We compare the NEW Schiit Vidar 2 with Vidar 1 and Aegir!

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

*There’s an Audiophiliac/Steve Guttenberg imposter scamming my viewers, There’s no FREE gifts. DON’T respond! I don't do giveaways or ask for money (except for my Patreon)*

[@goodforwatch]

hi steve happy new year to you! a small request, can you please try to add similarly priced components from other manufacturers in your reviews? would be quite helpful especially something like bluesound power node edge which may not be very audiophile but it fits in better with a lot of us who use our system to watch your reviews on TV! apart from listening to music afcorse. i would love to know the delta between a system with separares and more lifestyle oriented components i.e. with hdmi input. Thanks.

[@tariqaziz6551]

@@goodforwatch Try asking the same question to the cheap audio man

[@luckyrocks1]

Thanks again for turning me on to even more great recordings!!! Love you man! Have a great, healthy and successful 2023!

[@EricBurbeck]

I swapped my Parasound P6 pre for a Schiit Freya+, feeding my Para A21 amp and B&w 703 S2 speakers and BOY is the Freya a better fit. Also using a Schiit Modius balanced dac and that is a considerable improvement over the internal dac on my Bluesound Node 2 digital source. This Schiit rocks!

[@DaEDman4life]

Steve, Thanks for great review. I am seriously looking into a Schiit stack. I just purchased a Schiit Mani 2 phono preamp. I enjoyed you swapping speakers, components and spotlighting music in your own LP collection. Your channel is a true joy! Thanks again!😉

[@joseph-ow1hf]

Steve, I bought a Bifrost 2 and am blown away by the sound. So impressed w/ Schiit that I have a Vidar 1 (bought used) on the way. What an impressive company. Great sound, low prices and made in the USA. Oh, I have Maggie LRS's on order based on your glowing comments. Wanted 1.6's but the LRS is much less expensive to purchase and ship. Thanks for your excellent channel. And yes, I subscribed.

[@superdougie10]

Excellent, one of your better reviews Steve. Thank you for all the equipment swap outs. Wonderful and fresh.

[@willmac5642]

How will he take that comment lol

[@keplermission]

I quote from the Birdman movie "you are a birdman, you are a G-o-d". How about that movie? Set in crummy New York. Helps spice up the reality and uh ... make it more flattering to like here ... whilst that Zu Audio DW6 speaker that Steve somewhat runs into his Vidor speaker comment, has a metal pole in the center that was never explained and uh ... this might be too long a comment, but you know on the internet, September 2007, Road Tour Exit 14 with Michael Lavorgna, there's a room just like the Audiophiliac System of the Day and uh ... they talking about Hartley 310s. Well there was a 2ft diameter woofer Hartley had made that had a metal pole in the cone center and it was a heat-sink. When I first saw that I expected a coaxial tweeter in that pole, but it does seem to cool the gap flux like Robert Schmetterer's, you know post 1956 elite Hartley-Luth woofer. These were only for the global elite.

[@FOH3663]

@@keplermission I believe the Zu wide-bander is sourced from Eminence... if I had to guess I'd suggest the pole piece (of machined aluminum?) it plays a role in aesthetic appeal, perhaps heat dissipation/flux optimization ... and lesser extent dispersion.

[@keplermission]

@@FOH3663 I just uh Googled Eminence and Zu Audio and uh, it's a phase plug that: 1. Extends high frequency limits of the driver assembly through a combination of whizzer cone and center pole detail profile plus acoustic impedance matching. ??? 2. MLS diffuser function ??? of pole piece profile and rings aids in the widening of the high frequency (polar plot or beam pattern). (Because whizzers used to have very narrow beam dispersion). 3. Aids in control of dynamic behavior through diamagnetic shunting (shorting) of spurious B fields. (Well EMI had a 1933 year speaker that was copper-plated and uh ... they're using Dr Olson's know-how). Copper-plated magnets display a weird, very strange phenomenon that I suppose is only for high end physics. 4. Zu’s implementation of shunting is regulated, providing virtually no dynamic damping at low level play and increasing logarithmically to maximum in high SPL play. 5. Dramatic improvement in cooling as the assembly is press fit and uses thermally conductive adhesive. (Only significantly in play when you are pushing huge power, but there nonetheless.) So ... we're back, this is the Audiophiliac and if you would like to join Steve's Patreon site... you know, where there's a will there's a way.

