Schiit Aegir Power Amp Impressions

I haven’t been able to try 2 X monoblock. I can say that bi-amp 2 Aegir is more powerful, more grip, and better extension on both end. Bi-amp 2 Aegirs sounds as sweet as one Aegir, with even better details and fuller mid-range. The speakers are B&W N803, 90db. Impedance dips down to 3.0 ohm. Even for single amp, bi-wire is recommended by the manufacturer.

 

FWIW, I ended up horizontal bi-amping my MG3.6Rs with an Aegir/Vidar combo and was enjoying it quite a bit over my old Cinema Grand Signature. Didn't buy two Vidars so I couldn't do a direct Aegir vs Vidar comparison and wasn't keen on reinstalling the stock crossovers and rewiring everything. Vidar definitely seemed to have a good grip on the bass, and I felt like I started noticing some subtle details from the Aegir on things that I hadn't noticed in the past.

That is... until my ~18 year old speakers started falling apart. I started having the problem on old maggies where the adhesive holding wires down on the mylar starts letting go.

Now I just gotta figure out if I have a few hours to attempt the repairs myself or see if can throw money at the problem and send them back to Minnesota for a factory repair.

I'm sure it's coincidence and not the power of the Vidar pulling my speakers apart, but kinda bummed nonetheless. May just take the 3.6Rs out and plug in the spare pare of Magnepan LRS that I just got for another room to try and do a comparison for funsies.

 

The posts above by @sphinxvc explain much of what I heard, but there were a few other things that stood out to me that I thought I'd add.

• When comparing amps with his OB's, I thought my Class D Purna/ma amp was the worst of the three. Even though there was this epic grip on the drivers, they seemed to over-excite the sensitive Voxativs and make it a little too bright for my ears. Aegir and Allnics were really wonderful.
• On my Bhavas, I enjoyed the Purna/ma more than the mono Aegirs. They liked the extra wattage and there seemed to be some synergy at work.
• In terms of leading-edge square/roundness:
  • The Allnics and Aegirs seemed to have a beautiful, natural bit of roundness, reminiscent of my time with my restored Pioneer M-22.
  • My Purna/ma seemed to be a bit more square than the Allnics and Aegirs, which worked with the Bhavas drivers which are not exotic/pricey (still not anywhere near as square as Kinki/Goldmund/Nuforce STA 200/Job 225/Swiss designs).
• There is no replacement for displacement. It was hard to go from 4x15" woofers to 4x6". I don't currently have the space for anything that big, and it was interesting to hear how much less low-end there seemed to be in a much bigger room, speakers much farther from the front wall than I'm used to.
• What a value those Aegirs are. Both other amps are multiples of the price for one or even two of them.

 

Thanks for the loaner SBAF!

Prior to the shootout, I had Aegir at home and compared it to my EC AF (stock caps, no feedback). Tubes are WE396A and NOS monoplate 2A3s. Speakers are Klipsch Forte 3s (98dB efficiency). Some impressions:

• Aegir is very tonally similar to AF. I was surprised by this and really pleased.
• Midrange is not quite as rich as AF.
• Bass presence is comparable with an edge to Aegir.
• Aegir's bass definition and texture is much better. It is obvious and not close. (@purr1n: would an AF with feedback narrow this gap any?)
• Aegir soundstage is nice and wide -- wider than AF -- but flatter with less depth.
• Aegir makes it easier to pick out individual instruments. Overall sharpness is turned up. Details are still present on AF, but things tend to blend together a bit more (not in a bad way).
• Aegir sounds better at low volume. It retains satisfying dynamics and detail even under 70 dBs. AF needs a bit more volume before it sounds as engaging.
• Aegir is quiet. No hiss from the speakers even with my ear a few inches away. AF is the same.

To sum up: Aegir is *very* good. For my room, speakers, and current listening habits it is making me seriously question my need for a $3K tube amp. I would give up almost nothing (some soundstage depth, a small bit of richness) and gain a lot in the low end with a direct replacement. Pretty amazing for $800.

On the shootout:

A few additional thoughts to add to what @sphinxvc and @AdvanTech already said about the shootout above (which I agree with):

• We started the shootout listening to Aegir monos on the PAP clones, going through maybe a half dozen tracks from a variety of genres. Everyone was just sitting there listening. @sphinxvc, @thegunner100, and @Dr. Higgs are some picky bastards and there wasn't really anything to critique.
• Aegir is amazingly compact. Two Aegirs side-by-side took up about the same amount of floor space as the Purna/ma amp and easily fit within the footprint of one of the Allnic mono blocks. If you have space constraints, Aegir is a very good option.
• @sphinxvc has the quietest window air conditioner I have ever (not) heard. If you need an AC that won't f**k with your listening room setup, ask him what it is.

 

[QUOTE="

• Aegir is amazingly compact. Two Aegirs side-by-side took up about the same amount of floor space as the Purna/ma amp and easily fit within the footprint of one of the Allnic mono blocks. If you have space constraints, Aegir is a very good option.

[/QUOTE]

Here it is. I knew that I have been satisfied by Schiit amps not just because of their sounds. Both Aegir and Vidar produce high clean power per square-foot ratios and clean power per pound ratios on the market. This shouldn't be overlooked just because they sound so good.

 

Yep, that’s the one. I believe there is only a 6,000 BTU version with the sound blanket around the compressor. The more powerful ones aren’t rated so quietly.

 

@schiit how much would we need to bribe you for you to use this as your avatar on social medias?

 

LOL.

Not my brand...

 

Wow, Jason with a beard looks like a cross between Santa and the Dos Equis man...

 

Why does Jason look like Kenny Rogers?

 

How about comparing Aegir to passlab XA25, anyone has both to compare?

 

Very helpful post. I have a Ragnrok 1 and a pair of Spatial M3 Triode Masters 12 ohm 93db. I am thinking about adding a pair of Aegir monoblock and running them from the balanced pre-outs of my Ragnarok. Do you think the Ragnarok would be adequate as a preamp for the Aegir monoblocks? I like using the Ragnarok as a control center since it is such a good headphone amp and I have a Yggdrasil and a nice TT hooked up to it and would rather not split the headphone and speaker systems.

 

Maybe wait for Rag 2 reviews - jason said it should be out later this week - you might want to switch to that instead?

 

Agree may be a better option and I am seriously considering it. Ragnarok 2 with the pivot point gain stage may work better as a preamp as well. So perhaps get a Ragnarok 2 now and then wait until more power Schiit continuity mono blocks come out with the 4 figure price tag.