[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

If one is so risk-averse as not to fly, one should not even drive in a car. Nor venture into a crosswalk.

One could argue with some justification to not reside in certain areas in Washington or California.

Oh really? Wow.

 

[golfbravobravo]

Flying an unbalanced 747 MAX might be a problem for some.

A new model? They kept that quiet.......

 

[saddleup]

Thanks for your feedback @EricDH

I’d like a DAC that handles MQA, but could always just tag on a Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital. A solid state setup that handles MQA is the Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ It gets really good reviews including from Sterophile and The Absolute Sound.

Take MQA out of the equation and the Brooklyn probably still sounds okay. First feature I look for in a DAC is no MQA support. Snake oil IMO, but that's a whole other topic that's been beat to death already.

 

[roshambo]

Thanks for your feedback. In addition to reviewers mentioning a noticeable difference in power and sound quality Jason Stoddard said they specifically addressed the inequality between the single ended outputs in Ragnarok when making Ragnarok 2. He said the summing in Ragnarok and Mjolnir resulted in a poorer performance. Both amps are by their core design balanced amps.

I have both Rag 2, MJ2, Gungnir MB and I've heard Rag 2 with the multibit DAC card and my Gungnir MB.

First, the point about summing is accurate. MJ2 SE output utilizes summing resulting in lower power, and to my ears, smaller headstage and reduced clarity vs the balanced output. You can hear the difference. You've gone from 8 Watts to 2 Watts output. Is the SE on MJ2 "bad" in an absolute sense? No, it is still better than many other amps, but you've basically bought a fast sports car and are only putting the pedal 1/4 of the way to the floor. Gungnir is also balanced and utilizes summing for SE output and the balanced outputs have better performance to my ear. So, if you buy Gungnir or MJ2 I'd recommend using the balanced connections in all cases.

I do not hear much of a difference in clarity between Rag 2's SE and balanced outputs, other than you do still have lower power output on the SE. Would I buy Rag 2 just to run SE headphones assuming I had no speakers? I think it would depend on sonically what I wanted.

MJ2 + Gungnir MB against a Rag 2 with a MB card is a weird comparison to make, but Gungnir has better detail retrieval and better handling of transients vs. the MB card. As for the amp, MJ2 (to my ear with 6DJ8 National tubes) has a larger headstage than Rag 2 on my HD800's, but I can't say what it would be on Grado's. On Ether 2, I don't get much headstage difference between the two amps. Rag 2 has more natural treble while MJ2 has a faster, drier treble.

Schiit has some very good SE options you might consider. Lyr 3 (which I've also owned) was what Grado was using at CanJam this year to demo their headphones and it's an excellent headamp with very natural treble (although not the beefiest bass and widest soundstage). Valhalla 2 is one of my favorite amps that I've heard and is a good low cost option. MJ2 and Rag 2 will give superior macrodynamics and slam, but again, you'll get the most out of MJ2 only with balanced.

It comes down to what type of sound you want. As people are saying, if you can get to Newhall, CA that's ideal. Failing that, Schiit has a 15 day return policy.

 

[gljus]

Thanks for your feedback @EricDH

I normally wouldn’t be concerned about Single Ended vs balanced, but reviewers have been commenting on a very noticeable difference between the two in Schiit products. This difference was specifically addressed with Ragnarok 2.

I have been demoing a few setups and they sound much better than my current stuff. What stood out the most to me with the Bryston, and stands out with the best setups I have demoed, is very accurate representation of instruments. Having played the piano in the past I can tell when a setup gets it right. Other instruments that I don’t know as well seem to sound more realistic with a good setup.

Having been to 24 Dave Matthews Band shows I know exactly where each instrument is located. One DAC/amp setup actually had everything flipped to the opposite side of the stage. Listening to other bands I found that setup also flipped them as other setups had the reverse. Thankfully my concert going experience allowed me to know which setup was correct.