[@Starmangmh57]

I received my Vidar 2 9 days ago. Right now I am using my old Magnepan SMGs, which sound great, but plan on getting the LRS+ model very soon.

[@FoxTick]

My co-worker has a Schiit stack, original Vidars, Freya preamp and Gungnir DAC . I asked him how it sounded and, without skipping a beat said "It sounds like Schiit"

[@andrewbrazier9664]

🎶 🙃 🤣

[@jonathandavis9507]

Que dad jokes

[@jeffreylehman1159]

Good Schmitt man!!

[@peterlarkin762]

Schitt jokes. They're great.

[@bubblehead5394]

What the Schiit!!!

[@delvalle9256]

I really hope you will consider reviewing the Schiit Tyrs. Thanks

[@sixergixer]

Turning the lens the other direction, how did the Zu react to the difference in power between the Vidar 2 and the Aegir, being highly efficient speakers that seem to dig lower powered amps? Does the higher power just give more of what's so good about those speakers or does it actually change their sonic character? Great review, Steve!

[@stevewages]

I’m seriously considering grabbing a pair of LRS+, but have been grappling with how to power them. My current, mediocre 5.1 receiver is not up to the job. At the same time, I have a budget, and I’m not springing for the $8k McIntosh receiver that my local shop recommended (let alone the 20k integrated amp they used to demo the Maggies). The Vidar2 sounds like an amazing option for those of us with limited resources.

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

That's a good plan with single Vidar2 ( but not two Vidars)

[@shannonmiller5648]

I have the saga+ and it’s a fantastic preamp. I also have the mani2 phono pre and the Lokius eq. All fantastic products

[@mrt6349]

Tyr review plz.

[@apparentlyretrograde]

For my birthday I ordered the Freya+, Lokius, and Aegir. Getting a Jotunheim soon. Can't wait to test against my Topping/Willsenton R300 setup, and versus my NAD C368 and PowerNode setups, using KEF Q150s, Focal Chora 826, and KLH Model 5's. I swear most of the fun of being an audiophile is swapping all the stuff around and having an excuse to play. So many combinations.

[@MARCONMUSIC2049]

Please do tell!

[@nate7629]

How'd it end up

[@orourke138]

I'm running 2 Vidar ones, Jotunheim phono pre, Marantz TT15, Mogami xlr interconnects, Kimber TC-4 bi-wired to Crites CornScalas. Cambridge Audio 851C for digi. Big, exacting sound. Very pleased.

[@johnpeschke7723]

i love your reviews for lots of reasons. your years of experience is reassuring. but, your music recommendations really float my boat...lots of very interesting material,

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Thanks so much, it really is all about the music after all. And nowadays, it’s so easy to explore new music. Thanks for watching.

[@tedhersh9095]

@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac Steve, I feel like you could do a separate channel devoted solely to music recommendations. I’ve been exposed to so much new music through your reviews! Thank you!

[@olwordeaux1]

I LOVE hearing about the new Vidar! I am going to get one soon! Amazing you played Olu Dara! (I am a HUGE hip hop fan! He is rapper Nas's Father!)

[@axelviarhilmarsson6317]

