[adydula]

Hi,

I have had a set of AKG702 for a few months now and have been playing then via an Oppo BD 83SE, to a AVA Insight + Preamp headphone section.

The results to date have been superlative.

But being the person I am, I was wanting to try a standalone dedicated amp to see how good the AVA preamp can section is.

I have only about 2 hours test time since the Schiit Audio ASGARD arrived yesterday.

So this is a work in process.

The build quality of the ASGARD amp is absolutley SOLID like a ROCK.
Designed in America, Made in AMERICA,  Made with mostly US parts this thing is the heat.

The cost is $250.


20 v p-p swing and it handles low impedance phones with aplumb.

I want to get more time on it to do a fair double blind test, but first impressions are:

Not any worse than what I have, about the same, maybe better in soundstage. This maybe placebo effect but the sound is very, very nice.

I will report back in 20-30 hrs of play time to do a double blind test etc.

This thing is Class A and it runs HOT. I mean HOT. by design.

It has a 5 year warranty and the design had the aluminum case being an integral part of the heatsink design. The designers tell me this design, class A and the way the heat is removed via the case sink design the actual components are quite 'content' and cooler than other class A designs.

Specifications
Headphone Impedance: 8-600 ohms
Gain: 5 (14db)
Frequency Response: 2Hz-200KHz, -3dB
Maximum Output: 20V P-P
THD: Less than 0.1%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 1V
Topology: Fully discrete FET, Class-A single-ended, zero feedback, noninverting, single voltage gain stage
Power Consumption: 35W
Size: 9 x 6.75 x 2.25”
Weight: 5 lbs


http://schiit.com/
http://schiit.com/products/asgard/

Stay Tuned.
Alex
 

[Sam-fi]

20v point to point doesn't necessarily mean that it is good for low impedance phones but rather low sensitivity phones.

A high current is what low impedance phones need to sound great.

I am happy for your purchase.

[ecramer]

nice looking unit

[adydula]

Its an absolutely beautiful piece of gear, it really is well made and when u lift it up its like whoa!! Must be made out of billet....and I like this.

This amp is a Class A amp.

Asgard is a fully discrete, Class A, single-ended FET headphone amplifier with no overall feedback and a noninverting circuit topology. Its high-current design makes it uniquely suitable for low-impedance headphones.

Its actually better with lower impedance cans than with high impedance cans...Schiit recommends one of the other amps for higher impeadance but it still will drive them well.

Tonight I stood the amp on its end and ran it for 2 hours and it didnt get really hot like I mentioned in my first post...I had it sitting on the carpet next to the preamp to do AB listening and the vent holes were on the carpert!

So after 2 hours is got nice an warm but not the HOT from last night....It has a set of 4 rubber feet that I put on the end and stood it up...HOT is gone! Go figure.

Made in the USA, assembled in USA, and mostly USA parts and works well etc etc etc..
I really like that.

All the best
Alex

[adydula]

Well the new amp has 30 hours on it and I have done lots and lots of listening and with several configs and a few other headphones as well.

The end result doing a A/B comparison is that its hard to really honestly discern a real difference between this amp and the amp section in the AVA Insight Pre amp.

That said... just listening to the Asgard and the AKG702s after 30+ hrs on the amp and about 75 hrs on the cans the combination is a 10 out of a 10.

I really like listening to accurately reproduced music that has a neutral tonality, a large wonderful soundstage and NO boomy accentuated bass.

Strings, vocals, drums, guitars should sound like what they are in real life as best possible..

My Salk SongTowers and Ultravalve Tube amp allow me to listen like this.

This amp and 702s allow me to listen to the same material at a greater detail level. Its like having an audio surgical scalple. Recordings are easily discerned for content, gimmicks, recording emphasis, tonality etc....and when the really great recordings are played its sonic heaven...everything melts away and you become thouroughly engrossed in music, the performance, the words, the sounds, OMG it can be really sweet here.

I can listen to a few tracks for a few seconds and tell that this cd will sound wonderful with my larger speakers etc.

The ASGARD when running for several hours still gets HOT, I run it standing up on rubber feet, but it does get hot, not as hot as I first thought when I had it sitting on the carpet, but even with it upright its warm...but that said its the way a CLASS A amp is, and it has a 5 yr warrenty. I dont worry about this anymore, just when it gets hot it sounds soooo sooo good.

I was listening to Fiest, female vocalist from Canada, the cd is "The Reminder" what a wonderful recording, the 702s with the ASGARD allow you to hear into the recording, the reverbation of the place it was recorded is easily discerned. Bass is so tight and solid...really really tight...NO BOOM. Many people think these cans lack bass....NOPE, not with a good amp and a great source (DAC , Flacs etc).

Crap sounds like crap, but dang the experience is AWESOME. I never thought I could get sucked into a set of headphones, but
I did and am glad I did. It doenst take away from the loudspeaker experience, they cant replace the soundstage in a good room, but they are another way to listen to music and enjoy the nuances.

I am in the process of building a DIY headphone amp that will be a hybrid tube amp. Why if this is so good, well its something to do to de-stress in this crazy world and I enjoy building things and its a neat feeling when you play something you put together...it often amazes other people...and yes I am always looking for a better mousetrap!.

Asgard + AKG 702..Wonderful combination!
Highly Recommeded.

Alex



 

[richidoo]

Thanks a lot Alex, for the great review. I have 701s and been looking for a solid state amp. I think I'll give it a try.
Rich

[adydula]

Rich,

Its a real good choice for the AKG's.

Having a good source, a really good DAC, and source material make all the difference in the world. Garbage in Garbage out.

Lots of headphone people seem to be using USB dacs from PC. I am not a fan of USB Dacs from pcs etc...I use a pc for the convience but go from a PC via flac transcoded back to Redbook like the original source via an ethernet cable to my Oppo BD 83SE. I use the ESS Sabre dacs in the Oppo to perform the A/D conversion then out to the ASGARD from the TAPE outputs of the AVA Insight + Preamp.

I can hear no real difference with this setup that by putting in the cd in the Oppo,

I took the ASGARD to work last week and left it on for several days, sometimes listening sometimes just getting hot!.

Whatever magic happened the combo has really come alive!

Good luck with your ASGARD!

Alex

[richidoo]

Thanks. I use ESS DACs too. TP Buffalo DAC cleans up Sonos jitter "like butter."

Good to know there is synergy with this combo.