Schiit Happened: The Story of the World's Most Improbable Start-Up
Aug 29, 2014 at 12:37 PM Post #2,431 of 169,998
  Schiits Yggy is the reason why i have put off buying a big daddy DAC for mega bucks and the other reason might be lack of funds. However, Antelope do offer an Atomic Clock not to sure how that works or what one would even do with it but it would be so cool to have one. 

+1. Main need is to keep the powder dry. I have almost pulled the trigger on the NAD M51, Metrum Hex and PWD II at various times but people on Head fi that I respect have consistently counseled patience and to wait for the Yggdrassil.
 
Aug 29, 2014 at 2:19 PM Post #2,432 of 169,998
  Hell, can everyone at Schiit write?
 
Looking forward to the conclusion.
 
Disappointing lack of bat testicles for talk about early digital.

 
Dude! Completely agree!
I feel so mediocre all of a sudden!!! LOL!
 
Aug 29, 2014 at 7:18 PM Post #2,435 of 169,998
I'll just pull out the old acetylene torch next time I need to drop in an upgrade
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My long-lost brother! Where've you been? C'mon over and we'll swat flies with sledgehammers (down, Peter,) and drive the M1 Abrams to the grocery store!
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Aug 29, 2014 at 7:30 PM Post #2,436 of 169,998
 
For my part , I'm hoping for a Super DAC from Schiit .   I can just purchase an Analog DAC from MSB ( $10,000 ) and be done with it but I believe in Schiit  ( Sir Jason , Dr. Mike and their Team  )  .   As a business owner I can see the wisdoms Schiit people base their decisions around , I've become a Schiit loyalist . I like believing in people and these people are easy to believe in .  

 
The hope is that the Yggy will give you a Super DAC without the Super PRICE.
 
Aug 29, 2014 at 8:26 PM Post #2,437 of 169,998
   
Yep. I recently put together a basic MOSFET matcher and was showing a Schiit employee how to use it, saying something like "MOSFETs are kinda fragile, they get too much voltage on the gate and it's stick-a-fork-in-it time," when the device under test went up in smoke. 

 
Hey Jason,
 
This is probably the completely wrong thread for this question, but what MOSFET matcher did you come up with? I'm just starting to get into some DIY and will be looking at doing some sand matching soon - from doing a bit of digging there are really simple matching circuits that just have one resistor, and there are some crazy test circuits with op-amps too, just curious to see what you guys use :)
 
Aug 30, 2014 at 11:37 PM Post #2,439 of 169,998
I, too would like to join the "An ADC would be great!"-brigade.

Two channels, USB interface and a couple of sample rate/word length options. BYOP (Bring Your Own Preamp).

Bonus points for it being housed in a chassis with the same form factor as your RIAA stage.

 
Jason, I'd like to revisit the ADC topic.
 
In a review in Stereophile, John Atkinson wrote:
 
Via e-mail, I asked Ayre's founder and designer, Charlie Hansen, why a manufacturer exclusively known for its domestic high-end audio products had ventured into a field dominated by pro-audio companies

 
As far as I can tell, we audionuts turn to pro-audio gear for ADCs because that's pretty much our only (affordable) (or expensive) choice.
 
(Hansen) "To my knowledge, nobody has ever built an ADC with fully discrete, fully balanced, zero-feedback analog circuitry. In my experience, the single most important factor in getting good sound in digital audio is with the analog circuitry, so that was reason enough to start the project. Of course, we at Ayre are never content to rest on our laurels, so we also incorporated a slew of other innovations."
 
The heart of the QA-9 is the AT1201, a two-channel A/D converter chip that is new to me, from a company also new to me: Arda Technologies. The chip's datasheet describes it as an "advanced multi-bit sigma-delta" converter that will operate up to a sample rate of 384kHz with an astounding dynamic range of 124dB.

 
Right now we audionuts have to turn to a company like Behringer. There's a healthy community of  modding their gear for home use, e.g. http://behringermods.com/deq2496.html and there's a few other pro-audio companies out there too.
 
