[Zojokkeli]

+100 to "knowing what you're good at." Far too many people THINK they know, or they know what they've been trained to know, but this does not mean they really are all that good at it. Proficient, maybe even effective, but good is another thing... I probably didn't fully figure out what I was really good at until I was 50, and since then I've been trying to make up for lost time and correct past mistakes.

At 34 this gives me hope. Started at a new company in a more demanding role a couple of months ago, and it's been a challenge simultaneously learning the ropes of the new role, how to get things done at the company, how to use SAP, and getting acquainted with the specific type of equipment we are making. At least with the new job I get to travel to US every now and then, as my business unit's headquarters is located near Milwaukee, WI.

 

[styler]

i know Jason is against doing a streamer, mostly because he wants to avoid software... but here's an idea, a Schiit Stream that runs Roon Core.

 

[Jason Stoddard]

In my setup signal ground and chassis ground are connected at one point inside the poweramp.

This is literally how every one of our products is designed. I think that's literally how every piece of audio gear is designed.

i know Jason is against doing a streamer, mostly because he wants to avoid software... but here's an idea, a Schiit Stream that runs Roon Core.

If I could get something that fit on an optional card--such as the card in Ragnarok and Jotunheim, or the input cards in Yggy or Bifrost--you might get my attention. But getting something powerful enough to run a full-service piece of software like Roon core really still means a computer, which means it's probably gonna blow all of our power requirements for such a card.

And then I'd also remember the software requirements and probably scotch the idea. Roon core or not, we still need to manage at least 2 apps, one with very poorly defined hardware/display specs. So, yeah, maybe just get a Bluesound or WiiM or something like that...that's probably the best answer.

I'm open to someone telling me I'm nuts, and pointing me in the right direction, but this industry is filled with far too many stories about "I spent a ton of money on wireless and software and I got hella burnt," rather than "this is the greatest investment ever."

 

[Ableza]

i know Jason is against doing a streamer, mostly because he wants to avoid software... but here's an idea, a Schiit Stream that runs Roon Core.

A "streamer" and "Roon Core" are two different things, of course. Core is the server end, a streamer is the client end. Running Core means hosted in a Linux-based environment (or Windows or MacOS) and I am certain that is not in the Schiit cards unless Jason signs a contract while in a Texas Cabernet drunken haze...

 

[Ableza]

This is literally how every one of our products is designed. I think that's literally how every piece of audio gear is designed.

If I could get something that fit on an optional card--such as the card in Ragnarok and Jotunheim, or the input cards in Yggy or Bifrost--you might get my attention. But then I'd remember the software requirements and probably scotch the idea. Roon core or not, we still need to manage at least 2 apps, one with very poorly defined hardware/display specs. So, yeah, maybe just get a Bluesound or WiiM or something like that...that's probably the best answer.

Putting a streaming receiver in a chassis card should be very doable, but yes you'd be entering the hell of software development and maintenance.

 

[Jason Stoddard]

A "streamer" and "Roon Core" are two different things, of course. Core is the server end, a streamer is the client end. Running Core means hosted in a Linux-based environment (or Windows or MacOS) and I am certain that is not in the Schiit cards unless Jason signs a contract while in a Texas Cabernet drunken haze...

There are very few good Texas Cabs. Mourvèdres, yes. Cab not so much. Though I have been surprised.

 

[r2muchstuff]

Schiit N Music
Friday Night (now Sunday afternoon)
Part 3

Listening and comparing.

Part three concerns a Beyerdynamic T1, version 2, 600 ohm.
The headband became worn and tacky/sticky like some older cameras and electronics which develop a similar issue. Talking to you Nikon and FiiO.
Communication with Bayerdynamic directed me to the official repair center.
Contact with them found parts or parts/service.
I chose parts/service as they would test and cla in the process.

Due to the headband these received little or no use for some time.
Earlier in life they were generally connected to a Lyr OG (adapted with 6SN7 6H8C Reflektor - 1959/1960 - OTK - Bottom Rectangle Getter - Grey T Aligned 2 Hole Plates)
which is fed from a Mac Mini as a server via remote desktop -> USB -> Gungnir Multibit/Unison
-OR-
Cambridge CXC -> coax -> Gungnir Multibit

Arrived home Friday from the servicing.
Decided to attach a 4 pin XLR cable to the T1 and plug balanced into Mjolnir 2 running 6N23P OTK Reflektor - 1971.

Listened for a while, OK yet not the T1 I remember.
Tube rolled and adapted the Mjolnir 2 to 5670 (396A) Raytheon JAN JRP - “Windmill Top Getters/Grey Plates”

Have had these playing (from the CD) most of the day.
First listening check revealed an instant returning of the T1 I am remembering. And getting better as the day progresses.
Maybe on to something here. More run time is in order.

Wondering how the HiFiMan Edition XS are going to react to the Raytheon?

My mood, my ears, my kit and YMMV.


Enjoy the Schiit N Music

 

[Ableza]

There are very few good Texas Cabs. Mourvèdres, yes. Cab not so much. Though I have been surprised.

By the way I was at my local Total Wine yesterday and saw a Cab called 1858 from Paso Robles. I grabbed two bottles to try. Do you know this one?

