Schiit Vidar Impression Thread - UPDATED WITH REVIEW (CHECK FIRST POST)

Discussion in 'Power Amps' started by Rotijon, Jul 17, 2017.

  1. Nbees

    Nbees Acquaintance

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    I read that earlier today. The way I read it, it says SE stereo use, xlr mono and either way would be good, but if you go mono a true balanced preamp is suggested. What did I post that says otherwise? Is there a sense here that it's being marketed to use only one of those ways?
     
  2. winders

    winders boomer

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    No, it's SE ONLY for stereo and XLR ONLY for monoblock, and it's not "either way would be good". Also, A true balanced differential source signal is REQUIRED for monoblock use.
     
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2017
  3. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    I wonder if there were constraints that led to that decision whether is be more money, size, both? It's not as though a single Vidar couldn't have been offered with stereo xlr and rca inputs as many power amps offer this as true balanced. Some even have a toggle switch if you add another to go monoblock (se or xlr inputs).

    Speculation on my part but I suspect these things all add to cost and Schiit had a price point that their market research deemed best for their business model and central ideology. Given how quickly they're likely selling them because of their brand name alone and absolutely zero feedback of any stereo amp prior to compare to, I'd say they've done exceptionally well.

    So with that all said, if you need xlr inputs for whatever your reasons (you being anyone who applies here), be an adult and look elsewhere. It's not as though Vidar is the only power amp available.
     
  4. Nbees

    Nbees Acquaintance

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    I'll be using it stereo...I understand it's se only stereo. I don't use balanced circuit pre, but people who do can buy 2 vidars.....and they say either way would be good. maybe my posts weren't precise enough. I understand the design of the amp. I have no issue with it not having xlr stereo inputs, each product is not going to be everybodys everything. I wish they stuck a fet buffer on the saga too. And I'd guess freya owners who might have some se sources wish it converted to xlr output in all modes. Anyway I'll post back with the stereo vidar sound. They say stereo vidar with saga is insane. Hope they don't have to cart me off.
     
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2017
  5. Darren G

    Darren G Friend

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    It's marketing smart to offer balanced, but as many have said here, a good sounding piece of SE gear wins over barely listenable balanced gear.

    The positions are not at odds. Schiit has been good about not making ridiculous claims. They offer balanced as an option, along with other options at lower price points. Hobbyists enjoy fiddling, not because we expect magic to happen, but because we enjoy experimenting. Okay well there is a real potential benefit to differential signals, but for home use, just buy what sounds good to you, or buy because you enjoy the hobby.
     
  6. DigitalMaven

    DigitalMaven Acquaintance

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    I'm wondering if this entirely true... I think magnetic fields can play a part in hum...I had my bifrost dac right next to my amp and I couldn't figure out why the sound was so bright...I moved the dac another six inches away using one meter rca cables and the sound actually improved. I thought that 18 inch rca cables would make the setup sound better and it actually made it worse due to the dac being right next to the amp. I really do think that some of these electronic devices can actually interfere with each other if they're too close together...of course this is my opinion until others experiment with their setups.
     
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  7. Darren G

    Darren G Friend

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  8. Garns

    Garns Friend

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    I think you are both right. A ground loop involves (a) an electrical loop in the ground references of various equipment (b) an electromagnetic field inducing a current in that loop. Since often the magnetic field comes from a transformer or unshielded mains it often manifests as 50/60hz hum. If you have the loop, but no magnetic flux, it can't affect the sound. The only relevant flux is through the area enclosed by the loop in the ground cables. So moving transformers sufficiently far away from the loop can kill the hum by removing the magnetic field from within the ground loop. That's a good argument for longer cables. But on the other hand, if you use longer cables along the wires which form the ground loop, then you are increasing the surface area of the loop ergo more flux and more chance for hum. tl;dr geometry is important if you have a ground loop. In practice one just has to try stuff and see what happens.
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2017
  9. PTS

    PTS Friend

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    Debating picking up a Vidar for a few reasons:

    • I have a Saga preamp and I hear there's a good synergy in the pairing.
    • Smaller / lighter compared to the beast of an amp I'm currently using.
    • Schiit currently stock it in black.