Again:
 
 (Hansen): In my experience, the single most important factor in getting good sound in digital audio is with the analog circuitry

 
Which with Schiit has a proven track record.
 
The Stereophile review I took those quotes from is of the Ayre Acoustics QA-9 USB A/D converter, a $4,000 item. I admit I haven't finished reading the review, but I assume it's favourable since Stereophile uses the QA-9 to make test tracks.
 
I think there's a place in the market for an affordable high-quality good-sounding ADC. I don't define $4k as affordable. Maybe $400? I think the Stoddard/Moffat team could design, build and produce one. I would like to see that happen.
 
What do you think, Jason? Would that fit within Schiit's mandate? What about the rest of you following this thread? What do you think?
 
Aug 31, 2014 at 12:09 AM Post #2,440 of 169,998
I think the potential market is just too small.  Just wondering how many people would really use an ADC, and for what?  I'm sure Schiit could, but that doesn't mean they should.  I think their experience with Loki argues against entering a market that is a niche within a niche.  I could be wrong though, just ask my wife....
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Aug 31, 2014 at 12:59 AM Post #2,441 of 169,998
  I think the potential market is just too small.  Just wondering how many people would really use an ADC, and for what?  I'm sure Schiit could, but that doesn't mean they should.  I think their experience with Loki argues against entering a market that is a niche within a niche.  I could be wrong though, just ask my wife....
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While most of us here would use such a device to digitize vinyl or tapes, this is not the primary use for an ADC. It is really a tool for musicians to digitize their music. The prosumer market of at-home musicians is only getting larger (from what I can tell). With their expertise it may be possible for Schiit to compete with companies like Apogee and M-audio. And entering that market could potentially drum up business for their other products. I'd be willing to wager that a lot of the headphones that those at-home musicians use to mix/master are woefully underpowered.
 
But hey, we're just armchair quarterbacking here. I just know Jason & co will continue to release awesome Schiit, whether he likes our ideas or not.
 
Aug 31, 2014 at 2:10 AM Post #2,442 of 169,998
Yeah, I get that most people would use it for digitizing LP's but there are just so few people that do that.  The at home recording market seems equally small.  Doesn't seem like there would be a big enough market for either.  From what Jason's said, seems like they're looking to make a new market, like they did with Magni/Modi...Either way, it will be interesting to see.  
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Aug 31, 2014 at 2:25 AM Post #2,443 of 169,998
This is just a Meaningless observation based on my extensive Craigslist studies.  I see a Lot of home music studio stuff moving. plus the occasional Pro studio. in comparison i only see Beats moving on the list, never any upper end head phonery related gear. 
In this context the market may be larger that you think, based on equipment moving in craigslist.  no science here.
 
Aug 31, 2014 at 5:53 AM Post #2,444 of 169,998
  This is just a Meaningless observation based on my extensive Craigslist studies.  I see a Lot of home music studio stuff moving. plus the occasional Pro studio. in comparison i only see Beats moving on the list, never any upper end head phonery related gear. 
In this context the market may be larger that you think, based on equipment moving in craigslist.  no science here.

however, good observation and the science part would to count the products over a 90 day period which will give an indication of the market size
 
Aug 31, 2014 at 10:49 AM Post #2,445 of 169,998
  It's funny--I'm a "go along, get along" kind of guy. If I'd known who he was, I wouldn't have been so unintentionally confrontational.
 
The decision to produce in the USA, or in China, is one that many manufacturers have had to make. If we made our stuff in China (or, like many, simply did "final assembly" in the US from Chinese metal and boards) we'd be able to offer fancier chassis, and/or more features. That's a judgement call. 
 
Though I am thrilled to see many more products being made (or at least assembled) here, since, as far as I know, we were the the rebirth of inexpensive US manufacturing in 2010.

The design of your products is perfectly fine, there's no need for fancier chassis or any additional features. Personally what would I expect from an Asgard 2 is crystal clear sound, silent operation when no music played and high resolution. Your amp delivers on every aspect, and your support team is outstanding. The fact that you produce here in the US was the main factor in my decision to purchase one of your amps, a second one likely will be coming soon. Thank you for keeping hope alive for US manufacturing! 
 

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