Schiit Aegir Power Amp Impressions

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

  1. Kernel Kurtz

    Kernel Kurtz Friend

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    This is true with the Vidars as well IMHO. The warmer they get the better they sound.
     
  2. HotRatSalad

    HotRatSalad Friend

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    Yep but it seemed like vidar needed longer honestly. Maybe a couple hours or more.
     
  3. Orange5o

    Orange5o New

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    Would Triangle BR08's be OK with 2x Aegir in mono? They are 92 sensitivity and 8 ohm but appear to dip to 3 ohm at minimum. Would not be driven loudly and listening space is not very big.
     
  4. Pocomo

    Pocomo Friend

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    Have you already tried a stereo Aegir setup? Seems like your requirements would fit better with just one?
     
  5. Orange5o

    Orange5o New

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    How so? Was thinking dual mono for more wattage, and more specifically, to run balanced.
     
  6. Entropy

    Entropy Facebook Friend

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    Balanced? Do you need to make long runs (over 20 feet) to the amp(s), or deal with a lot of possible interferance?
    The low minimum impedance of the Bro8's will mean that the aegirs may struggle to deal with them... Iirc by bridging the aegirs you'd cut the impedance load in half, pushing an amp not rated for 2 ohm (Ie, bridged 4 ohm) operation to 1.5ohm minimums. Luckily the Bro8's are pretty sensitive, so that means if you're set on the aegir, it might be wise to try one if you can, or to just get a more powerful amplifier, perhaps a preamp with a tube stage to smoothen the top-end if that's what you're looking for
     
  7. Pocomo

    Pocomo Friend

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    Agree with @Entropy that you would be pushing the impedance into the danger zone for the bridged config, plus if you are listening at moderate levels on a 92db speaker 20 watts should be plenty. You could just buy one to try, and get a second if you felt you needed more power.

    Just my .02 :)
     
  8. StageOne

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    I've run two Aegirs in mono for about 3 years with a pair of Spatial Audio M3 Sapphires. They are close in sensitivity, 92db, but differ in ohms, 4 and dip to 2.8 or so. I've never had any issues triggering the protection circuit and they get plenty loud. I can't guarentee they'll work with your speakers but they could be worth a shot.
     
  9. Orange5o

    Orange5o New

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    Thank you. Was thinking balanced because already using the single ended output on my pre. Will have to do some thinking on it.
     
  10. Orange5o

    Orange5o New

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    turns out single aegir is not enough juice. At least not in tube mode on the Freya N.
     
  11. AdvanTech

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    Dual mono will be more juice but, even then, I never found it to be particularly good in the low end, if that's important to you.
     
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2023
  12. Orange5o

    Orange5o New

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    It is, but also going dual with these will be a struggle with the ohm dip. Really don't want a Vidar as I wanted the warmer, lusher sound of Aegir and don't have room for Tyrs. Dang
     
  13. AdvanTech

    AdvanTech Friend

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    FYI, going dual mono Aegir also takes away some of that sweetness a single stereo Aegir has. Can you make room for Tyrs? :D
     
  14. Orange5o

    Orange5o New

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    Not really! It's a smaller listening space for the next couple years so may just do a vidar until I move
     
  15. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    Has anyone compared Vidar OG to Vidar 2 directly? I was wondering if Vidar 2 comes closer to the sweetness of the Aegir. I really like the sound of my Aegir but sometimes I just need a little more power.
     
  16. Serious

    Serious Inquisitive Frequency Response Plot

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    Schiit Aegir impressions (vs Ragnarok v1.0)

    [​IMG]
    (most of my plants are outdoors atm)
    Using MOTU M4 as DAC/Pre. TRS balanced into Ragnarok and SE into Aegir...

    So my Ragnarok arrived back from repairs. It must've been very frustrating repairing it as there were multiple issues and in the end half of the amp is new. I asked Schiit if they could keep the old V1.0 THT board instead of swapping the board for a V1.5 SMD board and they actually did it! That is some crazy service!

    I did so because comments that the newer ones sound warmer made me want to keep mine and from memory it certainly doesn't sound warmer. If anything it sounds slightly leaner now. Maybe a case of needing burn in now or a case of it being partially broken for a longer time before it ended up in smoke. Plus it already sounded less lean when I made sure to plug in the power plug the right way around (this is a thing in Germany).

    Tried them both on the Hathor and Amon.
    I'll make it short: I prefer the Ragnarok.

