[TechSgtChen]

As you can see my setup includes a Freya+ (sorry All Solid State for the tubes) and a single Aegir.

While the volume levels can be quite loud with the Heresey IIIs I can max it out depending on the jam.

My question is: how much a difference in dynamics can I expect if I add another Aegir? 

This setup is pretty sweet but I'm looking for more punch.

Thanks

[Chris Adams]

The Aegir will do 20 watts into 8 ohms in stereo and 80 watts into 8 ohms in mono. The Heresy lll says 8 ohm compatible, so probably okay. The difference between 20 watts and 80 watts is 6db so I would say go for it.

[Tyson]

6db more with the Heresies should get you to some pretty loud levels. 

[TechSgtChen]

6db more with the Heresies should get you to some pretty loud levels.

Besides the increase in level (volume), do you think I will be able to tell at the same volume level a change in punch or dynamics? (I'm not sure exactly the right terminology here).

[Tyson]

Besides the increase in level (volume), do you think I will be able to tell at the same volume level a change in punch or dynamics? (I'm not sure exactly the right terminology here).

Yes.  Monoblocks tend to do better with things like punch and dynamics.  A regular stereo amp has a single power supply that has to provide power for both channels.  Monoblocks have separate power supplies that supply all their grunt to one channel only. 

[SteveFord]

This is an audio site, of course we're going to tell you to buy it!

Post the results when you've got it hooked up, please.

[TechSgtChen]

This is an audio site, of course we're going to tell you to buy it!

Post the results when you've got it hooked up, please.

I should have rephrased the question... I see the error of my ways. LoL

[Stu Pitt]

Nope. Don’t buy it. Don’t buy anything.

I just had to be that guy. And I had to vote no, just to be a jackass.

Is that a Loki I see in your rack? How do you like it? I desperately need some EQing, as my system has been moved to my basement. I need some sound treatment too, obviously, but a good EQ will help out a little bit in the interim I think.

[TechSgtChen]

Is that a Loki I see in your rack? How do you like it? I desperately need some EQing, as my system has been moved to my basement. I need some sound treatment too, obviously, but a good EQ will help out a little bit in the interim I think.

I really like the Loki for a couple of reasons.

• Low/NO noise. If there is noise I can't hear it.
• Just enough control. Way better than just Treble & Base
• Bypass is quiet. Again if it is introducing noise, I can't detect it
• Nicely fits in the Schiit stack

What it isn't - balanced.

So if I get another Aegir I have to get a balanced EQ.

I'm looking at this one:



If I was 20 again this would be the shit. Instead I'm 47 and would love it to be the "Schiit."

I wish they would include the Loki into the Freya+. Don't know if a pre amp has ever had tone controls before but I would buy it.

[JLM]

How big is your room?  Does your home adjoin other homes (have any concerns with complaints from neighbors)?  How well sound insulated is your room from noises outside the room/home?  There is basically a 100 dB of useable dynamic range between typical background noise (around 30 dB for furnace, breathing, wind) and the threshold of pain at 130 dB.  Most audiophiles listen do serious listening at 80-85 dB, so typically no more than 60 dB of dynamic range is used. 

The Heresy is quite efficient/dynamic (99 dB/w/m according to Klipsch who are notorious for "over" specifying efficiency).  The Aegir provides 13 dB of gain, so you should be close to reproducing live sound pressure levels (105 - 110 dB) with your current set up (seeing hard floors/windows and depending on room size).  As mentioned above adding a second Aegir would bump the gain up to 19 dB, in your case not terribly useful.

As a purist I ran mono-blocks for years.  Before that ran a 7 wpc amp that did a remarkably good job at driving my 90 dB/w/m speakers, but moving up to 40 watt mono-blocks turned the speakers from polite dinner guests into NFL linebackers in tuxedos (more dynamic/detailed) as the amps provided a more commanding grip on the speakers.  With the Heresys not sure how profound the change would be.  And you could run into too much of a good thing as increased dynamic range means you have to turn the sound up to hear the lower volume sounds. 

Yes Virginia, pre-amps used to routinely have tone controls decades ago before purists took over high-end audio.  Now-a-days the best tone controls use DSP, like a mini-DSP hardware/software that works with your computer and a calibrated microphone to measure your speakers/room to make corrections that you can endlessly tweak.  All this is done in the digital realm (pre DAC/Freya).  Something like the dbx would have dozens of sliders to go bad (usually by getting dust inside).  And without a microphone you can really mess up the sound. 

[mick wolfe]

Not sure on this one, but if you're running single ended IC's from your source, why not put the Loki between source and pre-amp?( Freya) I know this would be done if you were using an integrated. Requires another set of IC's of course.

