Schiit Audio Moving Sale - Ragnarok 2 amp for $999

[Zarathustra[H]]

So Schiit known for their DAC's and headphone amps is moving their facility, and happened to have a HUGE excess of some items.

Notably, they built too many of their well reviewed halo integrated Speaker and Headphone amp, the Ragnarok 2, and are dropping the price from $1,499 to $999 until that inventory is gone to aid in the move.

I know a thousand dollar amp is a bit much, but it is significantly cheaper than it previously was, and even at that price was said to be a steal due to how well it compared to much more expensive Hegel amps. IN an audiophile market of car-priced audio-jewelry, some might even call it a bargain. People find themselves in so many places on the audio scale that everything is relative.

Either way, this is a very well reviewed amp that is pretty much overkill for any headphone and has been favorably compared to MUCH more expensive amps for speakers. It is rare in that it does both well, whereas most amps focus on one or the other.

Figured I'd drop it here in case anyone is interested:

https://www.schiit.com/products/ragnarok-1

 

[FRZ]

Schiit makes great stuff. Anyone looking for a DAC or amp I highly recommend them

 

[izzypizzy]

I'm not really in the market for something like this, but theoretically, would the "fully loaded" model be a solid replacement to an old (not so great) Yamaha receiver for my record player? vs just getting the standard model + a separate phono pre-amp?

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

I'm not really in the market for something like this, but theoretically, would the "fully loaded" model be a solid replacement to an old (not so great) Yamaha receiver for my record player? vs just getting the standard model + a separate phono pre-amp?

I don't know shit about phono pre-amps (I haven't used vinyl since the 80's) but what I have read suggests that while the internal modules are good, the dedicated ones sound better (but this could be audiophile hogwash, not sure)

 

[StoleMyOwnCar]

Is this just two channels (ie stereo)? Hmmm... Maybe it sounds good, but that's still a steep price for just stereo. More importantly you would need a pair of really high end speakers for this to shine...

What class of amp is it? Does it overheat and degrade if left on 24/7? What I like about my cheapass topping and lepai amplifiers is that they barely produce any heat and I can just leave them on all the time, hooked up to a Bluetooth receiver.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Is this just two channels (ie stereo)? Hmmm... Maybe it sounds good, but that's still a steep price for just stereo. More importantly you would need a pair of really high end speakers for this to shine...

What class of amp is it? Does it overheat and degrade if left on 24/7? What I like about my cheapass topping and lepai amplifiers is that they barely produce any heat and I can just leave them on all the time, hooked up to a Bluetooth receiver.

Yes, it is two-channel.

I don't have one, so I can't speak from personal experience, but what I have read is that it is class A/B. I ahve also read that it does run pretty cool, but that may be more because of a massive integrated heatsink than because of power efficiency.

For like 99% of headphone applications it will stay in Class A mode, as those will be towards the lower range of the power envelope.

For more spirited listening on speakers it will probably move towards AB.

It is a 500W (power from wall) amp, but at idle, it doesn't pull that much power, and runs cool. I have spoken to people who keep it on 24/7 to make sure it is temperature conditioned when they want to listen.

As far as how much power it draws at idle, I don't know at all (though I can tell you next week ) It will certainly be more than a Class D / Class T amp, but nowhere near the loaded power use.

Not being a true "audiophile" this would probably be an "end stage" desktop amp for me. I can't imagine myself ever wanting or needing anything higher end. This is even a bit overkill for my needs, but the sale pushed me over the edge to actually buy one.

Jason Stoddard, one of the two founders of Schiit wrote (and is writing, it is an ongoing project) a book about the experience of founding Schiit and the products they design. The book is available in forum post form on Head-fi. (it's really a quite interesting read) There are two chapters relevant to this amp, best read in order (so they make more sense):

- The Ragnaroks That Weren't
- The Ragnarok That Is

For what it is worth, I rarely hear Steve Guttenberg be this positive in his reviews:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfeTV7cgZGc

Now whether or not you are the type to care about his opinions is a whole other topic

 

[cvinh]

Very tempting. I do have a Bifrost 2 but I am currently using a Burson stack for my Audezes. I don't think it'd be much a difference for me to notice.

