I'd like to say that Schiit's approach to DOA gear is absolutely industry-leading. My Yggy A2 arrived with internal rattles (card dislodged during shipment?). Customer support provided an international RMA, return shipping for my bad unit and the replacement arrived within a week, without my...

@Jason Stoddard, when I checked schiit.com I could not find the Modi 3 USB power supply orderable as a separate item (like the wall warts). I'm interested in extra USB power supplies so that the Modi 3 can be used in different locations without unplugging/plugging the power supplies and bringing...

It's rare for the main broadsheet to have any article on audio that's worth highlighting. Often the (very occasional) articles cover audiophools spending big bucks, sometimes in tiny listening spaces. Recently there's been some coverage on the renaissance of vinyl. To my surprise, today's...

I'm wondering... Does having a USB input connected to a (non gen 5) input degrade the audio quality when listening via the SPDIF? Where I'm coming from is that the USB device is potentially injecting undesirable noise into the dac, even if there's nothing playing on USB.

No, please... While I really enjoy non-equal tempered tuning on harpsichords, period instruments and piano for classical and early romantic repertoire, this would be truly weird and non hi-fi to retune a musician's instrument!

I'm an amateur French horn player, and heavily involved in supporting classical music and music groups. Our local symphony tunes to A=442. Even though I don't have perfect pitch (more precisely I cannot identify random notes played to me), I can often sense if an oboe or violin A is sharper or...

I agree, with the caveat that YMMV, and starting points matter a whole lot. 4 years ago my room acoustics was by far the greatest constraint to getting reasonable sound. I'm not even talking about good sound even though (audio) friends thought it was pretty good. At that time digital EQ was...

Thanks to the kind souls who sent posts and PMs on LED alignment. I expect that I'll get down to correcting mine someday. In the meantime enjoying the music is a higher priority. Somewhere along the way (maybe since gen 5 upgrade, maybe earlier), the sound of strings has improved. Specifically...

My Gumby finally has a gen 5 input card. I live in Singapore, and cost of factory installation would have been prohibitive, so it's a diy job. I have to admit the LEDs are not in their tiny sockets, but i can live with it for now. Sound? I started with USB direct, then used a Breeze Audio Xmos...

I've been checking the shipping rate of Eitr vs a gen5 upgrade (self-install) for Gumby. The upgrade is very expensive to ship, and I believe there's a mistake in the system. The rates I checked are for shipping to Singapore, but I've read elsewhere that shipping quotes are out of whack for the...

I review classical concerts in a freelance basis for the local broadsheet and I've been keen on hifi for some 4 decades. That comment is so true, but I feel that often the audiophiles who I have over to listen to music have spent many hours practicing some different skills from those that...

@Jason: Presently I use a Gumby -> Freya -> power amp, all connected via balanced XLRs. As I understand it, if I want to use Vidar(s) and the JFET active output of the Freya (my preferred / only option sonically, as the tube stage doesn't seem to do justice to the bass on my Phil 3 speakers)...

Initially I used a Krell Vanguard, which i felt was a very competent integrated, well able to drive the Phil 3s. Selling that off have me funds for Freya and two Vidars. The Freya was a revelation - much more satisfying than a Krell KRC preamp I owned 20+ years ago. My current power amp is a...

Given that the Vidars were first publicly demo'd with Salk speakers, one other range of speakers that should be considered are Philharmonic Audio. They are close cousins to the Salk range, as the designer/owner of Phil Audio has major input into the crossovers used by Salk. I have an almost...

I really hope it's the latter (done form of phase correction) rather than any adjustment of pitch. I detest autotune, and in classical performances especially, the fine adjustment of tuning by tempering chords is a very important quality for me. A filter that is able to dial out recording...

Yes, the extra gain in tube mode can mean a mighty shock if you forget to reduce the gain when switching from passive or Jfet to tube! I've been vacillating between tube or Jfet. After an audiophile friend came over for a listen last night, my decision, which I suspect will not be final, is to...

This sounds(sic) fantastic, and yes, I can see how in the wrong hands the gadget can become a monstrosity. Given your disdain for Autotune and Melodyne, I sincerely hope that the acoustic improvements that MP aim for don't include pitch modulation of any form. It would be a sad, sad day when...

I believe the need to analyze a good chunk (I recall reading 3 min.) of the music and recognizing musical structure (chords) are part of deciding if other parts of the signal need to adjusted. My guess is that one of the functions is to correct phase distortion affecting the higher harmonics due...

My experiments with Jfet v tubes have more less ended. After my third stint with tubes, this time with mixed Tung Sols & stock tubes, I've concluded that my ears need the top and bottom end extension that the Jfet buffer stage gives me. A new class D amp replacing a loaned Aleph 0s made this...

Yes, I certainly have the set of Schiit gear to put a 230V Cthulhu to good use!

If (big if!) your experience is similar to mine, the sound will change over the first 20+ hours of playing. I too found the tube section a little lighter in tonal balance than Jfet. If anything to my ears the Tung Sols are slightly hotter (more detailed?) than the stock tubes. YMMV, but...

The Tung Sols have been removed for now, and I'm listening exclusively with the Jfet buffer. I was loaned a really nice Pass Aleph 0s, which has really sweet treble and match my speakers well. The tube section takes away more from the bass than it adds in other areas than I like. OTOH the Jfet...

I was using stock tubes. From day one the difference was quite noticeable, but my downstream is pretty revealing, esp. the Phil 3 speakers that easy differentiate amps and source. Today I swapped them for Tung Sols, and did hear greater detail and more air compared to stock, but also slightly...

I had earlier reported the major improvement in sound I perceived over several weeks, listening in Jfet mode. I have just re-installed the stock tubes, and this time the differences are a little different - still obvious in my system, but the tubes seen less constrained in the bass, and overall...

This is consistent with my impression after 5 days with my Freya. Your description of the difference in bass is almost precisely what I perceive. As my speakers go very deep, I do notice the relative lack of low bass when using the tube section, so it looks like I'll be playing with Freya with...