Schiit Asgard 3 Headphone Amp with Continuity Output Stage

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by Vtory, Aug 28, 2019.

  1. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    DSHA-3F Ravenswood pricing is US$2800.
    unless you were quoting CAD? ;)
     
  2. jnak00

    jnak00 Friend

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    My bad, I saw $4k somewhere and assumed that was correct.

    edit: I actually saw the $2,800 and read it as $3,800. I'll go lay down for a while.
     
  3. ChaChaRealSmooth

    ChaChaRealSmooth SBAF's Mr. Bean

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    For the record, I also think amps like ZDT Jr (perhaps Shortest Way as well, but I never heard one and am extrapolating from impressions in that thread) would also easily fit in the category of "relatively inexpensive amps that punch above their price point." I'd rather listen to these than some amps that cost over $1k.

    If you really want TOTL performance, save money and buy an ECP/DNA.
     
  4. Senorx12562

    Senorx12562 Case of the mondays

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    TBH, I would rather eat.
     
  5. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    I was looking for an inexpensive AIO for a bedroom setup. How would an Asgard 3 w/4490 fair against MCTH w/sdac? Mostly using with hd650.
     
  6. jnak00

    jnak00 Friend

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    Oh for sure there are other amps out there that punch well above their price. But not too many, and it looks like Asgard fits in that select group.

    I'm with @Senorx12562 , I'd rather eat than spend a bunch more for incrementally smaller gains.
     
  7. Mithrandir41

    Mithrandir41 Friend

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    I actually really like the Hel for around 200 bones. Smooth and powerful.
     
  8. redrich2000

    redrich2000 Facebook Friend

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    Agreed. @ChaChaRealSmooth, I saw in your review picks of the Starlett that you also had a Lyr3. That would be a bit fairer fight for the poor little Asguard 3. Do you have thoughts on how they compare?
     
  9. ChaChaRealSmooth

    ChaChaRealSmooth SBAF's Mr. Bean

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    I've never heard the MCTH, so I can't say. Gut feeling says that the two amps would have vastly different presentations and personal preference would play a much bigger part.

    The Lyr 3 is more laid-back and more balanced (i.e. not as mid-forward) than Asgard 3. Plankton, dynamics, and nuance are a bit better on Lyr 3. However, the Asgard 3 has more "ease" in its presentation and I somehow find it more engaging. In direct comparison, the Lyr 3 almost sounds like it's about to burst at the seams with power delivery (I'm not sure how to describe this).

    Edit: My Lyr 3 experience is just the stock tube. Different/better performance might be possible with better tubes. I don't want to explore this; my experience with tubes is that it's a wild money hole where you can dump tons of money for single percentage point improvements.
     
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2019
  10. Vtory

    Vtory Audiophile™

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    ^
    Agreed.

    Actually both sound more similar than different, compared to other schiit siblings (jot, rag, ...) or different manufacturers (thx, gilmore, etc). I'm sure that anybody fundamentally disliking lyr 3 would draw the same conclusion for asgard 3.

    That said, what @ChaChaRealSmooth described about the difference mirrors my experience. In additions, Asgard 3 had a little edgier transient. Sound stages and backgrounds blacker and more clearly defined. Low level dynamics heard with more discretion. Rendered instrument images had more distinct depth ques (good opt tubes are generally better but asgard 3 is quite acceptable for budget SS in my book). Lyr 3, on the other hand, is more about synthetic, flowing, and continuous presentation. With noticeably better upward macro dynamics (good recordings of jazzes and classics require this while compressed pops not so much), too.

    I seem to like Schiit's current feedback ss gain stages (better than their tube gain stages).

    Note that my lyr 3 experience is mostly from tung sol 6sn7. I also remember that lyr 3 resembled asgard 3 very much with some tubes such as ken rad vt231. Never tested LISST.
     
  11. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    My Lyr 3 was transformed by a PSVANE tube. I wouldn't stop at the tubes schiit sells for it.
     
  12. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Triangulating impressions: when I had Lyr3 and ZDT Jr. to compare, this was an obvious difference; Lyr3 has a way of sounding effortless when dynamics start to ramp up. The presentation stays so clean in the upper midrange and lower treble; uncongested. ZDT Jr. doesn't have the same macrodynamic cleanly delineated but still a wall of sound feeling, but (imho) makes up for it in differentiating microdynamic gradients and inner detail; it's more intimate.