 

[izzypizzy]

I don't know shit about phono pre-amps (I haven't used vinyl since the 80's) but what so have read suggests that while the internal modules are good, the dedicated ones sound better (but this could be audiophile hogwash, not sure)

Thanks! Yeah I did some reading after I posed my question and found the same, not needing the Dac, it looks like it would be cheaper & better to just get the base model with a dedicated phono.

Well, mighty tempted by this, but it will snowball a whole slew of upgrades to my setup, I've already found myself looking at new cartridges for my turntable, and researching whether my old Klipsch are up to snuff. I better back off lol

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Very tempting. I do have a Bifrost 2 but I am currently using a Burson stack for my Audezes. I don't think it'd be much a difference for me to notice.

Yeah, I have a Bifrost 2 (with the 2/64 innards) but I have still been using my OG Jotunheim as a headphone amp, which sounds amazing with "balanced" headphones, but the summing down to single ended leaves something to be desired. And this is particularly notable since I also use it as a single ended pre-amp for my Parasound NewClassic 275 v2 power amp for my desktop speakers (and subwoofer for when I feel boomy).

Having an all in one box that handles both headphones and speakers, and both balanced and single ended well without simple summing was what sold me on it, but only after the steep discount.

Fitting the damn thing under my monitors on my desk is going to be a challenge though. At 16” x 13” x 3.875” it is not small.

 

[StoleMyOwnCar]

Not being a true "audiophile" this would probably be an "end stage" desktop amp for me. I can't imagine myself ever wanting or needing anything higher end. This is even a bit overkill for my needs, but the sale pushed me over the edge to actually buy one.

True audiophile gets into absolutely ridiculous price tags of like 20k+++ USD and up, which (in my firm opinion) is absolutely asinine unless you're pulling a 6.6-7 figure salary. From my experience, the largest effect on sound is usually the speaker, followed by AMP. Oh, and room treatment and speaker positioning, but that also gets expensive. DAC seems kind of pointless, unless they have electrical interference most motherboard dacs are perfectly sufficient. I haven't really had an issue with interference in a while. I did have a case a very long time ago where the case had some sort of ground fault, so the front header on the motherboard was causing electrical interference on the 3.5" jack. I only found this out through an absolutely random forum post out in the wild. I cut a ground cable on the USB port and it was fixed. Obviously, also hard to say if that was a fault in the AMP stage or DAC stage. Cables at the analog stage also matter a bit, but are probably fine as long as you don't just buy absolute (found on Amazon (TM), for hella cheap) junk.

Anyway, the issue with audiophile stuff is always whether or not it actually measures better, or just sounds better, and whether you care about which it is. Truly neutral sound probably doesn't take that much money, but it's hard to even say if neutral sound is the right solution for everyone. You have to take into account that biologically everyone's ear canals are probably a bit different, as is their ability to receive certain frequencies. This is on top of some people just being "bassheads" (ie regardless of ear shape and whatnot, they just prefer heavy low end sound). There are just all kinds of factors like that. Hard to say if a 1k-1.2k investment is really worth it. I'd say maybe, if you've already sampled it with a pair of speakers you really liked as well, and like the sound signature enough, and can maybe actually tell a difference between it and another, much cheaper amp. Because it's at the price range of a decent receiver, and more than 4x-5x as much as a nice Ebay receiver. Still have a couple of Denons that are running strong to this day, from the dark ages.

My problem is that I don't know what this would be worth pairing with anyway. I have a couple (well 4 actually) of old DCM CX-17's that I really love, but they sing just fine on just about anything I'd hook them up with, too....

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

True audiophile gets into absolutely ridiculous price tags of like 20k+++ USD and up, which (in my firm opinion) is absolutely asinine unless you're pulling a 6.6-7 figure salary.

Even at that salary I question if most users of that stuff could actually pass an A/B comparison test with their equipment and much cheaper equipment.

There is a reason this stuff is jokingly called "car-priced audio-jewelry".

