[xaval]

Plakat, re the dac issues, which player are you using?
I use Audirvana+ ans one thing that could help is increasing the buffer size. Allocating more memory for tracks preloads the entire file, or files, into the ram. Maybe this could help

I had to open the box but the pics were terrible. Quite different from v281. No remote facility also.

 

[plakat]

@xaval To me it sounds like a driver buffer problem... I'll take a look at Audirvana, maybe they do allow to set driver buffer size. I don't think disc access is the problem (*all* other DACs work without showing anything like this problem), so preloading track data might not change anything I guess. But thanks anyway, I'll look into it.

 

[alvinmate]

Hi Guys,
 
Did anyone had a chance to compare V281 with Ragnarok....how they stack up against each other?
 
 
Thanks

 

[mulder01]

  Hi Guys,
 
Did anyone had a chance to compare V281 with Ragnarok....how they stack up against each other?
 
 
Thanks

I was wondering the same thing...
I went out and bought a v281 but wondered if I should have waited for the Ragnarok... Hope not

 

[Tony1110]

There's always something newer around the corner. Schiit seem to have built up a cult-like following around here so you'll probably be reading lots of comments about how great the Ragnarok is once they start shipping. My guess is that the V281 will stack up quite nicely - although I expect this thread will remain relatively quiet.

 

[navigavi]

In the meanwhile I placed my order for a black front v281, gold feet (to match my v800). This weekend I reterminated my hd800 and also made an adaptor so I can keep using my v200 with it.
 
For anyone looking to reterminate the hd800 stock cable, make sure you have a good wirestripper. The inner wires are so small, none of the openings in my wirestripper where small enough to strip the wire. Also the isolation material in the smalles wires is very hard to separate/cut from the wire. I had to burn it to remove it.
 
The hd neutrik plugs (male and female) are really solid, a nice piece of quality. All the equipment for the retermination plus the neutrik plugs cost me about 80 euro's. Thats a lot less than the balanced xlr cables from sennheiser (those are about 300 dollars?).
 
Now it's waiting for the delivery...Good thing I still have the v200

 

[plakat]

  There's always something newer around the corner. Schiit seem to have built up a cult-like following around here so you'll probably be reading lots of comments about how great the Ragnarok is once they start shipping. My guess is that the V281 will stack up quite nicely - although I expect this thread will remain relatively quiet.

Yes, I think so too... The V281 (and I guess the Ragnarok) is in a class of equipment where every word looks like an exaggeration. I don't think there is a difference in quality, just preference. And while I very much appreciate what Jason and Schiit are doing, I still like the fact that there are other people working with equal passion, producing excellent equipment.

 

[Xenophon]

  There's always something newer around the corner. Schiit seem to have built up a cult-like following around here so you'll probably be reading lots of comments about how great the Ragnarok is once they start shipping. My guess is that the V281 will stack up quite nicely - although I expect this thread will remain relatively quiet.

+1, sometimes you just have to jump (and hope the chute deploys  But I'm also curious about the Rag, will be reading Project86's reviews with a lot of interest, he's seen a lot of gear and is far beyond the 'latest toy' hype.  If it weren't so hard to set up an audition I'd go and test the 281 too even though I don't intend to purchase it and trade up from my V200 or my speaker amps.  Don't think you can go wrong with the Vio amps, it's more of  a chocolate vs strawberry thing at this point.

 

[xaval]

 
Yes, I think so too... The V281 (and I guess the Ragnarok) is in a class of equipment where every word looks like an exaggeration. I don't think there is a difference in quality, just preference. And while I very much appreciate what Jason and Schiit are doing, I still like the fact that there are other people working with equal passion, producing excellent equipment.

... and thinking about desktop listening. The Rag is huge!
 
edit: user feedback on the Rag indicates that the headphone out in single ended is nothing to write home about. I don't seem to sense this kind of feedback with the V281.

 

[Byrnie]

... and thinking about desktop listening. The Rag is huge!

edit: user feedback on the Rag indicates that the headphone out in single ended is nothing to write home about. I don't seem to sense this kind of feedback with the V281.

Agreed.

 

[Tony1110]

... and thinking about desktop listening. The Rag is huge!

edit: user feedback on the Rag indicates that the headphone out in single ended is nothing to write home about. I don't seem to sense this kind of feedback with the V281.

Yep. I wouldn't know where to put the Ragnarok in my house. The V281 isn't exactly tiny either mind. I'm finding the more I listen that the differences between SE and balanced are pretty significant but not necessarily better one way or the other - at least with the HE-560. For detail, soundstage and separation, balanced is best, but mids can seem somewhat distant and SE is possibly fuller sounding too. Ultrainferno had a point. For some music, SE is better, with these headphones at least. I'm wondering if the benefits of the balanced output would be better illustrated with high impedance headphones like T1 and HD800.

 

[xaval]

Tony, not being V200 tiny, the V220/V220 is not that big. I think the shoe box design is quite fortunate as desktop gear is concerned. It sits nicely either along a desktop computer case or on top of a desk. The latter could be a bit problematic under certain scenarios, though, as the box is deep, but on a desk that sits on a room corner I don't see it being to much of a big deal.

 

[gebo]

Has anyone of the V281 owners critically tested the line-outs yet? I am especially interested in how you judge and describe the sound quality of the XLR (balanced) outs in "post-fader mode".
This is important to me, as I want to use the V281 not only as headphone-amplifier but also as pre-amp for my active speakers (Neumann KH 120, as DAC I use Violectric's V800).
I really appreciate your comments on this matter. Thanks!

 

[alvinmate]

Hi Guys,
 
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and providing some good points as well. I was in a dilemma  which one I should get but I think I will settle for V281 as size wise this is pretty good compared to Rag and I don't intend to run active speakers from this unit either... Reading from all the impressions so far it pairs up very well with all the popular headphones including HD800 which I will be ordering as a bundle. I have Grado RS2e at the moment....great and fun sounding headphone...
 
I currently have Rega Apollo R CD player as a source and will be getting Pono music player soon as this may become my digital... hope this combo will be perfect with my V281

.........

 

[plakat]

  ... and thinking about desktop listening. The Rag is huge!
 
edit: user feedback on the Rag indicates that the headphone out in single ended is nothing to write home about. I don't seem to sense this kind of feedback with the V281.

As I remember from reading the Schiit-thread the Ragnarok seems to have a quite different circuit design, while the V281 is simply 2x 220. I had the impression (and I hope that I don't mix up two Schiit models here) that the SE output is more a concession than part of the design (as it is with the V281). I think, the Ragnarok is squarely aimed at balanced, while the V281 does both, simply due to design decisions.