Schiit Audio Ragnarok 2 Integrated Amplifier Review (Take 2, Ep:7)

The Schiit Audio Ragnarok 2 Fully Loaded was first reviewed by Doug Schneider in his April 2020 "System One" column on SoundStage! Hi-Fi. Read the full review here: www.soundstagehifi.com/index....
In this video, Jay Lee further explores the Ragnarok 2, describing the differences between the Fully Loaded and Just An Amp versions, as well as his impressions of the sound and the features in his system. As you'll learn in this video, Schiit's Ragnarok 2 is an integrated amplifier that's he'd like to own.
#amplifier #hifi #audiophile

[@DistroUser]

One of your better reviews Jay! Concise and with the most relevant information for the prospective buyer. Cheers!

[@milesdufourny4813]

Great review Jay.

[@Jayiyagi]

Thank you

[@jsmorton674]

Great review! Thanks...

[@Thesilverthunder777]

Great review Jay. Without the TYRs the Rag 2 was great only on gain stage 3. With TYRs gain stage 1 and 2 great.

[@dindipanesar]

Nice video Jay.

[@Jayiyagi]

Thank you !

[@markwasilow2757]

how does this integrated amp compare to Freya+ plus Vidar?

[@dennisheadley4408]

Wonder how it would compare to the Rogue Audio Sphinx V3 ?

[@suryapratamak1690]

Hi jay, i am on the fence about getting either getting a bifrost 2 paired with ragnarok 2...or a bifrost 2 paired with wells audio milo. Jusy wondering if you have ever reviewed or heard the wells audio milo. Thanks

[@Thesilverthunder777]

Perfect gain match on gain stage 1 with TYRS. Volume knob exactly at 1:30pm position.

[@peterlambros5568]

Hi Jay. Really enjoy your channel. Can this amp drive the JBL L100 classics well?

[@Thevikingcam]

Nice Jay, image quality is now spot on in videos :D

[@Jayiyagi]

Hey man ! haven't talked to you in a long time. hows it kickin

[@Thevikingcam]

@@Jayiyagi Things are getting better. Corona virus did make huge problems on work but ill manage now :D

[@BrJD-ii4iv]

Great Video, Mann! I have the Ragnarok 2 w/ those same headphones, and I couldn’t agree more w/ your assessment. Curious, what amp(s) do you know that has more power output than the Ragnarok 2?

[@LewisHolford]

Would this work well with the KEF R3’s? Well

[@felipedantas4666]

Was locked on the ragnarok until I started following your channel. Been following for a while now and hegel looks like a solid long term possibility. I could go as High as a hegel H120. How would that compare with the ragnarok in your opinion? In addition, do you have any experience with decwere tube amp? Great channel by the way

[@Jayiyagi]

Hegel h120 if you need a streamer as well !

[@felipedantas4666]

@@Jayiyagi tks

[@twostepped999]

@thenextbestthingstudio how does this compare to naim Supernait3 if you recall

[@martinliew578]

wondering - how would your rate the Ragnarok 2 vs the Atoll's Jay ? (in30, in100/200 etc)

[@Thesilverthunder777]

I had the Hegel H90 which was great but too clinical. Rag 2 way more depth and still clean and clear.

[@strawwoodclaw]

Does this sound as good as Rega Elicit, I've got chance to buy both at same price .which is the best amp I wonder 🤔

[@markwasilow2173]

Jay, How does this compare to the MA5300 Mcintosh?

[@jaimeceularcarranco340]

I wonder if it goes fine with speakers such as Dali menuet or bigger Sonus Faber Sonetto II

[@Sam-lx1ij]

Does the Ragnarok Just Amp ($1499) comes with pre-amp and headphone amp?

[@mindbendernine]

Yes

[@charlesclifton5896]

Its going to be this amp or the Hegel H90. Bifrost2 for either. Any comments appreciated.

[@strawwoodclaw]

Can this be used as just a power amp?

[@CaptainCrunch823]

Great job Jay!

[@Jayiyagi]

Thank you !

[@oleksiifilippov68]

Hi Jay! Thanks to your review, and to the written review by your colleague, I finally switched to the lower gain. It helped with getting the last bit of resolution, that was lacking with R300 (tiny improvement but a big deal!). Plus got T7/i and now it’s sweet! Must admit, R300 could have benefit from more (clean!) power. Hungry suckers.

[@Jayiyagi]

Glad to hear !

[@soundstagenetwork]

As Doug Schneider wrote in his column, the volume control is said to work ideally throughout its entire range. He found it was OK to use a lower gain setting and the volume turned very far right -- past 3 o'clock.

[@britishbiasf1]

Hey jay, I’ve been saving up for a new amp. I’ve had my eye on a Naim Nait 5si. How would you compare the Ragnorok 2 to that amp. Great video by the way 👍

[@dennislopez372]

check out the comparison by The Audiofool he has some good comparisons. it might be a ragnarok 1 though

[@devinwilliams4851]

Also, check out Jay's comments on Audio Excellence Canada about his thoughts on the Naim Nait 5si vs the Hegel H90 (taking into consideration that Jay said he prefers the Ragnarok's amplifier section to that of the Hegel H90. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZebgISbn5ycb9E

[@devinwilliams4851]

@@dennislopez372 Yes, Audiofool did the comparison with the Ragnarok 1.

[@Drackleyrva]

Great review! Are those the Lore or Lore Reference speakers?

[@Jayiyagi]

Lore !

[@Thesilverthunder777]

Just got the Rag 2 with Tyrs, Mangepan LRSs, and Nordost cables, and its amazing folks. Highly recommended. Ample Headroom Ample.

[@dennisheadley4408]

Any idea how it would pair with the Klipsch Hersey iv?

