Should I sell my accuphase for this schiit

@georgehifi According to the "audiofool"’s comprehensive comparison ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRK-8Z714BQ ... the Aegir does not seem to suffer much from bridging. In fact, power aside, a pair of Aegir mono blocks sounds better than a stereo Aegir. And he agrees with you that bridging *normally* has negative consequences. just sayin ...

that said

@wolf_garcia interesting to hear your comparison. I have been toying between a pair of monoblock Aegir’s and Freya + vs a Line Magnetic 805ia SET integrated amp (48 wpc) for my Spendor A7’s ... $2800 all in vs $4500 ... but I think I know what’s going to sound better. The LM seems to have amazing synergy with the Spendors/A7’s. Haven’t heard the Aegirs but did have a Vidar in house that was pretty good.

I would suggest that the ascend acoustics sierra 2ex are on the inefficient side, so that may be a consideration. I found the Sierra 2 a little boring, I guess I prefer a little more personality in my speakers, Ascend usually voices their speakers boring ruler flat, but that may be your thing...

I had the exact same experience with the Sierra 2’s and RAAL towers. They measure extremely well and nothing was wrong but nothing stood out for 2 channel. Never excited me. Much like Benchmark, they seem to be designed/built to measurements to a fault. As such, I think the ribbon clarity and ruler flat neutrality of the Sierra lineup is great for AV/Home Theatre. I now use their wall-mountable Sierra Luna’s/Duo in my small 5.1 room - for that purpose they fit my requirements perfectly.

@georgehifi I am unclear - have you actually listened to a bridged vs stereo aegir?? All I know is that you said that the detailed review i linked above might have pushed the stereo Aegir past it’s limit. While bridging may in theory have some negative aspects that does not mean that two bridged Aegirs won’t sound better than the op’s accuphase. Particularly based on *actual* reviews/tests we have seen so far.

As the op has mentioned a couple of times, the Sierra’s are simply not bi-ampable and dave@ascend is certainly not going to modify them to do so at any reasonable cost. I think it’s quite plausible that the op will really enjoy a pair of Aegir monoblocks.

I would be very interested in trying a pair myself ... but the Schiit return policy is actually crap compared to most other internet direct brands. Only 15 days + shipping both ways + restocking fee??? Compared to 30/60 days, free return shipping (even subs), and no restocking fees from other brands. So it would cost me $200 to try out a pair of Aegirs. I don’t get why people think Schiit has such as good trial/return policy. And warranties are not even transferrable.