Schiit Vidar: My New Reference Solid State Power Amp
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- Опубліковано 29 тра 2022
- In this video, I take a look at the Schiit Vidar, my new reference solid state power amp. It's so nice to be able to listen to tubes when I'm in the mood for tubes, and solid state when I'm in the mood for solid state.
All music excerpts are from my ambient guitar channel:
/ @drippingbeets
My first ambient guitar EP is available here:
drippingbeets.bandcamp.com/al...
instagram - / nadiraudio
#audiophile #hifi #schiit #vidar #amplifier #poweramp
Schiit. It's in the name.
I know this vid is a year old, so I’m late to the party, but I’ve tried a lot of different amp and preamp combinations. One of the combinations that sounded really good (and I’m using now) is my Tavish tube based phono pre going into my vintage Marantz 2220B which I did a full refurb to going to my Tekton Pendragon speakers. I also have a full tube system with Quicksilver monoblocks which sounds amazing. Also a Parasound a23+ solid state amp. Adding a tube based preamp and/or phono pre with a SS amp like the Vidar can really give an amazingly huge sound. You just have to make sure the input impedance of your amp is at least 10x the output impedance of your preamp, and more is better, like even 100x or more. Cool vid. Dig your stuff. Thanks. - Nick
Really great review, so glad I found your channel. Subscribed.
Thanks! :-)
I really like my Vidars, they give nice clean power. I had the same Emotiva amp for a while and was blown away by the difference. My speakers are much different though, Tekton Pendragons 2 10' woofers, 3 tweeters in each speaker, so two was even better than one!
Nice! I've been wanting to check out Tekton speakers, but the Pendragons are too big for my listening room. I may pick up a pair of the Mini Lores, though. And it's also tempting to get another Vidar to run them as monoblocks, especially now that the price has come down a bit.
Thanks for the rundown! I have a Vidar 2, Kara preamp, and Skoll phono stage on the way to replace my Yamaha A-S301. I’m hoping it’s a noticeable upgrade.
I am happy with mine.
Hi, did you find a significant difference between the Vidar 2 and the Yahamaha A-S301?
Very good video. Thank you. My Magnepan LRS speakers arrived in March, 2022, after a five month wait, and I knew after two days that: (1) the LRSs are great and (2) I would need a subwoofer or two. I saw many videos and read many reviews saying good things about the REL T series. The REL T/7i subwoofer was on The Absolute Sound list of "50 Greatest Bargains in High-End Audio" (as was the LRS). That list and the UA-cam videos made me pull the trigger on buying my two REL T/7x subwoofers (the newer version of the T/7i) much quicker than I usually would on such a large purchase--especially with no in-person experience. I went with two T/7xs for--GULP--$2,000 while the LRSs were $650, but for me the RELs were well worth it. I would have preferred the size and price of the T/5xs, but I really wanted the front-firing version. My front end is all Schiit: Bifrost DAC, Freya+ preamp, two Vidar amps as monoblocks. I didn't get to hear anything in person before buying it, but I am very happy with my system that came in at about $5,600 total with taxes and shipping. Though I have an old Linn Axis turntable, my music source these days is just UA-cam Music from my Pixel 4a phone using a 10' USB C cable going into the Schiit Bifrost. I guess I might have been nearly as happy with one Vidar and one REL T/7x--and I would have $1,700 more in my wallet--but I am glad I went with two of each.
Thanks! Sounds like a great system. I've been interested in the LRS for a long time, but unfortunately they're a bit too big for my listening room. Definitely going to try out a sub in the coming months. I've considered getting another Vidar to run as monoblocks too, but have a few other pieces of gear I'd like to try out first.
@@nadiraudio Good point about the size of the Magnepan LRS. That is a bit problematic for me, too. In addition--and much more problematic--is that Magnepans (and other planar speakers, I assume) need "room to breathe." They need to be at least 3' away from walls to sound their best, and I can't do that regularly because of SR (spouse restrictions). Still, I really like having very good audio all the time now.
Chick Corea fan 👍👍
Freya+ works very nicely with Vidar
Schitt gear is a couple notches up from Emotiva.. The Vidar deserves a top shelf front end..
Agreed.
Speaking from experience, a poor preamp will kill the sq of even the best amp. I started with a Schilt Vali as my preamp. It did a decent job, better then some preamps i tried. But better preamps tended to bring out more from my amps. Overall good video, you do a good job of describing the sound.
Thanks! Yeah, I'm definitely going to try out some better preamps, probably starting with the Saga.
Have you heard Miles Davis kind of blue it's a great record for sound.
Nice review. I have used the Vidar with the Freya S and really liked the combination. Very transparent and detailed, evoking all the nuances in the music. Auditioned the Freya + with the Vidar and found it also to be excellent, a bit "warmer" but not quite as transparent. Do you have any recommendations on other preamps that would be a good pairing with the Vidar? Also, it would be interesting to compare the Vidar/Freya to other amps such as Leak, Rega, Rogue, realizing these are integrated amps in the same ball park price wise.
Thanks! I'll be picking up either a Saga or a Freya soon and will make another video. Hope to try out some other preamps in the coming months. I'd love to compare a Rogue Sphinx at some point, but it will probably be a while.
Hi, Some folks have complained that the Vidar has a buzz or a hum that is detectable from your listening position. Have you experienced that?
I use mine quite often and have not yet experienced a hum or buzz from my listening position, but I've heard that can be an issue.
I found the Vidar sounded very thin with little energy in the bottom end on my Tekton Moabs.
FWIW: the Emotiva BAS-X series is *NOT* high fidelity. Amps, pre/pro etc. They are "Value" products and don't perform on the level of Schiit audio. The internal components they use are mediocre, IE the opamps which are VITAL to the sound. BAS-X is one notch better than outlaw audio, which is not saying much. The BAS-X sound a bit opaque and dull to me compared to better gear. I'd need two vidar 2's running mono to get to power levels that work best for me. The vidars are not great at low impedance speakers.
The rear power switch is a poor design choice, and makes zero sense. The Aegir & Tyrs have front power switches. It ought to at least have a signal sensing power on offered as an option.
I'm also not a fan of the rear power switch and wish it worked like the Aegir.
As of 12/14/22 the new Vidar 2 has a front standby button. Highly advanced for Schiit. :)
Yes, they should have signal sensing or a 12v trigger.
@@nadiraudio Vidar 2 solved this.
Reviews are useless without audio demo