[Mikem53]

This is my second week with the Aegir‘s.. Thought I would run One of the amps in stereo mode and see if it could drive the Focal’s to acceptable levels. I ran a single ended pair of cables from the dac to the amps direct using the software internal volume control For attenuation.. It didn’t have enough gain to drive the amp very well and I only managed a low 70 dB at the listening position which was pretty good considering the room opens up to the kitchen, dining room, etc with 13’ ceilings to fill.. I was able to put some gain behind it with my TVC pre amp.. and it did play louder without breaking up or sounding on the edge.. but placing the amps back in mono mode gave some chest to the vocals and some boom back in the bass notes.. I did not sense any additional “ease” or purity with the single stereo configuration.. I’ve heard stereo amps bridged before that became harsh and less palpable In bridged mode.. These didn’t seem to change in tonal balance... just more volume and control..
from my brief experience..
I like the small footprint of these amps, but the back connections Are pretty tight back there and some care needs to be taken to keep things tidy..
Good schiit..

 

[Varejao17]

Man, looks like the main Schitt thread has overflowed!

 

[Balthazar B]

Man, looks like the main Schitt thread has overflowed!

Looks more constipated than...the other thing...

EDIT: As I edit this, looks like someone has applied some Ex-Lax to the other thread.

 

[Varejao17]

Yes, I believe that is the case. My hopes were that I could rip all my CDs and take it to another location where I am off grid and do not have internet. Now, I'm not so sure.

Never mind - was going to post an update but had the wrong product.

 

[F208Frank]

Schitt Stack and HD600 was my first love. Thanks for giving me a chance to get into hobby for a reasonable price. Much love.

 

[Mikem53]

So I ordered some octal socket extenders/savers for the freya+ thinking it will keep the unit cooler.. after listening for a few hours using the tube section of the preamp, the short side to the right of the tubes is barely warm, while the left side furthest away from the tubes is hot.. I mean to the right of the tubes, I can lay my hand on the metal right next to the two tubes and it’s warm.. but on the far left furthest away from the tubes over the power supplies is where its hot.. I’m thinking now I won’t see much of a reduction in cooling Using the extenders ?

 

[Varejao17]

So I ordered some octal socket extenders/savers for the freya+ thinking it will keep the unit cooler.. after listening for a few hours using the tube section of the preamp, the short side to the right of the tubes is barely warm, while the left side furthest away from the tubes is hot.. I mean to the right of the tubes, I can lay my hand on the metal right next to the two tubes and it’s warm.. but on the far left furthest away from the tubes over the power supplies is where its hot.. I’m thinking now I won’t see much of a reduction in cooling Using the extenders ?

Yup - the left side over the power supplies gets really warm when using tubes. Socket extenders won't help with the temp much.

 

[F208Frank]

Also want to note there is this weird balance of experiencing higher end gear.

When buying higher end gear it nbn is usually met with wow that was very expensive with minimal gains, but at the same time the gains are there and going backwards is VERY hard after you experience something better.

Random thought I wanted to throw in.

Main thing is enjoy your journey in audio and pace yourself to what you're comfortable with and be thankful for the gear you have.

Some child in a 3rd world country would die to have some basic earphones because their shoes already have 10 holes and here we are complaining about fidelity!

 

[Rensek]

I am currently pairing Vidar and the Zu Omen DW. Is anyone else using them in conjunction? The other day I was hearing things on my living room system (KLH Kendalls, Marantz PM6006) that I wasn't on the basement Zu/Schiit rig ( DW's, Vidar, OG Saga, Bifrost 2).

So I decided to add in the snubbers from Zu for the first time. I ordered them with the speakers, and hadn't ever used em.

It was crazy to me how big the effect was. Separation and Imaging took a huge leap forward. It became immediately easier to pick out background vocals and intricate harmonizing.

Has anyone else experienced something similar with the Zu/vidar/snubber combo?

 

[Varejao17]

That's a very interesting finding. It looks like the Omen is nominally 12 ohms impedance, so adding a 25 ohm resistor in parallel should reduce the impedance seen by the amp. I would not have guessed (based on no knowledge) that it would have such an effect on the sound - but there's always something new to learn!

