[artur9]

I like the Triple Flusher news. My b-day is right around the corner in mid July so I need some stuff to ask Santa for....

 

[MOFOfunk]

Relax, guys. Sit back and look around. Enjoy your environment. Or take a short vacation. Or a long one.
In the meantime, I'll continue to update you on the progress of Vidar, as I know more. And maybe sneak in a chapter or two.

Hi Y'all.
Two chapters. That'll be three weeks of chill tiime. While we're waiting I really hope you'll spend some of that time helping me out with this little quest.
I'm getting my brother a schiit stack for his birthday. He's a musician (trumpet, piano, vocal, drums) composer and painter. He lives in a concrete box with some nasty neighbours so HP listening is the only way to enjoy and play music. And yes. I have told him to move, but he likes the address. - pfft .. city people.

I wanna get music into his home again. But I don't have enough experience with the variety of Schiit HP amps. And until I'm getting my ears in a SchiitKitt and can make my own experiences I'll have to rely on you guys.

His musical preferences are a full, slightly dry and clear sound. Doesn't want to feel the music but to hear it. Likes a clear powerful but not boomy bass. A strong clear treble and not thin. Likes a full midrange as opposed to the cardboard dry mids that some prefer. A good overview of the soundstage and focused. He prefers black music played by black people. Soul, funk, jazz, blues. But he listens to Bach when he concentrates on his drawings.

He's not the techie, upgrading, modding, tube rolling kinda guy, but if it's a tube amp that'll deliver the above mentioned sound profile then thats cool.
Source will be a mac mini playing random music formats, mp3's, youtube streaming and such.
He wants open over ear's and i've suggested the Hd650. But if any of you have any better matches for his sound profile other suggestions are welcome.

The budget limit for DAC and/or HP Amp is MAXIMUM 574€. I know All Schiit has high bang/buck ratio, but how much of the goodness would a set of HD650 level cans bring out. Think I've gathered that the priority should be on the HP then the Amp, then the DAC.

Here's an overview of the contesters:
Mimby 295€ + Magni2U 169€ = 464€
Mimby 295€ + Vali2 185€ = 480€
Mimby 295€ + Asgard2 279€ = 574€
Jotunheim w. Dac = 549€
Mimby 295€ + Fulla2 122€ = 417€
Modi2U 169€ +Valhalla2 390€ = 559€
Fulla2 = 122€
lyr2 = 499€
And the list goes on! Didn't realise how many DAC+Amp combinations Schiit offers at this pricepoint untill I started writing them down.

 

[Pandahead]

Hi Y'all.
Two chapters. That'll be three weeks of chill tiime. While we're waiting I really hope you'll spend some of that time helping me out with this little quest.
I'm getting my brother a schiit stack for his birthday. He's a musician (trumpet, piano, vocal, drums) composer and painter. He lives in a concrete box with some nasty neighbours so HP listening is the only way to enjoy and play music. And yes. I have told him to move, but he likes the address. - pfft .. city people.

I wanna get music into his home again. But I don't have enough experience with the variety of Schiit HP amps. And until I'm getting my ears in a SchiitKitt and can make my own experiences I'll have to rely on you guys.

His musical preferences are a full, slightly dry and clear sound. Doesn't want to feel the music but to hear it. Likes a clear powerful but not boomy bass. A strong clear treble and not thin. Likes a full midrange as opposed to the cardboard dry mids that some prefer. A good overview of the soundstage and focused. He prefers black music played by black people. Soul, funk, jazz, blues. But he listens to Bach when he concentrates on his drawings.

He's not the techie, upgrading, modding, tube rolling kinda guy, but if it's a tube amp that'll deliver the above mentioned sound profile then thats cool.
Source will be a mac mini playing random music formats, mp3's, youtube streaming and such.
He wants open over ear's and i've suggested the Hd650. But if any of you have any better matches for his sound profile other suggestions are welcome.

The budget limit for DAC and/or HP Amp is MAXIMUM 574€. I know All Schiit has high bang/buck ratio, but how much of the goodness would a set of HD650 level cans bring out. Think I've gathered that the priority should be on the HP then the Amp, then the DAC.

