Schiit Midgard Balanced headphone Amplifier and Preamplifier

Review, listening tests and measurements of the Schiit Midgard balanced headphone amplifier and preamp.
Detailed review: www.audioscien...

[@burner8959]

I own two Schiit pieces and I love them both. Schiit is one of the few companies I have some faith that they aren't going to screw over the customer and you will get a good product. Glad to see it continues.

[@0Artilary0]

Didn't always use to be the case, they were selling mid-low tier crap before Amir started measuring their gear and exposed them (much to the dismay of SBAF and leddit)

[@miquifaye]

Exposing Schiit does nothing to quell the support and purchasing of their products. People who are interested and using their product aren’t relying solely on measurements. Nice story though bro 👍🏻

[@aco2518]

Schitt is awesome. I dropped my amp once and broken the power switch on the back. I sent it in for repair and they didn't charge me anything for it. I'm definitely buying from them again

[@Tacet137]

​@@0Artilary0define "mid-low tier crap" please

[@Yes_Jorge_Yes]

@@0Artilary0measurement mean nothing how they sound is everything! I love all the schiit I own. They are not perfect but still great customer service, they stand behind their products and it is made in the USA not in a sweatshop in China!

[@Haydos]

Wow this was fast! Thanks for the great review.

[@dentboxhero1717]

Honestly, I find having XLR important and should be implemented more in headphone amps. It just makes it easier and convenient to send audio to active monitors. Expandability with less clutter or extra hardware/s involved when needed. I mean I can only name one other amp option in the sub $500 that has XLR out, the Gustard H16.

[@trog69]

I got some 4.4mm cables from Hart Audio, and the connector is modular. So, I got the XLR adapter that plugs into the base cable. I love it that I only had to spend $20 for the adapter rather than $50 for another cable. I ordered the Midgard because I wanted balanced out, and this will be installed between the DAC and the only balanced power amp I own, a NAD 208 thx (For a short while NAD tried their hand at building monster amps, the 208/216, for examples.) With such neutrality from the Midgard, hopefully it'll work great.

[@ramencurry6672]

I rarely listen to headphones so I think probably the standard RCA inputs are probably fine and I’m using passive speakers

[@jeankazamer9166]

Appreciated big boss Amir ❤❤❤❤

[@Ray-dl5mp]

Wow I was really hoping you would review this, and you did it right away! You’re the best.

[@shawnpwatsons1]

It may be just a bit unfair to compare op-amp based designs against discrete amps. Question is: "How does Midgard as a descrete amp compare to other descete designs with SINAD?"

[@BobFrostV]

Thanks for the video. I'm glad to see Schiit doing better! I hope they push the envelope on more products.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Admire I have the Freya plus with new Tungsol tubes love the pre for pricepoint if you want to take for a test drive let me know ' I'll arrange for shipping '

[@jackdale9249]

quick jack hello i recently participated in your forum for the first time the other day , you ( or someone ) called me a troll !~ NO i am not in any sense of the word .I made two similar but each modded to fit the speaker/ topic posts TWO ! and whammo banned ! i just disagreed seemed to me ! . seems unfair and unreasonable to ban me i admin a dozen pages on FB and sure wouldn't ban someone for that ! some guys on vintage speaker FB praise you a lot suggested i read your review of the yamaha speakers so i did ! i would like to agree w/ them you are a great person and knowledgable engineer ! hard to understand how i triggered that response . i obey rules am a 100% disabled vet and never been arrested i my life ! so i was hoping you would please reverse the ban . thank you jack Dale

[@bwoody1090]

If you can let me know what your member name was, I can review that for you.

[@gaurd3]

12:34. That’s why I like his reviews . No bullshit

[@tomstrum6259]

As good as this Amp performs at the very Reasonable price point, I suspect the overall Performance (Especially Noise) would Measurably Improve with a Regulated Linear DC Power Supply type wall wart....

[@losergamer04]

This has been on my dream list for a headphone amp. Thank you for reviewing it. EDIT: I'm currently running a Loxjie A30. This is another product you reviewed. It played a significant decision in my purchase of this. This amp is on my "If I ever have the spare funds to upgrade" list. The Loxjie is a significant upgrade over what I had previously.

