Schiit Aegir Power Amp Impressions

Discussion in 'Power Amps' started by rlow, Oct 16, 2018.

  1. Caryking

    Caryking New

    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2019
    Likes Received:
    5
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    Cary, NC
    Anybody tried the Aiger with an older all tube preamp? For instance, a CJ Premier 2, Audio Research SP8..

    previously, I’ve used both of those preamps. I really enjoyed what I got with any amp I used. The big tube sound with a nice solid state has always been to my liking.

    Stacey King
    Cary, NC
     
  2. daledeee

    daledeee New

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2020
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    Iowa
    Hi, Just joined after doing a search of my Aegir which I have owned for 3 months. I thought I would give my 2 cents. I am totally pleased with it. I bought Bob Crites Cornscala and am told they are about 100 dB efficient. I am running a Bluesound Node 2 i directly into the amp. Power is not a problem. I use an electronic crossover and 2 subs with amp. I can drive this system to 115 dB. People talking about buying this amp with low efficiency speakers should look elsewhere unless they don't play it loud. This amp provides a wonderful sound stage, dynamics, quiet and not tiring. The speakers are a great match for this amp. In short, this system WAY overachieves.
     
  3. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,512
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Eastern Iowa
    @daledeee be sure to introduce yourself here:
    https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/new-members-introduce-yourself.17/

    My buddy built a super Cornscala variant and runs his on a 20w Luxman Class A amp. He thinks his are about 101dB efficient based on some crude measurements. Sounds great and at about 3-4 watts continuous, 10 watt peaks it's LOUD. His amp has VU meters so we can watch... One of these days I'll bring my Aegir over, but I would suspect quality between the two is more similar than not.

    I've seen quite a few posts on other forums where guys are trying to run an Aegir or two on inefficient speakers like Maggies and KEFs. Probably lured by the great reviews and low cost. They should probably be looking more at the Crown amp Purr!n has been reviewing in another thread.
     
  4. Aeroaudio

    Aeroaudio New

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2020
    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    Fort Worth Texas, USA
    This is my first post on this site. So let me introduce myself as Aeroaudio. Which as you may surmise makes me an aerospace engineer who is into audio. More specifically, is getting back into audio after being away from it for about 30 years.

    I recently sold my Cornwall speakers which I had owned for almost 30 years, along with my Carver integrated amp. I am now rebuilding a new system starting with some new build Altec model 19 speakers in custom 9 ft.³ cabinets. All drivers are brand new from GPA. The only used components will be the 811B horns. But the pair I found are immaculate condition.

    So what to drive these new Model 19 speakers with? I had always lusted after some Mac tube amps to drive my Cornwall‘s. But funds were limited. Now I have financial freedom the freedom to buy what I always wanted, but realize I am buying an image, not necessarily the best sounding amp.

    I have been strongly considering buying an Schiit Aegir amp (or two) for a couple months, and have even contacted Schiit with questions. But it wasn’t until I came across this thread that I found the information I was looking for. Based on a 25 pages of posts I have just gone through, the Aegir should be a good match for my high-efficiency (99 to 101 dB) Model 19 speakers. Listening in my system will be the final test of course. But thank you all for your input some comments to start me in the right direction.
     
  5. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    7,467
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Winnipeg
    @Aeroaudio
    Greetings from a fellow (technically former) aerospace engineer, and kudos to you for actually reading through the entire thread.

    If you have the funds, McIntosh aren't really that bad to play around with as they tend to hold value fairly well on the used market (so does Schiit gear though) if you grab the established models. Of course, you could also throw a Schiit preamp in front and play with both sets of amps and decide which one you like better.
     
  6. Aeroaudio

    Aeroaudio New

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2020
    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    Fort Worth Texas, USA
    Reading through all the posts, I was amazed at how the topic thread was maintained as well as it was. So many other sites diverge off quickly after just one or two salient posts.

    The new Mac small tube amps appear to be priced on name more than value. The older ones, are more to my taste. But I have to believe that technology has reach the point to where there have to be some good solid state alternatives. And as you said with a Schiit tube preamp like the Freya +, I may be quite happy.

