Schiit Nexus Ragnarok 2 User manual

NEXUSTM INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER
IN NORSE MYTHOLOGY, RAGNAROK IS THE END OF THE WORLD.
NOW, DON’T GET TECHNICAL WITH US ABOUT WHO SURVIVES.
OR ABOUT HOW IT’S THE TWILIGHT OF THE GODS.
OR IT NOT REALLY BEING THE END OF THE WORLD.
FACE IT, RAGNAROK 2 IS JUST AN AUDIO PRODUCT, NOT A COSMIC EVENT.
AND WE’RE DUMB AMERICANS WHO READ TOO MANY COMIC BOOKS.
RAGNAROK 2
OWNER’S MANUAL

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 traf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.
INTRODUCTION
Ragnarok 2 is a modular, remote-control, balanced differential
integrated amplier for both speakers and headphones. It
introduces our Nexus™ topology that seamlessly integrates
balanced and single-ended sources and outputs, accepts standard
Schiit Universal DAC and phono modules (and maybe others in the
future), and can be conveniently controlled with a small milled-
aluminum remote.
Or, in English, it may be the single box you need to bring together
speakers, headphones, digital, analog, and phono sources—
especially if you’ve ordered it Fully Loaded with both phono and
DAC cards. Or, you can pair it with any one of our DACs as an Amp
Only. And, in either case, you have modularity to customize to
future needs.
IN THE BOX
(1) Ragnarok 2
(1) Power cord
(0) Stick-on feet (they’re screwed on)

1. Make sure you have enough space. Ragnarok 2 idles cool, but it
can get plenty warm when it’s operating—if you’re using it in a rack,
make sure there’s plenty of ventilation above and to both sides. Do
not stack other equipment on top of Ragnarok 2. Do not put it in a
Snuggie. You get the picture.
2. Keep out of reach of children (and adults who act like them).
Ragnarok 2 can deliver full speaker power output to the balanced
headphone jack. If you know someone who might think it’s funny
to turn the volume all the way up and leave it on mute (trying to
give you a nasty surprise) or someone who might forget they have
headphones plugged in when they’re air guitaring to Motley Crue,
it might be best to keep them away from your new big insane
amplier.
3. Remember this is a speaker amplier. This means massive
power. This can be a wonderful thing for many headphones,
especially some hard-to-drive planars or high-impedance
dynamics. However, it may not be the best thing to use with your
super-sensitive custom IEMs. If you’re looking at a 30-lb brick as
a dedicated IEM amp, well, maybe time to think about that—or at
least look at something a bit more appropriate.
GETTING STARTED
ABOUT MODULES
Ragnarok 2 uses the same optional internal modules as many
Schiit products, including Jotunheim and Lyr 3. These modules
allow you to congure the Ragnarok 2 to your specic needs, or to
change modules if there are upgrades in the future. Alternately, you
can use Ragnarok 2 as “just an amp” with the standard RCA-input
modules.
Ragnarok 2 is factory-congured in one of two ways:
Fully Loaded. Includes the Balanced MM Phono Preamp module
and Multibit DAC module, so you can use Ragnarok 2 with your
phono and USB sources, without any external boxes.
Amp Only. Includes only two RCA Input modules, to give you a total
of three RCA inputs on the Ragnarok 2.
Ragnarok 2 also accepts all current and past Schiit modules as
used in the Jotunheim and Lyr 3, including the 4490 DAC modules.
If you have a technician, or are a technician yourself, you can
congure Ragnarok 2 to your needs. No rmware changes are
needed to use any of the modules.
Ragnarok 2 accepts two modules simultaneously. However, only
one module slot is wide enough to accept the Multibit DAC module.

CONNECTIONS
SCH-09K
0A19C2832
115VAC 450W
2 Power Input. Plug the end an IEC cord in
here, and the other end into the wall. Make
sure the voltage is correct—running a 115V
product at 230V may be a bad day. For the
power switch, up is on, down is off—you
know, pretty much like everything else out
there. Need a more accessible switch? Plug
Ragnarok 2 into a switched power strip or
remote controlled outlet (yes, those are a
thing.)
1 Speaker Outputs. The right hand speaker
outputs are on the right side. Guess where
the left speaker outputs are? Yep, got
it in one. Very important: BOTH positive
and negative terminals are active. Do NOT
short negative output to ground, or use with
speakers that have common grounds.
3 Balanced Input 1. Connect to a balanced
source with high-quality XLR cables.
4 Balanced Input 2. Connect to another
balanced source with high-quality XLR
cables.
1 2
3 4 5 6 7
8
9
1
10