Here's an overview of the contesters:
Mimby 295€ + Magni2U 169€ = 464€
Mimby 295€ + Vali2 185€ = 480€
Mimby 295€ + Asgard2 279€ = 574€
Jotunheim w. Dac = 549€
Mimby 295€ + Fulla2 122€ = 417€
Modi2U 169€ +Valhalla2 390€ = 559€
Fulla2 = 122€
lyr2 = 499€
And the list goes on! Didn't realise how many DAC+Amp combinations Schiit offers at this pricepoint untill I started writing them down.

I vote Jotty with dac. If he gets hooked he can add Multibit later. If you get a Lyr you will spend bucks, I mean Euro's rolling tubes to equal Jotty. I like tubes, but Jotty is some fine Schiit for people who don't. If he goes Multibit and wants a turntable he can swap out the dac for a mm phono preamp and not have an extra piece of Schiit on his shelf. There's balanced option there also if you get him to move and he can set up speakers, which means the option of two Vidars if one won't do.

 

[NoahFence]

...

The budget limit for DAC and/or HP Amp is MAXIMUM 574€. I know All Schiit has high bang/buck ratio, but how much of the goodness would a set of HD650 level cans bring out. Think I've gathered that the priority should be on the HP then the Amp, then the DAC.

Here's an overview of the contesters:
Mimby 295€ + Magni2U 169€ = 464€
Mimby 295€ + Vali2 185€ = 480€
Mimby 295€ + Asgard2 279€ = 574€
Jotunheim w. Dac = 549€
Mimby 295€ + Fulla2 122€ = 417€
Modi2U 169€ +Valhalla2 390€ = 559€
Fulla2 = 122€
lyr2 = 499€
And the list goes on! Didn't realise how many DAC+Amp combinations Schiit offers at this pricepoint untill I started writing them down.[/QUOTE]


I would go with the Mimby+Vali2 (though I have not heard the Magni2U). For me that is where the magic starts. Unlike some others I would not go with Jotty and DS DAC.
If you could do Mimby+Jotty that would be good, but I think that is over your budget. I would not go with Fulla 2. I have heard that and good as it is it is not in the league with the more expenseive amps you mention. Haven't heard Asgard so someone else may want to chime in with that though.

 

[MOFOfunk]

Thanks Panda. Very good points.
Does JottyDAC match the sound described? It was actually also my initial plan. Balanced hp cables would also give more mobility and he'll like that it's all in one box. And it's not unlikely that there's a set of powered monitors in his future.

Then I think I got stuck at the dac not being multibit. And what board to choose.
And then the Magni2U or Asgard2 + Mimby suddenly looked very appealing.
But as you say he can upgrade later.

 

[US Blues]

@Jason Stoddard
This could be the most stupid question regarding the Vidars you'll ever get.
As I have a Ragnarok, would it be a step up if I eventually used it as Pre-amp with two Vidars?

Two Vidar's will easily outperform the amp section of a Rag. The other thing you need to know is that a Freya with good tubes (I use new production Tung Sols) is a much better preamp than a Rag.

 

[Karlthehusky721]

Thanks Panda. Very good points.
Does JottyDAC match the sound described? It was actually also my initial plan. Balanced hp cables would also give more mobility and he'll like that it's all in one box. And it's not unlikely that there's a set of powered monitors in his future.

Then I think I got stuck at the dac not being multibit. And what board to choose.
And then the Magni2U or Asgard2 + Mimby suddenly looked very appealing.
But as you say he can upgrade later.

I thoroughly enjoy my Bimby + Asgard2 feeding an HD650. I can't imagine the Mimby is much different. IMO this combo doesn't have a "sound signature" that really jumps out at you. Nothing seems accentuated or emphasized. It's just good, and that's why I like it so much.

 

[sublime9]

I wasn't intending for Schiit to aquire existing tubes but develope their own. My thoughts were if they partnered with company or developed their own tubes that had the characteristics many desire.


I hope so because I think it makes sense, unless finacially it doesn't.

I wasn't intending for Schiit to aquire existing tubes but develope their own. My thoughts were if they partnered with company or developed their own tubes that had the characteristics many desire.


I hope so because I think it makes sense, unless finacially it doesn't.

If you mean solid state tube pinout equivalents then fine; but if you mean actually creating a modern superior vacuum triode or beam tetrode or pentode, that is not going to happen, ever. Too much knowledge has been lost. The tooling costs would be tens, maybe hundreds of millions. The materials are hazardous. Just because it is old technology does not mean it was not enormously refined technology.

