Hey, they might be awesome for all I know. Seriously, I haven't read much of anything about them.

I think the M^3 would be a good standard against it at the least.

Why do I suspect that S.G.'s review on CNET is just slightly hyperbolic. I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm not getting the measure of my HE-5LE headphones with any of my amplifiers and S.G.'s review of the Asgard has me reaching for the CC hoping that the Asgard might be a magic match for a very low price. As Heinlein used to say TANSTAAFL, now $249 isn't free but it's certainly dirt cheap by high End standards. Is 15 days enough time? and I hate returning anything.

I'm going to wait. It's summer and I use my Headphones even less during the Summer so I think I'll let the dust settle a little before I bite on the Asgard hook; besides I've been selected as a Beta tester for the new PS Audio Network Bridge so that should keep me busy for a while.

The HE-5 LE definitely like a powerful amp. I'm really liking the SAC KH1000 amp with them, although it's not as cheap or easy to buy as the Asgard. The Nuforce HDP is pretty good with the HE-5 LE as well, and the EF5 works well with them too, but these are more expensive amps which might make the Asgard a better bargain.

As for the Bridge, why are they bringing in more beta testers when it's supposed to be shipping very soon now? I've already made a deposit with Liquid HiFi 2 weeks ago. Feel free to PM me if this is too off topic.

To my knowledge no Betas have shipped yet. The last that I heard was that there are 35 Beta testers and that our Bridges are scheduled to ship on July 27th. There is a Beta testers blog (I think it can be reached via PS Audio's forum) where most of us have posted bio's.

Even with a quick beta test I can't imagine final units shipping before September. My feeling is that the Bridge from a hardware standpoint is pretty much finalized, it's the software and instructions that we'll be testing. If not hardware changes would take months, but firmware can be changed in a matter of hours.

Once the Beta blog becomes substantive I'll be sure to post a link on Head-Case

Ethan, if you could post here when you have more info, I'd appreciate it: http://www.head-case.org/forums/home-source-components/6264-ps-audio-perfectwave-dac-4.html#post367718

It's useful to have the PWD stuff in one thread.

Sure

Is it so wrong for me to say that I preferred my Pico Dac/amp to the Asgard?

Well, it'd only be bad if the Pico was cheaper than the Asgard.

Or if the pico was also a source, or if it's portable.

Oh yeah, and I'd be pretty shocked if an Asgard could hold its own with an M3 or some such. Although this one guy got an Asgard and was selling his Dynalo .

That's... I dunno. He's just some guy I don't know though, so I'm guessing something there is defective: Dynalo, ears, something.

Well, it'd only be bad if the Pico was cheaper than the Asgard.

Or if the pico was also a source, or if it's portable.

...or if he was lying, and preferred the Asgard.

Well, I still have the Pico. Can't say the same for the Asgard

Also got an entertaining reply on the other forum:

"What was your source in both cases? Include your interconnects for the Asgard. If you used lousy interconnects, they could have very much negated any benefit you might or might not have derived from the DAC you chose. "

Good old kwkarth <3.

Haha just kidding. I only learned about him recently. Homey forgot the to ask for exact burn-in time down to the minute. That's probably the most important factor of all.

Well, I still have the Pico. Can't say the same for the Asgard

Also got an entertaining reply on the other forum:

"What was your source in both cases? Include your interconnects for the Asgard. If you used lousy interconnects, they could have very much negated any benefit you might or might not have derived from the DAC you chose. "

I got a PM like this as well....they certainly feel the need to justufy their FOTM!

I didn't really think too much about it before, but I'm a bit confused now about how to take this cable logic. If I heard a difference between the Pico and the Asgard with the Pico being preferred when using a "lousy interconnect", does that mean that I will hear a difference with the Asgard being preferred if I use an "audiophile" interconnect?

I think the reasoning goes something like this: maybe.

I mean, the idea being, your chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so eliminate (as much as possible) all other variables when comparing amps/sources/headphones/etc. The Pico DAC/Amp has an advantage in that the DAC and the amp are in the same case, so there's one or two less sets of connections, anyway.

Did you listen to the two different iPod docks this last weekend? They sounded significantly different -- one was definitely a "weakest link".

Edited July 15, 201015 yr by Dusty Chalk

Now that you put it that way I can see how the reasoning goes. I didn't get to listen to the Onkyo dock before it gave up the ghost, but it's not quite an equal comparison as the Onkyo dock is a transport to a DAC while the apple dock was only a line out from the Ipod directly.

Sorry, no, I didn't mean the Onkyo, I meant the two LOD's that were floating around -- I believe one was Hirsch's, and one was Pete's (PHP Pete). One was an Apple iPod LOD, with RCA's, and the other was a cheap little one-piece third party knockoff with a female mini stereo connector. The Apple one sucked compared to the other one, but I don't know if that was the actual LOD part, or the cable that was attached to them (both had two pieces -- the cable part and the LOD part -- so at least it was the same amount of connections).

Ah, didn't realize that. I saw the line out cables but didn't even think about them, perhaps I should have compared the Oyaide line out cable as well. Curious to hear how it sounded different.

Well, I still have the Pico. Can't say the same for the Asgard

Also got an entertaining reply on the other forum:

"What was your source in both cases? Include your interconnects for the Asgard. If you used lousy interconnects, they could have very much negated any benefit you might or might not have derived from the DAC you chose. "

I got a PM like this as well....they certainly feel the need to justufy their FOTM!

Yes, you must have $10K interconnects or you are not doing the $250 amp justice.

I didn't really think too much about it before, but I'm a bit confused now about how to take this cable logic. If I heard a difference between the Pico and the Asgard with the Pico being preferred when using a "lousy interconnect", does that mean that I will hear a difference with the Asgard being preferred if I use an "audiophile" interconnect?

The logic goes something like this: "You didn't hear what I wanted you to hear, so go back and listen until your opinion changes so that my worldview remains intact." Betcha didn't know cables could do that.

I'm not saying anything about the Asgard, but IMO break-in and cables do make a difference, sometime fairly significant. That's why 15 days trial is not quite sufficient. I have found that some products continue to evolve well after 250 hours. So IMO a 15 days trial isn't long enough to determine if the Asgard is a keeper.

I disagree -- sure, things continue to break in after 15 days, but...don't you think it'll be close enough to whatever it's final sound is going to be by then?

That's why 15 days trial is not quite sufficient. I have found that some products continue to evolve well after 250 hours. So IMO a 15 days trial isn't long enough to determine if the Asgard is a keeper.

15 * 24 = 360

You have 110 hours to spare.

Oh yeah, and I'd be pretty shocked if an Asgard could hold its own with an M3 or some such. Although this one guy got an Asgard and was selling his Dynalo .

That's... I dunno. He's just some guy I don't know though, so I'm guessing something there is defective: Dynalo, ears, something.

If you're talking about alphaphoenix he was already planning on selling his Dynalo before he even knew the Schiit existed. He didn't think the Dynalo powered his HE-5 adequately, heck he only had the Dynalo a few days before putting it up forsale.

15 * 24 = 360

You have 110 hours to spare.

Actually, Yikes may be right.....I've heard some vintage gear that sounds much better than modern counterparts.

Maybe you need DECADES of burn-in

At this point, I probably have close to 300 hours on my Asgard with sound coming through them (set it up with a tuner initially to run it for a while, and have used it a fair bit when I'm not listening). And total "on" time is more than that. It IS a fun, very good little amp, and a bargain the price; I still maintain that. But even though it has lessened a bit with time and play, I still hear the glare that stands out sound-wise for me. It doesn't ruin it by any means, but I like my other amps better, and will use them more often.