These selected words the Schiit Audio is using is from the Icelandic written story of the Nordic/german mythology - look it up (f.ex. at Wikipedia). As Icelandic is the oldest and probably the least changed language for the last 1000 years of all the languages of the nordic countries. All those naming of those Shitt Audio components are taken from this myhology and the spelling has changed from what we Icelanders use for those (which we would say is the "true" writing :) ) - F.ex. "Aegir" we have one letter "Æ" which is the two first letters, so in Icelandic this is "Ægir" (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86gir) - One sould pronounce it, starting with I (as in I'm) and then "gir" (with a very "soft" "g" after the "Æ/I". The "Vidar", the english and also the other nordic countries do no have the letter "ð" any more, and write it with "d" instead - which creates and error to our ears (Icelanders). The word should be "Viðar" - and the letter "ð" is not a hard sound like the "d" is. It is more like the "th" in english - like in the start of "the" so it would be pronounced as "Vithar" my middle name is actually "Viðar" - which was a god in the Nordic mythology. Looking at the list over products at Shitt Audio I could tell you about the "wrong" spelling of many of the names. But that has mainly to do with the fact that there are letters that have been lost in the stream of time through the centuries in other languages. In Icelandic we have those letters (alphabet) a, á, b, d, ð, e, é, f, g, h, i, í, j, k, l, m, n, o, ó, p, r, s, t, u, ú, v, x, y, ý, þ, æ, ö (32 letters). So f.ex. "Bifrost", should be "Bifröst", "Tyr" is "Týr", "Yggdrasil" should be "Yggdrasill" (the double "ll" at the end is a special prenounced - that is very hard for other not Icelandic speaking to get out of their mouth .... so enough of that for now, hope that this will not confuse you to much and help you to pronounce those words in the way they should be pronounced ... thanks for your from Iceland.

[@johnnixon2504]

Birdman and its soundtrack are awesome. I really like that scene where the actors are walking through the allys and the drum kit is just playing in the background and fades as they walk away.

[@chuckcribbs3398]

Great review! I think the Schiit products are pretty high-end but not budget overwhelming.

[@PyxisLearning]

Hey Steve, really appreciate this review! You did so much in 18 minutes, with none of it wasted. Your review this time covered several pieces of audio gear that I'm seriously considering, including the Vidar 2 and the Jotunheim, so it's helpful to hear how they (the Vidar 2 in particular) worked out with different speakers. I'm looking for equipment to pair with my Triangle Borea BR08s, and it's nice to know that the Vidar 2 works so well with a pretty good variety of well-known and respected speakers. I also really loved the music recommendations. Thanks a lot for an excellent and very helpful review!

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Thanks Theodore

[@MojoMagic977]

Please get ahold of 2 Tyr’s and give them a test!!! Inquiring minds want to know, see, hear. Thanks.

[@JohanBergens]

Great review! Would like to see you review the Tyr, that one is intriguing.

[@dennis1979gm]

It's always great hearing your discretion of sound. As an audio file in my 40's in car audio I've unfortunately lost the pure real sound over time due to hearing damage I'm sure. Lol I get to live it now through your words.

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

So nice to hear from you!

[@mikes121]

Sitting here listening to that exact Vandersteen. Just got them last weekend. Great speaker.

[@RitzRT]

So it seems like you enjoyed it with the Maggies. I have a pair of modified MMG's so I may upgrade from the classic Vidar just to get the front panel mounted standby switch. Reaching around to the back panel of the original Vidar is a pain in the neck since it can get a bit warm. Thanks for the review!

[@fumedtwice8921]

Great review Steve! I'm looking forward to your review of the Vandersteen's. Nobody seems to review these speakers so this should be special. I'm on my fourth pair of Vandersteen's and I would like to hear them compared to some other speakers. I really appreciate this review ot the Schiit Vidar since you tried so many speakers and associated electronics. I always appreciate your choices in music that I have never heard.

[@tombradfiled9342]

Thanks Steve been pondering a power amp option and this Vidar 2 looks to be what Im looking for. Currently running a Leak Stereo 130 with a set of the Wharfedale Linton, absolutely love my speakers but the 130 I haven't been as enthusiastic about. The Stereo 130 has the sonic chops IMO, its very sweet and polite but does not power the Linton's with the oomph they could use. Was highly considering the Stereo 230 when it starts shipping next month, thinking the 130 will make a fine little preamp for something like the Vidar 2.

[@scottyo64]

Are you sure its not the speakers? Wharfedale's are a bit laid back

[@scottwolf8633]

Love observing the amp's internals. This Company is performing a tremendous service in designing, sourcing, and manufacturing in the US, delivering bang for the buck.

[@raymondallo9947]

Thank you for putting me on Olu Dara. Never heard of him, but what an amazing find. Love his music. And of course love the review. It is time buy some good Schit

[@rx7dude2006]

Love the sound of Vandersteen 2CE's have yet to hear the newest version though.