 

[LobalWarming]

... But then I'd remember the software requirements and probably scotch the idea...

Single malt? Aged for decades in a dark cavern hundreds of feet below ear level.

Wait a minute! You just released a (manual) Streamer with tactile 3D media interface and a LASER! Your schiit streaming work is done

 

[JamminVMI]

By the way I was at my local Total Wine yesterday and saw a Cab called 1858 from Paso Robles. I grabbed two bottles to try. Do you know this one?

I do. BTW, that’s a Chuck Wagner (Caymus) wine, which was why I grabbed it initially. I found the cab very nice (edit: one of my top 5 cabs from paso). I liked their red blend better, but I’m a zin fan. Let me know what you think, please. And what vintage you have.

 

[cats4cans]

So if you split URD into 2 boxes, a transport and the DDC hub, how hard would it be to make the ins and out configurable? For example have 4 USB connections, 2 coax, 2 AES and have dip switches underneath to set whether each is an input or an output. Most of that is set in the firmware, right? That would be a useful device even without optical. A similarly sized CD transport that could stack on it with USB out would be the cherry on top.

I think several iterations of the basic idea have come up, but I may not have thoroughly read the entire thread.

 

[adias]

If I could get something that fit on an optional card--such as the card in Ragnarok and Jotunheim, or the input cards in Yggy or Bifrost--you might get my attention. But getting something powerful enough to run a full-service piece of software like Roon core really still means a computer, which means it's probably gonna blow all of our power requirements for such a card.

And then I'd also remember the software requirements and probably scotch the idea. Roon core or not, we still need to manage at least 2 apps, one with very poorly defined hardware/display specs. So, yeah, maybe just get a Bluesound or WiiM or something like that...that's probably the best answer.

I'm open to someone telling me I'm nuts, and pointing me in the right direction, but this industry is filled with far too many stories about "I spent a ton of money on wireless and software and I got hella burnt," rather than "this is the greatest investment ever."

Not everyone wants Roon - I don’t. For local files I run Audirvana and it’s fine. I do not care for metadata and other nonsense.

A Schiit class audio streamer already exists and it’s called WiiM Pro. Soon there will be a variation of that with a USB-C port to connect to a Schiit Urd. So there you have it.

 

[Ableza]

I do. BTW, that’s a Chuck Wagner (Caymus) wine, which was why I grabbed it initially. I found the cab very nice (edit: one of my top 5 cabs from paso). I liked their red blend better, but I’m a zin fan. Let me know what you think, please. And what vintage you have.

Excellent, thank you for the comment! Camus, I did not even realize, I just liked the tasting notes placard they had out. These are 2017. Does it need to decant or just a little air?

I am also mostly a Zin fan, which seems to be routinely pretty excellent all up and down California. My favorites are from Sobon Estates in Amador County and (of course) Dry Creek in Sonoma.

 

[artur9]

What Mjolnir 3 sounds like compared to Jotunheim 2?
To use that quote from that movie: Ain't the same f#ckin' ballpark, it ain't the same league, it ain't even the same f#ckin' sport.

Really, what kind of spiff are you getting from Schiit here, @ArmchairPhilosopher ?! (j/k)

No need to upgrade my AS3 but this kind of talk....

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

The only way to do a streamer well is to do it fully in-house, without any dependence on a third party to provide custom hardware modules or software. A streamer ain't a CD transport, you can't just slap a few buttons and a monochrome OLED matrix display on it and be done. If you did, you would end up with useless junk similar to those Android-based mobile audio players and all those other boxes that have come and gone in recent years because they had the "right" spec sheet but ultimately never lived up to expectation during daily use.

Getting this right is hard. So hard, in fact, that no one has been able to actually pull it off yet. Some attempts got the hardware right, but utterly failed with the software. Some got parts of the software right, but little else. But there has yet to be a streamer that's actually done well in every aspect.

Why is especially the software part so hard? Because you can't make a streamer worth the price you'd have to ask for without relying on third parties to make it even nearly as feature-complete as the market would expect.
Every single streaming service you want to support will force you to use their own APIs, and you will have little to no control over that API's stability, performance, or quality.
Whenever they change something you will have to have the ability to a) produce updates within a reasonable time frame and b) have a way to reliably push them out to all boxes.
You have to be able to deal with DRM, legally as well as technically.
A streamer is connected to the internet, so it has to be bulletproof against any form of attack; not just known ones, but you have to be able to quickly react to future ones as well.
You need some form of UI, be it a screen on the box itself, or some form of remote. UIs age faster than milk, so you'll spend a good chunk of the future redesigning and rewriting your UI again and again and again.

And without taking some sort of subscription fee, you'll do that work essentially for free for every box you've already sold, either in perpetuity or until you pull the cord and end support. Which is precisely why most streamers get end-of-life'd by their manufacturers a mere few years after they came out and you'll have to buy a new model if you want to be able to keep using the newest streaming services or wireless protocols like the next iteration of AirPlay.

Want a proper streamer? One that's quiet, flexible, and won't get ignored out of existence by its manufacturer a mere two years after release? Just buy the cheapest Mac mini, slap whatever streaming client you like on it, and be done for at least a decade. That also comes with the benefit of being considerably cheaper than every properly done dedicated streamer box could ever be, by at least a factor of 10.