From my experience, the largest effect on sound is usually the speaker, followed by AMP. Oh, and room treatment and speaker positioning, but that also gets expensive. DAC seems kind of pointless, unless they have electrical interference most motherboard dacs are perfectly sufficient. I haven't really had an issue with interference in a while. I did have a case a very long time ago where the case had some sort of ground fault, so the front header on the motherboard was causing electrical interference on the 3.5" jack. I only found this out through an absolutely random forum post out in the wild. I cut a ground cable on the USB port and it was fixed. Obviously, also hard to say if that was a fault in the AMP stage or DAC stage. Cables at the analog stage also matter a bit, but are probably fine as long as you don't just buy absolute (found on Amazon (TM), for hella cheap) junk.


Anyway, the issue with audiophile stuff is always whether or not it actually measures better, or just sounds better, and whether you care about which it is. Truly neutral sound probably doesn't take that much money, but it's hard to even say if neutral sound is the right solution for everyone. You have to take into account that biologically everyone's ear canals are probably a bit different, as is their ability to receive certain frequencies. This is on top of some people just being "bassheads" (ie regardless of ear shape and whatnot, they just prefer heavy low end sound). There are just all kinds of factors like that. Hard to say if a 1k-1.2k investment is really worth it. I'd say maybe, if you've already sampled it with a pair of speakers you really liked as well, and like the sound signature enough, and can maybe actually tell a difference between it and another, much cheaper amp. Because it's at the price range of a decent receiver, and more than 4x-5x as much as a nice Ebay receiver. Still have a couple of Denons that are running strong to this day, from the dark ages.

I moved to balanced DAC -> AMP after I had a series of nosy interference issues on my very electrically busy desk. That instantly solved it, but the cheapest balanced gear is a lot more expensive than single ended stuff. That's the only reason I have a Bifrost 2. I mean, it sounds good. But so did my previous lower end DAC (other than the interference noise)

While in general I think "hearing things that are not measurable" is a pretty ridiculous thing to claim. (Even if you have the best human ears on the planet, you do not posess the sensitivity of a scientific instrument.) But I am at least open to the concept of there being things that are not part of the standard SNR and THD measurements that can impact the enjoyability of sound. Not that they are unmeasurable, but rather that they aren't included in the standard measurement suites currently used in audio testing. I found this chapter of Jason Stoddards book informative and interesting. (Keeping in mind that he is the very definition of biased, as he wants to sell you stuff)

My problem is that I don't know what this would be worth pairing with anyway. I have a couple (well 4 actually) of old DCM CX-17's that I really love, but they sing just fine on just about anything I'd hook them up with, too....

Review after review I've read/watched suggest it performs very well with KEF LS50's, but I have zero personal experience with those.

I'll just be plugging in my old RBH 41-se's into it and hoping for the best.


I'll be happy to declutter a little, get an all-in-one amp and get rid of some of the single ended summing issues the Jotunheim has.

 

[bluestang]

I'm not really in the market for something like this, but theoretically, would the "fully loaded" model be a solid replacement to an old (not so great) Yamaha receiver for my record player? vs just getting the standard model + a separate phono pre-amp?

I got an old Kenwood Sovereign VR-4090 beast sitting back in it's box that would fit the bill for replacing your Yamaha.

 

[Dion]

Schiit makes great stuff. Anyone looking for a DAC or amp I highly recommend them

I bought one of there DAC's and it died in a year.. Wouldn't really say... "great stuff".. and 1000$ for a DAC.. that's absurd..

 

[Mad Maxx]

I bought one of there DAC's and it died in a year.. Wouldn't really say... "great stuff".. and 1000$ for a DAC.. that's absurd..

My $1250 Gungnir multibit needed 2 repairs in less than 12 months back in 2017. Sold it after the 2nd repair. Also had a Fulla 3 that went tits up after just 4 months. It was b-stock and cost only $65 so I just tossed it. Schiit has a devoted following, but in my experience they're just Shit.

 

[FRZ]

My Valhalla 2 and digital DAC are still going strong.

I guess I've been lucky, but overall even when I had questions their support was quick to help.

 

[izzypizzy]

I got an old Kenwood Sovereign VR-4090 beast sitting back in it's box that would fit the bill for replacing your Yamaha.

