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New from Schiit Audio: Vidar 2

Ritz

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May 8, 2022
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What do you mean that they always treated you well?

Pre and post sales questions were answered promptly. My order was painless and arrived in a couple of days. I haven't had any issues with the gear at all. At the time of my purchase a few years ago, there really weren't any better alternatives for me at that price point. I'd consider that a good customer experience.

Best,
 

SCG

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May 3, 2022
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My experience too and since I know how to use a screwdriver.
 

kelesh

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Feb 26, 2021
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I'm interested in the Vidar 2. I'll buy one, on two conditions. One - fix the humming transformer issue, which appears to be common. Two - get it into their Amazon Store (they have a lot of their other items there, but not this one), so I can take advantage of free shipping. It's a buyer's market, so they need to adapt. Confirm that all units shipped from now on do not hum and have it available on Amazon, or no deal :)
 

NoMoFoNo

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Mar 1, 2020
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I'm interested in the Vidar 2. I'll buy one, on two conditions. One - fix the humming transformer issue, which appears to be common. Two - get it into their Amazon Store (they have a lot of their other items there, but not this one), so I can take advantage of free shipping. It's a buyer's market, so they need to adapt. Confirm that all units shipped from now on do not hum and have it available on Amazon, or no deal :)
I'm guessing that items bought through Amazon also avoid the usurious 'restocking' fee that Schiit charges on returns within their (too short) 15 day return period. So, if they sold Vidar via Amazon they wouldn't be able to collect the $120 they charge to return it.

I don't know how they get away with the 15% restocking fee.
 

kelesh

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I'm guessing that items bought through Amazon also avoid the usurious 'restocking' fee that Schiit charges on returns within their (too short) 15 day return period. So, if they sold Vidar via Amazon they wouldn't be able to collect the $120 they charge to return it.

I don't know how they get away with the 15% restocking fee.

Exactly, and this is why I'll wait. Part of the Amazon Store decision may also be that the weight of the larger items such as the speaker amplifiers means a larger cost which would have to be absorbed by Amazon, the ones they have there seem to be the smaller units like DACs and headphone amps. Nothing excuses the "restocking charge", however, I thought "restocking charges" were already a part of history. It also makes me wonder what exactly "restocking" is - do they test and resell as "B-stock", or do they repackage and resell as new? If a unit is in excellent cosmetic condition, it could be difficult to tell the difference, and I certainly wouldn't want to pay full price for an item someone used and returned, with possible hidden damage and other issues.
 

AaronJ

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Nov 9, 2021
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I'm guessing that items bought through Amazon also avoid the usurious 'restocking' fee that Schiit charges on returns within their (too short) 15 day return period. So, if they sold Vidar via Amazon they wouldn't be able to collect the $120 they charge to return it.

I don't know how they get away with the 15% restocking fee.
Not writing that I condone the restocking fee, but this information isn't accurate. Pretty much everything in their lineup except the small gear (Magni, Modi, Mani, etc.) has 5% restocking fee, not 15%.
 

NoMoFoNo

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Not writing that I condone the restocking fee, but this information isn't accurate. Pretty much everything in their lineup except the small gear (Magni, Modi, Mani, etc.) has 5% restocking fee, not 15%.
Ah yes that is my error. Some of their pieces incur a 5% fee and some a 15% fee to return them. Still, I find it unacceptable and outside the norm, this restocking fee. So, for Vidar we're talking about $40 paid simply to return it, and the window to do so is only 15 days? That, on top of the purposeful 'a-hole' vibe they present, it's just a turn off. I still have a couple of small pieces from them and appreciate their market presence but there is IMO some element of 'bad actor' in the way they operate.
 

AaronJ

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Ah yes that is my error. Some of their pieces incur a 5% fee and some a 15% fee to return them. Still, I find it unacceptable and outside the norm, this restocking fee. So, for Vidar we're talking about $40 paid simply to return it, and the window to do so is only 15 days? That, on top of the purposeful 'a-hole' vibe they present, it's just a turn off. I still have a couple of small pieces from them and appreciate their market presence but there is IMO some element of 'bad actor' in the way they operate.
I can certainly agree with that. Jason Stoddard's "crazy uncle" persona is ridiculous, but it works. It reminds me of a gas station I used to work near that had "crazy Ray's deep-discount gas" on Wednesdays where a gallon of gas was discounted by a dime and people would line up out into the street to fill up.
 

zalayetadk

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Oct 28, 2023
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Re performance and measurements,

I can see the measurement in mono, on their website, but only in 8ohm, should we expect a significant worse performance in 4ohm? I cannot find any measurement.
 

staticV3

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Re performance and measurements,

I can see the measurement in mono, on their website, but only in 8ohm, should we expect a significant worse performance in 4ohm? I cannot find any measurement.
The Vidar 2 is not officially tested and rated for 4Ω Mono/2Ω Stereo.