    My plan is currently to start with one Aegir and a Freya +. Then try adding a second Aegir. This is my biggest question that went unresolved in the 25 pages of posts. But I guess it is a personal choice as to which sounds best in a particular system.

    I still like the idea of playing around with some small tube amps. But instead of going with Mac, I may try some old Dynaco or build a kit. Something to do for fun when I retire in a few more years.
     
  7. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    7,467
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Winnipeg
    I'd recommend bi-amping rather than monoblocks if that's an option with your speakers.

    For tube amp kits, I really like Bottlehead.
     
  8. daledeee

    daledeee New

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2020
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    Iowa
    @Aeroaudio I too had not seriously looked into equipment since about 2000!! Gone are the days of the stereo shops at least in our town. It is harder to get help and listen to systems. I just joined this forum as well so welcome. The internet is our salvation since the stores are mostly in big towns. You Tube and forums are very helpful.

    The Schiit stuff is very budget friendly, quality stuff and I love my Aegir.. My speakers sound like about the same efficiency as yours. The Aegir will play the Cornscalas at 105dB all day. Personally, I can't listen that loud for long. I had been using an old AB International Pro 75W power amp that my friend modded a little. It sounded OK but you have to turn it up to really make it bloom. That amp would play the speakers at 115 db with more to go!! The Schiit resolves much better at lower volumes and has much fuller richer bass. That is what surprised me. Bear in mind I have powered subs so I am probably talking about mid bass adding to the sound. Things would change power wise if you don't plan on using subs. The opinions vary on using Aegir as monoblocks. They do not like low impedance. Below 4 ohms.

    The tube Freya I am sure would really be a nice combo. I am currently not using a preamp and using the volume in the software for the streamer. I don't care about multiple inputs.

    It depends on what your budget is. Here are some other amps I have come across.
    • Pass Labs INT 25. Highly regarded. This bench tested over 60W and sounds incredible. about $7K Just came out
    • Pass Labs XA25 A powerful 25W amp. $4900
    • Monarchy Audio. They make a 25W Class A SS amp with zero feedback. I think you can get a stereo amp for about $800 with shipping. He makes mono blocks too.. Been in business quite a while but not a big company. You can also get some used ones. I almost bought one but went with Schiit after Stereophile said it would do 80% of what the XA25 would do.
    • Bob Latino and Will Vincent. Both make improved versions of the Dynaco ST70. This would blow the windows out of your house. These come in kit form.
    • Marchand Electronics. He makes nice crossovers and amps. You can DIY as well. Nice guy, been around a long time and I would trust anything he makes but only have his crossover. The crossover I have has 1985 stamped on the boards and works great.
    • I was thinking of a small tube amp as a swapper just to see what it sounded like. This is where the boutique amps come into play. Decware, and Dennis Had were some I found and highly regarded as well. Some are very low power. Lots of options.

    Other findings:

    Bob Crites told me that the Cornscala was not placement critical. I disagree. It took me a month to get these babies tuned in. At this point these huge Cornwall sized boxes disappear yet hit you in the face with power if you want it. I cringe when I see pictures of speakers close to the back wall and about 6" from the corner(unless designed for corner)

    Room treatments also were a big deal that I had never spent any time with. Corner bass traps and first reflection point sound treatment helped with imaging, bass and just better sound. I still want to experiment some more. I don't know if it was right or not but I just bought foam at the fabric store and covered them with burlap for the first reflection points. I ordered foam bass traps for the corners from Amazon. I have a dedicated room in the basement so I can put these funny looking things all over the place!!

    Streaming: I bought a Bluesound Node 2I streamer/DAC. This is really a pretty nice piece at 549. I unplugged my CD player if that tells you anything. But being never satisfied as most of us are, I am currently talking myself into a Sabaj D5 DAC. This is a new about 450 piece that has a very good rep.


    Wires and cables:

    Opinions vary widely from using lamp cord to $25000 speaker cables. I bought all my stuff for around $500 from an ebay company called Pine Tree Audio. He makes the stuff to order. I ended up with oxygen free interconnects and ribbon speaker wire for about $500 total. Then I spent a couple hundred on Aegir and Bluesound cords.

