Schiit Ragnarok Amplifier

[Yoga]

Thanks for all the help.

Neutral AND musical? I'm even more excited now.

Ordering the Rag today, might nab a cheap bang-for-buck dac until the Yggy is released. Any recommendations?

 

[atubbs]

Thanks for all the help.

Neutral AND musical? I'm even more excited now.

Ordering the Rag today, might nab a cheap bang-for-buck dac until the Yggy is released. Any recommendations?

 
There are a lot of options, depending on how you define cheap. You could do a lot worse than a Bifrost or Gungnir (in my experience will sell on eBay for most of what they cost).

 

[Yoga]

   
There are a lot of options, depending on how you define cheap. You could do a lot worse than a Bifrost or Gungnir (in my experience will sell on eBay for most of what they cost).

Schiit stuff isn't as popular here in the UK, not sure what the re-sell value would be like. Plus, with my total lack of self control, I'd probably end up getting an upgraded Gunjr :¬)
 
If the Modi 2 is essentially a tiny Bifrost, that may be perfect.
 
"Cheap" as in £200 (ish).
 
EDIT: I asked this in another thread, will likely opt for the iFi Nano iDSD as a stop gap.

 

[Maxx134]

In my opinion breakin is real.  I have spent years tracking and documenting my system as I introduce changes (tweaks) into the system, to find out what happens.

Why it is so, I don't have a convincing reason, other than I hear the sonic information morph and change as more hours accrue.  And it usually means (if the current experiment is 'successful') that these changes improve the experience.  But this progression does not mean it only gets better all the time.  No, no.

And while I could come up with convincing (at least to me, but I'm easy… ) reasons as to WHY all of this happens, I doubt it would stand the test of time.  Simply put, we don't have enough of a grasp of what is happening in total, for me to be able to piece a cogent explanation together, that truly reflects what is going on.

I have been tracking these changes in a log for years now (34 pages so far) and while the patterns shift about a bit, it is not uncommon to take many hundreds of hours before the sound 'matures' and fully blossoms, and the most impressive of the sonic characteristics present themselves, and stick around.

These characteristics are common enough that they repeat themselves as changes to the entire system are made and more new characteristics are added to the list as they emerge.

Right now with 260+hrs on The Rok, the sound is really starting to focus up rather well.  
I'm hearing similar sonic aspects to what my Mojo has.  
And they only manifested, when I was running the Mojo, after other tweaks were performed and those new (at the time) aspects became apparent.  

And this pattern begins again during the next experiment, as most of the 'advanced' desirable sonic improvements go away and then come back as 'enough' hours are once again accrued.
Sometimes they come back only to go away again, and then to return etc., until it all blossoms.
This is a repeating pattern I've seen over the years I have been tracking this.

So right now The Rok is heading into the rarefied heights of sonic tweakdom.
This pleases me a great deal, because I haven't even started experimenting with further tweaks, and The Rok is already headed into the very domain I seek.  :thumb

But The Rok needs more hours yet to fully 'stabilize', before I experiment with it, like I did with my Mojo.

I call this ability to be 'improved' as scalability, and when the whole system scales together well, it usually results in sonic nuances and a degree of involvement in the music which is most gratifying.

JJ

This post make me think your observations are one of "oscillating synergy" from your components settling in from being introduced together...
like a bouncing ball coming to rest...
With the tension/stress between the components balancing out...

The Ragnarok takes total complete control of the LCD-X and I have never heard these headphones sound this good. The Gungnir works deliciously with the Rok. Just absolutely incredible. I love this amp.

Makes me remember an early post describing the Rag connected to the Gungnir,
and I responded he was actually describing the gungnir, which meant the Rag was transparent. ..

Has anyone actually heard the Yggy? :¬)

The link (DAC recommendations) - he really dislikes the Hugo, which goes against so many other reviews from fellow peers and professionals. Far more say they love it than not, so I can't help but take that opinion with a pinch of subjective salt :¬)

That's rediculous when you think of the actual experience he has, and also in relation to what he is acustomed to, that was his position..

If you go by your reasoning, then if the Yggdrasil is excellent,
then he is 100% correct and the Hugo is a "fisher price toy" looking, over priced unit mascarading as end game and most positive views are just fanboyism taken over something new.

So of course reality is not those extremes in last paragraph I just made those criticisms myself as a point..
(Actually that's MY personal view )
The reality is what he posted is his honest opinion which is from a perspective of experience..

 

[Yoga]

If you go by your reasoning, then if the Yggdrasil is excellent,
then he is 100% correct and the Hugo is a fisher price looking, over priced unit mascarading as end game and most positive views are just fanboyism taken over something new.

So of course reality is not those extremes in last paragraph I just made as a point..
The reality is what he posted is his honest opinion which is from a perspective of experience..

 
It seems I hit a nerve? :¬)

I said nothing otherwise; it's his opinion/experience/preference and entirely valid. I've read his post more than once and appreciate it, it just surprised me to see the Hugo being attacked, as such, when other prominent members here with just as much experience say the opposite.
 