[@mariodrv]

The Jotunheim 2 is primarily a headphone amplifier. There are tubeless versions of the Saga and Freya preamps.

[@kingblind]

Man, this review was fantastic, top work!

[@guydavies7558]

Steve is 'The Schitt' I enjoy watching his videos in my truck on a night out from home. I have a tablet linked to a JBL connect 5. From the UK.

[@Gman1044]

That is one of KZbins greatest headlines. Congratulations Steve.

[@asan1050]

Thanks Much Steve Guttenberg Audiophiliac !

[@twostepped999]

fantastic review steve, very clear and helpful. Also that viewer system of the day, my god...

[@whocares0503]

Makes wonder how this measures up to Van Alstine monoblocks. Frank has been awesome stuff for decades, but his monoblocks are +/- $3600 in change... Then there is Schiit's Tyr amp...

[@sixergixer]

The most obvious pairing of all of these was the Vidar 2 / Maggie one. The second most obvious, that between the lower-power Aegir and the highly efficient DW6, wasn't even touched on. This is surprising to me and is a pretty big omission from this otherwise very good review. Would LOVE some insight on that pairing if possible, though I know it's half a year on.

[@ronnyangell665]

+1

[@chrislj2890]

Beautiful room and setup Luigi.

[@luifa61]

Thanks 🙏

[@markwilding3828]

I went for the Freya+ and pair of mono Aegirs on your recommendation Steve. Couldn't be happier. Hope you're getting a slice of the action.

[@stevedougherty3720]

What speakers Mark,??

[@markwilding3828]

@@stevedougherty3720 Some home made speakers that are fairly terrible until I get a chance to build the kit speakers I bought... GR Research X-Static's

[@Audiorevue]

Well the benefit of course to using the Jotunheim as a preamp is the fact that it's active versus the saga which is passive so that would probably explain your sense of drive and impact that you felt using it versus the saga. Plus it also has balanced connections plus the headphone amplifier plus the ability to support modular cards so you can have kind of a one box solution as a pre-amplifier. That's how I'm using mine, I've got the Jotunheim 2 with the phono card which is basically the same thing as the mani 1 was and I use it as a pre-amplifier and it's just phenomenal. That said though I have used the saga, the original one, and I enjoyed the sound but I did realize for the most part for me as a listener I prefer what having an active preamp does to the signal versus passive.

[@Shoebutie]

A very enjoyable review with lots of well know products…a fun ride

[@KenB-bo6kr]

I’d love to see a review of Schiit Tyr

[@charlybeagrie1119]

Steve, If you want movie music go for Korngold: Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk, The Sea Wolf.

[@MrCalbot]

Great review Steve! I have a pair of 2CE sig III's and I am seriously thinking of buying this am

[@Doubleugene]

Great review, I appreciate the effort that went in to it. The only thing missing is the mono block set up using two Vidar 2 amps and balanced preamp and cables. Any plans?

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Sorry no. I rarely chase power, and monos rarely sound better than their stereo counterparts

[@lokerola]

The Schiit amp is nice. But Luigi's viewer system of the day?! Whoo! Very, very, nice. Looking forward to hearing the Vandersteen 2c speaker review.

[@louisperlman8030]

Great review, and looking forward to more on the Vandersteen’s. I had a pair back in the 1990’s, it seemed like most audiophiles back then had a pair at some point. And killer ASOTD.

[@keplermission]

You know for beginners in Audio ... it's best to point out that people like Louis Perlman know that Vandersteens (with no ', that typo might be a red flag)... "are THE best selling high end loudspeaker of all time, eclipsing the sales of all competitors for one reason and one reason only. At its price point there is no other floor standing loudspeaker to come close to the ability and agility of the Vandersteen Model 2." But ... the best selling piece of Hi-Fi equipment of all time is the NAD 3020, you know a truly feeble amplifier made in England from old ... surplus parts left over from the time that Britain was the 'workshop of the world'. Okay so the saying: 'a little knowledge can be a bad thing' applies. Both of these were bestsellers on low price and just remember how Bob Hope viewed low price appearances.

[@FOH3663]

@@keplermission NAD's 3020 sold over a million units, unreal. Don't believe it was made in the UK, Taiwan maybe.

