New Aegir Amplifier from Schiit

Looks interesting. I'm not certain an RCA-XLR cable would work for mono configuration since the company says true Balanced connections only work for mono configuration. I'm still looking forward to reciews

Schiit Audio, Headphone amps and DACs made in USA.

 

Sounds good strait out of the box. The highest temp reading so far was 116 degrees about the same as the Freya pre amp. I use the Loki equalizer to boost the bass of the smaller Klipsch rp600m bookshelf speakers.

 

I wish Vidar had standby mode as well.

 

This amp will play very loud and clear in my 10 x 15 room. I bet the larger Sonus Faber Grand Piano speakers would sound even better with this amp (more bass). I will try them later.

I will say it is the better sounding amp of amps pictured, sound is smooth with more resolution.. I bet using the Denon integrated 2 channel as a pre amp would be lots of fun because of the FM radio and super duper loudness button. Denon worked well with the Prima Luna Prologue 4

 

Even better than the PL?

 

That was going to be my question. How does it compare to the PrimaLuna? (I have that same amp).

 

I just tried this amp with Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home speakers, but I like it better with the smaller bookshelf Klipsch rp600m. Just because this Sonus Faber floor standing speaker has more drivers, does not mean it has more bass. Bass is about the same, but midrange was too forward sounding in my small room. I reconnected and positioned the Klipsch a little closer to wall about 1 foot away to boost the bass and they still image well...sometimes disappearing...even with rock recordings.

I am sure this is not a perfect amp, but it is the most perfect amp I own. With the stock tubes the Prima Luna does not sound as good to me (with my equipment).

I only listened to non audiophile classic rock and modern rock recordings.

I bet the Buchardt s300 would work verywell with this amp. That may be my next purchase.

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I set up my pair of Aejirs 2 days ago. Plenty of power to my Paradigm Studio 100 v.3's.

Sound is really great right out of the box.

I'm feeding from a Freya in tube mode.

Lots of detail, punch, clarity. Just great!

 

A single Aegir would seem vastly underpowered for SF Grand Pianos, not surprised you didn't like that combo.

 

Bump. Where're all the Schiitheads at?

 

YOU ARE SO WRONG. Today I tried a different preamp. The Aegir will drive the Sonus Faber and kicks ass using the pre amp out section of my Denon DRA-37 two channel amp. Sound is warmer and way more dynamic (lots of bass) even when using the smaller Klipsch bookshelf speakers. I did loose a tad (I mean just a tad) resolution and transparency, but sound is WAY better to my ear (richer and more full) using the Denon and its loudness button. I also have a Yamaha 202 that should work pretty good (tape loop out) and with its tone controls. I dare you audio snobs try this.

I thought the Denon sounded good matched to the Prima Luna, but it sounds great when connected to the Aegir. Any interconnect and cable will work!

FM radio never sounded better and this is no bull.




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How warm does it run> I want one..but i have serious reservations...

 

The hottest temp i got it to was 116 degrees. About the same temp as the Freya pre amp. I do not use the stand by mode and simply cut it off using the switch on back.

 

Me too. I haven't noticed any heat issues.

About the same heat as the Freya and Moljnir2.

 

116 degrees? Not bad at all. Cooler than a summer day in Phoenix.

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The single Aegir amp has taken my Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home speakers to the next best sound level. I thought the Klipsch rp600m sounded good, but the Sonus Fabers sound more satisfying and fuller sounding (very smooth, detailed and rich). The SF speakers are rated at 90 db sensitivity and 4 ohm's. One Aegir amp has enough power for my small 10 x 15 room.

I am using the pre amp out section of my Denon DRA-37 receiver to drive this little amp. The tone controls and loudness button makes sound more pleasing and warmer. Much like a Mcintosh and its tone controls only better in class A.

I believe the Sega pre amp is a better choice than the Freya when using just one Aegir amp...rolling just one tube is lots cheaper. Good luck finding the perfect tube (is there a perfect tube?)

 

Will RCA to balanced cables/adaptors work so One could use two in mono mode with a SE only preamp?

 

That is a verygood question. Sure as schiit, Schiit would know.

 

This will not work. They require a true balanced input.

 

I've got a couple Aegirs running mono to my Dyn Focus 260s (4 ohm), fed by a Convert 2 DAC running balanced into the Freya S in 4x mode.

I can't think of a better way to put this at the moment than I am a jilted lover of the Aegirs.

Deep breath...

I love these amps. Holy cow they sound incredible for the asking price. Detail, imaging, depth, clarity, engagement - you name it, they do it. They sound so good. One of those "pull all of the albums out" types of experiences.

But, there's a catch. In my system, certain albums, and more specifically certain passages are just too much for these amps, driving these speakers, and they go into overcurrent mode. I've measured the temps when this happens and they're very reasonable, under 50* C measured either on the top of the amp or near the back on the heatsink fins. That's not that hot. My CPU runs hotter than that running a video game, so I don't think it's a thermal protect kicking in.

That said, and I have emailed Schiit because while I am unfortunately running them outside the official specs, my speakers don't really have a nasty impedance curve or any difficult phase shifts going on, but it is what it is at this point. As far as I can tell, one amp seems to be more sensitive than the other.

Now for the good news - they can play plenty loud. And they stay composed all the way up to the point where they back themselves off. I swapped in my former amp, a fully upgraded Odyssey Stratos Extreme (with upgrades beyond Extreme level) and it was no contest. The Schiit amps convey better detail, untangle complex musical passages more realistically, and still sound exciting and want you to really lean into the music.

Frankly, this is the most perplexing position I've found myself in on my audio journey. I so enjoy these amps, but I also really, really love these speakers. That they don't play well together at high volume is disappointing to say the least. So I'm not sure how this will all end for me. But at this point, I can tolerate the situation at hand, understanding it's a limitation but the juice IS worth the squeeze. Aegir is a really, really good amplifier, at any price IMO.

 

You're living Dangerously.

 

@toddrhodes Have you played with the Convert-2's output level calibration setting?

 

Sounds like a really promising amp and a step up from a Vidar. Only downside i can think of is tat it has less power then a Vidar.

I have a fairly big livingroom. Would 1 Aegir (combined with Linton Heritage speakers) have enough juice to drive the Linton speakers?

 

I have. I swap between -14 and -18. I think -18 sounds best to my ears but it's really subtle. It's nice for trying to keep LP and Digital gain levels reasonably close but I haven't picked up on any huge SQ changes between the modes, nor have I observed a correlation between gain and Aegir overcurrent behavior.

 

Has anyone tried out the Aegir with higher efficiency speakers? I'm thinking (if I'm able to get a hold of them) about picking up a pair of the Fyne Audio F502SP. They are 92dB efficient... seems like it could be a perfect pairing with this amp. I'm wondering about noise floor, as well as how fast the Aegir is with heavy-hitting transients on both ends of the frequency spectrum...

Any input here would be appreciated.

[EDIT]
Just to clarify... I'm planning, at least initially, on running a single Aegir in stereo. A pair, setup in mono, may be an option down the road.