I soon learned that the new amp is more than just a refined version of the original. The…
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In Herb Reichert's review of the original Schiit Audio Ragnarok integrated amplifier, he wrote, "Schiit Audio's Ragnarok [is] the first amplifier of my experience that plays earth and sky, mind and body, brown eyes and blue, speakers and headphones, with equal narcotic intensity." Herb's colorful conclusions so persuaded me of the Ragnarok's worth that, when Schiit Audio's Jason Stoddard and Mike Moffatt announced the impending release of the Ragnarok 2, I pitched a Stereophile follow-up review.
I began this review with the Thorens TD 124 Mk.I turntable but eventually changed to the Kuzma Stabi R. Similarly, Klipsch Forte III loudspeakers were swapped out for DeVore Fidelity O/93s, using Auditorium 23 speaker cables for both.
Listening
I brought out several vinyl chestnuts from my collection to establish the Ragnarok 2's basic sound: Ella Fitzgerald's Swings Brightly With Nelson (LP, Verve Records V6-4054); Barney Kessel, Shelly Manne & Ray Brown's Poll Winners Three! (LP, Contemporary Records M 3576); Miles Davis Quintet's Workin' (LP, Prestige PRLP 7166); and Don…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-channel solid-state integrated amplifier with optional DAC and phono preamp. Analog inputs (as reviewed): 2 pairs balanced line-level (XLR), 1 pair single-ended line-level (RCA), 1 pair MM phono (RCA). Digital inputs (as reviewed): 1 USB. Outputs: 1 pair speaker connectors, 1 single-ended headphone (¼ stereo jack), 1 balanced headphone (XLR). Output power, loudspeakers: 60Wpc into 8 ohms (17.8dBW), 100Wpc into 4 ohms (17dBW). Output power, balanced headphones: 24Wpc into 32 ohms, 15Wpc into 50 ohms, etc. Output power, single-ended headphones:…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Kuzma Stabi R turntable & Kuzma 4Point 11" tonearm; Hana ML MC phono cartridge, Thorens TD 124 turntable & Jelco 350S tonearm; Denon DL-103 MC cartridge.
Digital sources: BorderPatrol DAC SE, Tascam CD-200iL CD player, Asus laptop running Tidal.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 SUT, Bob's Devices Sky SUT, Shindo Allegro.
Power amplifiers: Shindo Haut-Brion.
Integrated amplifiers: Schiit Audio Ragnarok.
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93, Klipsch Forte III.
Headphones: Master & Dynamic MH40.
…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed a full set of measurements on Schiit Audio's Ragnarok 2 using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). I preconditioned the amplifier by running it at one-third the specified power into 8 ohms for 45 minutes. At the end of this period, the temperature of the top panel had stabilized at 106.0°F (41.1°C), while the heatsinks measured 126.9°F (52.8°C). This amplifier should be placed in a well-ventilated location.
Looking first at the small-signal measurements with line-level input signals, the Schiit amplifier's…
As per our ritual, Karim and Dan arrived at my door in late afternoon, bearing our ritual's customary offerings: dark beer, wine, cold pork sandwiches, fruit and chocolate tarts, good music on well-recorded CDs, and audio hardware to try out on the host's hi-fi—on this particular Friday, my hi-fi. It's what we did: break bread while gabbing like regular folk about regular things, then bolt for the listening room for an evening of hi-fi fun.
It was that evening, during our fun, that I was struck by the specialness of the moment, and of us. We had gotten together no more than a handful of…
Next to Christmas carols, Sousa marches, and the collected works of Bobby "Boris" Pickett, there's no more seasonal music than bluegrass, which comes to life at the 30 or so major outdoor festivals and scores of smaller events that take place every summer throughout the US. As I write this, on the day after Thanksgiving, 2019's bluegrass season is only a memory, and the 2020 season is more than a half a year away.
So I'm cheered to have a bluegrass reissue to recommend this month: the 20th anniversary LP release of Yonder Mountain String Band's first album, Elevation (2LPs, Frog Pad…
Author's Note: It was January 1986. I flew from London to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show, following which I drove to Santa Fe, NM with Stereophile's then-owner/publisher Larry Archibald to talk about my leaving British magazine Hi-Fi News & Record Review magazine to join Stereophile. After discussing my future role at the magazine, I flew to Chicago to discuss an alternative idea, starting my own audio magazine, with a potential investor. (An idea that fell by the wayside the more I considered Stereophile's potential.) And what happened next, when I flew out of Chicago? That…
Thursday, February 13, 2020, 6–8pm: You are invited to an Evening at Soundscape, 406 W. Cold Spring Ln., Baltimore, MD, for a chance to talk with special guest Sandy Gross, founder and president of GoldenEar Technology. Soundscape will be demonstrating:
A Dolby Atmos home theater system featuring the GoldenEar Triton Reference Loudspeaker
The top-rated Triton One.R Loudspeaker
The first demonstration in Baltimore of a new GoldenEar speaker, coming soon to Soundscape!!
Complimentary wine and cheese will be served. RSVP by phone to (410) 889–1134, by February 11. Space is limited.
When I applied for this job, I wrote a pretend review of the Rogue Audio Sphinx integrated amplifier and emailed it to Stephen Mejias, then Stereophile's deputy editor, who printed it and put it on John Atkinson's desk.
Before I sent it to Stephen, I showed a rough draft to my business agent, Sphere, who said, "Herb, you can't turn this in like this."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because you speak as if you are not an audiophile and think you're superior to audiophiles."
"So?"
"You can't do that, because your readers are all audiophiles . . . and so are you."
…