Appreciate it, but not interested.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

My $1250 Gungnir multibit needed 2 repairs in less than 12 months back in 2017. Sold it after the 2nd repair. Also had a Fulla 3 that went tits up after just 4 months. It was b-stock and cost only $65 so I just tossed it. Schiit has a devoted following, but in my experience they're just Shit.

Interesting.

I wouldn't consider myself devoted, but I have had good experiences, which is why I keep buying.

I have bought (and still own most except as one return as noted below)

1.) The original OG Asgard amp from back when they were operating out of a garage in California.
2.) OG Modi multibit DAC
3.) Modi 2 Uber DAC (bought for my better half)
4.) Lyr 2 amp (returned. Turns out I didn't much care for tube amps)
5.) OG Jotunheim amp (still on my main machine right now)
6.) Sys (input switcher)
7.) Fulla (compact DAC-Amp) (Originally bought for work, but now it kind of kicks around between laptops)
8.) Bifrost 2/64 (DAC)
9.) Lokius (Equalizer)

Never had an issue with any of them. They have just worked for me. I still have all of them. My better half still dailies the OG Asgard and the Modi Multibit. I still daily the Bifrost 2/64, Lokius and OG Jotunheim.

It sucks that you had issues, but I don't think that is the typical experience. Product failures happen to every company now and then. And it sounds like they took care of you when things did go wrong. (Though yeah, it does suck to go without during the repair/RMA process)

 

[TheToE!]

Schiit is one of those brands that I'm still trying to figure out if I like them or not. I think they're overpriced currently.

 

[TheToE!]

Is this just two channels (ie stereo)? Hmmm... Maybe it sounds good, but that's still a steep price for just stereo. More importantly you would need a pair of really high end speakers for this to shine...

What class of amp is it? Does it overheat and degrade if left on 24/7? What I like about my cheapass topping and lepai amplifiers is that they barely produce any heat and I can just leave them on all the time, hooked up to a Bluetooth receiver.

I truly don't mean any offense but if you're asking these questions, just move on man. This amp would not be any better than your current amps.

 

[StoleMyOwnCar]

Even at that salary I question if most users of that stuff could actually pass an A/B comparison test with their equipment and much cheaper equipment.

There is a reason this stuff is jokingly called "car-priced audio-jewelry".

Well that's just how it is. We have 4090s, and for us it wasn't too much of a price. Steep, but we're not suddenly struggling to pay anything off. That's $1600-2000. Jack up the salary to those levels, and 1600-2000 is ~16000-20000. So... yeah that's just pretty much the same for them as buying a 4090 for us.

I moved to balanced DAC -> AMP after I had a series of nosy interference issues on my very electrically busy desk.

If you mean speakers on your desk, do you mean buzzing or hissing? I do actually have very sensitive ears, so I've moved through a lot of nearfield speakers simply because I could hear a slight buzzing or something similar on almost all of them.
https://hardforum.com/threads/jbl-l...-speaker-for-80-each.1954877/#post-1043495375
A while ago I tried JBL LSR305's, but they exhibited hissing even if not hooked up to anything and irrespective of the wall socket. I also do hear some hissing on anything hooked up to a Lepai amp or any of my Denons. But those speakers aren't at nearfield so it doesn't matter. I can hear them slightly even from across the room, if the room is quiet, but as long as they're not in my face it's fine. Most headphone amps seem to be fine as they have the DAC and the AMP stage in one.

Right now what I'm using is a pair of Vanatoo T1's, the original model. They were $500 at the time I bought them. The sound is... okay, honestly it's not impressive to me compared to some other speakers I've sampled when the hype wore down. But they don't exhibit hissing because the DAC is built into the speaker.
https://www.amazon.com/Vanatoo-Transparent-Monitor-Speakers-Bluetooth/dp/B0CHZCNN84
They're a lot cheaper than this amp, but the amplifier in mine I think has been dying for a while. I'm kind of looking for something new for nearfield listening, but it pisses me off the Vanatoo puts such a shitty amp in them. It definitely feels hot to the touch. Whatever I replace them with, it needs to stay on 24/7 without any degradation and not have any hissing or buzzing at all in nearfield. I have them hooked up to a JBL Sub 550P. I'm not really a basshead, so it's plenty for me.

