[jMelvin]

Hey guys. After 5 years of playing in the SET/high-efficiency world I decided to part with my Decware SE84UFO a few months ago. I’m done with tubes. With that in mind I thought about selling my Super 3i's and DeepHemp 8 as well, but I just can't let them go!

I’ve powered the Super 3i’s with a variety of ss amps over the years and seem to favor lower-powered ones, which brings me to Schiit. I just ordered the Gjallarhorn (and Saga S) and hope they arrive this week. I realize the amp is a recent release but was curious if anyone here has heard it with one of Louis’ creations and would like to share some impressions.

[seikosha]

I bought a Gjallorhorn when they came out.  It’s got a punchy sound to it.  It’s okay, but probably not the best low cost amp for that speaker.  Much better however than some of the low cost Class D sounding amps that I have.

Just curious, what was it about the Decware that you didn’t like?

[jMelvin]

I liked the sound quality of the SE84UFO, it's a great little amp and a good match with the Super 3i's. Honestly, I no longer want to deal with tubes for a number of reasons.

Which low cost ss amp(s) would you recommend over the Gjallarhorn? (I'll have a couple of weeks to see how I like it.)

[seikosha]

For non tubes, there’s a Chinese clone on a Class A John Linsey amplifier circuit.  It’s a circuit that even Nelson Pass has commented favorably on.  It sounds very good with the Omegas, even a little better than the Amp Camp which I also have.  You can find the Hood if you do a search on eBay.  The problem is that there are so many versions of this amp, and being Chinese, you always wonder if the parts are uniform in all the models and if they all sound the same.  I bought mine years ago when there was only one seller and version of the amp.  The. Nelson Pass Amp Camp can occasionally be found on the for sale forums or if you are handy with a soldering iron, you can build one yourself.

I had the cheap little Audioengine N22 amp years ago and it had a really nice tone to it…I didn’t like the tracking on the volume control though as it seemed to introduce balance irregularities.

The Gjallorhorn is nice, but I find the bass to be a little strong and almost one note sounding.  It has a crisp extended treble sound to it that you may love or it could put you off.

None of the amps to me sounded as good as the Decware but they are all a heck of a lot cheaper.

Incidentally, I also have a Saga…the original version.  Believe it or not, I actually prefer the cheap little Sys as a preamp.  I keep telling myself that there is no way it’s supposed to be better, but my ears definitely prefer it and I’ve seen others say the same things on various forums.  I have 2 Sys’s and run one for each channel. This allows me to really dial in the balance.  My main preamp is a Decware CSP3 and it’s amazing how close the Sys can get to it in sound quality.

Good luck!

[jMelvin]

Thanks seikosha, much appreciated. I'll have a look around for the Hood and keep the Audioengine in mind. As to the G-horn's bass & treble, my old Loki may come in handy!

[artur9]

Thanks seikosha, much appreciated. I'll have a look around for the Hood and keep the Audioengine in mind. As to the G-horn's bass & treble, my old Loki may come in handy!

I have the N22.  It's a nice amp and also a nice headphone amp. I liked it much better than a Wadia 151 that I had.

I may be putting it in the classified soon as I no longer have a need.

[jandrews]

Also don’t forget the Vista Spark… sweet midrange, class A/B chip amp with beefy supply and Mundorf caps at the input.
Often recommended by Louis for his speakers when asked about budget amplification.

20 WPC and a passive pre built-in or bypass the volume and use your existing preamp.

I have one and it plays very nicely with my Omega Super 7’s

[jMelvin]

I had forgotten about the Vista Spark .. thank you.

[jandrews]

I also think running two of the smaller “Rekkr” as mono blocks could be a fun project with Omega speakers. That would give 4W to each Omega speaker (as long as they are 8Ohm)
Perhaps with a tubed pre…or as another idea, a dual mono AVC from Intact.

[jMelvin]

Before ordering the Gjallarhorn I contemplated a pair of Rekkr monoblocks but decided against. Simplicity and a bit more power won out. I agree it would make for a fun project, which is basically what I'm doing with the little Schiits I just ordered. I really enjoy playing in this low-cost world.

[Nocturne79]

Good evening,

Funny thing, I just recently got a schiit audio Gjallarhorn and a rekkr.  I had a full stack of rekr, magni, modi for my desktop but felt it was not quite enough power for my 89db speakers, decware trapzium speakers..  For kicks and giggles i hooked it up as the amp for my omega alnico HO towers run with a decware csp3 preamp and audio gd r2r r8 mkII dac.  This little guy surprised me with the power i was feeling.  It made my speakers sing and the bass are really impressive for a such a low dollar and low watt amp.  I honestly was blown away how good this little guy sounded for the price you pay. So tempting to get two and go mono with them.

