Jason Stoddard and Rina Slayter presented a row of Schiit headphone amplifiers—Asgard ($249), Valhalla ($349), and Lyr ($449)—along with the Bifrost DAC ($449, with “buzzword-friendly” asynchronous USB input; $349, without USB input).
Schiit products are made in the US. Stoddard, responsible for the elegant casework and analog circuitry, explained that he keeps the designs super simple. Slayter is the “production master and head of operations.” On the Schiit website, you’ll find a picture of her preparing a chassis for assembly. All Schiit products must also pass her final listening tests. Mike Moffat, formerly of Theta, is responsible for the digital circuitry.
I listened through the Asgard to a track by Mark Hollis’s Talk Talk. The music and sound were lovely—smooth, easy, and entirely involving.
