[45longcolt]

   I really can't imagine how many preamps are out there without displays?! Your function is to control the volume of my sources and potentially switch between multiple sources. OK, now don't show me a clear volume level though, make me guess about it so that I've got to feel it out each time. And better yet, just include a "-" on the left side of the dial and a "+" on the right, so that I have no real way of confirming what level I'm at time and again...

 
Believe I understand this, the desire to know exactly what your gear is doing and to reference your experience to help make sure you aren't going overboard. That is, though you may be tempted to crank it at the end of a hard day when both you and your ears are fatigued, that big number on the screen might remind you to dial it back so that you don't annoy the neighbors and damage your hearing. Besides, how can you turn it up to "11" if there's no "11" on the gear?

 
 
While I wouldn't mind seeing a display on a preamp, for info on volume and source and possibly filters, tone controls, etc., where I'd really like to see one would be on an amp. How many watts are actually being produced, what's the internal temperature, are there any adverse conditions developing? Yeah, a little yellow or red light is fine, but with today's tech we can provide so much more information. And it doesn't have to be just numbers - the graphic possibilities are endless.
 
Not that I seriously expect Schiit to do anything like that. I think Jason is a fan of 60s cars - Mustang and Corvettes and such. These are pretty basic machines, and Schiit products share the same straightforward approach with none of the superfluous gadgets and gingerbread. Which is a perfectly valid philosophy. But I'll bet Jason's everyday ride is pretty up-to-date and has a touch-screen infotainment display along with air con and power steering.
 
Will the upcoming two-channel gear embrace the 21st century? Stay tuned...

 

[Jason Stoddard]

There will be no displays.

 

[ScottFree]

There will be no displays.

Will there be a blog chapter today?

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Will there be a blog chapter today?

Nope, next week.
 
Hopefully some "new gear saga" chapters soon...

 

[Letmebefrank]

"Touchscreen infotainment" is the reason they need cars that can stop for you, because you are too busy staring at the screen going through 3 layers of sub-menus to change the AC temperature of the drivers side of the car. The first thing I did when I bought my Chrysler 300 C was tear out the touchscreen navigation and replace it with a double din pioneer with all physical buttons and knobs, no touch screen nonsense. I can do anything in my car without taking my eyes off the road. People these days are so obsessed with smartphone technology and gadgets that they want their cars to be big rolling smartphones as well. Electric cars are a fad, if any alternative fuel is the future its hydrogen. Tesla will see what happens when the worlds lithium supply runs out before you even get an electric car in every driveway.
 
/rant
 
TL;DR 
 
The more complicated the electronics, the more problems you are likely to have. If you think any daily driven car from 1990+ will be on the road in 50 years, you are sorely mistaken.

 

[ScottFree]

Will there be a blog chapter today?

Nope, next week.
 
Hopefully some "new gear saga" chapters soon...

Great. Wasn't too sure of the release schedule. Can't wait for the 'New Gear Saga'.

 

[ScottFree]

Double post

 

[jrflanne]

I live in Houston, the forth largest city in the US. There is not a single place where you can listen to audio stuff. Well, Best Buy has Macintosh. So, I bought my amp and speakers from a guy who opened a little shop in a friends record store, my turntable from a fellow who restores Thorens, Dac and headphone amp from Schiit, and cables that are a step above, but by no means insane. The market is stupid and it is eating itself. Schiit seems to be doing well. As does Emotiva. Chinese stuff floods in but I have no idea who is buying $100000 systems.

 

[520RanchBro]

   
Believe I understand this, the desire to know exactly what your gear is doing and to reference your experience to help make sure you aren't going overboard. That is, though you may be tempted to crank it at the end of a hard day when both you and your ears are fatigued, that big number on the screen might remind you to dial it back so that you don't annoy the neighbors and damage your hearing. Besides, how can you turn it up to "11" if there's no "11" on the gear?

 
 
While I wouldn't mind seeing a display on a preamp, for info on volume and source and possibly filters, tone controls, etc., where I'd really like to see one would be on an amp. How many watts are actually being produced, what's the internal temperature, are there any adverse conditions developing? Yeah, a little yellow or red light is fine, but with today's tech we can provide so much more information. And it doesn't have to be just numbers - the graphic possibilities are endless.
 
