Schiit Audio’s Vidar and Other 2 Channel Musings

Schiit Audio has been teasing out its new 2 channel gear for a few months now. The latest addition to the family at AXPONA was a new stereo or mono configurable amplifier called Vidar ($699). The new amp joins the ranks of two pres Saga ($349) and Freya ($699), and was on display with Salk Streamplayer ($1,695) and Schiit’s own Yggdrasil DAC ($2,299).

The speaker of choice was the Salk Song3-A ($3,695 in standard finishes). The combination offered plenty of dynamic range and tonal color across the spectrum without sounding dry or threadbare. The new Song3-A is a refreshed version of the 3 way ported Song3, with upgrades mainly to the mid range driver. The tweeter assembly is a RAAL 64-10 ribbon driver and the bass woofer is a Satori 7.5″.

Still in a prototype stage, designer Jason Stoddard let us know that the Vidar demo unit on display at AXPONA will be very close in the shipped product terms of external design, but the casework would have a more finalized texture. The new amp will be capable of 100W x 2 into 8 ohms stereo, 200W x 2 into 4 ohms stereo, and 400W mono into 8 ohms. It will also feature class A/B, linear power supply and plenty of “old school stuff” according to Jason.

Sitting on the far side of the room but not to be overlooked was Schiit’s Rangnarok integrated ($1,699). The flagship amp for headphones and speakers (60w/8ohms) has been part of the line for at least a year now, but still provides an interesting all-in-one solution for those in the market. Schiit’s entry into the 2 channel world may have been a surprise for some, but the budget-friendly approach they took to the personal audio space appears to be translating well into the world of loudspeakers. As the line grows it will be interesting to see how high the endeavor reaches, but for those looking to get into some entry level separates Schiit is tapping into a somewhat less crowded field than most of traditional hifi. Best of luck to them, perhaps a few more budget options will help usher in a new crop of converts from the personal audio space or elsewhere.