Schiit Asgard

[Smeggy]

I know just the pico DAC you're looking for...

Wait, do those stupid airport things have USB?

[Smeggy]

looks like judes one arrived and he's started a thread on it

Schiit Asgard: Unboxing and First Impressions - Head-Fi.org Community

[jjinh]

looks like judes one arrived and he's started a thread on it

Schiit Asgard: Unboxing and First Impressions - Head-Fi.org Community

I thought he already had both schitties as he uploaded this crappy iphone pic yesterday of a naked valhalla next to the asgard.

[bozebuttons]

These guys are longtime audio groundbreakers they are not newbees at this. Great that they are getting their feet wet in the headphone amp game.

[luvdunhill]

ha!

Cool Looking Schiit - Page 3 - Head-Fi.org Community

[wgb113]

I know just the pico DAC you're looking for...

Wait, do those stupid airport things have USB?

They have USB but it's only for printers. They also have optical out...which is what I would use...

[Jason Stoddard]

Hey guys, just a quick hello from one of the founders of Schiit.

First of all, thanks for the positive feedback and well-wishes--and for the negatives as well. It'll be interesting to hear what you think of the sound, once some of the units are out in the community!

Sorry for not specifying the gain earlier, I need to run and update the site (and probably some of the FAQ as well.)

And--just to be clear--hopefully we're not coming off as the be-all and end-all of headphone amps. But we do think we produce really good products at competitive prices. And we like to have some fun in the process . . .

[n_maher]

Welcome to Head-Case, Jason.

[The Monkey]

Hey guys, just a quick hello from one of the founders of Schiit.

Welcome! Glad you're here.

And--just to be clear--hopefully we're not coming off as the be-all and end-all of headphone amps. But we do think we produce really good products at competitive prices. And we like to have some fun in the process . . .

I don't think you're coming off that way at all. And it seems like the fun tone resonates with people. I am curious how you settled on the name.

[Beefy]

Hey guys, just a quick hello from one of the founders of Schiit.

Welcome!

Saw the internal photos on Head-Fi...... looks like you have dual LM3** (or fixed?) regulators for the power supply, a pair of paralleled MOSFETs at the output of each channel, and a handful of JFETs or BJTs in between. Anything I've missed or got wrong?

Looks really great for the price point. I suspect it will be far better than the OPAMP+BUF634 of something like the Corda Swing.

[Smeggy]

I have wifey putting in an order for the Asgard today so the deed is done

Very much looking forward to getting it and putting it through it's paces. I'm sure it'll be perfect for my purposes.

Welcome to headcase guys and I hope you do well.

[Dusty Chalk]

I like 'em already. They give good web.

[faust3d]

I like how the amps look, and I like the name. If they sound good I might get the SS one for the office

[tyrion]

Jason, welcome! Any chance you tried the ss amp with a JH 13?

[dsavitsk]

Judging from the vague description, and from the number of parts in the internal pics, I'd wager that this is the basic topology. If so, this is basically a Melos SHA-1 built from solid state parts. If not, then someone should build this -- extra credit for adding a servo to DC couple the output

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3251[/ATTACH]

... I may have to build this -- not sure why I haven't done it before

[Jason Stoddard]

Hey all, thanks again for the well-wishes and the questions! I figured I'd stop by and answer some of them.

First, the genesis of the name: it seemed like fun, and it was unforgettable. We knew some prospective customers wouldn't be able to get over it. Which is totally cool--there are plenty of amps on the market, many of them very good.

Second, on the topologies: you're reasonably close, but many of the details are different. I will say that there's no "magic" in the topology of either of our amps, and that there are no IC regulators . . . but I hope you won't be offended if we don't just give out the schematic, though. $249 is a pretty low price if you feel like reverse-engineering, and if you can make them and sell them for less, then hey, we'll have to get even more competitive. Everyone wins!

Third, I haven't heard our amps with the JH 13--I wish I was able to give you a better answer.

Finally, just another bit of info that might help everyone decide if Schiit is for them or not. We've been asked about special editions, higher end parts, tube rolling options, upgrades, etc. Unfortunately, what we have to do to keep costs low and build in the US is standardization. So, I'm afraid an Asgard will be an Asgard, a Valhalla will be a Valhalla, and there won't be any "Asgard Plus" or "Valhalla Ultra." This isn't a slam on companies doing customization, or on you guys who love to tweak and get the best out of your gear--it's just how we have to operate.

Of course, there will be a time to update the designs in the future, and (hopefully) to introduce new products. We're still trying to decide what to do next . . .

[agile_one]

Thanks, and welcome, Jason. I like your straight talk, and no bs approach.

[Smeggy]

At the price of the Asgard, I'm not gonna complain or worry about what's in it. I'm just gonna enjoy it for what it is. You guys aren't n00bs at this so I'm just gonna go with my gut.

[MASantos]

These look really nice and the price is really amazing!! Not being american I don't really care about all the made in the USA thing, but I certainly understand a am for supporting one's country economy and so kudos to you. I wish you all the best and would really love to heard one of these! Are you planing on selling these in Europe?

[spritzer]

Second, on the topologies: you're reasonably close, but many of the details are different. I will say that there's no "magic" in the topology of either of our amps, and that there are no IC regulators . . . but I hope you won't be offended if we don't just give out the schematic, though. $249 is a pretty low price if you feel like reverse-engineering, and if you can make them and sell them for less, then hey, we'll have to get even more competitive. Everyone wins!

You don't have to worry about our interest in the circuitry having any commercial links. What we are interested in is well designed gear at a fair price and exposing those that are trying to peddle expensive crap in a pretty box. At 250$, I can't see you having any trouble from us.

[Beefy]

Second, on the topologies: you're reasonably close, but many of the details are different. I will say that there's no "magic" in the topology of either of our amps, and that there are no IC regulators . . . but I hope you won't be offended if we don't just give out the schematic, though. $249 is a pretty low price if you feel like reverse-engineering, and if you can make them and sell them for less, then hey, we'll have to get even more competitive. Everyone wins!

Oh, I certainly don't expect a schematic nor have any desire to reverse engineer. But being a hack DIY'er I am keen to learn...... thus I'm guessing that what I thought was voltage regulator ICs are actually the pass MOSFETs of a discrete regulator?

[MASantos]

Following from a previous post, why did you choose to go with a split bobbin transformer instead of a toroidal? Aren't toroidal trafos supposed to have less noise and be a better solution in SS audio applications?

[dsavitsk]

Following from a previous post, why did you choose to go with a split bobbin transformer instead of a toroidal? Aren't toroidal trafos supposed to have less noise and be a better solution in SS audio applications?

Toroids have wider bandwidth and let through HF noise. Split bobbin EIs have a narrower bandwidth and don't, and are thus better for audio.

[Sennsei]

I'm so tempted to order an Asgard to compare to my KICAS Caliente since they're both fully discrete.

[The Monkey]

I like these guys.