[TechSgtChen]

I think I might be able to if the Freya+ will convert single ended to balanced. I reached out to Schiit asking about this and got an ambiguous answer. I looked at the documentation and I think it will work.

[Chris Adams]

From Schiit's web page on the Freya+:

Differential Buffer Stage—Versatile Interface
Freya+’s buffers aren’t just buffers—they’re differential. That means they convert single-ended signals to balanced, so you can interface more easily throughout your system. In addition, you can use it to convert SE sources to drive mono Vidars and Aegirs.

[TechSgtChen]

First off, thank you for the thoughtful reply. I didn't want to start out this question with a ton of details but you have brought up a topic that is on the top of my mind.

How big is your room?  Does your home adjoin other homes (have any concerns with complaints from neighbors)?  How well sound insulated is your room from noises outside the room/home?  There is basically a 100 dB of useable dynamic range between typical background noise (around 30 dB for furnace, breathing, wind) and the threshold of pain at 130 dB.

THE ROOM!  The room is not a typical listening space. I might be making a huge assumption that this is possible, but my goal is to light up the entire house from our central entertaining room which is adjacent to the major living spaces. Now hear me out, if the music is 'alive' and 'in the room' like a concert, it wouldn't make a big deal if you were in the room or listening next to the room especially when it can bleed through openings, which we have. That sound is so similar to actual concert venues. Now you could put speakers everywhere also but the effect of hearing a live show is my goal. Also I don't want to run cables and speakers all over pretty much because there isn't much access and other logistical issues.



This is where the system is located if you saw the original post. The purple are the Heresies, the orange is the sub and the green is the rack. The blue ark is the space I'm trying to fill, of course there is stuff in the way but you can see the opening.

The room is oddly shaped but it almost looks like a speaker cone and I was wondering if there was any way I could use that to my advantage.

All this is done in the digital realm (pre DAC/Freya).  Something like the dbx would have dozens of sliders to go bad (usually by getting dust inside).  And without a microphone you can really mess up the sound.

I was also thinking I could do so from the digital source as well. Do you have any experience or recommendations?

[TechSgtChen]

From Schiit's web page on the Freya+:

Differential Buffer Stage—Versatile Interface
Freya+’s buffers aren’t just buffers—they’re differential. That means they convert single-ended signals to balanced, so you can interface more easily throughout your system. In addition, you can use it to convert SE sources to drive mono Vidars and Aegirs.

Thanks for confirming that.

It also saves the cost of a Bifrost!

Sweet, one step closer to adding Aegir #2.

[TechSgtChen]

Done, ordered, will receive next week.

Thanks guys.

[JLM]

I'd say your room is the opposite shape most might recommend for an odd shape. 

miniDSP hardware/software uses REW (Room Eq Wizard) a very powerful (but complex) room correction DSP program.  I have no experience with it, but a search here at Audio Circle will reveal those who do have experience.

I had a ($1200 USD MSRP) DSPeaker Anti-Mode 2.0 Dual Core DAC/preamp/bass DSP that worked very well (limited up to 500 Hz), but had a tiny screen, tight space for connections, and a super cheesy remote.  Most recommend limiting DSP to under say 300 Hz, above that it starts to effect how the speakers sound and it's assumed you bought the speakers because you liked how they sound. 

Now I use a ($2750 USD MSRP) NAD M10 an all-in-one box "streaming amplifier" that comes with Dirac Live, a popular room correction DSP program.  The stock version that comes with the M10 is again <500 Hz (it's a $100 extra to get the full frequency range version).  It's easy to use but of limited use in my near ideally shaped/treated room and setup.  But it works off my laptop so have a bigger screen and can see how the speaker/room behave together) and can make adjustments to the suggested curves.  The M10 can save 5 settings and even without Dirac makes the best sound I've ever had from my speakers. 

[TechSgtChen]

(WTF this image wont stand up straight after repeated re-uploading)


After 3 failed FedEx delivery attempts its here.

Overall I'm very pleased.

The reviewers were right, the sound is more dynamic (I guess all that power does something).

Not sure if its is overall worth it for the money, but the Schiit stuff is so much more reasonable anyways I feel I saved in the end.

Thanks for all the input.

[Peter J]

Looking good! I have a pair too, although they live next to speakers. Long interconnect, short speaker wires.

Concerning photo. This site and others I visit seem to rotate photos that are too big, file wise. I shrink what comes off my camera by 25%, but don't know actual threshold before it starts fiddling with it. It also seems to be tied to vertical photo orientation.

As an example:  Random vertical orientation photo shot @ 2200x3900 3.9MB was reduced to 1600x2900 1.1 MB and posted right after file size reduced.

Give that a try and see what happens.

[Chris Adams]