Aegir Power Amplifier
 

Schiit has added a new amplifier to their lineup, the Aegir. According to their description, it is "a better-than-Class-A-in-many-respects version of the Vidar." It provides 20W into 8 ohms, of which the first 10W are pure Class A.

Steve Guttenberg has also posted a review.

Looks promising and affordable!
ron

My guess is it sounds REALLY good. Jason Stoddard is a brilliant audio engineer, in my experience.

Got one :-) . I've had it for four days now - Wow!!! My recent acquisition of very revealing Revel F228Be's has sent me on the upgrade path. As good as my Musical Concepts modified Hafler is, the Aegir eclipses it in every way (even though it's only 1/6th the wattage rating). I also compared it to the new Parasound A23+ (excellent amp) and I felt that the Aegir was superior especially in the micro dynamics category. The A23+ was surprisingly good and I like it a lot, but it "feels" like there is more music trying to get out of that amp. But, with the Aegir there is an "ease" and richness (while still VERY open) about this amp that is simply a joy to listen to. As Aegir probably isn't fully burned in yet, I'll add more later - cheers!

This looks like a really interesting amp!
Used as mono block it produces 80W.

I'm driving Revel F228Be's (90 dB 1 watt) with it (single Aegir) - in a small room and I havn't run out of gas yet! It's a very big and very well behaved 20 watts (40 watts at 4 ohms). The Revels are just below 4 ohms from about 260 down so the power doubling at 4 ohms helps I guess? Concert Bass drum whacks on my Telarcs are no problem even at high SPL's. I thought about getting a second one, but not sure its needed?

Just a point to keep in mind regarding the specs for the Aegir amp is that it is rated into 8 or 4 ohms in stereo mode, but only into 8 ohms in mono. When a stereo amp is run in bridged mode to operate as a mono amp its output stage effectively sees the load impedance divided by two. So in mono mode an 8 ohm load is effectively seen by the amp as 4 ohms, and if it could handle a 4 ohm load it would be like the amp driving a 2 ohm load in stereo (which it is not rated to handle.)

So I'd be cautious about trying a 4 ohm speaker with these amps running in mono mode without first consulting with Schiit about the possibility. It could end up with too high of a current demand which could either cause damage or more likely engage the amp's protection circuit.

Interesting.

How's it sound?

I asked Schiit specifically about running in mono with the F228Be's and they said it would be no problem. They stated that only if the speaker drops below 2 ohms would it be an issue.

I think that it sounds fantastic. It has warmth and body yet presents a big and open (transparent) soundstage. The highs are clear but never etchy. The low end drive is surprising given its power rating, but the bass is very big and very natural sounding. Of particular interest to me is how well it presents dynamic (both macro and micro) contrasts. This is an area where I felt that the Parasound A23+ (which I also auditioned) was a tiny bit lacking (not by much) and why I kept looking for an amp for the F228Be's. I'm not certain yet that this is "the amp", but I'm really liking what I'm hearing - very impressed so far.

That's excellent to hear and speaks well about the amp's stability. :thumbsup: I was only suggesting caution based upon the specs given on their website.