I’m now trying to figure out which sound I like best. I like the sound of tubes and Schiit has a lot of components with them. I only own a few FLAC files so I stream both Qubuz and Tidal. I’d like a DAC that handles MQA, but could always just tag on a Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital. A solid state setup that handles MQA is the Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ It gets really good reviews including from Sterophile and The Absolute Sound.

Not sure if your DAC is the Multibit version, but I would definitely suggest to try Schiit's multibit DACs before making any decision. I walked the path of Modi 1 -> Modi 2U -> Modi Multibit -> Yggdrasil A2 and for me the biggest jumps in sound quality were from M2U to Multibit, then from Modi Multibit to Yggdrasil. Also being a musician, Y2 makes all music sound just lifelike. I have not heard Schiit's multibit cards but my educated guess would be that they should sound better than the Modi Multibit
by being balanced and having a proper power supply.

Edited for phrasing.

 

[dieslemat]

Having been to 24 Dave Matthews Band shows I know exactly where each instrument is located

Greetings from a fellow DMB fan!!!

 

[kevlar397]

Greetings from a fellow DMB fan!!!

Greetings! Have you found any particular DMB recordings stand out from the rest?

 

[hearditontheX]

Jason gets a shoutout,
https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/canjam-socal-2019-final-thoughts-and-wrap.

 

[MatthiasP]

@kevlar397
1st: MQA is a very nice marketing stunt: It throws in high numbers of sampling rate to suggest that it's high quality, but it is a compressed format. Ask yourself: Do you want a new, closed compressed format with questionable benefits?
And then, if you look for reviews comparing Tidal's streaming, especially the MQA one, to Qobus' streaming, then you wonder if MQA is the horse you want to bet on!
Besides, buy the DAC which sounds for your music best!
2nd:
Never buy something blindly (unheard)! Left and right to your brain are your ears, and livelihood is high that you perceive sound different that me and the reviewer, and even if we perceive it the same, there is no chance that we also like the same type of sound! For sure, we can agree on the same grape for wine, but never for the same "type" of women, wine, clothing style AND sound! You get the point!
Last, I want to repeat the point already adviced, but this is the toughest:
Don't rush your purchase, you are robbing yourself an option to choose! Your headphones are new now, get experience with them first! Your brain is quick with it, but your unconsciousness not, and here is in my experience the difference between short term "sounds great" and longterm "I have to switch it off because it's getting ony nerves!"
Again, hear with your own ears, the interwebs are full of people's bad advice -- and you need your own experience to know what could be a route to try out or what is just one guy's (paid) bad advice.

Last: You said you like tunes. That's perfect with me. Do you know that there are solid state amps which sound like good tube amps? Look for no or little negative feedback, just 1 or 2 amplification steps and single ended (in contrast to push pull) design! Just for fun, visit a dealer with your headphones , and ask for the Pass Labs headphone amp to listen to.

Have fun on your journey!
Matthias

 

[Androxylo]

I have both Rag 2, MJ2, Gungnir MB and I've heard Rag 2 with the multibit DAC card and my Gungnir MB.

First, the point about summing is accurate. MJ2 SE output utilizes summing resulting in lower power, and to my ears, smaller headstage and reduced clarity vs the balanced output. You can hear the difference. You've gone from 8 Watts to 2 Watts output. Is the SE on MJ2 "bad" in an absolute sense? No, it is still better than many other amps, but you've basically bought a fast sports car and are only putting the pedal 1/4 of the way to the floor. Gungnir is also balanced and utilizes summing for SE output and the balanced outputs have better performance to my ear. So, if you buy Gungnir or MJ2 I'd recommend using the balanced connections in all cases.

I do not hear much of a difference in clarity between Rag 2's SE and balanced outputs, other than you do still have lower power output on the SE. Would I buy Rag 2 just to run SE headphones assuming I had no speakers? I think it would depend on sonically what I wanted.

MJ2 + Gungnir MB against a Rag 2 with a MB card is a weird comparison to make, but Gungnir has better detail retrieval and better handling of transients vs. the MB card. As for the amp, MJ2 (to my ear with 6DJ8 National tubes) has a larger headstage than Rag 2 on my HD800's, but I can't say what it would be on Grado's. On Ether 2, I don't get much headstage difference between the two amps. Rag 2 has more natural treble while MJ2 has a faster, drier treble.

