[TyTB]

Hello everyone,

I've been out of the audio loop for a few years, and now that I'm back in it and looking for a new Amp and DAC, I find that Schitt has come out with some new combination products: The Asgard, Jotunheim, and Lyr.

My previous understanding was that Schitt's entire business strategy was focused around building a "Schitt Stack", where you'd get an amp and its "matching" DAC. They sized their equipment for it and everything. Now, however, there are these combination units, and I can't understand what their advantages and disadvantages would be.

My current thoughts are:

Advantages to Combo Units:
Smaller physical footprint, simpler setup.

Disadvantages to Combo Units:
Impossible to upgrade JUST the Amp or JUST the DAC
More possibility for noise, given the lack of separate enclosures between modules (??)


And then in regards to the models themselves, I'm sort of interpreting them as:

Asgard: Combo Amp/DAC
Jotunheim: The Asgard, but balanced
Lyr: The Asgard, but with a tube.

Is that right??

Any help with this or discussion is greatly appreciated. Most of the discussion I've found online comparing these units has been focused on just which sounds better. I'm more interested in the "why" behind the products' existence in the first place. I just don't get what the pros/cons are supposed to be for a combo unit compared to two distinct units.

Thanks!

 

[dunring]

Being able to upgrade separate components is nice, but the tech of DACs has gotten so good that I don't upgrade that often. Channel balance for a single unit can be better though. If the single unit has all the power and features you need, go for it. If you might need more power, or to add DAC features in the future then get a stack.
The best Schiit pairing was the Asgard 3 but with the JDS Atom+ DAC and they really sounded great together. The Khadas tone board sounded great too, and Topping d10s is great with the sharp filter it has.

 

[caustic386]

Hello everyone,

I've been out of the audio loop for a few years, and now that I'm back in it and looking for a new Amp and DAC, I find that Schitt has come out with some new combination products: The Asgard, Jotunheim, and Lyr.

My previous understanding was that Schitt's entire business strategy was focused around building a "Schitt Stack", where you'd get an amp and its "matching" DAC. They sized their equipment for it and everything. Now, however, there are these combination units, and I can't understand what their advantages and disadvantages would be.

My current thoughts are:

Advantages to Combo Units:
Smaller physical footprint, simpler setup.

Disadvantages to Combo Units:
Impossible to upgrade JUST the Amp or JUST the DAC
More possibility for noise, given the lack of separate enclosures between modules (??)


And then in regards to the models themselves, I'm sort of interpreting them as:

Asgard: Combo Amp/DAC
Jotunheim: The Asgard, but balanced
Lyr: The Asgard, but with a tube.

Is that right??

Any help with this or discussion is greatly appreciated. Most of the discussion I've found online comparing these units has been focused on just which sounds better. I'm more interested in the "why" behind the products' existence in the first place. I just don't get what the pros/cons are supposed to be for a combo unit compared to two distinct units.

Thanks!

Assuming said modern, not-broken, device meets your power requirements, the differences are features and aesthetics. Audibility has long been left behind by competent designers

 

[tudedude]

With a schiit combo you're stuck with basic features. My separate fiio bta30 pro dac connects to my TV, PC, phone and can transmit LDAC Bluetooth to all my bluetooth devices and headphones. It can also receive bluetooth signals from all my bluetooth sources and send them directly to my amp. It can also act as a traditional dac and go straight from source to amp. Schiit dacs and combos are really limited and don't compete in features with all the latest dacs coming out.

 

[TDinCali]

I'm not sure if it's worth mentioning and it's obvious but since some of have made blanket statements about maximum sound quality being reached - that's not exactly true. Take very high end components and they will sound better. Better clarity, better imaging, better dampening/control, lower noise floor, etc. I used to own numerous Schiit gear and in fact still have some but don't listen to it because I have other components that I enjoy more. If there was no difference, I would have staying with the less expensive pieces but I was able to keep and try multiple pieces of gear and do plenty of side by side comparisons. While there is diminishing returns the higher up you go in price, generally speaking you get what you pay for. I'd argue that a lot of the cheaper stuff sounds the same, especially dacs, but as you improve your chain you find out that there are pieces in your system that are the weaker link.

So do you need to spend $5-10K on a dac and another $10K on an amp? No, absolutely not. Will you get 99% of the experience with a $500 combo? No you won't. But that ratio of $ to SQ is a very personal and often subjective process.

Lots of "good" gear out there nowadays. You almost can't go wrong.

 

[RingingEars]

Non really. An "all-in-one" gives you a cleaner desktop/audio area. If you're prone to "upgradeitus" like a lot of us a stack will better serve you since you can swap components in and out.
With that said, if you do get an all-in-one unit look at the specs. Some manufactures focus an the DAC and skimp on the amp section like on my Teac UD-301. Great DAC, not so much on the amp. It's a little on the weak side.
Focus on the amp. Modern delta sigma DACs are pretty much equal all things considered. There some variables but it's not huge. Inputs and what not...
Do get a quality amp though. It's important. You don't want to get saddled with an amp that's not going to drive multiple headphones. Some HPs need a lot of power some don't, but you want to provide each one with the proper power and low noise to get the job done. An amp with x-max wattage to drive higher impedance cans and lower impedance IEMs without introducing noise to them ie: a gain switch.
I don't like my amp to add any "color" to the music. That's the headphones job. I have headphones that are more analytical and others that add a little bounce when I'm in the mood.
My bottom line advise is get a DSD DAC and an amp with a gain switch that can power multiple types of HPs and then focus on the headphones themselves. Get multiple pairs when funds are available. We live in a really great time to be into headphones because the tech that cost thousands just a few years ago has become the mainstream and it's become pretty inexpensive(talking amps and DACs. Headphones are still skies the limit...)