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

Hum is same level regardless of setup. I was just listing best sound, sorry.

 

I hoping more burn in time will decrease hum. The Sonics are good. Will be talking to Schiit on Monday. I would prefer to keep them, unless something is wrong.

 

I have a parasound a23, don't want to go back to it. Looking to sell it or trade soon. Also have old yamaha a1000 and Sansui 701, both work great but no remote. Use freya as a tube processer and remote volume.

 

So, I'd doubt that break-in would reduce the hum, and the transformer hum sounds like a defect. Have you tried them with just one Vidar hooked up in stereo? Also, when using both amps, have you been using them balanced as monoblocks? Or have you been bi-amping?

 

Balanced off of the jot or freya, also in stereo one at a time. No bi-amping. Also using se outputs from jot, freya, and rega. No hum with any other equipment, checked with some other
A.c. filters no change

 

Can we try to keep posts consolidated? Thanks.

 

Is this the schiit vidar tech help thread now? They have email and people paid to answer/trouble shoot.

 

While true, it's good to know that people are having issues.

 

Sorry for the distraction, have a nice day. Start my own thread!!

 

Hum is sometimes due to ground loops, and often related to plugging gear into different wall sockets. Does the hum persist if you disconnect from the pre-amp/source?

 

If you do this, please make sure it's in the Advice Threads:
http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?forums/advice-threads.71/

 

My Vidars have been powered up since Thursday. They replaced a Class D Audio SDS-470. Here are the things that truly stand out against my previous amp. Clarity has improved. The leading and trailing edges are sharper which results in better detail. The bass is the same, but due to the increase in detail the treble has a little extra sparkle. The other is the sound stage. Deeper and wider. My speakers were not showing their true capabilities with the previous amp.

I stay in tube mode with the Freya and I do not hear tube noise (Sylvania 6F8G-gain, Ken-Rad 6C8G-buffer) unless your ear is right up to the horn driver and then it's just a low level hiss. I tried stereo mode for 2 hours and a single Vidar got warm enough you could not leave your hand on top. Mono is warm, but you won't burn your hand. I leave all the gear on.

Threw my annual pig roast on Saturday and normally everyone is outside. But this year many of the guests kept coming into the house to hear the stereo. The most stated comments were about the clarity and how they felt immersed in the sound. When your stereo can compete with a 125 lb. pig you know it's sounding good.

 

Should this be changed from a "speculations" thread to an "impressions" thread now that it's launched and people are providing their impressions? (Or a new thread started?)

 

What speakers are you running?

 

Spatial M3 Triode Master

 

Hopefully someone is able to compare Vidar to commonly known brands like Pass Labs, Bryston, Mac, Bel Canto, Hegel, Arcam etc. Lots of people seem to love this which is wonderful but with no reference it's hard to care and know where they're coming from....I know it's early.

 

Anyone in Denver planning an acquisition of a Vidar? Would love to compare with my Bel Canto.

 

The thing is HUM is almost always due to creating a ground loop. Receivers and integrated gear are definitely easier to use in this regard. It's possible you got a bad unit, so definitely contact Schiit, but really if you hear hum, first thing to check is have you created a ground loop situation. The reason I asked, does the HUM go away when you disconnect the pre-amp/source to the amp is that this is usually the last leg of the loop. There are many good articles that explain ground loops, so no point in re-iterating that here.

 

I'm impressed with Vidar's specs, and am looking forward to reports on its sound. I have an Audio Research D130 power amp, and I think I see some similarities in the specs, construction (consider pictures of the innards) and both being "dual mono back to the transformer". The D130 got good reviews, and I like its sound and robustness. Can anyone compare these two amps?