[BleaK]

Great review Maxvla! Nice and to the point!
 
Quote:

  One downside to the Rag is that it must be used with balanced outs to get the most out of the circlotron circuit. This is very important to keep in mind.

 
Have you tried from RCA in to the Rag and then balanced HP out? Or would that decrease the quality too much?

 

[kphfrail]

  You know the old saying "poor quality source in =  poor quality sound out"….especially with a neutral "wire with gain" amp !  

 
Schiit stated that the Ragnarok has "nothing in the signal path except signal". Is Schiit's statement similar to the concept of "wire with gain"?

 

[ogodei]

   
Schiit stated that the Ragnarok has "nothing in the signal path except signal". Is Schiit's statement similar to the concept of "wire with gain"?

 
Both amps are very transparent to system noise, however I found the GS-X mk2 to be more so. When cranking up the gain and volume the GS-X truly and even excessively reveals a systems flaws while, for whatever reason, the Ragnarok does not seem to.  For instance I have a not-so-good passive attenuator that transmits noise on the balanced lines. On the GS-X this becomes painfully obvious at high volumes.  On the Ragnarok that noise is much lower.
 
I don't really know which is better, you could make an argument either way.

 

[Rawrbington]

Nice review Max.  Thanks for putting it together.  Now I think i need a Rag for my office setup since i have Studio 20 v4s in there with my headphone rig.  Would simply remove 1 piece of gear from the equation!

 

[BobG55]

Very nice review, but it may cause some unintended spending on my part.
Thanks very much for taking the time to post it up, it's useful.
I currently use a x-sabre > GS-XmkII > HD800 as my dynamic set up.

I'd be curious on the opinions of the three amps driving HD650 and using
classical material. I've been enjoying the GS-X for several months now, but
I think it does it's most impressive work with the HD650 and with naturally
miked material. I have heard the same treble stridency on the HD800 playing
"hot" mastered material like some electronica. My usual cure is to swap to
the HD650 for that type material. I attributed the the issues with the HD800 &
GS-X combo being overly revealing and honest with material used. The only
other top end amp I've run head to head with the GS-X is my old trusty B-22,
so I'm lacking on personal comparisons. The GS-X is more revealing, while
being less treble aggressive than the B22, so i'm guessing the Rag is even further
from the B22 presentation than the GS-X.

I may go ahead and get a Rag to hear it for myself. I'm also close to complete on a
SUSY dynalo and SUSY dynahi project. Both should be up and running before
months end. It might be worth it to get a Rag to throw into the mix.

+1 !!!!!!   I have the GS-1 (not even the GS-X) & HD650 combo & it's pure magic.  I'm looking forward to receiving my mk2 module update for the GS-1.  This is a hell of an amp & the HD650 is very, very detailed = excellent synergy.

 

[skeptic]

Thanks for the thoughtful review and comparison maxvla! Been looking forward to reading this since I first saw you reference it in the ecp thread. With a week old baby at home, I had fallen behind on headfi, and it was a very pleasant surprise to happen on your piece this evening.

 

[Maxvla]

Thanks!

 

[buson160man]

 The comparison of the ragnarok with the pioneer receiver was interesting. But I wonder how the ragnarok would compare to some other vintage receivers say like my concept 16.5. The concept has been recapped and makes a statement when it is used as a headphone amp. I do not think the pioneer is in the same league as my concept 16.5. It really isn,t given the 165 watt rms per channel rating on the concept 16.5. The concept is a beast of a different color. I would not be surprised if my concept could more than hold its own against the ragnarok when driving headphones. I use my 16.5 exclusively as a headphone amp. And it that capacity it handily bests my Ray Samuel raptor otl and burson ha-160 headphone amp. It drives my akg 701s and my lcd2s in a fashion that I have not experienced with just about any headphone amp that I have heard . That includes more than a few of the high end brands. Some of those include the bryston, several of the cavalli amps, The alnic otl amp and others. The concept just has a more commanding presence which is partly due to the power on hand. The sounstaging ability of my concept receiver is also of a notable quality. There is a definite three dimensional quality to the sound with lifelike space and a marked clarity to the sound that I find lacking in a lot of headphone amps.

 

[Maxx134]

any chance for comparison between schiit rag vs agd master9 paring with hd800?
really curious as i doubt theres another ss amp that could have better synergy with hd800 like the m9

Also curious to know but more so about the Auralic Taurus which is supposed to be highly transparent. .

 

[Radio_head]

Great review Max.  I have tried out all these amps in person and given these three choices would have made the same choice you did.

 

[lukeap69]

This review made the Rag one of my TOTL amps choices for my HD800, the other 2 being Master 9 and Taurus Mk II. So when a very good deal came up, I grabbed it though ahead of when I planned on buying it. So now I am very happy pairing it with my HD800. That soundstage! 

 

[jhai]

Was looking at tossing this up on one of the other Ragnarok forums, (with perhaps even more recent posts) but in re-reading this forum, in that it includes mention of such as 'quality of input' & also re 'balanced /unbalanced', here goes.
Normally a good input/source most of you will be using will of course be such as a high quality 'DAC', & as much as I have far too much money involved in my gear, I do need to upgrade the "DAC", (& I will be seriously looking at the "Yaggy") but this is not my 'problem'.
 
Thing is, I do not currently have any gear that has headphone capability at all, so I have little doubt as to purchasing a Ragnarok. Also probably say HD800's, (I say HD800's as my preference is for classical, & the HD800's serve to emphasise the potential 'problem' about which I am asking your thoughts.
So, fine, ----- all is fine, get a Ragnarok & perhaps a new "Yaggy" to 'top it off''.
 
BUT, ----- would like, (read 'need') to do a lot more of my listening of FM radio on headphones, & although my FM tuner is a very high quality piece of equipment, (probably hard to get anything better) that's the 'limit' as far as "quality" of the particular 'source' can go.
So, --------- reckoning that the Ragnarok is extremely 'revealing of source quality, what is your thinking as to using something as good as the Ragnarok as the headphone amp for a "source" such as FM radio?
 
Also to just quickly say that I am not meaning to be being 'picky' here, & only seeking clarification, but one of the posts reference "balanced/unbalanced", as to the requirement for a balanced INPUT re the circlotron-style output stage. My understanding is that the "input" is not the issue here, (so the S.E. input from the FM tuner is not really a problem) but that as to the 'circuitry', considerably better if OUTPUT to the headphones themselves is by balanced cabling. Please correct if I am wrong here.
 
Really interested as to what you think re FM radio, (in Sydney Australia if it makes any difference) & this very high quality headphone amp &, indeed, 'revealing' headphones.

 

[Hawkertempest]

Glad I ordered mine today and even now, in April 2017, you still have to wait for it to be made!!!