[Gibsonmac]

Hi Gibsonmac
I've never heard the 560's called "easy to drive!" 

Pretty much any amp powers them sufficiently. I wouldn't plug them directly into my iPhone like the PM1, but even portable amps power them adequately.

Try something like the HE6, K1000, or abyss.

 

[rmsanger]

Ok I've got the rig(s) in my sig for my bed room setup but now I'm looking to expand out into my living room for a shared analog/digital setup.  I was interested specifically in the Ragnarok's quality to drive a 2.1 HT setup?
 
My plan is a simple 2.1 HT mostly dedicated to music listening with the occasional movie.  I've got a Thorens TD 125 w/SME 3009 currently being refurbished which I plan to use as my primary source.  
 
I do like the Rag's flexbility to drive my cans but am not sure if the quality/expense is really worth it.  I could just buy a simple 2 channel amp to drive my 2.1 setup and continue to use the lyr in bedroom solely for my cans.
 
Any thoughts?

 

[Gibsonmac]

Ok I've got the rig(s) in my sig for my bed room setup but now I'm looking to expand out into my living room for a shared analog/digital setup.  I was interested specifically in the Ragnarok's quality to drive a 2.1 HT setup?

My plan is a simple 2.1 HT mostly dedicated to music listening with the occasional movie.  I've got a Thorens TD 125 w/SME 3009 currently being refurbished which I plan to use as my primary source.  

I do like the Rag's flexbility to drive my cans but am not sure if the quality/expense is really worth it.  I could just buy a simple 2 channel amp to drive my 2.1 setup and continue to use the lyr in bedroom solely for my cans.

Any thoughts?

Really depends on what speakers you want to drive. The rag does a good job with bookshelves, but not with my BW towers.

 

[rmsanger]

Really depends on what speakers you want to drive. The rag does a good job with bookshelves, but not with my BW towers.

 
that would be lame to get bookshelves with that expensive of am amp... I can spend the same on a dedicated that will drive towers and get a better result.  I do like the versatility of having a fully balance input for cans but I've got a dedicated setup for them already.

 

[Gibsonmac]

that would be lame to get bookshelves with that expensive of am amp... I can spend the same on a dedicated that will drive towers and get a better result.  I do like the versatility of having a fully balance input for cans but I've got a dedicated setup for them already.

You can easily spend $10k or more on bookshelves, so I wouldn't necessarily turn my nose up at them. The pair I have sounds larger than many pairs of full towers I've heard.

Bookshelves just tend to be more on the efficient side of things, not always, but generally.

The rag can do a great job, depending on what your driving... 800 series B&W towers not so much, well maybe the smallest ones (804?) but I'm only guessing on that one.

But yeah, $1500 on a dedicated speaker amp will most *likely out perform a headphone amp that can also power speakers. Just like anything, dedicated ____ generally wins.

 

[BDM-Fi]

You can easily spend $10k or more on bookshelves, so I wouldn't necessarily turn my nose up at them. The pair I have sounds larger than many pairs of full towers I've heard.

The rag can do a great job, depending on what your driving... 800 series B&W towers not so much, well maybe the smallest ones (804?) but I'm only guessing on that one.

Looking into future pairing options with Rag as well  (with a slight preference for towers). Haven't come across many recommendations apart from the KEF LS50s/Sierra 2's. What bookshelves are you running?
 
The 800's seem pretty efficient (90dB, 8 Ohm nominal, although they seem to go down to 3.2 Ohm), recommended power rating starts from 50W at 8 Ohm. http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Downloads/Product/InfoSheet/ENG_FP29491_800-Diamond_info_sheet.pdf
 
Would be interesting to hear how you found the Ragnarok to be lacking? Volume? Bass control? Do you think it is attributable to the min. impedance of the speaker?

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[45longcolt]

 
Any thoughts?

 
First off - you do know you will need a phono pre if you want to use that Thorens with the Rag, right? See the appropriate page on the Schiit site.
 
I use Rag with 90db-efficient towers and a sub (via RCA outs) with great satisfaction. Be aware that this amp has real balls all by itself; don't be surprised if you're tempted to adjust the sub down. But this is not a "warm" amp - it adds no mid-bass sweetening. Which may or may not be an issue depending on your speakers and your taste.
 
And I think, when comparing Rag to any simple speaker amp, that you will be impressed by the Schiits way with a soundstage - each event given its own space, everything presented for your inspection with nothing hidden. I'd be amazed if you didn't say to yourself, often, "I never heard that before," perhaps even more with speakers than with cans.

 

[US Blues]

 

 
Any thoughts?

 
First off - you do know you will need a phono pre if you want to use that Thorens with the Rag, right? See the appropriate page on the Schiit site.
 
I use Rag with 90db-efficient towers and a sub (via RCA outs) with great satisfaction. Be aware that this amp has real balls all by itself; don't be surprised if you're tempted to adjust the sub down. But this is not a "warm" amp - it adds no mid-bass sweetening. Which may or may not be an issue depending on your speakers and your taste.
 
And I think, when comparing Rag to any simple speaker amp, that you will be impressed by the Schiits way with a soundstage - each event given its own space, everything presented for your inspection with nothing hidden. I'd be amazed if you didn't say to yourself, often, "I never heard that before," perhaps even more with speakers than with cans.