    Summary:

    I have tried to keep costs under control while still getting good sound. I think I will have about $5000 in my entire setup when done(lying to myself!!) It has been fun. I retired so I have been doing lots of reading and listening!! Enjoy!
     
  9. Aeroaudio

    Aeroaudio New

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2020
    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    Fort Worth Texas, USA
    Thanks for the info Clemmaster. Like you, I am trying to keep my investment down to a reasonable level. My target total is close to yours.
    I miss the old Stereo Shops where I bought my Cornwalls and Carver kit. But I found a vintage audio shop near work where I can get a fix.
     
  10. sonduciel

    sonduciel New

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2020
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    Corvallis Oregon
    Hello Folks,
    Another thread newbie as of today. Like one other recent member, I rather obsessively ran through all 25 pages of this thread after discovering it a few days ago. I have been interested in the Aegir for a couple of months, after acquiring my Tekton Electron SE speakers (junior brother to the Double Impacts). These are 4 ohm rated with a stated spec of "98.82dB 2.83V@1m sensitivity". As we all know, sensitivity specs can be overrated. However, when I demo'd the Rogue Cronus Magnum II amp with these speakers, I couldn't get past 7 o'clock on the volume control before blowing my neighbors away. So I guess they're pretty efficient. When I emailed Schiit about the Aegir vs the Vidar, the rep strongly suggested the Aegir for my speakers. And the descriptions I've read seem up my alley sonically speaking. Probably unlike a lot of forum members, I listen mostly to acoustic music, and specifically small jazz combos and classical chamber music, with occasional symphonies and opera. Of course there is the occasional Pink Floyd and Dire Straights (I'm of that age). Sure,I like strong tight bass like everyone else. But if I can't get the mid-range right, for human voices and strings, nothing else matters.

    I have always had SS electronics in the past, but I've been very interested in tube gear, especially to perhaps soften the rise in the upper mid-range of my speakers. I think the Tekton's were designed with rock music in mind. They have awesome sound-staging and imaging, and great clarity, but so far, I don't like the human voice, choruses, and massed violins with the amps I've tried. The Rogue Magnum was a disaster with my speakers. The Primaluna Evo 400 was better, but had similar problems in the upper mid-range. When I took the PL back to the dealer, he demo'd the Hegel 590 for me. I was amazed at how much smoother and softer it this SS amp was compared with the surprising brightness of the tube PL.

    The other amp that looks interesting to me is the Pass Labs First Watt F7, so I was intrigued to see the discussion of it on this forum, compared with the Aegir. Way back in the 80's, I had a Threshold (Nelson Pass) FET-9 Preamp. I loved the amazing transparency and detail..but it was a bad match with my Thiel 2.0's and Eagle -2 power amplifier. So I finally wound up with a B&K ST-140 mosfet amp, a Stan Warren Superphon preamp, Spica TC-50's, and Velodyne subwoofer, later replaced with a REL T-5. I hope all this isn't too off-topic, but by way of introduction, and sharing where I'm coming from.

    So I ordered an Aegir a few days ago (yes black!), and it's supposed to be here by Friday. Originally I was going to order a Freya + preamp, but after reading through this forum, I'm wondering if a passive SYS is really all I need. I have a Denafrips Pontus DAC on order, but while waiting, I will run my Cambridge DAC in preamp mode, into the Aegir.

    I'm still intrigued by the Pass F7, but if the Aegir will do the trick, then I'll save a ton of $$$.

    Thanks everyone for all the information in this thread; it has helped a lot.
     
  11. 88hht

    88hht New

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2020
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    1
    Location:
    Australia
    Hi, i am really keen on purchasing the aegir, currently i have emotiva gen 3, rme adi2 dac, vta sp14 tube preamp and bordeaux (88db) diy speaker that has accuton midrange and a nice ribbon tweeter. What i have now sounds very clear and powerful but am always wanting to improve sound in an affordable manner.

