Asgard 3 - possible future discussion

What if Schiit could make a Jot sized unit (with a multi bit or 4490 card in it) that had speaker taps, used the new Lyr topology, and output about 10W? Without the tube perhaps.

 

Like I said on the HF forum...

There needs to be a gap between Magni 3 and Jot. Obviously there is new topologies that Jason has developed into this. Trying to change Asgard 2 from this simplistic form does not make sense to do this in Asgard 3. Lyr did and Lyr 3 makes sense because that was already a crazy cooked up amp from Jason.

Asgard and Asgard 2 are simplistic. Class A. Pure. Take that and Valhalla 2 and leave them as legacy products.

And for Pete's sake, if you are going the card route, give us S/PDIF or at least the option.

 

Lyr 3 spec - Maximum Power, 16 ohms: 9.0W RMS per channel

I wonder what it will do at 8 ohms? You know someone is going to try to hook up speakers to this. Kind of strange hooking up speakers single ended.

 

And... Kirk just had a stroke. My bad. Walk it off bro.

 

Jason back two years ago, "No 3 products."

Jason now, "How should we make a 3 product, we already have some?"

I understand. Cannibalize and replace? Does it need replacing? Create a new product? How many SKU's we gonna make? Can we even make it better?

Too bad you can't make an upgradeable amp like you can a DAC.

 

hello,

class A evangelical here. please leave well enough alone. there is no need to go all-in-one with the Asgard. leave it as an option for folks who want to have a taste of pure class A goodness at an affordable price.

thanks.

(also good as a desktop space heater!)

 

So I am understanding it through reading through Magi 3 thread, the Magni 3 actually started as an Asgard 3 project. I guess I need to go back and read Jason's chapter on that build and design to understand.

I agree there should be room for the purity of things like class A and OTL. How is the Asgard 3 supposed to be better without throwing a bunch of pseudo science stuff in (Wima caps, thick copper traces, R-core or toroidal transformer) and uber upgraded components?

 

I think the Asgard serves as a "serious" dedicated amp right on the edge of what a budding enthusiast can afford.
Most college students or people in their early 20s cannot spend $250 willy-nilly. It's something they have to plan and save for, or hope everyone will pitch in for their birthday or Christmas. But it's close enough they can probably pull it off or afford to buy it used.
Magni and Vali are great performers but they are in a very cute size. Jotunheim is also a great performer but at $400 is almost 40% more than the already-reaching $250. Plus, our enthusiast don't even have headphones with a balanced connector.
So despite great competition from the cheapest Schiit amps, I think the Asgard might be the most affordable "serious" separate.

All that being said, comparing specs between Magni 3 and Asgard 2, A2 sure does look like it needs a successor. But that successor needs to stay in the same slot. Too much movement in one direction or the other and you either drop down to a Magni/Vali or up to a used Jot. No matter what, Asgard is likely to be the least sexy option - those who can afford more will reach upwards, those who want tubes will ignore it - but a very competent solid state amp with no extra features or options to hand-wring over will always fill a need.

 

I am buying @Skyline's Magni 3 that I will likely pick up next week. I would love to have an Asgard 2 to compare.

 

Make the Asgard 3 cheap. Put a more powerful, slightly upgraded Magni 3 & a USB AKM DAC in a Asgard size chassis. No preamp outputs, no upgradable input module.

 

I feel like the R&D that would go into an A3 would be better used working on Mjo and Rag 2. Or some new thing we haven’t conceived of yet.

 

Agreed. I think A3 would be something that gets made when all the benefits trickle down from upgrading the other amps or some new amp. Bottom of the list.

 

I'd say leave it as a "legacy product" until supplies of the old chassis run out, or costs force a possible price increase; then retire it.

Onward and upward...n' stuff.

 

Agree. Ragnorak allows this with holding down input to switch between speaker, HA, or both.
I bought a Sys for my home system with Jot MB just to do this function.
Many other DACs turn off speaker output when headphone inserted. I like the ability to choose.
Mike

 

Y’all aren’t thinking very creatively

 

Personally (and I mean from my sense of does this make sense?) an Asgard 3 just feels like a confusing product in a line-up that includes Magni 3, Jotunheim, and Lyr 3, plus add in Vali and Valhalla, but I suppose there is room in there for a $100 price difference in the SS only amp options. But my gut says this should be last on Schiit's TODO list.

 

Would really love an asgard sized speaker amp-- They even tried one but it went into thermal meltdown! SOL's now gonna be a turntable.

Anyway... @schiit should at least try a ClassD circuit*, their own, not ICE or Hypex modules! Disclaimer: I *like* current gen ICE classD, trick is, ignore the output power spec... their required output filters (looks like a speaker crossover, latest ICE has simplified this and beefed up the components) react to more complex speakers, bullsheeeit on the 300 WPC spec-- they fall apart on multi driver tower speakers, get fuzzy sounding.

*Yep, I know they say it sounds like ass, why not dabble with it though and get one started, evolve it and see what happens!

 

Thermal runaway is a real thing. Got to calculate that thermal resistance carefully.

There are many ways to build a "Class A" circuit and still stay within the purity realm.

I'd rather see MOSFET before Class D.

 

Agreed re: MOSFET-- 8-12Watts is fine. Could put a cool green/yellow/red led load indicator, and shut off aggressively on red.