Schiit Vidar Impression Thread - UPDATED WITH REVIEW (CHECK FIRST POST)

Discussion in 'Power Amps' started by Rotijon, Jul 17, 2017.

  1. Brian D

    Brian D Facebook Friend

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    I have 2 Vidars, one bought the first day they came out and the other about 4 months ago. When I was moving them around, I noticed one had a slight rubbery "clunk" when rocked front to rear, while the other was quiet. The one that clunked is the quieter of the two in use. It seems I remember Jason mentioning that the mounting scheme for the transformer was changed slightly. I'm very happy with the amps though.

    Going to the intro thread now.
     
  2. zonto

    zonto Friend

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    Which one had the clunk?
     
  3. Brian D

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    Ahh I wish I could be sure, I'm pretty sure the newer one is the one that clunked(quieter in use) but I can't be sure. The serial numbers are oddly pretty close together, which doesn't make sense considering the time span that I bought them in. The second one was actually bought during the "glitch" period, they shipped me one and then had me ship it back immediately and have it replaced.
     
  4. Josh358

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    Well, I found a solution to my transformer hum issue. It's called the Thor Precision Vidar Dehumifier, and it's a constrained layer damping system with eight ounces of mass divided precisely between a carefully-tuned neoprene damping assembly and a finely-crafted hardwood stabilizer arm, with mass, moment arm, and compliance all carefully optimized to reduce the Q of the cover resonance, rendering the hum inaudible at the listening position.

    [​IMG]
     
  5. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Did you ever lift the cover and check the screws securing the power transformer to the chassis?
     
  6. Josh358

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    I did. The screws weren't loose, but they weren't tightened down all the way -- they apply pressure to a lockwasher. I assume this is by design so as not to apply too much force to the rubber shock absorbers below. I did find that I was able to minimize the hum temporarily by tweaking them a bit, but it soon came back and I don't want to do more until I hear from Schitt before I make any significant changes.

    By the way, tongue-in-cheek post notwithstanding, the mallet really does seem to have solved the problem, which isn't so much the vibrating transformer itself -- that can't be heard at the listening seat -- as the fact that the cover resonates and acts like a sounding board. I've seen amplifiers that used a foam block between the top of the transformer and the cover to prevent this, and was thinking of trying that on mine. In the meantime, the Thor has the problem under control. :)
     
  7. Senorx12562

    Senorx12562 Case of the mondays

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    Ironically, the hammer is mjolnir.
     
  8. Josh358

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    I'd use one, but it's a very expensive paperweight. :)
     
  9. dirt

    dirt New

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    Could you remove the cover and place small "O" rings around the screws, effectively de-coupling the cover from the chassis?

    My Sonographe SA250 has a thin cover. I keep a doubled 4 inch tile (sandwich with silicone filler and a cork base) on top. Seems to damp well.
     
  10. Josh358

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    Thanks, interesting idea. I'd been thinking of putting a small block of rubber on top of the transformer to damp the top. But I still want to talk to Schiit first -- just haven't had time to deal with it this week, so left the mallet on top. I'm sure I could use a paperweight or something on top of a sheet of rubber, but I'd rather this got a proper fix!
     
  11. Kratos

    Kratos New

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    Hi Josh. I signed up to ask what happend with your vidar. Still having that hum or did you talk to schiit? I have a vidar too and have/had the same problem.
     
  12. Derf

    Derf Acquaintance

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    I don't have any thorough impressions yet but I purchased my Vidar in mid April and just got a chance to listen. No trouble with hum or noise. Just wanted people to know who were hesistant to try it because of the recent issues.
     
  13. HotRatSalad

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    I'll have one in a week or so and will report any hum.
     