Not that I seriously expect Schiit to do anything like that. I think Jason is a fan of 60s cars - Mustang and Corvettes and such. These are pretty basic machines, and Schiit products share the same straightforward approach with none of the superfluous gadgets and gingerbread. Which is a perfectly valid philosophy. But I'll bet Jason's everyday ride is pretty up-to-date and has a touch-screen infotainment display along with air con and power steering.
 
Will the upcoming two-channel gear embrace the 21st century? Stay tuned...

Because they are focused on bringing high-end audio performance at an affordable price. All of those display and graphic suggestions are a huge added cost for a small company. It's not in alignment with their mission at all. 
 
I can't imagine too many Schiit customers get too much utility from knowing the exact output of their amp or a graphical display of performance. What added convenience does that offer outside of satiating a small curiosity to a niche group of folks? I'd rather they spend the money on making the amp more robust and durable than an electronic monitoring system, for an example.

 

[jrflanne]

There will be no displays.

I can't see that far anyway.

 

[Jason Stoddard]

To elaborate a bit more on displays, and to speculate a bit about the future:
 
1. I'm not categorically opposed to displays. There are certainly products which I can envision that absolutely require displays. Products in which you need to display alphanumeric information absolutely qualify. 
 
2. However, for simple functions, I prefer a simple interface. A simple interface is physical. As in, knobs and buttons. What information it needs to convey should also be as simple as possible. Knobs should have stops, they should not be endlessly spinning encoders. Buttons or switches should have clear on and off positions, or a corresponding light. And there should be as few knobs and buttons as possible. 
 
3. It seems to me that for internal diagnostics/status/etc, there's no need for it. Why? Because there's very little information you can act on. Something's going over temperature? Oh, well, first you need a temperature sensor. Then you need to know the range it should be in. Then you need to be able to do something about it. It's not like we have software-controlled fans that you can turn up, or overclocking you can turn down. Bias? Well, if it's significantly out of bounds, either the analog control system (in every amp other than Ragnarok) or digital oversight has big problems, and you're not going to fix that by yourself. Over-current from the output stage? May be of some marginal value in determining why your amp clicked off and reset itself, but simply following the troubleshooting procedures accomplishes the same goals. And before you say, "Hey, why don't you forego the display but let us look at these metrics via an app on our phone," well, it's because that app will probably eat the time it takes to make 3 new products, plus the damn thing now has to have on-board Bluetooth, plus it has to be certified, plus in a few years, maybe that version of Bluetooth is so old that nobody supports it, plus, maybe in a few years all Ragnaroks wirelessly connect together and form Skynet and enslave us forever to the machines...
 
4. I am not big on extra controls like balance/eq/tilt/crossovers/etc, but I understand no room is perfect, and there are tons of recordings that sound, well, less than perfect. Plus, there are so many digital solutions available for all of that stuff, sometimes I wonder if there's any need for analog control system-style controls. But...I'll leave the door open. If I can come up with a good analog signal processor that doesn't sound completely like butt, I might consider making an add-on product that would let you tweak your system within reasonable limits. Plus, it would give me great personal satisfaction to re-introduce such an "audio im-purist" type of device to the current minimalist-de-rigeur audiophile environment—I suspect that at least some of the press would be appalled and horrified to the point of apoplexy. Note that this is a completely blue-sky kinda thing, plus it's also a thing that won't be able to magically transform a room or a recording, so don't get too excited about this happening anytime soon.
 
And finally, I understand that not everyone likes this minimalist approach. Which is why there are manufacturers making products with displays and touchscreens out there. I'm sure some of those are fine products.
 
All the best,
Jason

 

[Armaegis]

I would rather have a motorized pot than a blinkity display.

 

[jacal01]

Wal, your 'buy better gear' light always cracked me up.

 

[Jason Stoddard]

  Wal, your 'buy better gear' light always cracked me up.

I guess if it was a display, we could actually spell it out for even more offensiveness.

 

[artur9]

  I can't imagine too many Schiit customers get too much utility from knowing the exact output of their amp or a graphical display of performance. What added convenience does that offer outside of satiating a small curiosity to a niche group of folks? I'd rather they spend the money on making the amp more robust and durable than an electronic monitoring system, for an example.

There's at least one company out there making an amp with Ethernet so you can monitor that sort of stuff.