5 Card Input 1. If you purchased a Ragnarok
as an Amp Only, this will be a line-level RCA
input. Connect this to any single-ended
source with RCA cables. If you purchased a
Ragnarok Fully Loaded with Phono and DAC
input, this is a phono preamp input for most
moving-magnet cartridges. Connect this
to a turntable with short, heavily shielded,
high-quality RCA cables, and attach the
turntable ground to the ground lug (8).
6 Card Input 2. If you purchased a Ragnarok
as Amp Only, this is a line-level RCA input.
Connect to any single-ended source with
RCA cables. If you purchased a Ragnarok
2 Fully Loaded, this is a USB digital input.
Connect this to a USB source (computer,
streamer, etc—see the online FAQ for
compatible devices.) You may need to
download drivers for older Windows
versions from schiit.com/drivers. Connect
using a true USB 2.0-rated cable, 2m or less
in length.
7 RCA Input. Connect this to any single-
ended source using RCA cables.
8 Ground Lug. If you are using a turntable,
you may need to connect it to this ground
lug in order to eliminate loud hum. Or maybe
not. Sometimes it depends on the turntable.
Try it either way. If you are not using a turn-
table, no need to connect anything here.
9 SE Preamp Output. If you’d like to extend
your system by adding more ampliers,
or by connecting to a subwoofer, you can
connect them using RCA cables to this
preamp output.
10 Balanced Preamp Output. You can also
connect additional amps or subwoofers
with the balanced preamo output, using XLR
cables.

2 Source. Press this button to pick what
you want to listen to. It walks through the
sources in order, from Balanced 1 to SE
Input, then cycles back around again.
3 Speaker/Headphone. Press this button
to listen to speakers, headphones, or both.
Be careful with both—if you crank speakers
with headphones connected, you may not
hear them blow up.
1 Volume. The biggest knob on the front of
the chassis controls volume. It works like
any other volume knob you’ve ever used.
Turn it up to turn up the volume, turn it
down to turn it down. The position of this
knob tracks the remote control. And yes,
the clicking sounds you hear when using
it are normal—this volume knob controls a
128-step resistor ladder, for virtually perfect
channel balance at any volume level.
4 Gain. Push this button to select the gain.
Be careful if you’ve already got the volume
up and you’re increasing gain—best to turn
it down.
5 SE Headphone Output. Plug in your
single-ended headphones here.
6 Balanced Headphone Output.
Plug in your balanced headphones here.
Fair warning: this outputs full power (just
like the speaker outputs), so be careful with
more sensitive headphones!
CONTROLS
1
2 3 4 5
6

1
3
4
2
Yes, Ragnarok 2 comes with a remote control. It looks a lot like the one that
comes with our preamps (Saga and Freya), but it’s not the same. It has an
exta button for gain selection, and it won’t work with Freya and Saga. Nor will
Freya and Saga remotes work with Ragnarok 2.
1 Input. Press this button to select the input you want to listen to. If you skip
the input, keep pressing—it cycles back around.
2 Volume Up/Down. Press the up arrow to turn volume up, press the down
arrow to turn it down. Simple as that.
3 Gain. Press to select gain. If you skip the gain you want, keep pressing--it
cycles back around like the input.
4 Speaker/Headphone Selector. Press to select speaker output only,
headphone output only, or speaker and headphone output.
5 Mute. Press to mute Ragnarok. Press again to un-mute.
Changing the Battery
1. Flip the remote over to reveal a single hole on the back.
2. Push the remote open by inserting the end of an open paper clip into the hole in the back and
pushing rmly. It’s held together with magnets.
3. Replace the battery inside with one of the same type.
4. Reassemble the remote by rst inserting the clear LED in the front, then dropping the panel
down onto the matching magnets. Press down gently to pop the panel in place.
REMOTE CONTROL
5

