

[riffrafff]

 

[docBliny]

Guess what I ordered after all the talk about Indian food today... (no, it wasn't Valhalla 3 (yet))

 

[artur9]

Funny how those odd smells from childhood never leave you, isn't it? I grew up near a sugar beet processing plant. You'd think something that makes granulated sugar would smell wonderful, but, um, no. It's rather horrid.

Interesting. When "they" are harvesting sugar cane, it fills the air with a caramel scent.

...
Oooh, Indian food. One of my favorites too. I have tons of spices (they know me by name at my local Penzey's spice shop) and often prepare custom made masalas and will typically make one Indian meal a week. My wife doesn't typically indulge, so I can make it as hot as I like.
...

I used to go into my local Indian restaurant and order lamb vindaloo spicy. The whole kitchen staff would peek out to watch the white guy eating hot Indian.

Spicy or "Indian Spicy"? There is a difference.

I order Indian Hot. And they usually ask me directly, "are you sure?"

My best man and I frequented an Indian restaurant so often they started asking us to try things to see if an American palate would enjoy it. Was a lot of fun unlike...
I ordered some Indian food once and said, "Make it like you do at home." Barely made it out of there!

...
@WeepingGuitar Well, I recommend spinning this to help you get through the wait...

...

I do own the Anticipation record thanks to @Sam6550a.

Second favorite Carly Simon album cover, @Paladin79 ?

Paso Robles seems to do those well. Interesting label on that one too

Is Davis Bynum still around? Fond memories of touring that vineyard.

...:

Not the right kind of chips for either ketchup or fish.

 

[Paladin79]

Interesting. When "they" are harvesting sugar cane, it fills the air with a caramel scent.





My best man and I frequented an Indian restaurant so often they started asking us to try things to see if an American palate would enjoy it. Was a lot of fun unlike...
I ordered some Indian food once and said, "Make it like you do at home." Barely made it out of there!



Second favorite Carly Simon album cover, @Paladin79 ?

Is Davis Bynum still around? Fond memories of touring that vineyard.


Not the right kind of chips for either ketchup or fish.

Absolutely my second favorite Carly Simon cover.
Deeezil found the catnip banana.