Product failures happen to every company now and then

I don't think you remember this, but Schiit did also have a period of systematic-ish failures.https://www.head-fi.org/threads/what-causes-this-amp-related.562736/ Basically, someone was doing independent measurements of their headphone amps and found out that (iirc, this was a decade ago probably) their headphone amps were causing a harmful DC peak that was literally destroying headphones. The O2/ODAC amp/dac around the time, a DAC and headphone amplifier driven by measurements and was objectively-focused. I still have that O2/ODAC from Mayflower. Just not working because the power plug snapped due to wear and tear lol. Anyway, this is the kick in the ass Schiit needed to actually get their act together and fix their crap. Now, Schiit's headphone stack is arguably better (at least in the DAC department), although there are still some reports of DC relay failures and lack of protection

The point is, all of these companies start slacking and start offering overpriced and sometimes actually shitty products over time if you don't watch them. Schiit is no different. Getting too comfortable with them or letting them have too much brand loyalty is about as dangerous with them as any company. Unfortunately, the other issue is that sound is very much a subjective thing. I don't have any mom and pop audio shop nearby me to sample high end audio equipment from. The closest was Best Buy Magnolia and that was kind of meh. Difficult to justify committing thousands to audio stuff and end up going, "... do I actually like this any better?"

I truly don't mean any offense but if you're asking these questions, just move on man. This amp would not be any better than your current amps.

I'll be frank, and I do mean some offense. Right now, you sound like a snobby douchebag going "if you have to ask you can't afford it" at a high end restaurant. So explain why you're not.

 

[TheToE!]

I'll be frank, and I do mean some offense. Right now, you sound like a snobby douchebag going "if you have to ask you can't afford it" at a high end restaurant. So explain why you're not.

Dude I have no idea about your finances and that wasn't my point. If you're enjoying your cheap amps then party on. I truly meant no offense and I'm in a good mood today and would rather not start an internet fight.

 

[StoleMyOwnCar]

Dude I have no idea about your finances and that wasn't my point. If you're enjoying your cheap amps then party on. I truly meant no offense and I'm in a good mood today and would rather not start an internet fight.

While I used cost, this doesn't necessarily have anything to do with price. You're just being outright condescending and dismissive (or at the very least patronizing) in that post due to me listing some equipment that I'm using and what I like about it, and then some other questions. I don't care about how you're feeling. That's being a douche.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

I don't think you remember this, but Schiit did also have a period of systematic-ish failures.https://www.head-fi.org/threads/what-causes-this-amp-related.562736/ Basically, someone was doing independent measurements of their headphone amps and found out that (iirc, this was a decade ago probably) their headphone amps were causing a harmful DC peak that was literally destroying headphones. The O2/ODAC amp/dac around the time, a DAC and headphone amplifier driven by measurements and was objectively-focused. I still have that O2/ODAC from Mayflower. Just not working because the power plug snapped due to wear and tear lol. Anyway, this is the kick in the ass Schiit needed to actually get their act together and fix their crap. Now, Schiit's headphone stack is arguably better (at least in the DAC department), although there are still some reports of DC relay failures and lack of protection

No, I do remember that. Jason Stoddard wrote a chapter on that episode in his book. Here. It was very early in company history, at or around the one year mark if I recall, when they were still essentially a start-up, not the juggernaut they are in computer/headphone audio today.

I did not just re-read this as I am in the middle of a nasty home improvement project I want to get done today, and am rapidly running out of "today" to do so in, but my recollection was that this was not a production quality issue, and more of a design failure.

They simply neglected to imagine that people would leave their headphones plugged in when powering on and off the amp and thus did not include a mute relay to kill the inevitable pop that happens when you power this type of amp on and off.

And their testing had not caught the issue because they tested with more difficult to drive HD650's, not low impedance headphones.

I think the important part here is that they owned the problem, offered full refunds, and replaced all affected products.

Schiit's products are not for everyone, nor is their tongue in cheek irreverent attitude in their product descriptions, but I do believe that they are a company that does the right thing when shit hits the fan.

...unlike - say - EK when all of their nickel plated blocks started coming apart...

