The Schiit Gjallarhorn Impressions Thread

lol. looks like memory is failing both of us today.

 

Just to bring this amp up again, is anyone running this amp on larger higher efficiency speakers? I don't use any bookshelf size speakers in my upstairs room and mainly have two more powerful SS amplifiers plus a rebuilt Dynaco ST-70 tube amp. I stop using the tube amp in the spring and summer months for obvious reasons. The 3 pairs of speakers I own are, ads L1230 rated at 95db @1w/1m, Klipsch Epic CF-3 rated at 100db @ 1w/1m (overrated some), and a pair of modified Speakerlab SK cornerhorns rated at 105db @ 1w/1m.

I'm pretty sure with the power it has, it would run them just fine. I'm not one to go crazy on volume anymore with having tinnitus and some HF hearing loss. But just curious how it fairs on higher efficiency larger speakers. Thanks

 

I tried one on Spatial Audio M3 Triode Masters (95dB sensitivity) and it did fine. Not my favorite pairing, compared to some more expensive options I had on hand, but it did fine! And it is undeniably a great value.

I found satisfactory heft to the bass/midbass and everything held together at high’ish volumes. I thought bass definition was good, with very good microdynamics which gave it a solid boogie/rhythmic engagement factor. Very very quiet backgrounds even on the sensitive speakers, so kudos to Jason for that.

Fun little amp but for better or worse, it has that Schiit forward presentation thing where soundstage moves up slightly – it had depth and layering that was at least average, if not better than average – but all closer to the listener.

I ended up selling both the amp and speakers on, but I could see Gjallarhorn again in my life some day as a pair of monos.

 

I took a chance on a used Gjallarhorn, thinking I could resell at a minor loss if it didn't work out. I am glad I took the plunge!

Background:
I use an old pair of PSB Imagine Minis on my home desk. They are fantastic speakers but are pretty amp picky. The speakers have seen everything from desk to TV to bedroom duty. I originally bought them with a NAD D3020, which was a good combo, but have tried them with a NAD C316BEEE (was ok), Sony UDA1 (blah), and a Schiit Aegir V1 (probably the worst of the bunch). Oddly they sounded best with a Sonos Connect Amp that I tried for a bit. After the D3020's USB input died, I bought a PS Audio Sprout100 since it is compact and included USB input for PC use. The Sprout was OK but nothing special. Given the amps that worked best, I was thinking they worked best with higher powered amps which usually means class D when looking for a small amp. Still, since the Sprout was only just OK, I decided to give the GHorn a shot.

When I bought the GHorn, I also picked up a Magni Unity to handle DAC and preamp duty. And somehow this combination just works. When I have a bad amp pairing with the PSBs, they sound small, congested, mushy, and compressed, as though the sound is coming through a tube. The GHorn, despite its low power and the PSB's low sensitivity, opens everything up and just makes them sing. With the right amp, the PSBs have phenomenal imaging and the GHorn provides that in spades. I run the Magni on medium gain since high gain limits usable volume pot range to about the first 1/3 or so.

The Gjallarhorn barely gets warm to the touch, even right on the heatsinks, so I just leave it on. The Magni runs a bit warmer, but certainly not hot.

I do use a small sub with the Minis since they don't make any bass below 85hz or so. I just have RCA splitters from the Magni output to the sub and the Gjallarhorn. Using the Magni with the sub increased its output compared to the Sprout. With the Sprout, I had to use its line out as the sub out barely did anything. Even with line out, I had the sub gain on max and sometimes wondered if the sub was on. With the Magni, I can turn the gain down 25% or so, and still get the bass output I want.

The synergy with this combination was unexpectedly great. The Gjallarhorn isn't for all use cases but it definitely works for mine.