[@AudioNaut93]

For context my current setup is a 1974 Pioneer sa-9100, a Wiim Pro Plus streamer & a pair of Wharfedale Lintons. I recently bought a vidar 2, saga+ & a modi Multibit 2 thinking this was going to be a massive upgrade and boy was I disappointed. I tried the Vidar 2 with the Saga+ and the modi with my TV as the source and I had to crank the volume dial to 98% to get the Wharfedales to really come alive and they’re a 6 Ohm/ 92dB efficient speaker which shouldn’t be terribly hard to drive but the Vidar kept going into thermal shutdown mode which was really frustrating because I was listening at volumes that my Pioneer sa-9100 does without clipping or breaking a sweat and it’s only rated @ 60 watts per channel. I don’t want to talk bad about Shiit Audio but I don’t think they’re being honest about the Vidar 2’s output because it should be able to produce eardrum rupturing volume for hours on end into a 6ohm load but I could barely get 1/3 of the way into The Wall before it was shutting off. Also tried the Vidar 2 with the Wiim Pro Plus plugged straight into it and I was able to get more volume out of it which I thought was strange but it quickly went into thermal shutdown mode as well. Honestly, sonically there wasn’t much of a performance difference between the Vidar 2 and my sa-9100 and this kinda proves my hunch that there is absolutely nothing wrong with high end vintage gear and engineers from the 60’s and 70’s had some things figured out that haven’t changed much over the past 5 decades. So in conclusion, I sent all the Schiit gear back and I’m sticking with my vintage stuff for now because I’m sort of afraid to spend a bunch of money on modern gear that doesn’t absolutely out-perform my vintage gear. Anybody else have a similar experience with thinking that modern gear is going to “sound better” or “out-perform” your vintage gear only to be disappointed that it didn’t???

[@carlosalvarez7445]

Of course, the Jot is primarily a headphone amp with pre-amp capabilities, but heck I'm glad to hear it worked well with the Vidar 2!

[@Michaelincontext]

Always appreciate your reviews and "oh by the way" comments. I also enjoy when you mention various artists from time to time, some whom I have not heard. But I have one question, do you really think "Birdman" is one of your favorite films of our century? I'm befuddled... But that's not an unusual state of mind for me. 😇

[@cosmiccharlie8294]

I have drifted into and out of the hifi scene several times. I grew up with McIntosh separates (Dad's) and also my first rock show was a Grateful Dead wall of sound show. HK 35 wpc receiver and Genesis 210 speakers made me quite happy in the early 80's. In 2009 I got into speaker building and got a NAD pre and power amp, rather ho hum but adequate, Also started listening to vinyl again. Then came a Class D Audio amp kit driven by the NAD pre. Also how hum. then bt receivers and streaming archived live rock shows and cd's. Now I am in the process of replacing my Yamaha R S202 with an Emotiva PT2 pre and casting about for an amp to drive with it, The class A stuff is attractive and I could certainly build the amp camp. Too bad the Emotiva does not have balanced outs.

[@UWI-Anna]

Bought Freya Noval and a pair of Vidar1 @ a bargain price last week to match with my SCM11 - My system never sounded so good😊🙏

[@peterlarkin762]

I looked up the 'boost' power supply. Basically this is amp is dc coupled with servos at each stage... So like all such amps, the input stage, pre drivers, and drivers are powered via a regulated supply as current source... I.e. A couple of regulators. No rocket science, its been done forever. Marketing aside Schitt amps look really nicely built and good value.

[@victorsixtythree]

Thought I’d heard all the Schiit jokes but I was wrong. “A Tasty Schiit Sandwich” made me Laugh Out Loud. 😂

[@christopherspiro9857]

Beautiful listening room!

[@morrimoto]

review the schiit tyr! 😢

[@twisterbret]

I really love trying all of our music recommendations!

[@jeffwesthof9711]

Great review Steve! Any plans for a review of the Schiit Tyr mono block amplifiers?

[@barryhallsack8852]

I've been waiting for a year for one of these KZbinrs to review the Tyr! I have two Aegir's. I just don't want to buy the Tyr if it's more like the vidar. The viders did not sound good with my speakers but the Aegir sounds awesome.

