More Disruptive Schiit (Vidar)

[esldude]

Maggies are all well and good and are panels.  They aren't electrostatic.  Funny, as my first panel speakers were some second hand MG2i's.  The owner also thought they were electrostatic.

 

The Maggies are in fact pretty close to pure resistance.  So while they are 4 ohms, and not highly efficient they require less of an amp current-wise than say a nominal 6 ohm ported box speaker is likely to ask of the amp. Due to the reactance  from the use of a port.  Not downing the Maggies or using them with the Vidar.  Just pointing out they don't fulfil Chris' interest in auditioning some electrostats with the Vidar because the Vidar would appear in mono mode to be better than usual with the unusual load of a full range ESL.

 

Maggie 3.6 impedance plot. Notice how below 1000 hz the phase is 0 degrees.  No reactance.  And the impedance is nearly a straight line between about 4.5 and 5 ohms. 

[arcman]

What is the general sound characteristic of this amp? Anything special? Bang for the buck? Just curious

[The Computer Audiophile]

The Schiit has arrived. 

[ShawnC]

1 hour ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

The Schiit has arrived. 

That's some nice looking Schiit.

[HTaylor]

Will you be doing a review or providing impressions of the Vidar Individually?  There haven't really been any reputable impressions yet. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 hour ago, HTaylor said:

Will you be doing a review or providing impressions of the Vidar Individually?  There haven't really been any reputable impressions yet. 

 

I'll be doing an extensive review of a Schiit reference system Yggdrasil, Freya, and Vidar(s), paired with several different loudspeakers. I have three loudspeakers on the way here and am researching an electrostatic pair to round out the field. 

[Speed Racer]

What tubes are you going to use in Freya?

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, Speed Racer said:

What tubes are you going to use in Freya?

 

I'll start with the stock tubes.

[crenca]

Just now, Speed Racer said:

What tubes are you going to use in Freya?

 

This is important.  Stock tubes will be immediately replaced by any "audiophile".  My Saga came with a russian tube that sounded so bad I would have preferred a $300 AVR from Best Buy...

[Speed Racer]

2 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

 

I'll start with the stock tubes.

 

If you don't have a good set of tubes, I can send you some that work well.

[crenca]

1 minute ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

 

I'll start with the stock tubes.

 

At the very least, move on to the modern production "Tung-Sol" and the like (even if you don't go down the rabbit hole of NOS).

 

Schiit sends very substandard tubes - understandable given the price point but not really realistic in a Hi Fi context...

[The Computer Audiophile]

Interesting. Are there any tube suppliers that provide review samples? I've never gone down this road. 

[Ralf11]

road, or rabbit hole??

 

can we rely on the manf. to provide decent tubes in their product?

 

anyway, I look forward to your review

[Paddlefoot]

Chris if you could..please do a review on the stock system that you receive first, with the tubes that where sent to you, so people will have a base line of what the system sounds like. People at the shows.. that I`ve read love the sound of both the Freya and Saga with the stock tubes with the Vidar. just my 2 cents, you would be doing your readers and potential customers a great service by doing so. Greg

[Speed Racer]

Wow. I guess I shouldn't have volunteered to send quality tubes to Chris. I didn't realize I was doing something wrong....

[Paddlefoot]

Speed Racer, my brother you shouldn't` get  offended by my request, you did`nt  do anything wrong. Read my post.

[crenca]

14 minutes ago, Paddlefoot said:

Chris if you could..please do a review on the stock system that you receive first, with the tubes that where sent to you, so people will have a base line of what the system sounds like. People at the shows.. that I`ve read love the sound of both the Freya and Saga with the stock tubes with the Vidar. just my 2 cents, you would be doing your readers and potential customers a great service by doing so. Greg

 

Based on this thread:

 

It is evident that the low cost (bad NOS stock from soviet days I understand) tubes Schiit sends out are very hit and miss.  The one that came with my Saga seemed particularly bad SQ wise.  If I recall correctly, Abtr's sounded better but had a snap-crackly-pop problem.  Other people reported that they were not all that bad (but I don't think anyone would argue against the fact that they have their limits).