[@pauldavies6037]

Great review great products as usual from Schiit and such good value and build quality

[@arghadeepmisra7865]

Hi Amir, since High Impedance dynamic driver headphones require more voltage than current, what should I look for while watching your measurements to know that it can drive High Impedance dynamic headphones properly.

[@drdiesel1]

Does Schiit make anything that measures this good or better with a built-in DAC?

[@rothgartheviking858]

Measurements are not everything. My favorite amp is a bottle head crack amp. Schit makes 3 products that are dac amps. Asgard, Jotunheim and Ragnarok. All great products.

[@burgosmatthew]

Excellent video. Thank you so much for this. I have seen these charts on many occasions but didn't know what they really meant until you talked about them.

[@MakerManu]

hello Is this device a preamplifier to use with a power amplifier of my stereo home system, amir only test with headphone. Thanks!

[@alex-su81]

How does it compares with pricier models like Jot2?

[@carminedesanto6746]

GM ☕️ I’ve had a few Schiit products over the years …they’re well worth the money but the power on/ off on the back is just annoying..but meh. This looks like a good deal and an excellent quality introduction to building a headphone stack 👍 Great review.

[@rothgartheviking858]

why turn it off?

[@carminedesanto6746]

@@rothgartheviking858Well, you probably want to turn it off …for reasons ranging from cleaning to repositioning in a stack ,plugging and unplugging

[@rothgartheviking858]

@@carminedesanto6746 So not frequently.

[@craiglevine7019]

Power switch on the back is a design choice. It boils down to keeping the cost low and the sound quality high. Running wires with AC power from the back of the amp (where the power cord is) to the front of the amp (where a power switch could be located) could cause audible interference in the amplifier. Keeping it in the back eliminates some possible source of noise.

[@michaelhess4825]

I've found no need to go balanced. Too deaf I guess. Saves me some cash at least!

[@JTB--]

This Midgard isn't a balanced amp in the headphone section at least. The XLR does offer this new "Halo" effect though.

[@samuelsalins8309]

Excellent review thanks 👍

[@patrickmeylemans9627]

I own a D50S and want an amp for my HD800S (Sennheiser) and IEM’s Campfires …. Should I buy this one, the A50S or the DX3Pro?

[@traaaaan]

I bought this thinking the single ended output of my ifi zen can amp died.... Turns out hifiman just has really terrible stock cables. Rocking the ananda nano through this via 4pin xlr. Loving it on high gain.

[@DjJm09]

Hello I am new to hi-fi audio! I was wanting to know if you would recommend using the Midgard and Modius or the Magni and Modi. I am just running them with a pair of Sennheiser HD 6XXs. Would the sound quality be drastically improved if I am running the Midgard/Modius using balanced or would it be similar to the Magni and Modi using single ended?

[@Algonqiun]

Well well well.. My lil girl (3yrs) knocked over my little stand with my drink and modi/magni, the magni died but modi survived. Looks like I need a new amp just in time for the midgard to be released. Speakers until it comes in I guess ;)

[@russchirau2461]

Please review the SMSL DL200, seriously considering it. Just need to know if it's the real deal.

[@IliyaOsnovikov]

I guess it might be good for my AKG K1000 headphones that have impedance 120 Ohms and maximum power 1W.

[@astroid99]

Just bought this as my first amp. It'll go with my hd6xx. Im excited to try it when it arrives. Hopefully this will be great for years to come. Planning on buying the modius in a month or two to go with it.

[@thinkIndependent2024]

KZbin freeze frame tells the story without watching or reading Amir liked

[@blu6]

Would you recommend this over the Asgard 3 for the dt1990?

[@trog69]

Gouging another unnecessary hole in my budget but this is just what I was looking for after getting the excellent-sounding SMSL m300 DAC, which should pair nicely with this very neutral amp. Thanks, Amir!

[@thorstenwieszniewski6875]

11:43 min: „Even at 3.00 p.m.“ - well I turn it up just to 3.00 a.m. LOL

[@Reeeepicheep]

How does this measure against the THX 887 Monolith amp?

[@alexrondonpereira2336]

Is it a good idea to pair this amp with a Ifi Zen Dac V2? I have a Sony MDR-Z7M2 and plan to buy either the Hifiman Sundara or Dan Clark Aeon RT.

[@AudioScienceReview]

Sure, it will pair with any DAC.