    Unfortunatly the sp14 preamp is only SE output so i cannot use the aegir in monoblock and was hoping if anyone can provide insight with their impression of bi amp the aegir.

    Thank you
     
  12. Cakecake

    Cakecake Guest

    Any single vs mono Aegir experiences?
     
  13. hifiandrun

    hifiandrun Almost "Made"

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2016
    Likes Received:
    489
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Boston
    Just to share my limited thoughts. The short answer: it depends - sorry if it doesn't help, I know.

    When I tried the Aegir(s) on a pair of KEF LS50, the dual-mono two Aegirs was better then single Aegir - the sound was at least very different. For my dual-mono setup, I used a JBL nano patch as passive volume control (Mogami 2549 wires and Neutrik connectors). For the single Aegir setup, I used a Schiit Saga with tube (Mogami 2549 wire and Amphenol Gold RCA connectors). The source was a Gungnir MB A1 DAC, BNC to PI2AES running picoreplayer. For single Aegir, I used a DIY cable (XLR to RCA) getting the signal from the DAC's XLR output - bypass the summer circuit on the DAC. Now the sound. The single Aegir sounded balanced and I liked it. It just felt that I wanted a bit more power. Two Aegirs in dual-mono gave me a distinctive sound. It was meaty in a good controlled way (powerful with sense of easiness). The mid-range was fuller thus the human voice was rendered better. My first impression was: "I can not believe that the little KEF LS50s can sound this big!" Thus I prefer two Aegirs dual-mono for KEF LS50. Please note that the LS50 impedance dips down to 3.2 ohm. Thus when used as dual-mono amps, each Aegir sees a minimum impedance of 1.6 ohm (3.2 ohm / 2).

    When I tried two Aegirs either bi-amp or dual mono + bi-wire (both used a pair of Kimber 8TC and a pair of 8PR speaker cables) with my B&W N803s, that was a different story. The dual-mono + bi-wire setup had a corrosive harsh mid-range which I didn't like. The bass was powerful but a little too much for my small-to-middle size and boomy room. It is almost to a point I would describe the sound as "weird" or unnatural. Thus for my N803s, I preferred the bi-amp set up. The mid-range sounded fuller. Meanwhile the sound was still extended and detailed. One thing puzzled me was that the N803 dips down to 3.0 ohm, not a big difference than the LS50's 3.2 ohm. But the dual-mono sounded very different to bi-amp. It maybe related to the working mode of the Aegir at a specific moment - Aegir transits from class A to class AB gradually as a function of output. But I don't have an answer. YMMV. Cheers.
     
  14. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,778
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    I posted way back in regards to JBL 4698b, but will succinctly recap. x2 mono - tiny bit more heft, moderately better control. Stereo - warmer, sweeter mids and highs. I didn't need the power and I was willing to trade for the sweeter sound at the expensive of softer lows.

    I might go back to x2 mono using Freya S (Nexus) as pre. Or maybe I will wait for a higher-end Aegir 200Wpc monster monoblock with Nexus.
     
  15. StageOne

    StageOne Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2018
    Likes Received:
    1,121
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    US
    I’ve had my Spatial M3 Sapphires for about 6 weeks now and I’ve been powering them with a single Aegir. The speakers moderately sensitive at 92dB but 4ohms. I was fairly certain a single would be fine as they are rated 8W or greater. The Aegir is fed by a Roon/Pi -> Gungnir MB A2 (Bal) -> Freya S. The room is on the smaller size, 12x12x9 and oddly shaped with a doorway on the wall where the speakers are. Not ideal but I work with what I have.

    The sound is amazing, I was coming from a Elac Unifi tower setup powered by a Vidar and there is really no comparison. This combo is far more detailed and nuanced. The single Aegir has incredible mids and treble, smooth, warm and inviting. The bass is solid and I really didn’t have any complaints.

    For fun I decided a couple weeks ago to swap the Aegir for the Vidar, and wow. The bass was much tighter and with substantial more power/volume. But the trade off was the flat midrange and treble. EDM fans could be happy but I switched back to the Aegir. I reread this thread about 4 times and decided to give monoblocks a try. I know the Aegir is not rated for 4ohm mono but others have has success, not all but some.