 

Other reviewers tend to devote a few sentences to the stock tubes of many of these products, simply noting something like "you will want to change them pretty quick" or the like.   It just seems part of the culture that the manufactures of tube gear in this price range send out tubes that really degrade the sound of their products.  I guess it is a result of what happens when you have to hit a certain price point.  VTL, Audio Research, and the like do send out tubes of the requisite quality where tube swapping is not a necessity...

[Paddlefoot]

Crenca, my point is Chris is the reviewer , people trust what he says, do the review with stock tubes and listen to the jfet as well and the passive give us a base line of what your getting from Schiit. i love the sound of the jfet over the tubes in my system, but other may love the sound of the tubes in theirs, even with better tubes. if your going to do a review, do an honest one, as you got it from the company, for better or worst.

[rando]

That was a very well stated response, crenca.  Expecting a swap to well matched tubes for any critical listening is very likely given he is responsive to the chance for flawed results.  That he received the amps so quickly also bodes well for how sorted the manufacturer feels their product will prove in his hands.  Within reason, most of us expect Chris to accept the best SQ possible as that which should be reviewed.    

 

I will admit to a heavy amount of bias towards reviews of products in stock form that obviously spec a low end part their customers are overwhelmingly going to replace on the spot with their very personal choice.  An informed decision on the part of the manufacturer reduced to idiocy in the hands of someone bound and determined to influence opinion.  Bicycle and outdoors equipment analogies have abounded lately and that market is rife with examples of this.    

[Ralf11]

54 minutes ago, Speed Racer said:

Wow. I guess I shouldn't have volunteered to send quality tubes to Chris. I didn't realize I was doing something wrong....

 

 

No - its just that the manf OUGHT to know what's best - tho indivs vary in taste

[esldude]

RAM labs tubes are consistently good.

[crenca]

3 hours ago, esldude said:

RAM labs tubes are consistently good.

 

Thanks for posting this I was not aware of them.  However, they don't appear (unless I missed it) to offer a 6SN7 variant...

[esldude]

3 hours ago, crenca said:

 

Thanks for posting this I was not aware of them.  However, they don't appear (unless I missed it) to offer a 6SN7 variant...

You are right.  I was thinking a 6922 would work for a 6SN7, but my tube skills have atrophied and I was thinking of the 5692. 

 

These guys have some 6SN7 tubes.

 

https://www.tubedepot.com/t/tubes/preamp-tubes/6sn7

 

Those RCA's would be nice if NOS.

 

In case you don't know of these guys, but most do, they have all NOS stock. 

https://tubeworldexpress.com/

 

 

 

[labjr]

On 7/17/2017 at 9:33 PM, The Computer Audiophile said:

 

That's a tough one, given the possible requirement of a different input voltage. 

 

The NordAcoustic being Class For is a bit more of a risk in my experience. Some Class D is awesome, while some Class D sucks. If you've done your homework, there's probably nothing to worry about. 

 

On the other hand, I'm willing to bet the Vidar will be very good because of who built it and the tech used. The proof is in the listening once connected to the actual speakers you have. 

 

For what it's worth, ELAC speakers and Alchemy electronics pair very well. If the Schiit is more like Alchemy, that may be a data point. Or not :~)

Nord amps are made by Hypex. They pretty much stuff boxes with Hypex modules which is some of the best Class D in the industry. 

[firedog]

14 minutes ago, labjr said:

Nord amps are made by Hypex. They pretty much stuff boxes with Hypex modules which is some of the best Class D in the industry. 

The Nord amps have a unique proposition for NCore amps: many of the models allow you to choose from different input modules, thus flavoring the sound to suit your tastes. So they aren't just "stuffing boxes", IMO.