[Cafad]

I've run a Ragnarok with a pair of ETI/Lenehan S2Rs and the result was very enjoyable.  I was a bit worried about the heat the Rag produces (to the point where I've put a 12V fan on top of it for my peace of mind) but no one else seems to be too concerned about the heat so it's probably a non issue.  
 
I too would be very interested to hear some first hand experiences with LS50s.  I had plans to borrow a pair from a friend to try the combo out for myself but he sold them on before I had the chance.

 

[maeveth]

Has anybody tested how well the Ragnarok works as a preamp?

 

[Cafad]

I tried it with a few different power amps and it works extremely well as a pre.  Although, like most preamps, you will find it matches to varying degrees with different power amps.
 
I tried it on an ME580 which was pretty good but not great, an Exposure classic 28 which was a better match in that it would make many vinyl fans very happy but it wasn't really what I was after, and a Halcro DM38 power amp.  The Schiit/Halcro combo was absolutely fantastic, but then considering the RRP of the DM38, it damn well should be too.  I gave it a spin with a pair of Burson Timekeepers too (in monoblock mode) and that worked well, I never did get around to doing a side-by-side comparison with the Burson Conductor though.  Maybe I'll get to it at a later date.
 
My opinion on using it as a preamp is that you would have to mate it with a very good power amp to beat the sound quality level of the Ragnarok when it is used as an integrated.

 

[maeveth]

Cafad how would you rate the transparency of the rag when using the pre-outs?

I am considering a Rotel RC1570 as it nearly disappears, though if I could afford a McIntosh C50 I'd go for that. From an economic standpoint I'd like to be able to use the Rag as a pre-amp for the big guys and save a bit of money - Assuming its not sacrificing any real measure of SQ.

 

[Cafad]

@Cafad how would you rate the transparency of the rag when using the pre-outs?
 

That's a tough question to answer directly, I was more interested in trying the Ragnarok out with different power amps at the time than I was in comparing it to other preamps (I was just having fun with it really, taking my new toy for a spin).  I certainly think it is very good as a pre but as I didn't compare it directly to anything at the time I can't really add much in the way of specifics to that.  
 
I can say that I believe it is probably worth the $2500AU that I paid for it solely for its preamp abilities, and that's decent praise.
 
If you'd asked me that question a fortnight ago I probably would have started comparing it to the Burson Conductor and my ME25 the very next day but I've just moved house (so everything is in storage) so I won't be able to do any 'amp work' for a week or two.  When I can, I most certainly will, and I'll be sure to let you know.

 

[maeveth]

Awesome - I look forward to your feedback.

 

[mikiphile]

  Has anybody tested how well the Ragnarok works as a preamp?

@Cafad how would you rate the transparency of the rag when using the pre-outs?

I am considering a Rotel RC1570 as it nearly disappears, though if I could afford a McIntosh C50 I'd go for that. From an economic standpoint I'd like to be able to use the Rag as a pre-amp for the big guys and save a bit of money - Assuming its not sacrificing any real measure of SQ.

  That's a tough question to answer directly, I was more interested in trying the Ragnarok out with different power amps at the time than I was in comparing it to other preamps (I was just having fun with it really, taking my new toy for a spin).  I certainly think it is very good as a pre but as I didn't compare it directly to anything at the time I can't really add much in the way of specifics to that.  
 
I can say that I believe it is probably worth the $2500AU that I paid for it solely for its preamp abilities, and that's decent praise.
 
If you'd asked me that question a fortnight ago I probably would have started comparing it to the Burson Conductor and my ME25 the very next day but I've just moved house (so everything is in storage) so I won't be able to do any 'amp work' for a week or two.  When I can, I most certainly will, and I'll be sure to let you know.

 
This is something I am extremely interested in. Would the Raggy be close to the transparency and overall SQ of a higher end preamp? I hope to maybe get the Mark Levinson No 535H in the very near future for a pair of JBL Synthesis S4700. I think this gear is somewhat touching high end territory.
 
Thing is, I really don't want to spend extra cash on a special preamp if there is virtually no difference in SQ. Id hook up the Raggy and Yggy as a Preamp and DAC. Yea I wanna get both soon 

 

 

[Cafad]

Yeah, I'm dragging my heels a bit aren't I.  I did intend to get to Rag comparisons with other preamps but a combination of real life and the opportunity to pick up a second hand Plinius 9200 have kept me too busy to manage.  I still intend to get there but I wouldn't encourage anyone to hold their breath while they wait.