FAULT CLEARING
Okay, so you have a flashing light. No worries. Deep breath.
We’ll get this taken care of shortly.
When the Ragnarok 2 stops playing sound and flashes its gain
LED, or if it never stops flashing after you turn on the amp, there’s
a problem, or fault. There are three kinds of faults:
1. Over-temperature. The heatsinks are too hot, and Ragnarok 2
has shut down to protect its output. If the amp is very hot, turn it
off, wait a while for it to cool down, and try turning it on again.
2. Over-current. If Ragnarok 2 is connected to very low-
impedance speakers (2 ohms or less), playing very loud music
can cause an over-current condition. Simply turn the amp off and
on again to clear this fault.
Alternately, Ragnarok 2 may shut off from over-current if the
speaker cables are shorted. To troubleshoot this, turn off the
amp, disconnect the speaker cables from the amp, and turn it
back on again. If it comes back on, there may be a short in your
speaker cables (or your speakers). Examine your connections to
ensure there are no stray wires or shorts. Once those have been
xed, you can reconnect the speakers and play music again.
3. High DC offset. Ragnarok 2 is a DC-coupled amp. Its
microprocessor monitors DC levels at the output. However, it may not
be able to correct for high DC from your source (such as a preamp).
To clear this fault, turn off the amp, disconnect the RCA cables or
XLR cable from the amp, and turn it back on again. If the amp turns
on normally, then there may be high DC on the output of your source.
Have the source inspected and repaired.

I hear hum. What do I do?
Depends on the hum. Are you getting loud hum on speakers? You
probably have a ground loop. You should look into something like
an EbTech HumX to eliminate the problem. Are you getting hum on
IEMs? They may be too sensitive for Ragnarok 2.
Hey, this thing makes all sorts of clicking noises when I adjust the
volume!
Yes, it does. That’s the relay ladder volume control, doing its job.
Completely normal and nothing to worry about.
I can hear music playing with the volume all the way down, is that
normal too?
Yes. If you want a 100% mute, press the Mute button on the remote.
It takes a while for this thing to start up, and it flashes lights and
stuff, is that normal?
Yes, Ragnarok 2 performs a self-check and tests important
performance parameters as it is starting up. From then on, it
monitors output continuously to protect against any faults.
It was playing ne for a while, and now it’s just flashing?
See the Clearing Faults section on the previous page.
FAQ
Can I install different modules in Ragnarok 2?
If you are, or know, a technician, yes. The modules just plug in.
They are the same ones we sell for Lyr 3 and Jotunheim. There’s
no soldering required. If you’re planning on adding modules, please
note that there is only space for one “large” module—or, in other
words, the Multibit DAC module, which is oriented horizontally
rather than vertically, like the 4490 DAC module, Phono Module, or
RCA Input Module.
I’m not getting any sound!
Make sure you have the correct source selected, and that it is
playing. Ensure the amp isn’t muted—when it is, neither Speaker nor
Headphone lights will be on. Turn up gain and turn up volume until
you hear something.
Wow, I have to turn this WAY up to get the volume level I want!
Yes. The volume control on Ragnarok 2 is perfectly linear. It still has
40dB of gain from 12:00 on the volume knob. It’s perfectly normal to
run it at 3-4 o’clock. Again, it won’t hurt anything.
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 the product shall be free from defects in material and workmanship for ve (5) years from the date of purchase.
Exceptions: Tubes and remote controls. Tubes are covered by a 90-day limited warranty with the same terms, and remotes are covered by a 1-year limited warranty
with the same terms. If a defect covered by this warranty occurs during this warranty period, Schiit Audio will repair the defective product, free of charge. Date of
purchase will be based on customer-submitted receipts, otherwise date of manufacturing will be used to determine warranty period.
OBTAINING WARRANTY SERVICE
If you believe you need warranty service, contact us rst. There may be a simple solution to your problem. 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]. We will respond quickly to email inquiries.
WARRANTY LIMITATIONS
THIS WARRANTY SHALL NOT APPLY IF THIS PRODUCT: (a) IS MODIFIED OR TAMPERED WITH; (b) IS DAMAGED BY NEGLIGENCE, ACCIDENT, UNREASONABLE
USE, COFFEE, OR BY OTHER CAUSES UNRELATED TO DEFECTIVE MATERIALS OR WORKMANSHIP; OR (c) HAS HAD THE SERIAL NUMBER ALTERED, DEFACED OR
REMOVED.
ANY APPLICABLE IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE HEREBY LIMITED
IN DURATION TO THE WARRANTY PERIOD (5 YEARS). IN NO EVENT SHALL SCHIIT AUDIO BE LIABLE FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES RESULTING
FROM THE BREACH OF ANY IMPLIED OR EXPRESS WARRANTIES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS OR
EXCLUSION OF CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
This warranty gives you specic legal rights. You may also have other rights which vary from state to state or province to province.
WARRANTY
Application for Council Directives 72/23/EEC, 89/336 EEC
Conformity declared for EN60065, EN55022 Class B, EN50082-1
This equipment has been tested and found to
comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,
pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules.

SCHIIT.COM
[email protected]