    The second amp arrived yesterday and I had a solid 4 hours of listening time last night. For my setup, two was a significant difference. I got much closer to the bass performance of the Vidar but still had the sweeter sounding mids and treble. I did notice as purr1n mentioned the monos are not quite as sweet/warm sounding as a single, but with the M3s I’ll take that trade. They got far more detailed and things like a bell ring are just crystal clear. Everywhere they are just more controlled with better punch. My wife who usually just rolls her eyes at the new equipment, sat and listened to the new setup for a couple hours.

    I have not really pushed the volume yet, but I did manage to see upper 90dBs for a while when testing Hans Zimmer’s Pirates, thanks @toddrhodes for that song! And so far so good, I have not trigged the circuit protection.

    Side note, I’m running the Freya S in Nexus 1x mode as it sounds more natural on these speakers. Nexus x4 mode made the treble a touch edgy and also seemed to have reduced the bass, which seems odd. I’ll continue to try both modes and see how they work with in the mono setup.

    -- Clarified Nexus modes, thanks @yotacowboy
     
    Last edited: Feb 4, 2020
  16. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2016
    Likes Received:
    10,696
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    NOVA
    Home Page:
    IIRC, Freya S is Nexus in both 1x (0dB gain) and 4x (12dB gain), and only passive mode bypasses Nexus. I flip flop between passive and 1x into Aegir monos depending on mood/music.
     
  17. econaut

    econaut Almost "Made"

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2017
    Likes Received:
    266
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    EU
    Could you please elaborate on this (bi-amping two Aegirs)? I think there's nothing about this in the thread except about the combo Aegir/Vidar.

    One would need to use RCA instead of XLR cabling from the preamp then, right?
     
  18. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2016
    Likes Received:
    10,696
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    NOVA
    Home Page:
    Correct, for "vertical" biamping.

    Edit: originally thought vertical, but typed horizontal. Sorry to confuse!
     
    Last edited: Feb 14, 2020
  19. lucser

    lucser New

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2016
    Likes Received:
    16
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    South Korea
    Hi,
    I've gone through all thread and I'm almost ready to order 2 Aegirs reading the amount of good feedback that they are generating.
    Presently I own 2 very different integrated amps: a Cayin KT88 mk2 and a JobInt and 2 sets of Speakers: Tannoy XT8f and KEF ls50. The Cayin is fed from a Holo Spring DAC and JobInt use the internal DAC and both use different RPi /cubox /Odroid C2 based players with different HATs (Pi2Design 502DAC pro BNC out, DIY stack with boards from Iancanada from DIYaudio or USB from Cubox). Playing from an old iMac 27" (2010 model!) using mainly Audirvana to stream to the RPis. Basicaly there are 2 systems used to mainly playing the JobInt with LS50 through the week (short listening due to time constrains) and using the Cayin with Tannoys in the weekend. I'm generally pleased with the system but each chain has some weaknesses: JobInt analog inputs are digitized internally and the Cayin preamp section is good but as read, may be better. First I was thinking to buy a Freya + to use it with Cayin as I have a good amount of 6SN7 tube pairs. But I'm still bothered by the JobInt lack of pure analog inputs so when I've read this tread the Aegir amps start to grow on me. In the past didn't considered power amp setup trying to avoid a separate preamp but now with Freya in the list I'm more tempted to have 2 Aegirs to replace the JobInt.
    While about LS50 plenty info is available, for Tannoy XT8f not many impressions.
    I suppose that they will go well with 2x Aegirs as they are 91db and with 2xAegir they could be drive in any setup (dual mono, biamp). If any member had some experience with the Tannoy xt8f it will be great to hear it. Also any extra advice is always wellcome.
     
  20. econaut

    econaut Almost "Made"

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2017
    Likes Received:
    266
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    EU
    Wait, now I am confused. Isn't vertical biamping using the Aegirs as monoblocks? Thus XLR.

    Horizontal biamping meaning to split bass from treble and both Aegirs feeding both speakers? Thus RCA.
     

Share This Page