Schiit has some very good SE options you might consider. Lyr 3 (which I've also owned) was what Grado was using at CanJam this year to demo their headphones and it's an excellent headamp with very natural treble (although not the beefiest bass and widest soundstage). Valhalla 2 is one of my favorite amps that I've heard and is a good low cost option. MJ2 and Rag 2 will give superior macrodynamics and slam, but again, you'll get the most out of MJ2 only with balanced.

It comes down to what type of sound you want. As people are saying, if you can get to Newhall, CA that's ideal. Failing that, Schiit has a 15 day return policy.

Hi, any chance you stick any kind of speakers into Rag 2 for better picture? Nobody bothered to review it as a speaker amp yet. Zero.

 

[roshambo]

Hi, any chance you stick any kind of speakers into Rag 2 for better picture? Nobody bothered to review it as a speaker amp yet. Zero.

Agreed. I've only used Rag 2's SE pre-outs to feed a pair of Bose computer speakers, which are active, so it's not a fair evaluation. The Pre-out's sound great is about all I can report on that!

 

[David Aldrich]

Hi, any chance you stick any kind of speakers into Rag 2 for better picture? Nobody bothered to review it as a speaker amp yet. Zero.

I stuck my Song3s on the Rag 2 coming originally from a pair of Vidars in mono. Gotta day the Rag 2 sounded really good.

I’d jump on a nexus based power amp in a heartbeat.

 

[EricDH]

Thanks for your feedback @EricDH

I normally wouldn’t be concerned about Single Ended vs balanced, but reviewers have been commenting on a very noticeable difference between the two in Schiit products. This difference was specifically addressed with Ragnarok 2.

I have been demoing a few setups and they sound much better than my current stuff. What stood out the most to me with the Bryston, and stands out with the best setups I have demoed, is very accurate representation of instruments. Having played the piano in the past I can tell when a setup gets it right. Other instruments that I don’t know as well seem to sound more realistic with a good setup.

Having been to 24 Dave Matthews Band shows I know exactly where each instrument is located. One DAC/amp setup actually had everything flipped to the opposite side of the stage. Listening to other bands I found that setup also flipped them as other setups had the reverse. Thankfully my concert going experience allowed me to know which setup was correct.

I’m now trying to figure out which sound I like best. I like the sound of tubes and Schiit has a lot of components with them. I only own a few FLAC files so I stream both Qubuz and Tidal. I’d like a DAC that handles MQA, but could always just tag on a Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital. A solid state setup that handles MQA is the Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ It gets really good reviews including from Sterophile and The Absolute Sound.

I am not surprised that the Bryston sounds very good. Of course there is more than Schiit. My 2 channel set up is Schiitless. But the jump in price is often significant of course.

 

[Varejao17]

@Jason Stoddard - hope everyone made it through the weekend OK.

Just picked up a Freya+ over the weekend, and have a couple of questions:
1) Is the top of the chassis used as a heatsink/dissipator (e.g. using a gap pad or something)? The top gets warm esp. with the tube section on (I'd estimate about 125°F in a 70°F room).
2) How does the preamp perform tube biasing for the specifically installed tubes? (Not looking for deep technical details, but more of a question of when tubes get biased if at all.)

Thanks,
ed

 

[unsane69]

@Jason Stoddard - hope everyone made it through the weekend OK.

Just picked up a Freya+ over the weekend, and have a couple of questions:
1) Is the top of the chassis used as a heatsink/dissipator (e.g. using a gap pad or something)? The top gets warm esp. with the tube section on (I'd estimate about 125°F in a 70°F room).
2) How does the preamp perform tube biasing for the specifically installed tubes? (Not looking for deep technical details, but more of a question of when tubes get biased if at all.)

Thanks,
ed

1.: Yes it is. It gets quite hot, completely normal.
2.: Dunno.