    Further, to push further out of the price envelope, the main reason I picked up (or rather, kept) a T3 is that it does both macro and micro better than both Lyr3 and ZDT Jr. All while keeping (and expanding on) the slightly sweeter presentation of the ZDT Jr. (depending on tubes, of course). Honestly, depending on one's preferences, I could see keeping both Lyr3 and ZDT Jr. for pairing with certain HP profiles, but that seems a bit wasteful for someone only looking to spend $x00, total.

    Oh, edit, Lyr3 running Psvane UK6SN7. Seemed the most synergistic of the tubes I tried.
     
  13. redrich2000

    redrich2000 Facebook Friend

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    Thanks for these. Now we need some more comparisons with similarly priced SS amps: A3 v Jot and THX789
     
  14. pure5152

    pure5152 Friend

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    In case you missed it, I've written some subjective comparisons between the A3 and THX789 a few page back you may find useful.

    Vtory has also mentioned that they prefer the A3 to both the thx789 and A3, specifically:
    Generally feels like the THX789 has sharper/faster transients and thus more microdetail, whereas the A3 just has a more pleasant timbre, better soundstage layering and depth, and better dynamics (esp micro to my ears) -- THX789 feels faster, details-focused, whereas A3 feels more involving, euphonic, _real_ (absolutely love female vocals and live instruments with the A3).

    I know vtory prefers the A3 to the THX789, but I still think they're both complementary and like to switch between the two depending on music/what presentation I want. If I had to choose/keep one, I'd keep the asgard 3 (and saves $200!).

    But yeah, agreed - would love to hear other impressions of this vs other amps like the Jotunheim. (Maybe if someone's in the east bay area with a Jot, we could possibly meetup and compare somehow?)
     
    Last edited: Nov 7, 2019
  15. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Any impressions w/HD800 (or various permutations)? Haven't seen any in the thread so far.
     
  16. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    How's IEMs with the Asgard 3? Andro and Solaris owner here. Was thinking about getting a separate setup again and use the Asgard 3 with DS Card, and most likely Bifrost 2/THX on the other setup.
     
  17. pure5152

    pure5152 Friend

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    Just plugged my Andro into the Asgard 3 to give you some quick/off-the-head impressions:
    • No hiss at low-gain
    • Might get very-slight channel imbalance if you like listening reallllyyy quietly, but at the level I like to listen to there's no channel imbalance
    • Be warned, plugging in directly, the Andros get loud _very_ fast, like only turning the knob a few degrees. The volume pot is very smooth and has great resistance, though, so making minute adjustments is easy. That said, you'll be listening to stuff quiet loudly with the Asgard 3 unless you want to use something like the IEMatch...
    • With a gungnir A2 -> Asgard 3, it sounds punchier and fuller than my other IEM system (the es100 lol, which I love). I guess it plays to the Andro's strengths, as instruments sound full bodied yet with pretty good separation; imaging is great (front-to-back is quite impressive actually), and the soundstage is pretty cohesive. Again, timbre is beautiful (what I feel is a great strength of the A3), especially with vocals and instruments.
    • Aside, but the THX 789 with andros sounds like it has more microdetail, slightly more air up top, and faster transients than the A3. Less wiggle-room with the volume pot (it ramps up in volume fast), which is pretty annoying. I still feel it has less microdynamics than the Asgard 3, which might be why the Asgard 3 sounds more real/euphonic to me? Anything with live instruments/vocals I prefer more on the Asgard 3, and this is a common trend I've noticed with multiple headphones I've listened to it with (VC, VO, focal clear, now Andro).
    Hope these help a little. Do you have specific questions/things you're wondering about @YMO?
     
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2019
  18. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    I like my Andros and Solaris through the THX and Modi 3 setup at my computer desk. Your info helped a lot. I'm worries about how quick it can get loud with the Andros. When I had Mangi 3, it made any IEM too loud when the pot was too low with channel imbalance.
     
  19. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    @YMO why don't more people use the IEMatch with Andro + full size amps?
    in my pairings it allows for more volume pot range without killing dynamics or reducing the expansive sound stage of Andromeda in general.
    WA8 Eclipse + IEMatch + Andro at my work desk remain almost perfect.
     
  20. pure5152

    pure5152 Friend

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    Yeah, it gets loud quite fast, albeit it has great channel balance even when the pot is barely turned.

    It's hard to convey in words how fast it ramps up, so here's a quick sketch I made to visualize it:

    upload_2019-11-23_21-11-37.png
     

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