    Ragnarok advantages:
    • Significantly more resolving with both speakers
    • Microdynamics seem to be a bit better. Macrodynamics similar.
    • Slightly clearer/cleaner
    • More control on the 85dB Hathor. On the Amon it's a tie, both amps have plenty of power for these 100dB/2.83Vrms speakers
    Aegir advantages:
    • Stage seems marginally more precise, but also less wide and a tiny bit more depth. Honestly the differences aren't large.
    • More neutral: Better bass extension, midrange sounds more neutral. Treble tone is debatable as I like the way the Ragnarok renders treble, but I think most would prefer the Aegir. Warmer overall.
      Ragnarok has this upper midrange emphasis that I think many wouldn't like, but I don't mind.
    Also:
    • Character stays more similar between low and high SPL. Ragnarok seems to maybe hit a wall at some point and turn ugly. We're talking somewhere between 30 and 100W into the Hathor, though. 100-105dB into these 85dB speakers.
    • I have a hunch it has less issues with the 3 Ohm impedance of my Amon speakers than the Ragnarok. Seems quite stable.
    • So overall despite the lower power rating it doesn't really translate quite like that. Both amps are more similar than different in their subjective output.
    Some extra thoughts:
    • The Aegir is the more agreeable sounding amp from its tonality. It's the more chill, but also more boring one.
    • Both amps are super smooth, but the Ragnarok may actually be the smoother sounding one.
    • Ragnarok has more stable/precise Z-axis imaging.
    • Power draw is pretty much the same: 60W idle each. 10W on standby for the Aegir. However the Aegir seems to be more efficient, seemingly draws less power for the same SPL.
    • Both amps seem quite dependent on power quality, but maybe the Aegir extra so. I have a battery powered 230V source that outputs a really clean sine and "balanced power" and both amps sound cleaner and have more control with it.
    • Aegir is marginally more noisy. I haven't measured, but simply holding up my ears to the Voxativ drivers the noise is as evident on the Aegir as on the Ragnarok on high gain, despite it having less gain. Plus some hum on the left channel and from the amp itself. Nothing that is bothersome, though.
    • Both amps need maybe an hour (or two) to sound their best. Maybe less on the Aegir.
    Other thoughts on the Aegir:
    • It gets hot despite the fins.
    • It switches on really quickly and the button at the front is a welcome addition.
    • I think it looks cute :D

    I wouldn't go searching for a used Ragnarok, though. Who knows how many would end up needing repairs like mine did. And the Ragnarok 2 seems to have lost some magic from reports. So I guess the Aegir makes sense.
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2023
  17. Armaegis

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    Getting two for a dual mono config seems like the 'easy" answer :cool:
     
  18. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    I've considered that but my speakers are 4 ohm. That and I bought my Aegir from the first batch and there have supposedly been some small changes since then. I'm not sure if they would sound different enough to cause an issue. I also would like to get an amp big enough to run virtually any speaker I might rotate into the system in the future.
     
  19. AdvanTech

    AdvanTech Friend

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    Sadly, dual mono Aegirs took away some of that sweetness of a single amp.
     
  20. Serious

    Serious Inquisitive Frequency Response Plot

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    @AdvanTech asked me to clarify regarding the Aegir bass performance, since I mentioned that it extends deeper than the Ragnarok. He felt the Aegir hits "like a wet noodle" and I now think he's right. Both amps aren't that special in the bass department, however.

    I tried it again with some special tracks that actually extend into the 20Hz region. Mostly crazy electronic stuff like some Infected Mushroom tracks.

    I only listened with the Amon, so lack of power shouldn't be an issue. Besides, there aren't really many speakers that have both -3dB at 25Hz in room and a 98-100dB sensitivity.

    From the power grid (ca 3% THD):
    • Aegir is bloomier, even somewhat blurry or simply less textured and does indeed not hit as hard as the Ragnarok
    • The bloominess is what made me feel like it extends deeper or rather the inherent warmth
    • In that way it reminds me a bit of the PAP woofers I had a while ago, though it's not nearly as bad as those woofers
    • Ragnarok is leaner and meaner, but it has more impact and it also extends well
    • Aegir is more mellow overall
    • imaging from the Ragnarok is more defined

    From the battery (less THD; balanced power):
    • Less audible transformer hum
    • Both amps clean up nicely, but the Aegir more so
    • Despite the limited power output both amps seem to hit harder here
    • The whole sound becomes more defined, including the imaging
    • Still, the Ragnarok sounds more defined
    • A sweeter tone from the Ragnarok
    • Aegir is defnitely more one-note in the bass, but also has more bass in general
    • Ragnarok still has quite a bit more impact despite having less bass. The kind of impact that can be felt in your stomach.
    • Sadly the Ragnarok also images somewhat better
    The caveat is that this is with the SE out of the M4 into the Aegir and the BAL out into the Ragnarok, but I really think the Aegir is more mellow and the Ragnarok is meaner, tighter. I think it's a characteristic of the amp. Aegir seems like a good choice for biamping, but as a standalone amp I'm not sure I'd recommend it.

    I haven't tried special feet, which can sometimes do wonders for the sound and considering how ringy the cooling fins of the Aegir are it might make a difference.

    I briefly tried it on the Hathor and the lack of power was more obvious to me this time. Aegir likely feels most comfortable with speakers in the 95-105dB/W range.
    Still, even in that case it's a noticeable step up from the Topping PA3s Infineon Meross Class D amp. It just doesn't wow me quite like the Ragnarok. But considering size and price it seems a good compromise.


    Overall I think I will stick with the Ragnarok for a bit. It ticks most of the boxes that are important for me. My next step up would be getting an ORFAS style tube amp for my Amon speakers, but I would want something mean and lean, not something mellow and warm sounding. For example when I directly compared the Voxativ SET amps to my Ragnarok at the Voxativ HQ a few years ago I honestly preferred the Ragnarok for its neutral sound and transients, while keeping much of the "magic" or microdynamics that the tube amps had. The Voxativ amps were simply too warm sounding for my liking.

    @crazychile can you elaborate on the changes? This is a newer Aegir from April 2023, IIRC, S/N 660-ish.
     

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