There are lots of examples of companies not doing the right thing when things go wrong, especially niche startups like they were at the time. I think the fact that they offered refunds, fixed peoples amps, and redesigned the affected amps going forward - especially when they had not yet even broken even as a company yet - is the kind of thing that explains why they have a pretty strong following.

(For what it is worth, my first Schiit product, my OG Asgard amp, was from one of the first fixed production lots after this happened.)

 

[TheToE!]

While I used cost, this doesn't necessarily have anything to do with price. You're just being outright condescending and dismissive (or at the very least patronizing) in that post due to me listing some equipment that I'm using and what I like about it, and then some other questions. I don't care about how you're feeling. That's being a douche.

The crazy part is I have topping amps! I'm not disagreeing with you here. I love cheap gear and I hate overpriced shit. But when you're asking about what class this amp is and saying that you think 2 channel amps should cost less I have to raise and eyebrow. I really am not trying to be your enemy but if you persist I think it's you who will be proven to the the douchebag.

 

[StoleMyOwnCar]

But when you're asking about what class this amp is and saying that you think 2 channel amps should cost less I have to raise and eyebrow.

So you're basically just snubbing anyone that has a sort of preconception when asking questions about a hobby, due to your own preconceptions about what is and is not layman knowledge, and being patronizing and telling them that they probably won't notice anything just because they don't know some technical knowledge that you've looked up? Like that is by definition what you literally just said you were doing. Which is fucking hilarious because me being or not being able to notice something from a pair of speakers has nothing to do with me asking those question. This is an absolutely asinine line of reasoning, and it's hilarious that you're trying to tell me that you weren't doing exactly what you were doing, while turning around and practically saying that you were doing exactly that thing.

You were being patronizing. Period. You just admitted it. In text. That is shitty behavior.

you persist I think it's you who will be proven to the the douchebag.

Yeah no. Blocked, bye.

 

[TheToE!]

Men out there, please don't raise your boys to be pussies.

 

[StoleMyOwnCar]

I think the important part here is that they owned the problem, offered full refunds, and replaced all affected products.

The one thing I'm not clear on is whether the replaced affected headphones. I don't think they did. That really sucked for people with really expensive cans.

Anyway, I'm kind of considering this, but I really would need to be sure whether it has no noise floor or any hissing at all. My ears are pretty sensitive (usually to my detriment), and on some powered speakers I could legitimately hear hissing in the low sections of orchestra tracks. It drove me crazy. That's why these Vanatoo T1s were a godsend in nearfield. But yeah they're kind of dying. I really need a replacement. I guess I could also try contacting Vanatoo customer service to see if there's anything I can do, but I think they essentially tell you to pound sand or at best send you a new amp for 100-200$ and then tell you to install it yourself. Getting a dedicated DAC/AMP and then being able to decouple the sound from the speakers would be nice.

I need to look into their return policy. If I can return the amp, I might try it.
Oh wait:
https://www.schiit.com/faq/returns

How do I return something?
Just contact us via this form within 15 days of receipt of your order and we’ll give you a return authorization. When we receive your product in its original box, with any accessories intact, in like-new condition, we’ll refund the full purchase price of your product or products, minus a 5%-15% restocking fee (actual amount noted on each product page.) Of course, shipping is not included in the refund—you will pay full shipping to and from your location. Orders returned with damage or in non-stock packaging may be assessed an additional fee for reconditioning.

Lol 5-15% restocking fee... so on this amp if you decide to return it, you will be out $60-180+ shipping (for the fully loaded version, which is what I'm considering). That is freaking steep. Ugh. Like that's just brutal.

Edit: for this product, it's 5% specifically, so $50-60 restocking. Shipping might be a lot depending on the weight, though, so I'm gonna say $70-90.

5-Year Warranty and Easy Return Policy

Ragnarok 2 is covered by a 5-year limited warranty that covers parts and labor. And if you don’t like your Ragnarok 2, you can send it back for a refund, minus 5% restocking fee, within 15 days of receiving it.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

The one thing I'm not clear on is whether the replaced affected headphones. I don't think they did. That really sucked for people with really expensive cans.

