Schiit Audio Asgard X with Mesh DAC

Sonic Compass does not grade gear. We plot gear and listeners on the same seven axes, so a review tells you where a product sits and you can see how far that is from where you sit.

This is my first official Schiit review, though I have owned Schiit gear before. The amplifier was sent out for review. I tested it with the optional Mesh DAC card, mostly with the ZMF Tessidera planar headphones and with many IEMs, streaming over USB from a Samsung Z Fold 7.

Where the Asgard X sits — A natural, full-bodied, textured sound with a pitch-black background and a holographic stage around the head. Space, Detail and Emotional Engagement are its strongest axes. It gives ground on depth, height and authority against a much bigger stack.

Dynamics and background — Micro dynamic nuance is excellent. The background is pitch black, giving instruments clear separation and authority, on every IEM and on the ZMFs.

Stage and imaging — A lovely circular, holographic stage with instruments and vocals all around the head. It lacks the extreme depth and height of a big separate stack, but the spatial accuracy is great for an all-in-one.

Texture and weight — Instruments sound natural, full and textured. Vocals have weight and body. Natural, full-bodied, rich, analogue and warm.

6.3mm vs 4.4mm — The 6.3mm had more warmth and body lower down and was slightly smoother, with a more tubey, analogue presentation. Some higher treble detail was smoothed, but not in a bad way. The 4.4mm had slightly more bite, which is really attack or crispness, and was a little livelier in the treble and maybe a tad looser. There was not a huge difference, but it was noticeable. I have no preference, and both came in handy.

Design and tech — A small silver single-ended Class A amp using Schiit's Continuity A circuitry. Power is 3.4W into 16 ohms and 2.8W into 32 ohms. The front has a volume knob, a gain switch, a Mesh deck switch, a 6.3mm jack and a 4.4mm output with Halo X mixed-mode feedback. The 6.3mm has no feedback. The back has the AC switch, RCA inputs and preamp outputs, and the Mesh card with its USB input. It runs warm.

Mesh DAC card and Forkbeard app — The optional card (US$150) uses an ES9018 chip with proprietary digital filters, which I understand tames the harsh treble glare of Saber-chip DACs. It unlocks the Forkbeard Bluetooth app: a three-band parametric EQ, absolute phase inversion and a non-oversampling mode. I did not play with phase much.

Mesh card vs APA Q1 DAC (US$130) — The Q1 with Burson V7 Classic op-amps (a US$140 upgrade, US$270 in all) has a slightly grander stage, a tad wider and more 3D, while the Mesh card is slightly more intimate. On the Lang Lang and Rise Against tracks they are neck and neck. The Q1 is a bee's elbow wider with a little more depth.

Asgard X vs my reference stack (about US$1,600) — Staging is excellent on both, and resolution and detail are excellent on both. On the stack the vocals are a tad more pronounced than full, but very close. The stack has maybe a hair more micro detail and attack, a little more body and authority, and the bass goes a drop deeper. The Asgard X still sounds very good for a third of the cost.

Cons — It runs warm, so I would not buy it on the equator or in the hottest parts of India. It has no flashy screen, LEDs or interchangeable buttons. It is fairly small.

Read this against your own profile — I like natural, detailed, weighty sound and a wide stage. If you have limited desk space and want natural, textured sound with a wide stage, this fits. If you want the last bit of depth, height and authority, or you live somewhere hot, it doesn't.

Honest limits — Supplied for review. All by ear, with headline numbers from the maker. Mostly one headphone, the ZMF Tessidera, plus many IEMs I did not detail. The DAC and stack comparisons were not volume-matched. I did not explore the phase option.