[@thepracticalaudiophile]

I have the ifi hipdac versions 1 & 2 to drive my Ananda's, but they sound lifeless. When using the bass or volume boost just makes the sound more distorted. Just ordered the Midgard and hopefully will add more punch in a clean way. Nice review. No flash just straight to the punch.

[@AT-wl9yq]

'When using the bass or volume boost just makes the sound more distorted. " You need to figure out what's causing the distortion. A volume control can't distort the signal, so you can rule that out. Only gain can. Have a look at your system and make sure you know what controls are volume and gain, Gain is on the input of a component, and volume controls are on the output. Lower your gain until the distortion goes away. Then use just your volume controls only. Another thing you may want to check is to make sure you're not mixing balanced and signal ended connections. The 2 modes of operation are not compatible, You need to make sure your connections are the same on both ends. What tends to happen is you only need 2 conductors for single ended operation, and for balanced you need 3. The extra signal conductor on the balanced connection, sometimes gets combined with the ground on the SE connection. This causes a short circuit and the result is distorted sound similar what you're describing.

[@thepracticalaudiophile]

Yes, I did make that mistake in the past, but not what I meant here. Before I did use a single ended on the balanced output , I quickly figured it out. What I'm talking about now is the lack of power, so the distortion is increased from what sounds like clipping.

[@rvgr12]

Power at the back is just too far to reach. I wish reviewers would just stop already. It's like 6 inches away

[@AudioScienceReview]

You can't tell its status without looking back there.

[@todd8155]

@rvgr12 - One may have it in a system or stack and it may not be easy to get too. Also, no power LED :-(

[@rvgr12]

😂@@muahaha5929

[@rvgr12]

@@AudioScienceReview i'd argue for an LED indicator too then. Generally like your reviews btw

[@linn4538]

It's got a nice glow from inside which indicates "on". Well to me at least!

[@bitterbuffalo8997]

The midgard isn't balanced.

[@therationalpiper7428]

Would be interesting to compare to the Lyr+.

[@HugeBigness]

Absolutely solid review.

[@Iggyzep-h1r]

Thanks, Amir, for the review! Nice amplifier👍

[@bernardmueller5676]

My Asgard 3 stopped working after a year. Sigh.

[@craiglevine7019]

But it has a 5-year warranty. Schiit's service is excellent.

[@sonickiller360]

Does this amp reduce the distortion of headphones as the company claims?

[@backrack01]

Great review. Which DAC did you use for listening test?

[@AudioScienceReview]

Thanks. I use my everyday RME ADI-2 Pro with XLR output.

[@uterpia]

Thank you

[@Yes_Jorge_Yes]

Amir Merci for the review!

[@Sharur1]

Any plans to review Qudelix T71? It is advertised to have double the voltage of the 5k.

[@more_me_than_I_am]

I'm planning to pair this one or Jotunheim with my T71's balanced output 😊

[@Sharur1]

@@more_me_than_I_am what headphones do you use that would benefit from more power than what the T71's balanced output alone can provide?

[@more_me_than_I_am]

@Sharur1 Grado rs1x and T71 seems to drive it quite well. But rs1x has a single ended cable which can't be replaced. So I want to get the full potential from the T71's balanced output

[@Sharur1]

​@@more_me_than_I_amyou are EQ'ing the Grados? It doesn't distort in the bass? You won't get any audible improvement by using its balanced input connected to a different amp

[@more_me_than_I_am]

@Sharur1 I don't use eq for my grado. I want to somehow use t71's balanced output with my grado but thanks for the advice ;)

[@nonchalantd]

❤

[@ezra8s]

Nice review!!! Thank you!

[@Solus793]

I'll never get used to their brand name.

[@craiglevine7019]

Have you tried their Pyst cables or listened to their Fulla gaming amp? As for "Urd"..."Schiit Urd". Say it fast...

[@Audiorevue]

Personally amir I don't care for your measurements or nothing style of reviewing products. But having said that I will say that I still read the website quite frequently and have started to watch your videos as well. Now that I've got that out of the way let me say that I have never had one of their products that I've had longer than a couple of months. For me it just comes down to, yes it sounds good and I enjoy listening to it but for whatever reason whenever I've had any of their products i always find I don't love it if you understand what I mean. And as odd as it may sound I don't know I guess I just find that the stuff sounds good but unlike other products I've had and other brands i've used I don't enjoy listening to it long term... Anyway in spite of my criticism I do enjoy your content and keep up the good work

[@pixelrancher]

Their products really are the Schiit. Great review.