 

[zachchen1996]

Thinking of pairing the Jospeh Audio Pulsar with the Ragnarok hmmm

 

[Synergist969]

  Just noticed this thread...well, after 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...   

 

[sheldaze]

1998 vintage B&W Nautilus 805. The SE output feeds a subwoofer.
 
These speakers had been previously fed input only from THX Ultra digital receivers or amplifiers (Denon and Parasound), and whatever output characteristics those amplifiers needed to pass to get their THX logos. The sound from the Ragnarok is softer, but does not in anyway leave me wanting more volume or create a sound lacking fine details. I have a Yggdrasil DAC feeding it most the time, but I can also feed it directly from an Oppo BDP-105. The Ragnarok runs cool, though I'll wait until Summer to truly tell how well it maintains a low temperature.

 

[Synergist969]

  Dear sheldaze:
 
    Good to hear from a fellow audiophile who appreciates B & W...(I owned and thoroughly enjoyed a pair of 801's, matrix, series II speakers), and continue to use the Aragon 4004 amp. that drove them...    ...I have not used my "Rag" to drive any speakers from its amplifier section/speaker taps, (only various headphones via headphone outputs), however, I do use it now as my pre-amp, replacing my old Audio Research LS3...and I too found that, if not "softer" in presentation, it is somewhat "bassier', perhaps fostering that "softer" or more rounded(?) perception, (again, my results are only based on the pre-amp outputs driving the Aragon amp....)...
 
    Regarding the "Rag" running cool, well, perhaps you might await those hot and muggy summer days in that tidewater district...(based on MY experience living in mid-mid Florida), that Class A amp. design might just encourage you to redefine "cool"...lol...
 
    In any event, it is nice to know that your "Rag" drives your 1998 805's well, (88dB/1W/1M(?))...so that it might just play nicely with the Clairaudient 1+1's series 2's that that I would like to try...
 
Peace/Namaste,
tim

 

[jcn3]

  Any info about how the Rag sounds when paired with KEF LS50s ? Would really appreciate some feedback on the duo as I just picked some up and thinking about the Rag to power them.

 
my impression/experience is the the ls50s need some serious watts to come to life -- their impedance drops pretty low. i tried the ls50s with my creek evo 50a (55w x 2 @ 8 ohm / 85w x 2 @ 4 ohm) and it just didn't work -- the ls50s had no magic at all.  ended up selling them and now use monitor gx100s which work nicely with the amp.
 
based on that experience, i wouldn't think the rag (60w x 2 @ 8 ohm / 100w x 2 @ 4 ohm) would be the best choice.  i'd look for something with at least 100w or can easily drive difficult loads. of course, imo and ymmv . . . 

 

[Allanmarcus]

I know, old thread. I just read this and has toe quote it here:
 
http://www.stereophile.com/content/schiit-audio-ragnarok-integrated-amplifier#bDorGvzY3S5I53MG.97
 

With the KEF LS50 speakers: Listening to Red Norvo's beautifully recorded Just Friends, with the Bucky Pizzarelli Trio (LP, Stash DST230), not only put me in a carefree mood, it showed me how much I'd underestimated the virtues of the KEF LS50s ($1499.99/pair). Folks, I know I sound like a skipping LP, but you can't hear a speaker without an amp, and a good speaker will sound unsubtly different with every amp you connect it to. The pairing of Ragnarok and LS50s played Norvo & Co.'s light jazz with cheerful, articulate, supersweet abandon. Norvo's vibraphone emitted pulsing spheres of glowing energy. This wasn't a ringing, or a tubey halo—just the singular, full-bodied sound of vibes setting the air in my room into shivering harmonic motion. This super-vivid recording of the 75-year-old Norvo delivered the juiciest euphonic tones I have experienced since my return to audio—a euphony I would not characterize as coloration. Why? Because, in the case of this recording by Norvo, guitarist Pizzarelli, pianist Russ Kassoff, and bassist Jerry Bruno, everything felt just right. The Norse Apocalypse moved the music along, keeping each note steadfast, fresh, and engagingly clear.
Conclusion 1: The Schiit Audio Ragnarok plus KEF LS50s ($1299) is the most enjoyable stereo system I've used in the 21st century.

 

note: I don't know why the price for the LS50 is different. Maybe they dropped when Herb write the article. 

 

[kazsud]

The LS50s sound pretty good but need a balanced sorce and gain set to 2 or 3. I found the R300s sounded a bit better.

The Rag does a good job pre-amping my stealth 8s.