*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)*

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

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!😉

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

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

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.

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!)

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

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!

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.

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

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.

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

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

That is one of KZfaqs greatest headlines. Congratulations Steve.

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,

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

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!

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

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.

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.

I really love trying all of our music recommendations!

Man, this review was fantastic, top work!

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Beautiful listening room!

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.

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.

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!

Great review... as always!!!

Love the content. Thanks Steve.

Thanks Much Steve Guttenberg Audiophiliac !

Love this review

Best thumbnail ever!!

Holy Schiit! What an amazing SOTD!

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. 😇

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!

Like always great review music on thanks.

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

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

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!

I’d love to see a review of Schiit Tyr

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.

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.

Beautiful room and setup Luigi.

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.

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!

Tyr review plz.

Can I add this to my Lyngdorf TDAI1120 and Dynaudio Special 40 combo as a power amp? Looking for improved dynamics :/

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.

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

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

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

Fantstic review!

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.

Would it work to use an rca preamp section like on a NAD C388 to the XLR on the Vidal 2 for monoblock?

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

thx for olu dara, it s realy nice

What amp/dac do you recommend for LS50 originals?

Vidar 2 and no Tyr?

How would these pair with jbl stage a 190? And is vidar 2 also good for movies and explosive experiences?

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

Hallo.WHat do you think about pairing with wharfedale Linton in a medium room (20 square meters)? Using freya+ of course is Better Aegir or Vidar2 Thanks

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

Grande Luigi !!

What about using the VIDAR 2 in dual mono, and what speakers would you pair with that setup?

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

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

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

Would the Vidar 2 in Monoblock configuration be a good match for my Magnepan 3.7i"s? Is there anything in that comparable price range that I should also consider?

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...

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

I never knew schiit could taste so good

Love this Schiit

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..

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"

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???

You the man!

Pas M PreAmp and Vidar sound great together

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?

Steve I would like your opinion on whether or not a set of Vidar 2 would offer anything over the set of Adcom 565 that I currently use. Freya+ and Gungnir sit in front. Thanks.

SCHIIT! You are the REAL DEAL ....

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.

I just got the vidar 2 replacing a onkyo AVR. It sounds amazing but for whatever reason there’s a subtle hum through my speakers when only the turntable is actually spinning and only with the ground loop connected. I updated my pro ject table with a 3 pin power n didn’t get why. It’s the opposite with my AVr. Without the ground connected to the phono it would hum. Can’t figure it out. I tried double ground from the table to the speakers but it didn’t delete it like taking off the ground did. That said love the vidar and on the fence if i need a freya or similar as i only have a Sys for now

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

Hi Steve, great review, thank you. I have Klipsch Cornwall IVs, a speaker I know you are familiar with (and your fault I have them lol)....I run them with a Vidar and Freya+.....sound great....but, given your prior experience, in your opinion, are there better power amps I should look at from Schiit or someone else? I listen to everything (Thought about Aegirs, but concerned about lack of slam). Again, thank you for your channel.

Did the Duet 15s get any time with the Vidar 2? As a Duet 15s owner I was thrilled when you made the speakers part of your reference system, but this is the second time you’ve left them out of an amp review (Hegel was first).

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.

How it compares to 1k class d amplifierM

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

That's some heavy schiit!

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

I think I am doing schitt magnepan and rel for next system I need steamer and phono What happened to schitt record table, looked problematic when it was released ?