[@rogerwalter2500]

Amir is an enemy of "AudioPhools"

[@craiglevine7019]

Amit worships measurements. That in and of itself is extremely foolish.

[@daiblaze1396]

@@craiglevine7019 Hard to tell if the gear reviewed will sound any good indeed. I have spent quite some time browsing through them. It is clear that getting a good measurement comes first in mind. Seeing build construction to some amps or Dacs - particularly the power supply part - doesn't give any trust in them. These gets me then more confused. Reviewers praised brands like Topping and SMSL too much. Viewers not so much. My first DAC was an SMSL that got good reviews and the usb failed on me 2 months later. Sound was okish and this was at the beginning of my journey. Nowadays I would qualify it as trash probably. It lacked nuance in music, it has just performed with lack of emotions. I was hoping that things have changed with 5 years lapsed. Really hard to tell. I still feel like it is a gamble ! As always, trust our ears.

[@fwabble]

Amir is the man

[@HeyYall398]

Well, butter my buns and call me a biscuit, let's get into the nitty-gritty, y'all! Now, listen here, 'cause this is as important as grandma's Sunday supper. Them there objective measurements and double-blind listenin' tests, even done by ears trained finer than a prize hound, they can sometimes go wanderin' off the path, just like a cowpoke on a moonless night. Why, you ask? 'Cause, darlin', sometimes that cold, hard data misses the heart of the matter, like tryin' to catch a greased pig at the county fair! It don't always account for the soul, the warmth, the toe-tappin' essence of the music that makes your heart do a little do-si-do. That's where them audiophiles, bless their hearts, with their golden ears and all, come waltzin' in. They talk 'bout the music breathin', the bass huggin' you like a long-lost friend, and the highs sweeter than pecan pie in July. It's all 'bout the experience, sweeter'n a jug of sweet tea on a hot day. So, don't go turnin' a deaf ear to them subjective audiophile sentiments, no siree. 'Cause music ain't just 'bout numbers and graphs. It's 'bout how it stirs your soul and sets your spirit free, like a tumbleweed in the Texas breeze. Remember, what's ticklin' the ivories of your heart can't always be measured, but by golly, it sure can be felt! 🤠

[@Tacet137]

What

[@HeyYall398]

@@Tacet137 Well, I'll be! Your question popped up quicker than a frog in a hot skillet. Mind givin' a little more context, darlin'? It's like tryin' to read the Good Book in the dark - I'm in need of a bit more light to see the whole picture, if you catch my drift. Don't be shy now, go on and lay it out plain as day. 🤠

[@JonMoralesLA]

@@HeyYall398😂😂😂😂

[@HeyYall398]

@@JonMoralesLA 👋👋😆

[@mountaindweller4514]

It doesn't even have a display, and remembering Schiit's previous shenanigans and catering to the subjective (read: BS) audio market...I wouldn't buy it.

[@tylerstravis]

Displays are hideous.

[@craiglevine7019]

Care to show us on the doll where Schiit hurt you?

[@filthXpig]

Nice, should pair well with my E70 Velvet... and even if it's not the perfect match it's only $219

[@xray111xxx]

Looks like it's time to get that Schiit order.

[@nomoredamnnamestouse]

Like the Topping DX1, not muting the line-outs when headphones are plugged in is a baffling design choice that defies any common sense. I mean it should be obvious that anyone using headphones wouldn't want any sound coming from their speakers. Grade F from a usability standpoint.

[@sauhamm3821]

schiit sells headamps and preamps, some of them have “some” crossover. so understand you’re asking a company to take one of their lowest priced products in one category and make it as or more functional than all the products in both their head and pre space? tell me you’ve never ran a business by making consumer comments like that … all kidding aside, schiit isn’t going to take away from the preamps they sell by making a $200 headamp out perform them. my modius and lyr+ were $300 in price difference and one, guess which, has extra functionality. my topping amp (L50) has pass thru, isn’t even a pre, and it was more than this amp.

[@craiglevine7019]

Jesus! Reading your reply, my eyes rolled back so far in my head so fast that I got a concussion 🙄