Schiit Vidar.... Anyone heard one yet?


This relatively cheap by audiophile standards 2 channel amp has me very curious. I haven't seen any reviews or really even read any hands on blips about it. Just curious if anyone has heard it and what you thought.
mofojo
Yep, I've been following various threads on Headfi.org, Superbestaudiofriends and computeraudiophile.  I can only think of 3 or 4 owners that have reported issues.  It's hard to quantify this as people are much more likely to report a problem that to report no problem, but it doesn't look like anything more than the usual 4 or 5 out of 100 that are defective out of the box.  They've been shipping the Vidar for about a month now.


Yep, I've been following various threads on Headfi.org, Superbestaudiofriends and computeraudiophile.  I can only think of 3 or 4 owners that have reported issues.  It's hard to quantify this as people are much more likely to report a problem that to report no problem, but it doesn't look like anything more than the usual 4 or 5 out of 100 that are defective out of the box.  They've been shipping the Vidar for about a month now.
Right. Plus the "new model" glitches that anything can have. I would like to hear more reviews of the sound characteristics of the amp. There are lots of "I like it better than my old XXXX" and soon. I would like to here detailed descriptions of the low end, mids, highs, etc. I'm sure TAS or SP will get a hold of one soon


I think they make pretty good stuff that gear heads can buy or try. As a company there's a certain anti-obsessive audiophile vibe, coupled with humor....reading the Faq sections to some of their products might give you a chuckle. Some of their designs and approaches are considered radical or unsubstantive in certain circles. 
The Vidar is a relatively compact amplfier with a decent amount of power and good sound. I dont have any cable shut down issue, nor any trouble into a 4 ohm speaker, there is some hum audible (which will of course vary with speaker sensitivity). Based on similar experience with certain other amps I don't view it as anything very unordinary. If you want a totally silent amp maybe the Vidar is not for you (try something else, maybe class D?).
I think the amp has a very good tonality. Also really good bass. The bass has definition and impact, and this also applies to the midrange. Up in the treble is where one might note a slight loss of detail and openness. It's "soundstage" is not exactly super wide and 3D, although I think it has nice depth. I perceive it as more of an amp that has a bit of brawn rather than finesse. The soundstaging is scaled down in comparison to pricier stuff. But the music the Vidar makes within its own space leaves nothing to fault. I think the amp gets the important things right and produces enjoyable solid state sound at a very reasonable price. Build quality is also good. 
I had the Freya/Vidar combo. The Vidar did what it said. The only weirdness with it for me was that it got extremely warm. Weird because it’s A/B. My new amp is Class A for the first 3-4 watts and then goes A/B is not any where near as warm. Not by a long shot.

the Freya was a disaster for me but others like theirs. Both items are inexpensive which is great but I feel like both need some revisions to become a good buy. 

I praise Schiit for making decent inexpensive gear. I think the next iteration of both will make them a great value.
I have a Vidar I used while my Sunfire was getting updated.  Nice sounding, smooth, no noticible grain and great bass.  It had plenty of power and control for a set of Revel F36s (huge room, 4500 cubic feet opening to other rooms).  It ran out of power with my Magnapan 3.5s however, but that is to be expected, as most amps do.  In a smaller room, it would have likely been adequate for the Maggies.