I then got a Gjallarhorn setup,  amp magnius and modius.  This is definitely my go to setup for my desktop speakers.  More than enough power to not make it feel thin sounding at all, it sounded a littel thin with the rekr setup.  doesnt get hot really and the small form factor is a huge win for me.  I felt that the tone was really good to and not very bright sounding.  Then i hooked up this amp to the omega setup,  again really nice sounding.  Good tone and fullness to the sound. 

I am really diggin these schiit products and having them so small and low heat on my desktop is a major bonus for me.

These are amazing amps to be honest and two rekr are very intriguing to try. 

Now the main setup for omega is a decware 25th annverisary amp rated at 2.3w and that is just in another league but in summer makes room very hot lol.

[AllanS]

I then got a Gjallarhorn setup…

I picked a Gjallarhorn and Lyr for my desktop.  Before they were burned in I subbed them into my main system when my preamp/DAC was out for repair.  I’m still blown away by how good they are.  Full sound and plenty of headroom for my preferences into both 84dB Salk Supercharged SongSurrounds and Spatial M4s.
After I get my speaker setup tweaked (M4) I want to sub them back into the main system again to compare sound stage presentation.

[jMelvin]

Thanks for sharing guys, I'm encouraged with the positive impressions.

[jMelvin]

Got a shipping notification today. The little Schiits are suppose to arrive on Saturday but, unfortunately, I don't think I'll be around for delivery. I'm hoping for Friday .. maybe the Norse gods will intervene.

[Nocturne79]

so wanted to add another comment.  I just brought my Omega RS5 HO monitors to try out with the schiit setup.  Great pairing,  whisper quiet..no hiss of any kind.  Very full sounding, with good tone and timber and very good bass weight to the songs.  soundstage is a little less big compared to my decware amp setup but honestly sounds just wonderful at the computer.  Also this is by no means an ideal setup since both speakers are tight to the wall and one is being mostly covered by the monitor

I am huge fan of the schiit audio for desktop setup for sure. 

Have a great day

[jMelvin]

Well, I missed FedEX by 45 mins yesterday. A bit frustrating because, as it turned out, I was available to take delivery. There’s always something with FedEX - an hour before they attempted delivery I checked their tracking and it was on the truck but showed it wouldn’t be delivered until Monday. (I also got an email stating the same about an hour before that.) I left the building and 45 mins. later I was notified of the attempted delivery. I know, 1st-world problem, but damn! LOL

[jMelvin]

The little Schiits finally arrived yesterday and so far so good - nice sound right out of the boxes. I'll need more time with them but, at first blush, I'm impressed.

[jMelvin]

I’ve spent a fair bit of time in the past 2 days listening with the Gjallarhorn and Saga S in place. Instead of the usual audiophile-speak, suffice it to say I won’t be sending them back to Schiit. The sound quality is just what I was hoping for and is a good match with the Omegas, at least for my taste/preferences. I've been using the Saga S with the active buffer engaged for the most part (seems more dynamic). I like it.

For some context, age is finally catching up with me. I’ve been contemplating my audio future for a while now, especially this past year, and saw the need for smaller, lighter weight gear. The release of the Gjallarhorn was simply good timing for me and I’m happy I took a chance on it. I’ll hold on to my SMSL AO200 integrated, which I like a lot, but it’s now time to part ways with much of my stored gear.

BTW, my headphone system consists of an Asgard 2, Bifrost Multibit, Eitr, and Loki. The golden years are looking more and more like Schiit (sorry, I couldn’t help myself).

[AllanS]

Happy to hear you’re satisfied with the pairing.  Nice desktop setup too. 
What source(s) are you feeding the Saga/G’horn?
It’s interesting that your response to aging is to go small.  I think you’re in good company.  Since I’d never had what I’d consider a nice kit mine was to go big while I still can.  I’m already starting to regret it…

[jMelvin]

AllanS .. thanks. Primary source is a Bluesound Node (N130) and SMSL SU-6 DAC (via coax). I also use an iPad Mini into the DAC (via USB) for specific use cases. Along with my personal library of wav/flac files I subscribe to Qobuz.

The SU-6 came about after reading an ASR review of the MHDT Lab Pagoda, which I’ve had since 2018. It landed at the very bottom of their rankings and was subsequently trashed by the members, none of which had actually heard the DAC. I thought it was high time for me to hear one of those Amir-approved cheap wonder DACs they claim to be so superior. After being firmly in the NOS multibit camp for more than a decade I was beyond skeptical. And then floored. The experience was enlightening and my audio path shifted a bit. I still enjoy my less-than-stellar-measuring DACs and will likely keep them around as none of them are heavy unwieldy beasts.

Speaking of which - aging - the last 2 years have been a reality check, particularly last summer when I needed surgery, greatly impacting my ability to swap out gear, something I really enjoy doing. So, it’s out with the old and in with the new. Still having fun, thankfully.