SCHIIT 043M001100 Halo Headphone Amp and Preamp Instruction Manual

: June 13, 2024
: SCHIIT

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION
CONNECTIONS
OPERATION
FAQ
My sound drops out and the amp clicks. What’s happening?
Can I use both headphone outputs at the same time?
Can I use both preamp outputs at the same time?
Does plugging in headphones mute the preamp outputs?
I hear hum through the headphones, what do I do to fix it?
There’s no sound for a while after I turn Midgard on.
It doesn’t turn on, what do I do?
WARRANTY
IN THE BOX
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

SCHIIT 043M001100 Halo Headphone Amp and Preamp Instruction Manual

INTRODUCTION

What’s Midgard? In Norse mythology, it’s this realm, AKA Earth, AKA where there are humans and swords and rockets and stuff like that. Our Midgard is a heckuva fully-discrete high-power headphone amp and preamp, with a unique mixed mode feedback schema we call Halo™, and all the flexibility you need for pretty much any headphone under the sun. Sounds fun, right? Well, maybe not as fun as rockets, but still really neat!

The following is required by the roughly 9,542 government agencies and regulations we have to comply with. If you have some common sense, they should seem pretty straightforward. In any case, read these instructions before proceeding farther, follow all instructions, and heed all warnings. Or else!

If you don’t know how to install audio devices, get a qualified professional to help.
Never use this device near water, and clean only with a dry cloth.
Assure adequate ventilation, do not block any ventilation openings, or place near heat sources.
Use only the supplied power cord or suitable replacement. Route cords away from traffic areas and protect them from being pinched. Unplug the cord from the outlet if the apparatus is unused for a long period of time.
To prevent electric shock, do not use the plug with an extension cord, receptacle, or outlet unless blades can be fully inserted.
Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Service is required when the device has been damaged, including cord or plug damage, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the device, the device has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS DEVICE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

CONNECTIONS

Product Overview

Balanced inputs. Connect any balanced source with balanced outputs using XLR cables here.
Single-ended inputs. Connect any SE source with RCA cables here.
Balanced preamp outputs. If you’re using powered monitors or an external power amp to run speakers, and it has XLR inputs, connect it here. Midgard will convert any SE input to balanced if you want to run a pair of our amps that require balanced input to run as monoblocks.
Single-ended preamp outputs. Connect to external powered monitors or an external speaker power amp using RCA cables.
Note: both balanced and SE preamp outputs are on at all times. They do not mute when you plug in headphones.
Power switch. Up is on, down is off. Sound only comes out when it’s on.
AC input. Connect the supplied wall-wart output here. This amp doesn’t draw power from another space-time continuum, nor is it powered by an internal nuclear reactor, so you’ll need to run power to it in order for it to work.
Important: our wall-warts are AC, not DC. DC wallwarts won’t work. We highly recommend using only our wall-wart. If you can’t get ours, you’re looking for one with 14-16VAC, 1-2A output.

OPERATION

Product Overview

Input switch. If the name wasn’t clue enough, this selects the input. Out is balanced XLR, in is single-ended RCA. Simple as that.
Gain switch. Out is high gain, in is low gain.
Volume knob. Turn it to the right to make the music louder. Stop before it hurts.
SE headphone jack. Plug in standard headphones here—with “standard” being defined as “most headphones with the typical 1/4” headphone plug you recognize, and if you have 1/8” plug headphones, you can use an adapter.”
Note: 1/8” TRRS-terminated headphones (ones that have microphones, typically) may need specific adapters to avoid shorting the outputs. If your sound drops out or you hear the amp clicking on and off, it’s going into protection, and you may need the kit we provide at schiit.com/trrs
Halo™ headphone jack. Plug in 4-pin XLR balanced terminated headphones here in order to use the Halo™ mixed-mode feedback system. Power output does not increase—you will get full power from both the 1/4” and XLR headphone jacks.

FAQ

My sound drops out and the amp clicks. What’s happening?

You’re running into over-current protection. This can be caused by a short in the headphone output (TRRS headphone with wrong adapter or shorted cable). Check your headphone cables for shorts and try another headphone. TRRS adapter kits are available at schiit.com/trrs.

Can I use both headphone outputs at the same time?

Yes, you can, but be careful—if one pair of headphones is very sensitive, and the other is not, you may damage the sensitive pair if you turn it up while listening to the other pair.

Can I use both preamp outputs at the same time?

Yes, but again, use caution. Some products may load the preamp outputs when the product is turned off, causing distortion.

Does plugging in headphones mute the preamp outputs?

No, it does not. All outputs are active all the time. If you are using active monitors, consider a remote switch to turn them off when not in use.

I hear hum through the headphones, what do I do to fix it?

The noise floor of Midgard is very low. Check your source and see if it is the cause of the hum, or you may have a ground loop. An EbTech HumX is our recommendation for breaking ground loops.

There’s no sound for a while after I turn Midgard on.

That’s perfectly normal. Midgard delays the headphone output for 8-10 seconds after you first turn the amp on.

It doesn’t turn on, what do I do?

Plug it in to a different AC socket. Ensure you are not currently in a blackout. Then email us if it still doesn’t work.

WARRANTY

Schiit Audio warrants to the original purchaser that this product shall be free from defects in material and workmanship for two (2) years from the date of purchase. If a defect covered by this warranty occurs during this period, Schiit Audio will repair the defective product, free of charge. Date of purchase will be based on customer receipts, otherwise date of manufacturing will be used. If you believe you need warranty service, contact us first. Schiit Audio products sent back to us without a Return Authorization (RA) will be returned to the sender without repair. To contact us and obtain an RA, email info@schiit.com.

Warranty Limitations. This warranty shall not apply if a product: (a) is modified or tampered with; (b) is damaged by negligence, accident, unreasonable use, or other causes unrelated to defective materials or workmanship, or (c) has had the serial number altered or removed.

Any implied warranties, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, are hereby limited in duration to the warranty period of 5 years. In no event shall Schiit Audio be liable for consequential or incidental damages resulting from the breach of any implied or expressed warranties. Some states do not allow these limitations, so they may not apply to you. You may also have other rights which vary from state to state or province to province.