[@DickCarr]

@@barryhallsack8852 what speakers do you have?

[@FOH3663]

A product like the Vidar can be part of an expanding system ... ie., buy one for stereo, a pair for dual mono-blocks, three for biamped, and ultimately four mono-blocks for full quad biamped stereo.

[@shkermanshahi]

Thanks John. Nice review as always. Please also share the name of the Zu stand. You used warfdale stand when you reviewed it🙏

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

The brand, solidsteel SS series

[@hdgboy]

Love the juvenile title. With a name like Schitt, especially in America and reviewers that put the emphasis on the word there’s really no chance of a review without a 18 year old slant.

[@rejean2744]

On the 1st turntable of the viewer's system there looks to be 3 tone arms.

[@anthonycody4095]

Love the Schitt stuff, I have the Freya+ preamp. thought I'd share sound nice vocal tracks: This Love by Chlara, Beautiful life by Chantal Chamberland, I'll Follow Your Trail by Sean Rowe, Liberty by Anette Askvik, Imagine by Chris Klafford, Fall into my arms by Lucinda Peters, Landslide by Stacey Kent, Fix it by Lady Blackbird, Angel by Sarah Mclachlan, September in Montreal by Anne Bisson, It'll never happen again by Lady Blackbird, A Battle Between by Blue Tofu, Walkin in the sun by Fink, The Curse by Agnes Obel, Here but I'm gone by Vanessa Femandez, Like a Rock by Dave's True Story

[@Corndog642]

Wait until you hear Tyr. Now those are seriously great amps!

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

A friend of mine used to work for Schiit. At least I think he did because he told me once that he used to work at a place that was a total Schiit show.

[@barney6888]

In Birdman, during the scene in which Keaton is on a stage and the camera pans around him, they use Mahler's Symphony 9. Mahler is as skilled, musical and powerful as Bach and Beethoven and other A+++ composers. Mahler's 9th, like all his works, is a roller coaster of very powerful emotions, craziness, leisurely fun and more. It also happens to be thickly textured with melody on melody on melody. This is a true test for any audio system and I will be upgrading (IF I can ever afford it) based on how clear, dynamic, warm but not muddy, etc etc etc that audio combo will bel. Mahler 9, Ravel Daphnes and Chloe (Boulez version will kill any weak system due to the power of the performance), and perhaps an armful of Prokofiev. Any classical music lovers out there with advice are welcome to help me out! Luigi's system is a system of the millenium.

[@waltergist8923]

Great to see a comment from a classical music fan like myself. I've been working on speaker placement and room effects as well as equipment up grades based in part on Steve's reviews. I've been using Mahler's 3rd a lot, particularly the 4th and 5th movement. Handling the contrasts between the soaring contralto solo, bell effects of the children's choir and then the waves of melody development in the massed strings is, I think, a good measure of a system setup. I've also been using a recording of Josef Suk's Asrael Symphony by the Czech Philharmonic from Supraphon. The Supraphon recording does a good job with Suk's moving melody development in the strings and detailed interplay of solo wind and brass as well as some startling percussion here and there.

[@barney6888]

@@waltergist8923 Mahler's 3rd brings me into a state of collapse. I'm embarrassed to admit I don't know the Suk, but, a collector/mentor friend of mine who passed away in 2013 left me over 3000 cds and there's a high chance that work is in there. Thanks so much for saying hi and the advice. CSO coming to my nearest city on Feb 1.. Beethoven 7 and Prokofiev 5. I cannot wait. It's a concert of a lifetime for me.

[@waltergist8923]

@@barney6888 Have you tried out the streaming site (TV) for the Berliner Philharmoniker? It's called The Digital Concert hall. Great sound and production for live BP concerts and a huge library of past performances.

[@barney6888]

@@waltergist8923 I know about it but have yet to try it. I have Yamaha from 1990s, so I need to use an rca in with a 3/8 adapter out from my computer. The sound is ok but not great by any means. But I will look into it as vK is the conductor that pulled me into classical as my first choice with his 60s Beethoven set. The performance of the 1st mvmt of the 8th on that set is unbelievable. I'm going to check that site out not. Thanks!!

