Schiit Owners Unite - Page 90

So is the DC switch mentioned in the other thread a fabrication? I'm not asking for Schiit to compromise on sound, but rather use it's statement to overcome the traditional obstacle with clever thinking and extra cost if needed, and if indeed possible.

 

Hey guys,

 

You're not gonna get a switch on the front. Sorry. If we did that, you'd have nothing to complain about!

 

(Kidding, but that is a well-known principle in presenting advertising concepts--make sure there's a simple, easy to spot problem with the concept so the client doesn't nitpick the entire thing to death.)

 

The reality is, yes, we want to keep the AC routing as simple as possible. Do other guys run it all over the chassis? Sure. But we don't want to. And, if you start getting into "standby" switches and stuff, you start getting into CE requirements for power consumption in standby, which usually requires a tiny "keep-alive" transformer, plus a microprocessor to run the power management, then with a microprocessor you have to have FCC certification if it runs above 9kHz (no typo--9kHz). 

 

So that means:

 

1. An extra power transformer in everything we make, and extra cost for it.

2. Additional cost and time for FCC certification on everything we make, not just DACs.

3. A bigger price tag.

 

So our power switches will stay on the back, and they will be real power switches, not standby switches, thank you. If you want remote control, soft-touch switches, chassis hogged out of a solid piece of aluminum, an automatic car washer and optional vacuum cleaner with attachments for pumping out your basement in a flood, it's best to look elsewhere. 

 

All the best,

Jason

Edited by Jason Stoddard - 2/10/13 at 10:09pm

They are smart guys they understand tradeoffs. Profit / Functionality.

They've been at this a long time and they make decisions that define their products.... Case in point:  A damn smug web site.

 

Somehow I don't see Jason leading a focus group.  

 

 

EDIT: .....  (see above)

Edited by Iamnothim - 2/10/13 at 10:09pm

 

I dunno. The most commonly ordered headphone cable length I get is 2.5 meters, and there are a surprising number of people wanting 4 and even 5 meter cables.

 

Anyway, I own a Magni and a Bifrost, and I'm afraid I just don't "get" the rear switch being problematic. But that's just me.

 

se

So the only way to get safe power from the front is to jump through all those hoops? Fair enough. Thanks for the detailed reply. Makes me wonder about all this other gear that is made if it's really that big of a problem. 99% of gear has a front power switch, yet it's apparently a design taboo to do so. Odd.

And since some of you insist on touting price/performance tradeoffs, please stop misunderstanding me. I never expected to not have to pay extra, and this is supposed to be a statement product. Orpheus, SR-009, HD800's ring radiator, the gigantic Woo monoblocks with swappable tube types, all of these types of things bring innovation at extra cost. Playing it safe by sticking to the status quo slow progress. I'm not at all saying Schiit is doing this with their statement products because the important bits sound like they will be quite different from normal. I'm just pointing out that pushing the envelope about what is expected and safe is what statement products are all about.
Edited by Maxvla - 2/10/13 at 10:20pm

You are Steve the cable guy !!!!!

I'm getting close to bellying up to the order screen. 

 

In a rare moment of complete honesty:

 

Focus groups can bite my shiny clear-anodized (not black) aluminum ass.

 

Sorry, they have destroyed more interesting ideas than I can count. I have had the displeasure of working with many of them in my career in marketing.

 

An anecdote:

 

When Lee Iacocca came up with the idea for the original Ford Mustang, the bean-counters at Ford wanted the research. The numbers. The focus groups. Lee didn't have them. So he made them up.

 

Read that again. He made them up.

 

The result? 1.2 million cars sold in 2 years--an annual rate far in excess of Camry sales today, in a much smaller market. A car that's still in production. Arguably one of 2 or 3 most recognized nameplates in the world.

 

Maybe Schiit ain't up there with Lee, but you know--focus groups usually aren't the ticket to success. They're usually the opposite.

 

So yeah. Focus groups. Bite me.

 

Nope, I didn't say that. I said, "We prefer not to run power all over the chassis, though other people do it." Standby switches require the extensive CE hoop-jumping.

I just sold my old DAC on eBay for $400.  List $599.  It had a front power switch.

Why did I sell it?  Because it sounded like $50

Edited by Iamnothim - 2/11/13 at 12:01am

 

Hmmmm... You look a little young to me. Can I see some ID?

 

se

Congrats! more money for the tube for ya! 

To Bifrost owners:

 

I currently use a USB male a female B cable to connect from the USB of my Macbook Air to the Bifrost. Is this the only way to do it or is there an accessory that will go from the Laptop USB to the optical in of the Bifrost ? I am hesitant to use the headphone jack cable on the Air since I am told the USB out bypasses the built in DAC of the Air and thus a better source of music.

 

Is this correct ?

 

Thanks

That is correct. You could use the head out and this adapter (amazon link) to give you optical out but the signal will still flow through the onboard sound chip of the mbairs logic board.

Eddy,

 

thanks for the reply and the link.