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Schiit Asgard 2 & 3 headphone amps. Any experience with?

Old Guy8

Old Guy8

Cliff & Cleo
Subscriber
I'm considering one for Senn 58X and Hifiman HE4XX phones and Tin T2 IEMs (16 ohm, dynamic). For my first dedicated HP amp. I'm leaning toward solid state.
Currently using HP jack on a mid 80's Sony stereo integrated. I can do much better. For a secondary bedroom system.

Asgard 2 a good SS candidate at its price point?
Your experience with one? Schiit has replaced it with Asgard 3.
In your experience, better option than this? Your opinion to your ears.



Asgard 2, I like option of high and low gain switch. 1 watt rms at 50 ohm. Pre outs I don't currently have a need for, but seems a nice feature. Class A. 5 year warranty. No wall wart.

I'll start off with Chomecast Audio - fiber optic - SMSL 6th dac - RCAs - Loki equalizer (if needed) - RCAs - feeding amp. This is a secondary system.
Internet radio now and possibly Spotify or other streaming service in future. I'll be listening to mostly jazz and vocals, not high volume.
 
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Not sure if you looked recently but they came out with an Asgard 3. Asgard 2 are on sale still on their site for $179 but the Asgard 3 is $199 (you can spend more if you want to add a built in DAC, or, I believe, you can upgrade it later if you want). It does provide more power than the Asgard 2.

One of the differences is that Asgard 2 is Class A while Asgard 3 uses their Continuity topology which was used on their Aegir power amp and thus does not run quite as hot as the Asgard 2 (though still warm).

I admit I do not have first hand experience with Asgard line, but I do enjoy my Valhalla 2 (which does not meet most of your needs).

I do wonder if it might be a bit much for IEMs in terms of power. I use Etymotic HF5's with the Fulla 2 which has significantly less power and I find I have very little room to work with on the volume knob before it gets too loud. Then again, I do not listen to music loud.
 
Yes, I saw the Asgard 3 info.
If the amp can't drive all my phones, I could give up driving IEMs, if had to.
 
I am not sure how the Asgard 2/3 handles IEMs. They page says it handles them well. I do like the fulla with my etymotics, I just wish I had more room to work with. Someone else might know better.
 
judsonw said:
I am not sure how the Asgard 2/3 handles IEMs. They page says it handles them well. I do like the fulla with my etymotics, I just wish I had more room to work with. Someone else might know better.
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Thanks for your posts. I've been reading reviews of Asgard 2 and 3.
Also, opinions on thier sound signatures vary quite a bit. Different ears and headphones, not surprising.
Asgard 3 looks to be extensive redesign. Modular dac or phono cards are great ideas.

Considering Asgard 3 with thier basic dac card option, adding $100, for $299. Would free RCA input pair for CD player or other. For a short time Schitt offered an RCA card option, making for two RCA inputs. But seemed to have interference with case. I gather from another forum discussion.
 
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KarlK said:
Doesn't the Rogue Sphynx come with its own internal hp amp or is that optional?
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Yes it does come with internal hp amp. Works fine. I was toying with getting an Asgard for a different room. I have a Sony amp I use in that room for headphones. Going to use what I have.
 
Old Guy8 said:
Going to use what I have.
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It's that sort of attitude that made me discover by chance that vintage amps, or at least many of them, make for excellent hp amps. Heck the Pioneer SX-650 I have in my room sounds better than the $600 Hifiman tube hp amp with planars, and planars are supposedly HFM's domain lol. If they can swing the volts as the saying goes. I think that the current surge in popularity for hp amps has more to do with kids listening to music through cell phones and other lossy formats than anything else. Even nowadays a few otherwise unremarkable (by that I mean mass-market receivers like NAD for example) can muster enough voltage from swing to blow out a headphone membrane. Unfortunately this sort of wiring has become very hard to come by unless you turn to vintage. I figure a 30-lbs "headphone amp" is a little bulky but if it sounds good I don't care. :music:
 
KarlK said:
It's that sort of attitude that made me discover by chance that vintage amps, or at least many of them, make for excellent hp amps. Heck the Pioneer SX-650 I have in my room sounds better than the $600 Hifiman tube hp amp with planars, and planars are supposedly HFM's domain lol. If they can swing the volts as the saying goes. I think that the current surge in popularity for hp amps has more to do with kids listening to music through cell phones and other lossy formats than anything else. Even nowadays a few otherwise unremarkable (by that I mean mass-market receivers like NAD for example) can muster enough voltage from swing to blow out a headphone membrane. Unfortunately this sort of wiring has become very hard to come by unless you turn to vintage. I figure a 30-lbs "headphone amp" is a little bulky but if it sounds good I don't care. :music:
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I'm sticking with my Sony amp from 80"s, for now. Its two button motor volume control works for my planer phones. But does not go low enough for sensitive phones. A 20 db mute button allows use of my non-planer headphones.
 
Old Guy8 said:
I'm sticking with my Sony amp from 80"s, for now. Its two button motor volume control works for my planer phones. But does not go low enough for sensitive phones. A 20 db mute button allows use of my non-planer headphones.
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Yes, I think I didn't make it clear enough that vintage amps work great with planars. Your mileage varies considerably with dynamic phones because with those there are many factors at play. For example my Focal Clear works better with the my HFM hp amp than with any of my Pioneer 50 series vintage receivers, even with the 650 which is the best among them (for headphone use) although with the latter it's still acceptable, if far from optimal.
 
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