[@ronnyangell665]

So Steve, have you tried the Schiit Aegir with the Zu Audio DW6? If so, how did you like it?

[@darcykuss1518]

Great review! Do you think the Vidar 2 would be a noticeable improvement over a NAD C388 intergrated? I would temporarily use the 388 as a pre amp. Thanks!

[@jon4715]

Vidar 2 and no Tyr?

[@sturgeda73]

Love the content. Thanks Steve.

[@tyeeslayer]

Best thumbnail ever!!

[@trudimcleod5042]

I wonder how the Vidar 2 would compare to the Schiit Tyr, the monster monoblocks that are also class A/B. I gather also that the Vidar 2 can only handle 8 and 6 ohm speakers in monoblock mode.

[@Shorby99EK]

The Tyr is in another league. It sounds smoother with better soundstage depth and width.

[@alexvinson7373]

15:35. Steve, you said 2 tonearms, but it sure looks like 3 to me. Bottom, right, and top of the turntable base. I've never seen 2 arms on a single table, much less 3.

[@jissanhuq3792]

I just got a vidar 2… n by the look of yours too, their paint QC isn’t great across the Board. I got a first one with faded black in the front n then a replacement where the button looks like the one in your review since they moved away from the all metal button. I think for the cost of all things they cheaped out on the button should have stayed metal like the stainless steel original. I don’t know if it’s worth swapping again since my first one looked n felt less solidly put together.. i guess i could get s sticker

[@fredjohnson9856]

I bought the Vidar - sent it back. I am a Schitt fan. On my Tekton Moabs the Vidar sounded thin, lacking bass output.

[@delvalle9256]

Try the Aegir.

[@fredjohnson9856]

@@delvalle9256 I'm running the Carver Crimson 275, love it.

[@FOH3663]

@@fredjohnson9856 Well sure ... the Carver should be superior... in most every way.

[@FOH3663]

Actually, I bet that's a nice combo... MOABs and the Carvers!

[@cpg8000]

Looks nice. Though, their customer service gets a D+ should you have a problem ..

[@billh4477]

Or an upgrade, speaking from recent personal experience. Still love the products....

[@dma1264]

Steve, I'm assuming using these in mono equals bridging the amp. Did you try these in this configuration and if so, was there any difference in overall sound quality vs. using the Vidar in stereo?

[@tonykazz2779]

Dear Steve , Oh my gosh, "Shit Sandwich" is Click Bait. ! You are raising your game , I'm impressed ! Tony Kazz in Florida

[@beach4me2007]

Love this review

[@wcg66]

A front power switch on a Schiit product is huge!

[@jbenzola2]

Great review... as always!!!

[@ML-rm3vk]

Like always great review music on thanks.

[@carlpaulsen3996]

Did you try out the Aegir with the Jotunheim vs the Vidar2 and Saga+? The Jotunheim might tighten up the Aegir while the Saga might loosen/warm up the Vidar2. Just wondering...seems like an interesting possible comparison.

[@GeirRssaak]

It is sad that this shit company is abusing names from the great norse mythology!

[@TeensierPython]

He said “touch of the pianist” hahaha. I’m such a child. Can’t help it.

[@riazelahi1709]

Well done Steve, great and timely review. I just got the LS50 metas. Would you advise one Vidar2 or 2 Aegirs with a Freya+ Thanks in advance

[@jon4715]

Those are hungry speakers. I ran Magnepan 1.7i's with mono Aegirs. Very sweet, but I can really hear the difference with Tyr's. No doubt the Vidar 2 is the way to go.

[@riazelahi1709]

Thanks

[@riazelahi1709]

Single Vidar2?

[@riazelahi1709]

Hey Steve, could you please add to Jon’s excellent advice. And what about a single Tyr - same $ as x2 Vidar2s or x2 Aegirs Thanks

[@wesdumalski5630]

Vidar 2 over aegir. Dual aegirs will go in to protection on Metas around 85db or so. Used vidar and dual aegirs in my personal system with metas. As good as the aegir sounds, it’s the wrong amp for the metas…..

[@Egofileo1]

Grande Luigi !!

