[me2621a]

Hi guys,
I am still in headphone my amp waiting game. I have been waiting for Schiit to ship my Mjolnir 2 for since mid January and they once again extended the back order date to early march. So I am in the process of assessing other options and am hoping for options.

Current Source Equipment: Schiit Gumby, and Jolida JD9 MK 2 Upgraded (phono stage).

Current headphones: Audeze LCD-3F, Mr. Speakers Ether Flow, HE-560, and HD650

I was hoping to get the Mjolnir to compliment the Gungnir plus I have had most of the Schiit amps and have been pretty pleased with them.

My big question is: has anyone heard the Mjolnir 2 vs the Ragnarok? If so can you give me your thoughts on the comparison, is it worth stepping up (never mind the fact that it will ship out in a few days instead of a few weeks)?

The other question is has anyone heard the WA5LE with the LCD-3F and Ether Flows. I have read mixed things around its ability to drive low impedance headphones (Ether Flows, and HE-560's). One review asked where his amp went, and others said it was great. And if it is great, is it silly to put that amp in front of a gumby?

Thanks guys, some may have noticed I have been posting around this topic allot so I appreciate the help.

Of course the other option is for you guys to tell me to just be patient and wait for the Mjolnir 2 to arrive, I am just getting tired of a date that keeps changing.

 

[FredoIsFishing]

Yes, I'm in the same boat. I originally ordered a Mjolnir 2 in early December for late December delivery.

Sometime today Schiit postponed the expected ship date for the fourth time!:

from schiit.com, Status: Backordered. Orders placed now are expected to ship the week of March 6th.

I cancelled. I'm tired of waiting and the moving of the goal posts.

 

[me2621a]

Yes, I'm in the same boat. I originally ordered a Mjolnir 2 in early December for late December delivery.

Sometime today Schiit postponed the expected ship date for the fourth time!:

from schiit.com, Status: Backordered. Orders placed now are expected to ship the week of March 6th.

I cancelled. I'm tired of waiting and the moving of the goal posts.

Yah it has gotten really frustrating which is why I want to get some thoughts from the Headfi collective on where to go. I really liked the look of the Gumby and Mjolnir and the reviews seemed good but I am very curious now what else is out there if I bump my price point. Based on my reading the Ranarok seems great but I have not been able to find enough people talking about it, and I don't need it to drive speakers so if it is not much butter then the Mjolnir I don't want to buy it and would be fine to wait. The WA5LE is very interesting to me and the reviews seem great, I just want to hear what people think when they use the LCD-3 and Ethers on them.

 

[me2621a]

Come on guys don't be shy, really no one has heard the Ragnarok vs the Mjolnir 2? And no one has used the WA5LE's with the Ether Flow and LCD-3?

 

[pippen99]

My experience may not be 100% applicable. At my first Headfi meet I was able to audition the following: Yggy/Ragnarok, Yggy/WA5, Gungnir/M(jolnir(not multibit and not 2). I found the Yggy/Rag combo to be bright and abrasive. The Gun/Mjol combo was more to my liking. The WA5 was running out of the same Yggy the Rag was. The WA5 made such an impression that I eventually bought one. Just before I read this I was listening to a LCD4 through the WA5. My previous headphones I have used with the WA5 include the LCD-X, ETHER, and ETHER Flow.

I have not cared for Schiit equipment. They generate tremendous amounts of heat. My Cavalli Lau also generates a lot of heat but the case is at least ventilated. The Schiit amplifiers to the best of my knowledge are not ventilated. Several people tell me it doesn't seem to matter but I can't get past confining all that heat in a solid case full of electronics. I am also not a fan of their warranty practices.

I highly recommend the WA5. However it is a lot more money plus uprgrade tubes are expensive. My only regret with My WA5 is that it is not a WA33

 

[me2621a]

My experience may not be 100% applicable. At my first Headfi meet I was able to audition the following: Yggy/Ragnarok, Yggy/WA5, Gungnir/M(jolnir(not multibit and not 2). I found the Yggy/Rag combo to be bright and abrasive. The Gun/Mjol combo was more to my liking. The WA5 was running out of the same Yggy the Rag was. The WA5 made such an impression that I eventually bought one. Just before I read this I was listening to a LCD4 through the WA5. My previous headphones I have used with the WA5 include the LCD-X, ETHER, and ETHER Flow.