Here's what Schiit says on the Vidar 2's product page:
Screenshot_20231101-134044_Chrome.png
 

zalayetadk

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Oct 28, 2023
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Ok, thanks a lot..

There could be a reason they do not rate the amp in all combinations of ohm and watt.

It is a bit weird that it is not ‘officially’ a 4-ohm amp. I would expect that!
 

NoMoFoNo

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Ok, thanks a lot..

There could be a reason they do not rate the amp in all combinations of ohm and watt.

It is a bit weird that it is not ‘officially’ a 4-ohm amp. I would expect that!

...especially considering they talk a lot about using two Vidar in mono block mode.
 

staticV3

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Not sure why they don't show 4ohm mono as they do show 8ohm mono. You could always ask them.
BTL (Mono) halves the apparent load that the Amp sees, so driving 4Ω Mono would be like driving 2Ω Stereo.

Both use cases have not been tested/rated by Schiit.
 

NoxPlague

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Dec 24, 2023
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Last week I got 2 Aegir’s from Schiit for $700 a piece. I’m running them with balanced XLRs from my preamp into Monitor Audio Silver RX (circa ~2010). I’m pleasantly surprised with how loud I can go. I’m still within the return window, but I’m pretty confident I’ll keep the pair.

A month ago I purchased a single Vidar 2 which I also like. I think the Vidar has more force and bass, but you lose some of the clarity of the Aegir. The Aegir base doesn’t sound as forceful, but it’s more precise. I wonder if the differences in the SINAD in the measurements on this site are what I am perceiving.

Knowing how much I enjoy the Aegir, my next speaker upgrade will be to something that has high sensitivity so that Aegir can drive it comfortably and have great sound at lower volume levels.

As for what I plan to do with the Vidar 2, either sell it or find a way to incorporate it into our home theater setup.

BTW: According to Jason’s end of 2023 wrap up post they’re imminently planning to release an Aegir 2, hence the discount on the current Aegir.
 

Ritz

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May 8, 2022
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Location
Virginia
Last week I got 2 Aegir’s from Schiit for $700 a piece. I’m running them with balanced XLRs from my preamp into Monitor Audio Silver RX (circa ~2010). I’m pleasantly surprised with how loud I can go. I’m still within the return window, but I’m pretty confident I’ll keep the pair.

A month ago I purchased a single Vidar 2 which I also like. I think the Vidar has more force and bass, but you lose some of the clarity of the Aegir. The Aegir base doesn’t sound as forceful, but it’s more precise. I wonder if the differences in the SINAD in the measurements on this site are what I am perceiving.

Knowing how much I enjoy the Aegir, my next speaker upgrade will be to something that has high sensitivity so that Aegir can drive it comfortably and have great sound at lower volume levels.

As for what I plan to do with the Vidar 2, either sell it or find a way to incorporate it into our home theater setup.

BTW: According to Jason’s end of 2023 wrap up post they’re imminently planning to release an Aegir 2, hence the discount on the current Aegir.

Wow, that must keep your listening area quite toasty warm in the winter. :) Those things throw off quite a bit of heat.

Best,
 

dzerig

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Sep 27, 2023
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My thinking was that because @amirm does a lot of testing by himself, that's the best way to benchmark against other gear that he has reviewed? Also, independent reviewer might be more trustworthy to a lot of folks?
Trustworthy? You realize they have testing for all their products so you can easily compare to existing reviews on those and infer? I love how people say they don't trust Schiit's measurements, when the tools to verify their accuracy are right in front of your nose.
 
Joined
Oct 17, 2022
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It is disappointing to read about transformer hums in 2024. I own RME ADI-2 DAC FS driving an AHB2 power amp and no matter where I install them in my home, all is quiet.
I've never owned an amplifier with "hum" that I recall; but did own one that had a buzz through the speakers in the basement. Some power filtering mitigated that issue.

I currently own the Midgard head amp and I do detect some "hum" thought the headphones when I touch the volume control; quiet otherwise. I do love the sound of the Midgard.
I'm looking to add a small amplifier and speakers in my office system and I was thinking of an Aegir 2 or a Gjallarhorn with fairly sensitive speakers. If it was a bullet proof offering, I'd probably go for it as I like the amp-speaker being separate. But there seems to be recurring issues here and there with Schiit power amps. It's nice that I could return it if I was not happy, but I live in Canada and we pay taxes on the gear, so between the shipping costs, the lost taxes and the restocking fee = not worth it!
So I'll probably end up with some Neumann KH120A (clearance price at Studio Economic) or some Genelec 8030C = won't be much more than an amplifier with decent speakers (Kef LS50 Meta?).
In this context, building and selling amplifiers must be getting more and more difficult.
 
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