In this video I compare two American-made “Class A*” headphone amps: the Schiit Asgard 3 ($199) and the HeadAmp Gilmore Lite MK2 ($499). The Gilmore is fully Class A, while the Asgard 3 uses Schiit’s Continuity design (high Class A bias up to roughly half a watt, then it transitions for the rest of the power). I keep the spec talk short and focus mainly on power, output impedance, and practical use, then I run both amps through the same chain using my Cambridge Audio 851D DAC and an RCA switcher so I can flip between amps instantly. For listening, I used the HD 800 (because it’s super source-revealing) and the HEDDphone (because it’s hard to drive). Both amps handled the HEDDphone surprisingly well for basically everything, but sonically I greatly preferred the Asgard 3. The Gilmore Lite MK2 came across more compressed, with reduced dynamic contrast, and it “nuked” the HD 800’s stage—pulling everything inward. The Asgard 3, on the other hand, sounded shockingly good for $200: good staging, solid dynamics, detailed, not overly colored, and overall less compressed than some THX amps I’ve heard around this price. Bottom line: Asgard 3 is a bang-for-buck pick, and I’d personally choose it over the Gilmore here.