Schiit Ragnarok Reviewed Ecstatically In Stereophile ....

I'm curious, have you heard the amp @Lester Best?

I'm not exactly a Schiit fanboy but I do own a couple of their products. I don't go around recommending their products much but have occasionally. Based on your comments in this thread I get the impression that you don't know much about them, this amp, or their history. You might want to look at their resumes.

Mike Moffat designed stuff for Theta prior to helping found Schiit. He also helped design Mobile Fidelity's ADC for their "Gain System" along with Nelson Pass.
Jason Stoddard came from Sumo.

I don't care if you have no interest in their products but some of the things you are saying in this thread do not jive with their products or their resumes.

So unless you have heard the Ragnarok then I would give much more credence to Stereophile's review then yours.

 

It might look good, it might sound excellent but there is no way on earth I would buy or own a product with that stupid stupid name. Some people might think I am being unreasonable but honestly how many people are gonna tell their non Audiophile friends , " Oh I bought a headphone amp , **** audio!".

 

I feel bad for just complaining that their gear isn't in black. But this...
I tell my friends all the time the name of the company. They think it's hilarious.

 

The Ragnarok is available in black........

 

One down. One to go. Need me a remote. Hoping I can get a Black Gumby.

 

"However, it is not good at distinguishing continuous tones from runaway bias—therefore, it continuously adjusts the bias down in the presence of a standard preconditioning test."

Play minimal electronic music with pure tones = blown amp??

 

You have the perfect opportunity to not buy one.

 

"So unless you have heard the Ragnarok then I would give much more credence to Stereophile's review then yours."

By all means please do. However, it was from Stereophile that I gleaned the lame design. I was rather amused when the mfg mentioned Krell as using sliding balance. Krells never had 34% THD, current starving, or 5 to 6 min recovery time. Krell is Major League. Ragnarok is B Ball @ best.

 

Herb seems to Hyper a lot. He's a decent writer but I wouldn't buy any thing based on his reviews.

 

Couldn't agree more!

 

It is an amp that would cause severe audiophilia nervosa if that is something you are this concerned about. I'd suggest that you don't buy the amp. It could cause a severe psychological disorder. Every time you heard or suspected that the music contains a sustained frequency you'd be wondering if the amp is going out of control and increasing the THD to unacceptable levels and could take six minutes to recover. It would be audiophile hell listening to that amp in a state of audiophilia nervosa.

The amp has been out and available for about a year and a half. People haven't been having problems with the amp going out of control and getting up to 34% THD while listening to music. People haven't been complaining about even very small increases in THD and the associated recovery time while playing music. There are audiophiles listening with headphones that are very sensitive to increases in THD (like the HD800). Nobody is complaining. In fact, a lot of them like the amp. This is a non-problem for music material. Even electronic and pipe organ. I happen to listen to electronic music and LOTS of pipe organ. That hasn't scared me away from considering the amp.

The amp also has a 5 year warranty. If it was an amp that was so on the edge of meltdown and failure they wouldn't warranty it that long.

 

The review is a little over the top in enthusiasm.

If people get sucked in and try the amp and then return it there could be some B stock amps available soonish.

 

If anyone wants a summary about the how and why Schiit does what they do the way they do, here is a post by Baldr (Mike Moffat from Schiit, the guy who designs the DACs) on Head-Fi three weeks ago explaining some of the why: Post 599 from What a long, strange trip it's been. Not everyone will agree. And that point is made in the post. But the results mean that I'm listening to an absolutely awesome $1200 DAC right now. If that DAC was instead $3000 there is no way that I'd be listening to it right now. $3000 is beyond what I can consider. At that price it doesn't matter how good it sounds because I can't buy it. And there you have the magic of Schiit.

 

I can't wait for their future products. Particularly a speaker driven by Ragnarok. Maybe they'll go active & put the Ragnarok puppy in the speaker.

 

"Penetrating my flesh deeper than spears or arrows was how the Ragnarok pushed sound out of the speakers...”
Speakers don’t push sound out of speakers, speakers draw the signal from the amplifier..

 

Maybe they have some northern gods inside the Ragnarök, pushing and pushing.

 

In my experience, that would be a mistake. Because of Herb, I've never been happier with a gear purchase than I am with my LM amp

 

Based on Herbs review I would love to audition this amp. Schiits design approach seems odd but I'm most concerned about how it sounds, which could be very good. Audio gear is related to the ear correct?

 

very interested. Its been considered some of the best SS amp for headphones and almost as good more expensive tube amps, and if its also really good for speakers, i could see myself getting this for my hd800 and speakers.
I do find it a bit scary how bad it measure when you push it too far.

 

@ the end of the day it's a 40W/C amp. Probably, 4 ohm spkrs are to be avoided

 

I consider my audio gear musical instruments. Specs and measurements are only a guideline. There is lots of gear out there that measures poorly but sounds fantastic. If you won't buy an amp based on what John Atkinson said, or audition it unbiased.....I feel sorry for you ! Or if it isn't pretty to look at you won't buy it. From Herb's review I would audition it. Who gives a Schiit about specs and measurements. ? Not me really ! My favorite speakers are homemade. They look like homemade speakers, they sound beautiful to me....How would they measure ? Probably awful ! They make music as designed to. Who gives a Schiit about specs.....not me ! Go listen to the Ragnarok unbiased and then let me know what you think of it. Herb listened to it before John measured it ! And loved it !

 

I'm still waiting for Herb not to think what he is reviewing isn't the greatest thing since Edison and tin foil.

 

Wow, an audio company with a sense of humor. How refreshing in an industry that takes itself way too seriously while it offers snake oil to people with more money than common sense.

How can you hate a company that has napkins like these?

 

........

 

Jason Stoddard has posted two responses on Head-Fi in regards to the Stereophile measurements

Longer response: New Schiit! Ragnarok and Yggdrasil - Page 611 »
Cliffs Notes version of the response: Schiit Happened: The Story of the World's Most Improbable Start-Up - Page 704 »