I have not cared for Schiit equipment. They generate tremendous amounts of heat. My Cavalli Lau also generates a lot of heat but the case is at least ventilated. The Schiit amplifiers to the best of my knowledge are not ventilated. Several people tell me it doesn't seem to matter but I can't get past confining all that heat in a solid case full of electronics. I am also not a fan of their warranty practices.

I highly recommend the WA5. However it is a lot more money plus uprgrade tubes are expensive. My only regret with My WA5 is that it is not a WA33

Any chance you might be able to elaborate more on your comments about their warranty practices? I am just curious if there is something I have missed, I have never had an issue with my Schiit stuff in the past so I have never had to deal with it.

A few more questions about your WA5, any chance you could tell me how the stock tubes were from memory? I ask because I would most likely be buying the base model and would have to wait a while to do my tube upgrades. The other question I had was around the WA5's pairing with the ETHER Flow and LCD-X, was it a good match? (The LCD-4's have a high impedance so that is why I am curious about the Ether and LCD-X).

 

[me2621a]

Any other thoughts guys as a whole?


And for those that have the wa5Le or WA5 how do the stock tubes sound? I ask not because they won’t eventually be upgraded, but because they will not be upgraded for a least 6 months after purchase, are people happy with there WA5 or WA5Le with stock tubes for the price paid?

 

[hungping]

At my first Headfi meet I was able to audition the following: Yggy/Ragnarok, Yggy/WA5, Gungnir/M(jolnir(not multibit and not 2). I found the Yggy/Rag combo to be bright and abrasive. The Gun/Mjol combo was more to my liking.

This is also my impression as well. I went to Schiit shop and did an audition on Gungnir/MJ2 and Yggy/Ragnarok. While Yggy/Ragnarok sounded very clear and detailed, but it was way too bright. I eventually brought Yggy/Mj2. The MJ2 paired with LISST or stock tubes is not that great when compared to Ragnarok. I found that it reveals no detail and sounds very muddy. But when MJ2 is paired with Amperex 7308 green-label NOS tubes, it leaped light-years in terms of details and sweetness (translate: tube distortion euphoria)........just my opinions

 

[hungping]

BTW, I forgot to mention that the Yggy/Ragnarok worked OK on my LCD-X, but actually sounded great on HD650. But when I use AKG712pro, it sounded awful. ....... MJ2 is just much more versatile with all my cans....

 

[Evo1668]

I am new here too, but lurked around here for ages. I brought a WA5LE v2 in 2015 and ran the stock tubes for approximately 3 or 4 months, until the dreaded ‘tubitis’ kicked in. To be honest from memory the WA5 with stock tubes was just a wow! moment for me. In hindsight, I had no desire to upgrade the tubes, had I just listened to the music instead......

I would therefore, suggest, just listen to the music and enjoy. Think mine originally came with Psvane 300B, Svetlana rectifier, and Sylvania 6sn7 tubes. But as soon as you start reading up about tube rolling - the bug can bite.....just resist and enjoy the music. (The rectifier I changed first by the way.)

As to the WA5 driving low impedance phones such as Audese LCD series, I don’t think you will have any problem what so ever driving those headphones. I have a pair of HE 560 and HEK V2 (which are also low impedance) and the WA5 sounds sublime - I think the word I would use is organic. But give the original tubes a chance to settle in and just enjoy. With the WA5 you can play around with the power, impedance and level switches to tailor the amp with your chosen headphones. For example with HEK I find I am using High power, Low impedance, high level and my normal listening level is around the 10 - 11 o’clock position with volume. I think for Audese LCD series the settings are low, low, low as recommended by Woo Audio.

 

[DocBass]

I have a Yggy/Rag combo. I run this with a Focal Utopia, Ether flow C and AFO. It is a very clean, straight sounding setup with great base. It is extremely accurate and detailed. However, I have found that I honestly enjoy my Dragon Inspire IHA-1 more then the Rag. This is an amazing all tube Amp sold by Moon Audio and built by Dennis Had. This is such a wonderful amp with beautiful mid range and full base. It is not as well known as many of the bigger brands but with a starting price of 1699 I think you should check it out. I do almost all of my listening through it. I would love for Schiit to build a a high end all tube amp, I know they would do a great job with that.