  14. Kratos

    Kratos New

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    I did/have (mechanical) hum. I've been emailing with schiit a lot over the past few weeks. They were nice and helpful and offered to return the item. But the shipping costs are rather high. So I kept trying to eliminate or at least reduce it. I didn't believe that the transformer was faulty. So after a lot of tryings I opened it and removed the long 4 top screws, switched it on an the noise was practically gone. Note, the T seems to be fixed even without the screws, but I still wouldn't use it without. So it wasn't a matter of a bad T, but just of the mounting. Long story short, the thing to do would be to check if it's a matter of a faulty item or just of a not well designed mounting.
     
  15. Brian D

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    Thank you for posting Kratos, I got off my butt yesterday and did the same thing, My amp also had the phillips head screws and lockwashers installed, since I know the amp isn't going anywhere I went ahead and reinstalled the screws minus the washers and left them about 2mm above the transformer. So far so good. I did notice that the picture on Schiit's website shows a different method is used now, looks like studs with sorbothane washers and nuts on top now.
     
  16. schiit

    schiit SchiitHead

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    Actually, the website shows the old mounting method, which was a pain in the butt to implement, and allowed for enough physical movement of the transformer that we decided to go to a mounting system that uses risers and Sorbothane blocks.

    And, again, if you're having problems with mechanical hum, don't assume that the transformer is right and the mounting system is at fault. All Vidars are checked for mechanical hum before they leave, before and after burn-in for at least 24 hours. If yours is humming, you may have DC on your AC line, high AC voltage, very bad AC (square-wave-like behavior), or it may be that it's simply a bad transformer. Best to check your AC, then contact us if it remains a problem. We'll get it taken care of.
     
  17. Brian D

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    Thanks Jason, I stand corrected. As I mentioned before I have 2 Vidars, before yesterday one was very quiet and one had a low level hum that could be heard when standing in the room. Since yesterday they are both very quiet, the one I opened up may be slightly louder but it's quiet enough that I am satisfied. I'm real happy with the amps, and my system in total.
     
  18. Kernel Kurtz

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    Hi folks, first post. Been reading lots of threads on the interwebz about Schiit in general and Vidar in particular. Lots of complaints in this thread so I just thought I would post something positive for a change. I'm a "budget audiophile", so I can't compare it to any real high end gear. I got my Vidar and Saga recently and it is replacing a vintage Sony TA-E86/N86 pair (and before that a Rotel RA-2030), using a Modi Multibit for input and driving a pair of Def Tech bipolars in a partially treated room. All I can say is wow! No complaints here. No hum, no sound at all with no source playing. Really clean sounding and power to spare in my small listening room. And Saga is my first device with a tube LOL, so looking forward to playing with that.

    All in all I'm super happy with the performance for the price. Now that $1100 US, with shipping, taxes, and exchange actually came out to $1800 CDN. That said, I was ready to pull the trigger on a Rotel RA-1572 (about $2200 CDN all in), and I'm glad I changed my mind. I give up the 32 bit DAC, which I don't care about as I only listen to 16/44 sources, and I think I got a way better amp in the end.

    Anyway, this is an impression thread, so that is my impression. I have a pre-owned pair of MG12s coming next week, and I fully expect to be blown away with that combo. Thank you Jason and co for the great value in sound. Keep up the great work!
     
  19. HotRatSalad

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    Finally have time to mess with new gear. Saga/Vidar/Modi Multibit. So far all I can say is with same old speakers but it sounds like a speaker upgrade !

    I do have the vidar hum though but I have to get down and put my ear down near the bottom of my audio rack where it is sitting to hear it. Is this of any concern ?
     
  20. schiit

    schiit SchiitHead

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    If you're talking about mechanical noise from the chassis, most large transformers (like the one used in Vidar) will have some mechanical hum. If you can't hear it from the listening position, you're fine. If you can, refer to my previous post and have your AC line checked by an electrician.

    If you're talking about loud hum through the speakers, you may have a ground loop. If the hum goes away with only Vidar connected to the speakers (no source connected), then you either have a ground loop or noisy source. If you have a ground loop, try plugging Vidar into a different outlet, or use something like an EbTech HumX to eliminate the problem.
     

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