[@luifa61]

🙏

[@MrRourk]

Pas M PreAmp and Vidar sound great together

[@MrRourk]

The best deal on Audio right now is the Vincent Integrated Amp

[@jayzeeshawn]

I have a lot of Schitt. Thanks for this review. Could you recommend a step up Phono preamp from the Shcitt Phono Pre? I think it is good, but thinking about moving up a small step. Thanks

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

The Mo-Fi Studio Phono is more transparent

[@jayzeeshawn]

@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac Thank You. I am moving into the MC world as well. I'll look into the Mo-Fi Studio. Thanks again :)

[@troys8418]

Would you be able to look at the new Bifrost and Yggdrasil+?

[@bryanherr1093]

Holy Schiit! What an amazing SOTD!

[@cmiller7341]

Nice review Steve. How does the Emotiva BasX TA2 compare to the Vidar 2? Thanks.

[@dksculpture]

Impressive review Steve. All those speakers! Any chance you’ll review the Tyr?

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

A lot of people are asking, I’m kind of surprised that so many of you are interested in a $3200 amplifier from SCHIIT!

[@dksculpture]

@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac Interesting. I'm intrigued by better power supplies for output stages. The capacitor inductor scheme used for the Tyr can theoretically help lower supply noise a lot.

[@81970277324]

@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac I second the request. id like to hear your take on the Tyr. I have agreed with your take on multiple pieces of gear in the past. You have been really helpful in my audio journey!

[@simianinc]

Wish someone would review the Schitt Tyr. It’s their latest flagship but is largely ignored.

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Stereophile reviewed it

[@knowname23]

Not to complain but I feel like I’m missing the True Audio Project speakers in this review. Was there a reason not to use your new reference speakers Steve?

[@johnpeterson99]

Birdman is possibly the most surprising movie I have ever seen. So so good. I remember thinking about having to find the soundtrack well before the end of my first watch!

[@calebkeen8967]

The Jotunheim 2 is primarily intended to be a balanced headphone amplifier. The Saga is primarily intended to be a passive preamplifier. The only reason to engage the tube section is for long runs of interconnects. The description you offered of both of those units is somewhat misleading.

[@jonathandavis9507]

Using the Jot as a preamp is totally acceptable, though. I actually prefer the Valhalla 2 out of all their preamps, even the Freya+ as it has the most tube flavor to my ears. Obviously there’s no remote, though.

[@wesdumalski5630]

The tube is not for long cable runs. It can assist but tube is designed to alter the sound based on tube choice. The saga s and freya s have buffer modes that are designed to assist with longer cable runs.

[@calebkeen8967]

Have you owned this device? I did, and in my direct experience the tube buffer was clearly not meant to change the character of the sound. Even Schiit's marketing copy on their website says: "It’s Your Choice: Passive or Active. Go ahead. Run Saga+ in passive mode for a convenient remote-controlled passive preamp that’s ideal for many systems. If you need to drive long cables, switch it to the hybrid tube buffer-a serious buffer running on 200V rails with vanishingly low distortion." The tube-buffer imparts no gain to the signal. As such the amount of influence the tube can have on the sonic signature of the final output is intentionally as small as possible.

[@calebkeen8967]

@@jonathandavis9507 My response included 'primarily intended' - how did you come away from that thinking I had somehow claimed using it as a preamp was 'unacceptable'? Steve's phrasing was confusing because if you didn't know better you would think the Jotunheim was a solid state preamp and the Saga was a tube preamp. I've owned both products - the Jotunheim is principally a solid state headphone amplifier, and the Saga is a passive preamplifier with a tube-hybrid buffer so not really a typical tube preamplifier at all.

[@jonathandavis9507]

@@calebkeen8967 calm down it’s just a hobby

[@makito218]

I have the Elac UniFi Reference speakers, and I've been wondering how it will sound if I get the dac, preamp, and vidar 2, for my modest 2.1 system..

[@makito218]

@@joanfrederick9176 looking forward to get the Gungir in a couple months..

[@boquan]

I have the Elac UniFi Reference as well. Curious as to how the Vidar 2 will sound on them. Looking to pair it with Topping D50s