We owe a debt to the guitar players whose market demand have made some inferior but acceptable new production tubes available at all.

 

[earnmyturns]

I thoroughly enjoy my Bimby + Asgard2 feeding an HD650. I can't imagine the Mimby is much different. IMO this combo doesn't have a "sound signature" that really jumps out at you. Nothing seems accentuated or emphasized. It's just good, and that's why I like it so much.

I'd vote for Mimby+A2 too. I had Bimby+A2 for over a year until I replaced the A2 by a Jot for the balanced output. I've not heard the Mimby, but all the reviews and impressions I've read placed it close to the Bimby (in fact, a few people prefer the Mimby).

 

[CarlosUnchained]

My budget is the same, but I need the DAC + amp for my LCD-X

I think the best would be Lyr 2 + Mimby but it's a bit above the budget. Maybe I'll go with Jot w/DAC and think later about upgrades.

 

[rkw]

Does JottyDAC match the sound described?

Yes it does. I use Jot/DAC with HD 650. There are a couple of advantages with the Jot. Its balanced output makes a real difference with the 650 using a balanced cable, and it can be used as a preamp if your brother gets powered monitors. I want to get a multibit DAC in the future but meanwhile I am enjoying my current setup very much.

 

[PolarBehr]

I'd vote for Mimby+A2 too. I had Bimby+A2 for over a year until I replaced the A2 by a Jot for the balanced output. I've not heard the Mimby, but all the reviews and impressions I've read placed it close to the Bimby (in fact, a few people prefer the Mimby).

Add my vote to the Mimby+A2. I have a Modi 2 Uber and the Asgar 2. To my ears the solid state, true class A, MOSFET Asgar is exactly the sound you describe.

I will be replacing my Modi 2U with a Mimby and wish I had saved some money by just going directly to the Mimby.

 

[dr cornelius]

Hey MOFOfunk - I haven’t heard all of these combos - so I can only recommend the Jotunheim/DAC combo. That’s what I have and I use I use the balanced out with Senn HD 600s and a pair of Genelec monitors. Highly recommended...

 

[Zojokkeli]

Hi Y'all.
I'm getting my brother a schiit stack for his birthday. He's a musician (trumpet, piano, vocal, drums) composer and painter. He lives in a concrete box with some nasty neighbours so HP listening is the only way to enjoy and play music. And yes. I have told him to move, but he likes the address. - pfft .. city people.

I wanna get music into his home again. But I don't have enough experience with the variety of Schiit HP amps. And until I'm getting my ears in a SchiitKitt and can make my own experiences I'll have to rely on you guys.

His musical preferences are a full, slightly dry and clear sound. Doesn't want to feel the music but to hear it. Likes a clear powerful but not boomy bass. A strong clear treble and not thin. Likes a full midrange as opposed to the cardboard dry mids that some prefer. A good overview of the soundstage and focused. He prefers black music played by black people. Soul, funk, jazz, blues. But he listens to Bach when he concentrates on his drawings.

The budget limit for DAC and/or HP Amp is MAXIMUM 574€. I know All Schiit has high bang/buck ratio, but how much of the goodness would a set of HD650 level cans bring out. Think I've gathered that the priority should be on the HP then the Amp, then the DAC.

Here's an overview of the contesters:
Mimby 295€ + Magni2U 169€ = 464€
Mimby 295€ + Vali2 185€ = 480€
Mimby 295€ + Asgard2 279€ = 574€
Jotunheim w. Dac = 549€
Mimby 295€ + Fulla2 122€ = 417€
Modi2U 169€ +Valhalla2 390€ = 559€
Fulla2 = 122€
lyr2 = 499€

I wasn't the biggest fan of Asgard 2 with HD 650s, but I loved them with the original Vali. My vote goes for Mimby + Vali 2. They make for a cute little stack too.

 

[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

I'm getting my brother a schiit stack for his birthday.
The budget limit for DAC and/or HP Amp is MAXIMUM 574€.

Can you adopt me as your brother and reserve that money for either my Eitr or my MP?
In real life I'm very sociable and cook a nice dinner.
We can have my birthday any day you like.