Description: Solid-state, balanced, line preamplifier with separate power supply/base and remote control. Inputs: 6 balanced (XLR). Outputs: 2 balanced (XLR). Control connections: 12V trigger in/out, RS-232. Voltage gain: Selectable, 10.95dB or 26dB. Frequency response: 20Hz–75kHz, ±0dB; 0.1Hz–1MHz, ±0.5dB. Input impedance: 1M ohm. Output impedance: 10 ohms. THD: <0.02%, 20Hz to 20kHz. Signal/ noise: 75dBu, unweighted.
Dimensions: 4.3" (108mm) H × 18" (450mm) W × 12" (300mm) D (preamp); 3" (75mm) H × 11" (275mm) W × 8" (200mm) D (power supply/base).…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: dCS Rossini SACD/CD transport & Rossini DAC & Rossini Clock & Network Bridge; EMM Labs DV2 DAC; Apple 2017 Macbook Pro computer with 2.8 GHz Intel i7, SSD, 16GB RAM; Roon Nucleus+; Linksys routers (2), Small Green Computer Systemoptique optical isolation bundle, TP-Link gigabit Ethernet media converters plus multimode duplex fiberoptic cable (2); Small Green Computer linear power supply & Small Green Computer/ HDPlex four-component 200W linear power supply (2); external hard drives, SSD USB sticks, iPad Pro.
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Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Dan D'Agostino Momentum HD's performance with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"), checking some of the measurements with a loaned sample of Audio Precision's top-of-the-line AP555x system. The gain at 1kHz for the balanced inputs to the balanced output with the volume control set to the maximum was 10.85dB for the low-gain setting, which was how JVS auditioned the preamplifier. (Unless indicated otherwise, all the measurements were taken with this gain setting.) Setting the gain to "26" resulted in a gain at 1kHz…
Manufacturer's Comment
Editor: Thank you to JVS for his very thorough and positive review. It is always gratifying to have a design goal be fully realized in a listener's experience. Jason's obvious enthusiasm matched ours when we first heard the new Momentum HD update.
One note: JA's measurements mentioned something we caught before production commenced but was in the early pre-production control code. The operation of the phase button was reversed in the pre-production code, which is what JSV had. All production units have the correct code.—Dan D'Agostino, founder and chief…
Hi-Fi: The History of High-End Audio Design, by Gideon Schwartz, Phaidon Press, 2019. 272pp. $84.97, hard cover.
The ongoing evolution of hi-fi can be measured in any number of ways. Most obviously, we see that evolution in the technologies associated with our industry: in big breakthroughs—mono to stereo, tubes to transistors, analog to digital—as well as incremental improvements in materials and manufacturing techniques. Those and other refinements bring with them changes in sound quality—hopefully, but not always, improvements—but no less important to the industry are changes in form…
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 soon learned that the new amp is more than just a refined version of the original. The…
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.
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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…