I don't agree however, your original statement/example is too finalistic; proffering some kind of 'last word' objectiveness (which is impossible when our senses and tastes are subjective). Besides, it also depends on what the gear was paired with, amp, cans, music tastes, mood etc. I noticed that the reviewer had no LCD headphones, yet opted for brighter cans, hinting that our tastes may differ, hence the 'pinch of salt' comment.

That's the beauty of hi-fi; each to their own :¬)

 

[zerodeefex]

The Hugo is a compact all in one with a lot of sacrifices. I like it overall, but for the price as a standalone DAC, Yggdrasil is in another league.

I've done a long comparison between the Geek Out SE > Triad L3 Lion stack and the Hugo and the SE/L3 stack was the clear winner in terms of resolution, tonal balance, and blackness of background. The Yggdrasil is several steps about the SE as well.

 

[Yoga]

The Hugo is a compact all in one with a lot of sacrifices. I like it overall, but for the price as a standalone DAC, Yggdrasil is in another league.

I've done a long comparison between the Geek Out SE > Triad L3 Lion stack and the Hugo and the SE/L3 stack was the clear winner in terms of resolution, tonal balance, and blackness of background. The Yggdrasil is several steps about the SE as well.

Cheers. I'll be buying the Yggy as soon as I can, I only need something to tide me over, preferably something that would work well with a Macbook Air.
 
Any other suggestions?

 

[zerodeefex]

My MBP and the MBA I sold both have mediocre USB implementations. As mentioned in the other thread, I find the M2U to be a great deal at $130. The Wyrd is actually a good investment in my opinion if you're using one of the Mac laptops.
 
Alternatively, you could pick up a geek out 450, the apricorn Y cable, and a powered USB hub. Then you could use the 450 on the go once you have the Yggdrasil.

 

[Yoga]

  My MBP and the MBA I sold both have mediocre USB implementations. As mentioned in the other thread, I find the M2U to be a great deal at $130. The Wyrd is actually a good investment in my opinion if you're using one of the Mac laptops.
 
Alternatively, you could pick up a geek out 450, the apricorn Y cable, and a powered USB hub. Then you could use the 450 on the go once you have the Yggdrasil.

 
Thanks, I'll be following your original recommendation of the M2U. Much appreciated!

 

[Mr Rick]

   
Thanks, I'll be following your original recommendation of the M2U. Much appreciated!

I'm sorry. I'm new. M2U??

 

[Yoga]

  I'm sorry. I'm new. M2U??

Schiit Modi 2 Uber
 
http://www.schiit-europe.com/index.php/producten/dacs/modi2-uber-product-7.html

 

[Mr Rick]

 
Schiit Modi 2 Uber
 
http://www.schiit-europe.com/index.php/producten/dacs/modi2-uber-product-7.html

Ah, thanks. I have the Modi 1.

 

[Maxx134]

It seems I hit a nerve? :¬)
...
That's the beauty of hi-fi; each to their own :¬)

Haha of course

It needs to be seen in the context for what it is...
An overpriced tiny $2.5k device..
Price alone dismisses it for whatever technology value it had.
Are you going to tell me it has the body, slam, and musicality of the gungnir at $1k?
This is why I find it rediculous to compare even that I do believe it is good.
(I believe it should have cleaner treble than most sub 1k dacs.)

 

[Yoga]

Haha of course

It needs to be seen in the context for what it is...
An overpriced tiny $2.5k device..
Price alone dismisses it for whatever technology value it had.
Are you going to tell me it has the body, slam, and musicality of the gungnir at $1k?
This is why I find it rediculous to compare here even that I believe it is good.

My own testing with the Hugo has left me disappointed so far. Coming form the Conductor, its added (much needed) clarity in the mids, vocals especially. I was expecting more though, considering the hype it has (giant killer etc), and at first thought perhaps it was the LCD 2.2s that were holding it back (veiled).
 
As mentioned in another related thread, I have the Abyss, LCD-3F, LCD-X and Ragnarok coming to me next week. I'll be able to do some serious testing of the Hugo with them, very excited to see which combos play well. I wish I had another DAC to play with though.

 

[zerodeefex]

Originally Posted by Yoga /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
 
My own testing with the Hugo has left me disappointed so far. Coming form the Conductor, its added (much needed) clarity in the mids, vocals especially. I was expecting more though, considering the hype it has (giant killer etc), and at first thought perhaps it was the LCD 2.2s that were holding it back (veiled).
 
As mentioned in another related thread, I have the Abyss, LCD-3F, LCD-X and Ragnarok coming to me next week. I'll be able to do some serious testing of the Hugo with them, very excited to see which combos play well. I wish I had another DAC to play with though.

 
Geek Out 450 (FRM filter, new firmware) > Leckerton UHA 6S MKII. Try it out. Under $500 and I actually prefer that combo to the Hugo for UERM and HD800 use. In your shoes I'd sell the Hugo, get the Yggy and a modest transportable setup.