    Would anyone in the LA area be willing to loan me theirs for 24 hours? Can pickup / drop off.

    At the moment I'm using a re-badged Odyssey Stratos that's around 17 years old. Was thinking about upgrading to a modern Odyssey, but the Vidar has peaked my interest. Driving Tekton Lores (96db) and Prana Fidelity Bhavas (89.5db) at 8ohms.
     
  10. Nbees

    Nbees Acquaintance

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    Re: amplifier "break in". I have never kept an amp if I didn't like it's sound pretty well out of the box. For me, break in never took an amp from not liking it to liking it. Vidar should be in the system soon, one of the amps I have to compare it with is The Job systems 225. These amps have some things in common.
     
  11. Nbees

    Nbees Acquaintance

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    Weighs in at 21 lbs. The product page has it at 30, not that I mind, easier to lift....be mindful of those heat sink fins...a little sharp.
     
  12. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    I liked the Vidar straight out of the box (running with Saga), but I did find it a bit "rolled off" in the highs and lows initially - stereotypically "Class A" sounding and a bit too smooth for my tastes. However it has since improved in that department and the highs and lows sound fully extended now (approx 80 hours on it ) - it is a very good amp indeed.
     
  13. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    What just reading up on the JOB 225 - seems very well regarded. Should be an interesting comparison, will be very interested to hear your feelings about it compared to the Vidar.

    I would give Vidar at least 50 hours of burn in however, as I do feel that mine did improve over that time - not to take it from "dislike to like", but really just to add that extra level of refinement and impact in the low end. Even at around 80 hours, I still find it's improved slightly over what it was around 50 hours.
     
  14. gaspasser

    gaspasser Flatulence Maestro

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    @rlow i appreciate your brief input. What speakers are you using and what sources?
    Any others such as @winders with any more than initial impressions?
     
  15. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    Speakers are ATC SCM19, and source is microRendu + NAS / Tidal along with Gungnir Multibit DAC.
     
  16. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    My plan is to write a bit more of a detailed review once I hit 100 hours of burn-in time, and then have a bit of time to do some more critical listening and comparing with my current integrated amps (Hegel H80 and Exposure 3010S2)
     
  17. winders

    winders boomer

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    I've got about 100 hours on the Vidar amp and my new speakers so I guess now is a good time to comment.

    As I said before, I don't have another amp to compare Vidar to and I have never listened to the speakers I have on any other system than mine. So I can't give you guys any comparative feedback. I can say that neither end of the frequency ranges sounds rolled off. With the speakers I have, the whole range sounds excellent. There is clarity and detail throughout. I am hearing details in the music I have only heard wearing my headphones. It seems my nearfield setup has is a bit lacking here.

    On the negative front, I don't think that Vidar and Freya are a good match if you have efficient speakers. I don't understand why Jason would have so much gain between Freya and Vidar. There is a noticeable hum when using Freya in tube gain mode with Vidar. This has me thinking I need a different preamp if I want to use tubes and I think I want something better than Saga. Maybe another 6SN7-based preamp with balanced inputs and less gain. I guess I should try a Saga to hear how it sounds.

    I am also going to try a different amp at some point just to see how it compares. Anyone have suggestions for amps to try? I would like to stay in the $1500 (new or used) or less range.
     
  18. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    Do you have just the stock tubes running in Freya, or others you've tried as well?
     
  19. dmckean44

    dmckean44 In a Sherwood S6040CP relationship

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    It's because the average speaker is 87db at 1watt/1meter efficient and the Freya/Vidar combo provides a good amount of gain for that. The current trend towards more efficient speakers only started gaining traction about a decade ago because of the SET/OTL craze.
     
  20. winders

    winders boomer

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    I've tried a bunch of tubes. Even the quietest, which also happen to be my favorite, have audible hum. With ambient noise it is very hard to hear the hum from the listening position. But it is audible. When listening to music it goes away because the noise is so far below the average db level your brain can't hear it anymore. Still, a no gain tube option for Freya would be good. I don't know if that is possible.....but it would be good.
     

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