Audio science review Schiit Midgard headphone amp and preamp

This is a review, listening tests and detailed measurements of the Schiit Midgard balanced headphone amplifier and preamp.

 

 

Conclusions
I continue to be impressed by Schiit’s ability to keep up with far east manufacturers on both performance and pricing. It seems that it shouldn’t be possible but they keep doing it. Yes, measured noise and distortion is a bit below state of the art, but certainly good enough for transparency. Add to that ton of power and you have the makings of a enjoyable and capable headphone amplifier. The look of the unit is nice as well as are controls.

I am going to add Schiit Midgard to my recommended list.

Manufacturer Specifications:

Frequency Response: 20Hz-20Khz, +/-0.01dB

Output Power

Maximum Power, 16 ohms: 5.5W RMS per channel
Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 4.8W RMS per channel
Maximum Power, 50 ohms: 3.2W RMS per channel
Maximum Power, 300 ohms: 750mW RMS per channel
Maximum Power, 600 ohms: 375mW RMS per channel

THD+N

Low Gain: Less than 0.0001% (-118dB) at 4V RMS into 300 ohms
High Gain: Less than 0.0003% (-108dB) at 4V RMS into 300 ohms

IMD

Low Gain: Less than -112dB at 4V RMS into 300 ohms, CCIF
High Gain: Less than -110dB at 4V RMS into 300 ohms, CCIF

SNR

Low Gain: Greater than 128dB, referenced to 4V RMS
High Gain: Greater than 118dB, referenced to 4V RMS

Crosstalk

Less than -80dB, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 300 ohm load

Output Impedance

SE ¼” TRS output: less than 0.1 ohms
Neutrik 4-pin XLR output: approximately 2 ohms
Preamp output: 75 ohms

Input Impedance: 50k ohms

Gain: 1 (0db) or 5 (14db)

Topology: Fully discrete, DC coupled, highly linear open-loop with low loop feedback, Halo™ topology mixed-mode feedback for Neutrik 4-pin output

Protection: Failsafe DC power input and muting relay, overcurrent sensing and output lift

Power Supply: “Wall wart” style 14-16VAC transformer, stacked rails of +/-20V and +/-30V regulated voltage rails, 10,000uF total capacitance

Power Consumption: 3W idle, 16W max

Size: 9 x 6 x 1.5”

Weight: 2 lb