Schiit FOLKVANGR User manual

HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER AND PREAMP
FOLKVANGR IS KINDA LIKE VALHALLA IN NORSE MYTHOS.
OR AT LEAST THAT’S HOW WE READ IT.
ONE GETS A HALL, ONE GETS A FIELD.
ONE GETS ODIN, ONE GETS FREYA.
IN ANY CASE, OUR FOLKVANGR IS ALSO KINDA LIKE VALHALLA.
BUT ON LOTS AND LOTS OF STEROIDS.
FOLKVANGR
OWNER’S MANUAL

Folkvangr is a completely bonkers, OTL and
OCL tube amp. OTL is “output transformerless,”
and OCL is “output capacitorless,” which means
you’re connecting your headphones directly
to the tube cathodes (and anodes, it’s a White
cathode follower topology). Yes. This is a DC-
coupled tube amp. Oh, and it has an impedance
multiplier, because despite the myriad of tubes
and exceptional heat output, it’s really not that
powerful. Yes, we are completely nuts. No, we
don’t recommend it for IEMs. What are you,
crazy?
INTRODUCTION
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
(1) Folkvangr
(1) Power cord
(2) 6N1P input tubes
(8) 6N6P output tubes
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!
1. If you don’t know how to install audio devices, get a
qualied professional to help.
2. Never use this device near water, and clean only with a
dry cloth.
3. Assure adequate ventilation, do not block any ventilation
openings, or place near heat sources.
4. Use only the supplied power cord or suitable replacement.
Route cords away from trac areas and protect them from
being pinched. Unplug the cord from the outlet if the apparatus
is unused for a long period of time.
5. To prevent electric shock, do not use the plug with an
extension cord, receptacle, or outlet unless blades can be
fully inserted.
6. Refer all servicing to qualied 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.

GETTING STARTED
CAUTION! Dangerous voltages inside.
1. Before plugging in the amplier, insert the
tubes. The two short tubes go in the front. The 8
long tubes go in the back.
2. Ensure tubes are well-seated. Align carefully
and push down gently until seated.
3. Connect your system. Connect up to 2
sources, headphones, and preamp outputs.
4. Plug in your amplier and turn it on. The
tubes will glow after a few seconds. When
everything is ne DC-wise, the headphones and
preamp outputs will engage with a click.
TUBE REPLACEMENT
When it’s time to replace the tubes, or when you
want to “roll” tubes for different sound, follow
this procedure cafefully:
1. Turn off and unplug the amplier. Wait until
the white LED on the front is completely off and
tubes are cool before proceeding.
2. Carefully extract tubes by gently rocking
them back and forth and pulling upwards.
3. Carefully insert the replacement tubes:
replace tubes with the same types (short = 6N1P,
tall = 6N6P.) Align the pins to the sockets and
press down gently until the tubes are seated. You
may also “roll” the 6N1Ps for 6DJ8, 6BZ7, 6922,
ECC88, or similar tubes.
4. Plug the amplier back in and turn it on.
After the tubes warm up and the DC operating
conditions have stabilized, the headphone and
preamp outputs will engage with a click.
SCH-35
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115VAC 150W
SHORT TUBES
LONG TUBES

CONTROLS
to make a 32-ohm headphone look like a 300-
ohm headphone to the amp, by sharing output
with a separate, integrated, solid-state stage.
This allows you to run more dicult-to-drive
headphones.
5 Headphone Jack. Plug your headphones in
here. Please note we do not recommend the use
of IEMs with this amplier, and TRRS-terminated
headphones (headphones with integrated micro-
phones) may cause operational problems.
1 Volume Knob. Turn it to the right to make the
music louder. Stop before the pain starts.
2 Input Select Switch. Up for Input 1, down for
Input 2. Simple enough, right?
3 Gain Switch. Up for high gain, down for low
gain. High gain provides more voltage output
for high-impedance headphones. Low provides
lower output impedance for low-impedance
headphones.
4 Impedance Multiplier Switch. Up engages the
impedance multiplier, down takes it completely
out of the circuit. Use the impedance multiplier
SCH-35
035000001
115VAC 150W
12
3
4
5

SCH-35
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115VAC 150W
CONNECTIONS
4 Power Switch. Left is on, right is off. At least
if you’re facing the amp. We recommend you
turn off the amp when not in use. You may use a
remote controlled plug if you don’t want to reach
behind the amplier to turn it off.
5 AC Input. Plug the power cord in here. Plug the
other end into an outlet of the correct voltage.
A spare fuse is located in the holder above the
power cord socket.
1 RCA Input #1. Connect to a music source
here (you know, like a DAC, analog output from
a streamer, CD player, cassette, 8-track, phono
preamp, etc.
2 RCA Input #2. Connect to another source here.
You can even use fancy cables if you like.
3 Preamp Outputs. Connect to powered monitors
or a speaker amp. Please note that preamp out-
outs are muted when headphones are plugged in.
Also, even though this amp uses a fast turn-off
AC detect circuit to minimize transients, a minor
click or pop may be heard when switching off the
product.
1 2 3
4
5

I hear hum through the headphones,
what do I do to x it?
You may have a ground loop. To x a ground
loop, try a ground loop isolator or an EbTech
HumX. If it’s low-level hum and noise, you can
use low gain to reduce it.
What tubes can I use in place of the stock 6N6P
output tubes?
In short, not much. 6N30P will also work. JJ
ECC99s do not work, despite what you may have
heard—they have the wrong pinout. However, if
you’re willing to have lower power output, 6N1P
or any dual triode tube with 6DJ8-style pinout
and 6.3V heaters will work ne, as long as they
don’t need more than 750mA of heater current.
What can I use instead of the stock 6N1P input
tubes?
Any 6DJ8-pinout dual triode with 6.3V heaters at
600mA or lower heater current will be ne—this
includes 6DJ8, 6922, ECC88, 6BZ7, etc.
FAQ
Can I leave Folkvangr on all the time?
You can, but it will signicantly shorten your
tubes’ effective lifespan (5,000 hours is about
200 days). For best life, we recommend you turn
the amplier off when you’re not going to use it
for more than an hour.
Hey, this thing runs hot!
Yes it does. With the stock tubes, Folkvangr dis-
sipates almost 100W at idle. It won’t be winning
any eciency contests.
It seems like it’s too hot!
All components used in Folkvangr are rated to
last well past the 5-year warranty period at its
operating temperature. However, it is designed
for use in air conditioned homes. If your home is
over 80 degrees F ambient, you may need some
additional cooling.
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 turn on.

Schiit Audio warrants to the original purchaser that this product shall be free from defects in material and workmanship
for ve (5) 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.
This warranty does not cover tubes, which are separate devices that we do not manufacture. Tubes are covered separately
by a 90-day warranty.
If you believe you need warranty service, contact us rst. 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 [email protected].
Warranty Limitations. This warranty shall not apply if a product: (a) is modied 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 tness 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.
5-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY
Application for Council Directives 72/23/EEC
Conformity declared for EN60065, EN50082-1

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