I couldn't tell you, as I was not close to it, but they did suggest they - 3 years after the fact - were not aware of any cases where an Asgard actually ruined anyone's headphones, but that a Lyr tube amp may have, but maybe only during pre-release testing because they say they added a relay to it before release. At worst it sounds like it was a pretty low occurrence rate of any actual headphone damage. I'm guessing that if there were any damaged headphones they took care of them or there would be pissed people screaming about it to this day and we'd never heard the end of it, but that is just an educated guess.

Anyway, I'm kind of considering this, but I really would need to be sure whether it has no noise floor or any hissing at all. My ears are pretty sensitive (usually to my detriment), and on some powered speakers I could legitimately hear hissing in the low sections of orchestra tracks. It drove me crazy.

I can't speak to your ears or experiences, but I tend to be pretty annoyed by hissing as well, which is why I tend to run pretty high impedance headphones.

Do you use very sensitive IEM's? Because that is probably not the best pairing with this amp and its massive amount of power.

That said, I have occasionally heard various noise/hissing in my audio over the years, and every single time I have started chasing it down it has either wound up being in the recording itself, or it was noise introduced in my interconnect cables (which is why I now used balanced cables)

I have read in audiophile type reviews that this amp is very "revealing" in that it does not hide anything about the recordings. If the recordings are good, things are going to sound great, but if there are defects or artifacts in the recording those are going to shine through as well. I imagine - but do not know for sure - that this includes any underlying hiss in the recording. That is really just a guess from what I have read though. No personal experience yet.

That's why these Vanatoo T1s were a godsend in nearfield. But yeah they're kind of dying. I really need a replacement. I guess I could also try contacting Vanatoo customer service to see if there's anything I can do, but I think they essentially tell you to pound sand or at best send you a new amp for 100-200$ and then tell you to install it yourself. Getting a dedicated DAC/AMP and then being able to decouple the sound from the speakers would be nice.

I need to look into their return policy. If I can return the amp, I might try it.
Oh wait:
https://www.schiit.com/faq/returns

Lol 5-15% restocking fee... so on this amp if you decide to return it, you will be out $60-180+ shipping (for the fully loaded version, which is what I'm considering). That is freaking steep. Ugh. Like that's just brutal.

Yeah, that sounded pretty good return policy on their more mainstream lower priced products, but once you get up to their pricier models i starts to sound like a little much. The product page for the Ragnarok says that the 5% restocking fee applies for this model, so at least you can eliminate the upper range there.

I'll have mine on Tuesday, so I can give you my own take then. That said, I don't have your ears, so it may be moot.

...or if you are near Boston you are welcome to bring headphones and stop by for a listen to hear for yourself.

 

[StoleMyOwnCar]

Do you use very sensitive IEM's? Because that is probably not the best pairing with this amp and its massive amount of power.

I do have a fairly decent pair of headphones (retailed for ~700-1k I think a pretty long time ago, got them for 600ish), but I don't really use them anyway. They were too sibilant for my tastes sometimes and since I have my own house I just use speakers and a subwoofer. Prefer to not have anything on my head if I don't need to. If I do, I just use my Audeze Maxwells. I rarely have had an issue with headphone hissing because I rarely have them turned up high to begin with, and most dac/amp combos seem decent about isolating it out.

...or if you are near Boston you are welcome to bring headphones and stop by for a listen to hear for yourself.

Probably never will be lol, but thanks for the offer. I'm primarily interested in this as a speaker amp. Every powered speaker, and to a lesser extent every speaker that I've hooked up to any amplifier (though surprisingly the Topping amp was a bit quieter than most) exhibits some hissing or buzzing. Like I said those JBL's I tried earlier would make that sound even if completely not hooked up to anything. If this has a really low noise floor that's about the only way it would be worth it to me. Just don't know if I want to pay 60-80$ for a demo...

 

[AnalogOzerik]

Expensive. Remember GainCard? The amp that was an LM3886 datasheet reference design? Sold for at least 4 figures. Skeptical

 

[sphinx99]

The crazy part is I have topping amps! I'm not disagreeing with you here. I love cheap gear and I hate overpriced shit. But when you're asking about what class this amp is and saying that you think 2 channel amps should cost less I have to raise and eyebrow. I really am not trying to be your enemy but if you persist I think it's you who will be proven to the the douchebag.

