This is quite a quandary. You've tried multiple sources and multiple toslink cables with the same result. I suppose a bad switch or contact is a possibility, but that should show up in their testing. I'd be interested in your further communication with Schiit and how this is resolved. I had...

It seems that the only variable left might be your optical cable. Have you tried another one? It's odd that the one you have works with Bifrost and not with the Syn optical input, but I suppose that's possible. I think that would be the next logical troubleshooting step.

Yep... I edited to add the same as you were posting @mystaiced.

I'm not sure what is going on here. In passive and differential buffer modes at max volume, you should have the same output from Freya+ as your source's output since it's unity gain in those modes. This is not a burn-in issue. The only case I can think of that will give you less than unity...

OK. What is acting as preamp after the J2s, and how will you synchronize gain changes between the mains and center/surround?

It can't. One input at a time, either internal DAC or analog inputs. As you stated, it's just a two-channel device on the input, and the center and surrounds are created from those two channels. So, you can't feed the center or surrounds from a separate input. The internal DAC is a good...

I wholeheartedly agree. The EQ lineup is very well thought out. It's pretty impressive what you can achieve on a budget with a mid-range set of dynamic headphones and a Loki.

Same goes for Loki(+) mini. I swap between HD6XX and DT880/250&600ohm frequently, and it does a great job of EQing the deficiencies for both. Loki has saved me from the futile search for that "perfect" set of cans.

It is truly a great experience. I'm fortunate to live in the exact area where the 2017 and 2024 eclipse paths of totality cross. A planetary object that is ~250,000 miles from Earth perfectly blocks a star ~93 million miles (average) from Earth. It's fun to ponder how amazing that is.

It sounds like Class A. Very natural. Check your PMs.

mmmm hmmm.... There's always a couple of packages of Breaux Bridge boudin in my freezer.

I suppose we do agree for the most part. It was the "fake" description of two channel that threw me. All recordings have their limitations and that's not a term I would use to describe it. SYN allows for some great fine-tuning of the image no doubt and anything that improves the enjoyment of...

Thanks for sharing your setup! I agree with @bweiss711, this is another cool and creative way to use SYN. Here's my simple HT setup. Details are in my sig.

Crux? I don't think so. I have not stated that a stereo recording perfectly captures the soundstage of a performance. I have stated that it's impossible for anything other than two audio channels to more accurately reproduce a stereo recording. Processing a stereo recording into more than...

I understand what you're saying now; you're referencing Syn with processing on. There's no way to represent a stereo image more accurately than with two speakers with the listener positioned between them. That obviously doesn't work for all seating positions in a home theater, so we have the...

What would be the difference between the signals in the 5 front speakers? If you're feeding unmodified stereo signals to the left and right center channels, they would be no different than the L and R channels in the current Syn. In that case, what would the other 3 (C, outer left, outer...

I've done the same with Piety and Freya-N without much benefit. There are variations in those smaller pots for sure. I exchanged my first Piety for another due to having a noisy pot, and the replacement was a vast improvement.

Are you using Saga + in LISST gain, or passive mode? The true test for the Vali's pot would be Saga in passive mode in front of it, rather than a gain stage.

Were you running exclusive mode on the Tidal PC app? If Qobuz is better than that, I'm impressed and need to re-evaluate. I hear you brother!

What were you using for source on Tidal? I ask because I find it to be very good on Windows with exclusive mode enabled. Some other options I use maybe aren't quite as good (casting Android to WiiM Pro), but I don't use those options when listening critically. I'm somewhat "in bed" with Tidal...

I'm still loving Syn, and I feel it's best money I've spent on home theater in a very long time. However, there are two improvements I would request for a "version 2": Improve remote sensor positioning, away from the headphone jack. With headphones plugged in, the remote signal is not...

I don't have anything that will work with the low setting. I use high gain for HD650 and DT-880/250&600, and mid as a preamp. I find that, if there is a difference, it's not as noticeable as the difference between low and high on Piety. Likewise, as @cats4cans mentioned, I also find it...

I finally tried the Pietus Maximus as a preamp over the weekend in my office 2.1 rig. This is my most revealing system, so I figured it would be the best for comparison. In short, it is excellent. It's good enough that I'm actually considering also replacing Gumby A2 with Modius E or BF2 to...

I upgraded to the 600 when I got the Pietus Maximus, and they synergize wonderfully. They're replacing a 250 ohm pair I've enjoyed for 12 years.