+1  I run a pair of custom stand-mount monitors with my Rag, paired with a matched pair of subwoofers via the SE preamp output. Tonality, soundstage, and micro detail are reproduced without effort or artifice. I have run these speakers with some well-regarded amps (McIntosh and Parasound), the Rag grabbed them by the voice coils and taught them how to play MUSIC. 

 

[Rayzilla]

Any word on the next shipment of Ragnaroks?

 

[Synergist969]

I attempted to solicit input in an old thread with no response...so...I was looking for some reviews regarding the Ragnarok's speaker output capabilities/qualities...
 
  I currently own both the Ragnarok and Yggdrasil, and a couple of months ago elected to replace my venerable Audio Research LS3 solid-state pre-amp with the "Rag", due to the LS3 continuing to generate a low level 60 Hz. buzz...so that the "Rag" is feeding an Aragon 4004 amp...
 
  Firstly, the "Rag" clearly generated more bass energy than the LS3...(I had to lower my pair of  SVS sub's output by 5 or 6 dB's to regain a good balance, (crossed over with my Lipinski Sound L-7 monitors at 60 Hz.))...
 
  Secondly, I believe that the sound-stage was not adversely affected by the "Rag" replacement of the LS3, though perhaps a touch less "air" possibly due to the more "bassy" quality of the "Rag"...Oh, and in conjunction with the "Yggy", the imaging,(depth, breadth, image specificity, air, etc.), is in a wholly new league relative to using the older Bifrost...
 
  So, I have been considering a separate set of speakers to use with the "Rag's" speaker outputs, and have considered several, including the KEF LS50's, the mini-maggie's and/or the maggie .7's, however, due to space and or power concerns, have elected to pull the trigger on a pair of the new, Version 2, Audience Clairaudient 1+1 speakers, a crossover-less, bipolar design, mini-monitor...which, based on professional reviews, generates exemplary clean and flat mid-range & highs, electrostatic-like driver speed/response time, and world-class detail,imaging and sound-stage...I hope to get the best of many worlds, including the bi-polar generated increased depth,(would have obtained the same with maggie's di-polar design, but concerned with efficiency and/or space requirements for the sub-panel), along with the pristine signal quality allowed by crossover-less, single driver design, in a small package that will ultimately mate well with a pair of high quality, "fast" subs...
 
  I am wondering if anyone has tried the "Rag" with the "1+1's", rated at 87dB., or perhaps even the "The One's"...by Audience?  How about experiences with alternative speakers?
 
Thank you for your input...   

 

[US Blues]

Originally Posted by Synergist969 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
 How about experiences with alternative speakers?
 
Thank you for your input...   

 
I run Yggy > Rag with a set of custom studio monitors, stand mounted, and a pair of matching powered subs. The subs are tapped out of the SE pre-amp output on the Rag. The Ragnarok has more than enough power to give me volume and dynamic range in a moderate sized townhouse LR. The depth and clarity of the bass with my subs is realistic and moving (sometimes literally). I can recommend the Yggy > Rag combo without hesitation for the speakers you are looking at, and encourage you to find subs to got with. 

 

[rmsanger]

   
First off - you do know you will need a phono pre if you want to use that Thorens with the Rag, right? See the appropriate page on the Schiit site.
 
I use Rag with 90db-efficient towers and a sub (via RCA outs) with great satisfaction. Be aware that this amp has real balls all by itself; don't be surprised if you're tempted to adjust the sub down. But this is not a "warm" amp - it adds no mid-bass sweetening. Which may or may not be an issue depending on your speakers and your taste.
 
And I think, when comparing Rag to any simple speaker amp, that you will be impressed by the Schiits way with a soundstage - each event given its own space, everything presented for your inspection with nothing hidden. I'd be amazed if you didn't say to yourself, often, "I never heard that before," perhaps even more with speakers than with cans.

I already have the Schiit Mani so I would assume I could do the following:
 
Thorens TD 125 -> Mani -> Rag ???  Or does the Yiggi have to be in the sound chain as well?

 

[US Blues]

   
I already have the Schiit Mani so I would assume I could do the following:
 
Thorens TD 125 -> Mani -> Rag ???  Or does the Yiggi have to be in the sound chain as well?

 
Yggy would not be in the direct chain for playing vinyl. Rag has multiple inputs, one input (preferably balanced) would by for Yggy, another input will be used for Mani. You will find tremendous enjoyment from both your analog and digital sources.

 

[SearchOfSub]

has anyone compared ragnorak+yggdrasil vs Chord Hugo or Hugo TT?

 

[ToddRaymond]

Can anyone who's had experience with both the Ragnarok and Ayre gear please comment on how the two might compare? I'm debating between an AX-7e integrated for my two channel setup, and running RCAs from a Yggdrasil to a Lyr next to my computer (10 feet of cabling away), or just ditching remote volume control in the living room, and headphone volume control at my desk, and just tackling both with a Rag (which would keep all connections balanced). This would free up funds to afford a 'Yggy' sooner. Transducers involved will be Totem 'The One' monitors and HE-560s. Any thoughts would be immensely appreciated.