Gotta admit, after Topping, I don’t feel any further need to invest in DAC or Amp gear. They effortlessly make my Utopias, HD820s etc. sing.

 

[TheToE!]

Gotta admit, after Topping, I don’t feel any further need to invest in DAC or Amp gear. They effortlessly make my Utopias, HD820s etc. sing.

Nice, I've enjoyed mine as well.

 

[Grunt]

I enjoy my Schiit stack, my most recent transition was from the Bifrost 2/64 to Yggdrasil+ OG.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

I enjoy my Schiit stack, my most recent transition was from the Bifrost 2/64 to Yggdrasil+ OG.
View attachment 650691

Nice.

The Yggdrasil is still a little rich for my blood.


How did you like the change? When the Bifrost 2/64 update came out, many reviewers were saying it was so good that it got uncomfortably close to the very much more expensive Yggdrasil in the Schiit lineup.

How did you like that transition?

 

[Nobu]

I enjoy my Schiit stack, my most recent transition was from the Bifrost 2/64 to Yggdrasil+ OG.
View attachment 650691

It Shure looks like a Pyle of Schiit.

 

[Grunt]

Nice.

The Yggdrasil is still a little rich for my blood.


How did you like the change? When the Bifrost 2/64 update came out, many reviewers were saying it was so good that it got uncomfortably close to the very much more expensive Yggdrasil in the Schiit lineup.

How did you like that transition?

Living in SOCAL in San Diego County, I attended the SOCAL Can Jam back in September of 2023 to listen to some different headphones (ZMF), DAC’s, and headphone amps. Schiit had a table and they brought the Mjolnir 3 (MJ3) amp and it was connected to an Yggdrasil+ OG DAC. I brought along my headphones and once I listened to the above combination, I knew that I was going to purchase it. I first received the MJ3 and it took 3 months to receive. I connected the MJ3 to the Bifrost 2/64 and it sounded good but it was not what I remembered at the Can Jam. Then hearing from Jason Stoddard that the Yggy+ OG was going away, I bought the Yggy+ OG. I was worried at first but there is the 15 day return window. The Yggy+ OG really increased the sound, and the depth. With out sounding corny, if I closed my eyes, it was as if I was sitting in front of the musicians at a concert. My wife of over 37 years tolerates my passion for music and she even admitted to listening to the MJ3 and Yggy+ OG there was a better presentation of the music. I will say this, the BF 2/64 DAC is no slouch but the Yggy+ OG is better in my opinion.

I have included some pictures from the SOCAL Can Jam.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Well, my Ragnarok 2 arrives tomorrow, and I'm a little worried I'm not going to be able to fit it

16” x 13” x 3.875” is freaking huge.

I'll have to move the Lokius to the left and stack it on top of the Bifrost.

The Ragnarok 2 should fit under the screen bezels height wise but it will go right up against the wall in the back and still stick out to my mouse way more than I am used to.

The screen on the right will be the problem. I'll have to get creative with that foot as if I put the amp over it, it won't fit under the screen. Maybe if I rotate the foot around 180 degrees to get it out of the way it will work?

I hope the screen is still stable with the foot on the back. Maybe I'll have to get a clamp and clamp it down to the desk to avoid tipping.

 

[uOpt]

Hope you enjoy it, Zarathustra.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Unit arrived today. Temporary setback.

I'm foiled by 1/4"

Looks like the dimensions posted on the webpage are wrong (or they measured without the feet) as this is definitely not 3.875" tall.

I don't think there is any way for me to fit this under my monitors as intended.

Going to have to figure something else out, and this "something else" is probably going to require longer XLR cables.

In other words, I'm an Amazon delivery timeline away from actually getting it up and running.

 

[Darunion]

Unit arrived today. Temporary setback.

I'm foiled by 1/4"


Looks like the dimensions posted on the webpage are wrong (or they measured without the feet) as this is definitely not 3.875" tall.

I don't think there is any way for me to fit this under my monitors as intended.

Going to have to figure something else out, and this "something else" is probably going to require longer XLR cables.

In other words, I'm an Amazon delivery timeline away from actually getting it up and running.

Could put bigger feet on your monitors. Or bracket it under the desk