 

[judson_w]

With summer coming and things warming up again, I am finding my integrated tube amp is a bit too warm at times. Thus I am again looking into getting a solid state alternative. I do not think I will be getting an Aegir or Vidar, but I am considering using my Valhalla 2 as a preamp. Yes, I know it is tubes, but those 4 small tubes do not make as much heat as 4 12ax7 and 4 el24 tubes. An added advantage of using the Valhalla would be that I would not need to change the tape control center layout I currently use for selecting input and output devices (I do want to make patch panel of sorts eventually to make things easier).

Have many people used the Valhalla (or other Schiit headphone amp) with a power amp? How did it sound and such?

 

[Rensek]

With summer coming and things warming up again, I am finding my integrated tube amp is a bit too warm at times. Thus I am again looking into getting a solid state alternative. I do not think I will be getting an Aegir or Vidar, but I am considering using my Valhalla 2 as a preamp. Yes, I know it is tubes, but those 4 small tubes do not make as much heat as 4 12ax7 and 4 el24 tubes. An added advantage of using the Valhalla would be that I would not need to change the tape control center layout I currently use for selecting input and output devices (I do want to make patch panel of sorts eventually to make things easier).

Have many people used the Valhalla (or other Schiit headphone amp) with a power amp? How did it sound and such?

I've used my magni 3, Asgard 2 to push vidar, it works well.

I've also got a hand built class A all tube HP amp here that a friend sent to me to listen. That has been a very nice addition. So I think you will enjoy a tube pre to an SS Power amp.

Vidar doesn't get that warm, but if you are looking at cost as well, the Emotiva A-100 is very nice, especially for the price and doesn't put off much heat for a class A/B amp.

 

[judson_w]

I've used my magni 3, Asgard 2 to push vidar, it works well.

I've also got a hand built class A all tube HP amp here that a friend sent to me to listen. That has been a very nice addition. So I think you will enjoy a tube pre to an SS Power amp.

Vidar doesn't get that warm, but if you are looking at cost as well, the Emotiva A-100 is very nice, especially for the price and doesn't put off much heat for a class A/B amp.

Thanks for the info. I love the sound of my integrated tube amp, so I feel the solid state one is more of a back up for when it is too hot. The Vidar is a bit above what I would want to spend, but knowing that the Valhalla can be a reasonable preamp for a power amp does give me some nice options.

There is an audio shop in Seattle that has a good selection of new and used stuff. I want to wait until I can go audition stuff, but if I run out of patience, they do have curbside pick up. I am thinking a modest pair of speakers and an integrated or power amp for around $400-$500.

 

[Mikem53]

So.. here I am again after 3 months with the Schiit Aegir monos.. thought I would explain why I don’t have them anymore... lol.. help me...
after about a month of driving the focals with the Aegirs and every other amp I tried for more than 4 years, I gave up on those damn metal dome
tweeters forever.. So I now have a pair of Daedalus Athena speakers which are an easy 95.5 db sensitive with only a 1 ohm variance throughout the freq range..
So I went single ended with one Aegir after trying the monos in balanced.. That’s when I experienced the class A sound.. that’s when the Aegir showed how good it really was.. how dynamic, with plenty of power in reserve.. So I was very happy for about another month.. until I tried a Pass XA-25 amp in my system.. It cost me almost 5x the price to get into the Pass amp.. cant say its 5 times as good... but there’s no going back.. its a significant improvement.. but it’s bigger, heavier, runs hotter ..
but it sounds Like a SET tube amp.. not quite a 2A3.. more like the 300B .. Kudos to Schitt for their value for the dollar that they offer.. Great sounding products for cheap !! It actually scares audiophiles away thinking their stuff can’t be good.. it’s too inexpensive.. their loss !! the Freya + is a fine sounding preamp regardless of cost..
thanks for listening..

 

[yonson]

HAHA! I know the feeling, I hate a metal dome tweeter or a horn with a passion. They sound good for 15 - 20 minutes then they give me a headache. I can listen to my Dynaudio's indefinitely with no issue.

It's hard to Pass on an XA-25, they are quite nice!