Schiit Ragnarok - aka raggy

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by JoshMorr, May 4, 2016.

  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
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    Either way, Ragnarok does have synergy with the PM-1/2 and mods. The Ragnarok's reputation for thin sound may not be warranted. I know that the amp changes slightly over time (toward full bodied - that is a lower-mid emphasis - and with less hard transients). I believe there might have been a second iteration (rolling change) of the Ragnarok too which sounded like this from the get-go.

    The HDVD800 so strongly imparts its own signature that external DACs don't make much of a difference. But that could also be viewed as a good thing.
     
  2. Army-Firedawg

    Army-Firedawg New

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    Thanks so much guys, I really appreciate that! So that about settles it, I'll keep the HDVD800 for a little while until I can afford an Oppo PM-1 (or even the PMx2 mentioned [gonna look into that a bit more for it sounds quite interesting]) when I'll attempt to trade for a Ragnarok which'll be where I complete my amp. search (and I've all but decided on the Yggdrasil as my endgame dac as well).
     
  3. Muse Wanderer

    Muse Wanderer Friend

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    I am wondering whether someone has a solution for the lack of remote volume control on the Ragnarok, that will be soon be used to power my PAP speakers (8 ohm, 94-96 db efficient)

    I don't want to add a pre-amp to the mix unnecessarily as the simpler the audio chain from Yggdrasil to Rag the better. At the moment I would like to stick to Ragnarok rather than consider other options. A future venture into tube-land when my kids grow up may be possible. Digital volume control is also not ideal.

    Looking around the web there are solutions that are a bit archaic...
    https://www.waste.org/~knobs/images/remote_volume/P1010343.JPG
    http://www.chronosmith.com/images/Audio/creek.jpg

    Maybe @schiit could consider a solution to this conundrum. A remote volume control option that sticks to the outside of the Ragnarok and rotates the volume pot via a rubber band or something. Or, just maybe, an upgrade to the Ragnarok, that dare I say could be self-installed.

    Any thoughts about this from the SBAF community or @schiit ?
     
  4. zonto

    zonto Friend

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    Could just wait for Ragnarok 2, which will have a remote (source). No idea when it's coming out though.

     
  5. Muse Wanderer

    Muse Wanderer Friend

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    That quote might also imply that they will add remote functionality to the existing iteration of the Ragnarok. If internal constraints prohibit such an upgrade, at least a gadget that has remote function, sits on top of the Rag volume knob and simply turns the damn knob might do the trick.

    That said, I am eagerly awaiting a Ragnarok 2, maybe with some tubees! :)
     
  6. Dino

    Dino Friend

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  7. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    That sounds a lot like some of the crazy after-market focus pulling mechanisms for DLSR lenses, that exist for film making.

    http://nofilmschool.com/2015/01/lenzhound-open-source-wireless-follow-focus

    *cough*
     
  8. Muse Wanderer

    Muse Wanderer Friend

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    It does look nice but I would rather have something that turns the Rag's knob for me. No issues with signal being muddied by another device. I am looking at something like this...

    and use it with a rubber band to turn the Rag's volume knob. It feels weird to pay so much for a simple rotary motor function though.

    If I have to introduce something in the signal path, I would possibly opt for a proper preamp. Freya, being balanced would pair well with the Rag. However its high gain could cause hum issues issues with very sensitive speakers, even though a FrYggy could be fantastic. Saga on the other hand is single ended, which is not ideal for the Rag.
     
  9. Muse Wanderer

    Muse Wanderer Friend

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    It sounds crazy having to resort to such contraptions. After a year without speakers, I am keen to dive again into the 2-channel world. However I am NOT keen at getting off the couch everytime Mahler decides to blow the freakin orchestra into the stratosphere. A solution is needed even if it is ridiculous.
     
    Last edited: Aug 14, 2017
  10. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    Hey, I am not judging you for considering a Rube Goldberg solution, there's something deeply entertaining about such things- and the wireless focus pullers are very accurate and effective indeed.

    (Also, I'm glad it's not just me who can't always easily find a comfortable and civilised volume for very dynamic works..)

    Incidentally, did you notice the strange layout of the back of that unit?

    [​IMG]

    Y
     
  11. Dino

    Dino Friend

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    I'm stumped. (Other than I wasn't thinking about SE vs Balanced. o_O)
     
  12. Galm

    Galm Still looking for Little Red Riding Hood

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    Hey so guys what actually was this thing? Nothing definitive in this thread...


    Because I have a Ragnarok that looks exactly like that. And nothing at all like the picture on their website... It's got all the little heatsinks and those two bigger capacitors on the left side that aren't on the site. Plus does not have the shit ton of relays on the right side that the site Raggy has.

    I was actually trying to google found nothing, and then just read through this post again now that I own one and was like... Oh, that's it...
     
    Last edited: Aug 17, 2017
  13. Muse Wanderer

    Muse Wanderer Friend

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    Interesting.... need to check mine out when I get back home in 10 days' time. Is the layout easily visible from the air vent on top?