[@brydon10]

Great.

[@johnnixon2504]

The volume ladder clicks don’t bother me at all, it just bothers my cats 🤣

[@Jayiyagi]

yeap. may bother some but for most people its actually satisfying if anything imho

[@johnnixon2504]

Oh I love the sound of the resistors doing clicking!

[@henriksrensen3220]

Resistor ladder volume 👌👍👏

[@bbfrid88]

Good review as always. Does the Schiit Ragnarok 2 have an AV bypass mode to use it with an existing home theater system?

[@AvneeshDwivedi]

You have mastered the KZbin content generation Jay! Congratulations! :) I saw 2 REL T/5i sub-woofers in this video. Would you recommend them over a single T/7i to start with? Also, would you recommend this amplifier over 2 Ageir monoblocks? Thank you in advance for the help!

[@Jayiyagi]

You know what, I think I would prefer the dual t5i than just 1 t7i. And also I haven't heard the Ageir so I can't say but schiit does make some nice stuff and I feel like they are headed the right direction

[@evil_twit]

Hey dude, what's the audio diffuser art thing on your wall? So awesome.

[@Uli2Klein]

do you think it's a good match for the powerhungry Dynaudio Special forty?

[@curtisayers7933]

Great question. I’m speculating probably not optimal. Those speakers are notorious for needing power. Plenty of good options out there.

[@Uli2Klein]

@@curtisayers7933 you're right, in the end I decided in favour of the Hegel H390 :D great match btw

[@MarA-md8sc]

So worth. Considering it? Get it.

[@michaelmityok1001]

Good review, maybe next time when you mention a comparo amp like you did here with the Hegel H90/120, spend a minute to give people more detail than just "as good" or "almost as good". The reason being most people in the market for amps at these price points will want/need more information before they feel comfortable pulling the trigger.

[@Jayiyagi]

good point !

[@michaelmityok1001]

@@Jayiyagi ya keep up the hard work and networking and pretty soon you are gonna have a ton of subs!

[@Jayiyagi]

@@michaelmityok1001 thanks Michael

[@jamesdwright]

Yep i agree. Comparaisons are what I look for the most in these reviews. Great stuff Jay.

[@Thesilverthunder777]

And with Grado Pro headphones its heavenly.

[@mikeg2491]

Grados doesn’t get a fair rap in the headphone community. The high-end models like the GS3000x on OTL tubes is heavenly, I actually enjoy it more than the Susvara or Utopia.

[@saitaro]

Please give me advice, as I'm a newbie in HiFi. Can I use thing thing with my MacBook and speakers like Klipsch RP-600M and also be able to transmit music from my phone (Android) via Bluetooth? If yes, what to do? Thank you.

[@evil_twit]

You don't want to use bluetooth with something like this. You could, but you would need a bt receiver. Good luck finding a decent one that would do this justice. AptX minimum. And those cheap china things all suck. No offense to china, but the have a ton of noise / white noise. A older iPhone with a headfone port is miles better that any bt.

[@saitaro]

@@evil_twit Thanks bud. Got myself next things: - QUAD Vena II integrated - a pair of ELAC BS 263 With USB connection sounds really good. But if the recording is decent, even the Bluetooth does the thing pretty well. The amp uses AptX.

[@kaneda7katsuragi]

I know its minor, but no one really talks about the 'fully differential output' on the new ragnarok. Does it make an audible difference? the tech is interesting. only downside is if connecting subs via speaker wire = no go

[@JayGreezy]

What do you mean by hooking up subs by speaker wire?

[@alanmodimages]

@@JayGreezy Subs like the REL don't use "Sub out" or Pre Outs, they use what is known as a High Level connection, which is hooking to the amplifier's speaker output.

[@raymoore8435]

Why can’t you ?

[@raymoore8435]

There is a Rel video on KZbin on how to do the hook up to differential

[@markwasilow2757]

Is the volume knob plastic or alum?

[@MrGrosMamouth]

aluminium, I own a schiit amp that costs $200 and it’s aluminium so I guess this has it

[@pennfootball71]

Try a Belles Aria integrated amp it's 75W @8 and 2300 bucks

[@jeanninesandmayer2926]

Clean, clean, clean - that is this amplifier's mantra - in terms of overall ability - I'd go one better on his comments - Hegel H300 in a shoot-out with Nordost cabling in tow, I was there... The Schiit was exactly that, it shined - The Hegel had balls but it didn't prove to be more refined...

[@rockman22]

How does it sound with Tekton Pendragons?

[@Jayiyagi]

I would imagine it sounds as good if not better when paired up with smth like the hegel h120. But take it with grain of salt; I wasn't able to directly pair them up cuz the pendragons are long gone

[@rockman22]

@@Jayiyagi thanks for the reply. I am currently running Emotiva BasX gear with my Pens and I am strongly considering the Bifrost / Ragnarok combo. I live about 20 minutes from Schiit and with their two week return policy I might as well give it a go.

[@Jayiyagi]

@@rockman22 I don't see why not if you live so close !

[@btarr8561]

Bifrost 2 IS FULLY BALANCED.

[@tbbt2515]

What's up with the colour correction in these videos? Jay's skin looks unnaturally yellow...

[@kaifa76]

3:53 bifrost is a dac, not a phono pre.

[@Jayiyagi]

Schiit mani a phono.

[@soundstagenetwork]

In that timezone, he's talking about the built-in DAC and phono stage, then mentions the Bifrost, an external DAC, plus the Mani, an external phono stage. It might seem he's mentioning the Bifrost as a phono if you listen quickly, but if you go back again, I think you'll see he explicitly says it's a DAC, then mentions the Mani as a phono stage possibility.