    My Rag is more than 2 years old but got fried last September when, whilst searching for new speakers, I connected it to a pair of Sonus Faber Venere S speakers. A puff of smoke was all I got! The speakers were rated 4ohm and probably had dips of much less. The on-board pc failed to shut down before melt down!

    Schiit Europe couldn't repair it whilst Schiit USA fixed it possibly by changing motherboard. The big question is whether this possible changed layout changes the sound signature or properties. @Marvey did allude in his post above that the Rag tends to sound more full bodied after a period of use and the recent ones from the get-go. Maybe @schiit could clarify this unless it is top-secret stuff.
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2017
  14. Muse Wanderer

    Muse Wanderer Friend

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    I am also interested to know from Raggy owners whether you keep the Rag always on. I used to feel the Rag sounded better when it was left switched on non-stop. Speaker listening showed the subtle difference more... it felt more visceral and engaging to listen to. It was not as blindingly obvious as Yggdrasil though.

    Lately I am switching it off because of, you know, capacitor aging and 40 degrees heat waves amongst other things. However with new speakers inbound I am considering keeping the room heater amp switched on again. Winter's coming anyway!
     
  15. johnjen

    johnjen Doesn’t want to be here but keeps posting anyways

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    I keep my Rok on (and playing) 24/7 and agree that it does sound best that way.
    And yeah when sitting atop a Yggdrasil, which does contribute its share as well, it is a decent area heater.

    Although some might consider the differences as far to subtle.
    But when the entire system is able to reveal those subtleties, especially late at night when everything is quiet, yeah it does make a difference.
    There is an additional visceral aspect to the SQ, once everything is fully saturated and stabilized, that I find most satisfying.

    And I have added a fan to the top of the amp which tends to drop the external temp ≈10-15°, which should help with the continual heat generation issue.

    And mine just had its output section repaired.
    It failed a startup cycle and I smelled the magic smoke wafting in my direction, thanks in no small part due to the fan I'm sure.

    But 1 week turnaround was mighty impressive and that was starting over the weekend.

    I was pleasantly impressed it took so little time.

    JJ
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2017
  16. Muse Wanderer

    Muse Wanderer Friend

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    I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me but the Ragnarok does sound better when left always on. This was only evident when after many months of keeping it on all the time, same as Yggdrasil, I switched it off for a while. As soon as I switched it back on I felt the sound through my Monitor Audio GX100 speakers to be different, less engaging, less nuanced. The Ragnarok, being really good at microdynamics, may be at its best when left on.

    I remember listening to JS Bach's St Matthew's Passion by Herreweghe through speakers and the Ragnarok was completely captivating during the 'always switched on' period. The miniscule gradations in the vibrato of the voices or instruments felt more realistic. It was less engaging, less 'hair raising' experience after I switched the Rag off. I had the HD800S at the time and it too felt a bit different. I still opted to keep the Raggy switched off after it needed repairs (it took around 6 weeks in my case). I will now start to keep it continously on again. I haven't yet evaluated the difference through my Utopias yet. My PAP Voxativs will probably be more resolving and may show this subtle change further, we'll see.

    It is so difficult to eliminate bias though, as the change is so subtle and may only manifest itself after a long listening period switched on. However when I heard it, it was a gut feeling rather than anything specific, that felt real.

    Now the question, if we are right and it's not our minds playing tricks on us, is how long does the Rok need to be on for it to rock?
    Does it attain it's magic after 1 or 2 hours, or maybe 1 or 2 weeks?
    Does it need continous switched on policy like Yggdrasil, as in my case?
    Does it need to have music go through it all the time as @johnjen asserts?
    Is it worth capacitor aging and having a fried Raggy once in a while?
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2017
  17. johnjen

    johnjen Doesn’t want to be here but keeps posting anyways

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    The main reason I keep my Rok (and the entire system) up 24/7, is to 'age' any tweaks I have implemented as quickly as possible.

    But I have noticed that it seems to take ≈ 6hrs minimum, before it reaches full peak performance, but don't quote me on that as I haven't directly experimented/tested this to verify that number.
    But I can say it does take more than just 1-2 hrs of continuous playing before it fully 'comes into its own', so to speak.

    JJ
     
  18. Galm

    Galm Still looking for Little Red Riding Hood

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    Schiit said that the board I have is Raggy 1.5.

    Here's the quote:

    "The Ragnarok was changed over a year ago to version 1.5. At that time, many of the passive components changed from through hole to surface mount. The 1.5 revision made the Ragnarok substantially easier to assemble and more reliable. The space efficiency we realized from the SMD switch removed the need for the analog or power daughter boards. The power ratings and sound signature were unchanged from the original version."

    So that explains the mystery board. I'm not sure why they show the older one on their site still.
     
  19. Lenroot77

    Lenroot77 Friend

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    Just curious if someone can tell me whether or not the Rag benefits from a balanced input? If it does, how so?

    I seem to be seeing both "yes" and "no" while looking elsewhere around the web.


    Thanks much!
     
  20. abraxas666

    abraxas666 Friend

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    Just puchased a Raggy which I just got today. And based on all the reading I did so far, the answer seems to be it does.

    But what if the balanced out from the DAC you are using is worst than its SE?
     

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