[O8h7w]

From my understanding of electronics (which is frankly more hobbyist than I'd like), I suppose the Bifrost would behave that way if it had serious trouble locking to the source signal. Now, since you've tried different sources, and through the different inputs, that would point to the oscillators within the Bifrost. (or something along that signal path) And here is the limit of my current knowledge, I don't know what the oscillators in question are, hence I don't have a clue as to whether they can be damaged or go out of tune. But I'm pretty confident Jason has the answer.
 
Here's hoping Jason will let us know what went wrong.

 

[adhoc]

Just want to mention that I am pretty pissed that Schiit basically threw its Australia/New Zealand customers under a bus by striking an exclusive deal with a local distributor - i.e. we cannot order direct from Schiit anymore, and must go through this distributor.
 
Which added absolutely nothing to the equation for the customer, except a $150 markup and an unnecessary middleman. 

 

[TIMITS]

I have a different point of view.  During the last 6 months I have had two Internet purchases, one related to Head-Fi, which total over $1000 and it's looking like I may not see either purchase.  It's much easier to interact with a company locally.  Also you haven't factored in delivery charges.  As an experiment I went to the Schiit Audio website and added a Lyr amp to the shopping cart and the delivery charges to Australia were between $64 & $218.  The Australian site you are referring to has free express delivery on all orders.

 

[adhoc]

Quote:

I have a different point of view.  During the last 6 months I have had two Internet purchases, one related to Head-Fi, which total over $1000 and it's looking like I may not see either purchase.  It's much easier to interact with a company locally.  Also you haven't factored in delivery charges.  As an experiment I went to the Schiit Audio website and added a Lyr amp to the shopping cart and the delivery charges to Australia were between $64 & $218.  The Australian site you are referring to has free express delivery on all orders.

 
I'm not in Melbourne and have no plans to go there, so for all intents and purposes I might as well be in a different country. And what about the NZ customers? 
 
Really, what is the benefit here, except for the ability to audition for Melbourne based folk and those willing to fork out to travel to Melbourne?
 
If I'm in Perth or Auckland and purchasing over the internet the "purchasing experience" is for all intents and purposes the same, except now I have to pay $150 more for the product gets shipped to him first, then shipped to me - which makes me wonder, why the need for the middleman?
 
RMAs are no faster as he apparently only gets stock from Schiit once you place an order, so it's not as if he has a swag of amps/DACs out in a storeroom to do a swap.
 
Not sure what level of math you did but $150 is (a lot) more than $64 shipping. I am sorry for your bad purchasing experiences but this is purchasing from Schiit, not an unknown quantity.
 
So like I said, an unnecessary middleman who has only added on to the equation the additional intra-Australia shipping, 10% GST, his operating costs, and whatever "currency fluctuations" we might experience.

 

[Argo Duck]

^ I'm alarmed to hear this. I bought my Lyr via Australia but my Bifrost direct from Schiit. Anything imported from Australia attracts 15% GST over and above the 10% import GST into Australia. That is, cost is 11.5% (1.10 x 1.15 - 1.15 ) more than direct would be 

 
I prefer direct from the manufacturer purchases., e.g. Schiit, Audez'e, Meier audio, Decware. One enjoys a relationship direct with the designer/builder, perfect for resolving issues. Middlemen, even if they're very, very good, can't provide this level of support.
 
Looks like there may be fewer Aussies & Kiwis with Mjolnir/Gungir in their future than could've been...

 

[olor1n]

I've had 3 Bifrosts sent from the US to Australia, 2 I've had to send back, and the 3rd I'm now troubleshooting with Jason. Considering my bad luck with the Bifrost, I welcome the emergence of a local distributer. Not sure if post sale support will be more efficient as a result, but there is some comfort in knowing that it's only within domestic borders. I'd pay a little extra for this, but would certainly look elsewhere if the markup was unreasonable.

 

[Argo Duck]

Yeah, you definitely have had a bad run with the Bifrost olor1n. I did wonder about a sagging mains voltage at different times of day, but that's sheer speculation and pre-supposes the Bifrost's power supply isn't coping. (You could check this by running off a UPS if you have one that produces real sine wave).
 
Anyway,  hope it gets sorted soon.

 

[Maxvla]

If the store really does not carry stock and only orders from Schiit when you order from them, that's not a dealer. That's just a middle man, and it needs to be fixed because it serves no purpose for Schiit or the customer to do this. A dealer is supposed to carry a full line (or nearly so) of the products they are authorized to carry and have sufficient quantity to handle day to day business without resorting to special orders except on rare occasions. The manufacturer is supposed to get the benefit of selling bulk quantities to the dealer, and the customer is supposed to be able to rely on that quantity to get their product when they walk in or quickly and cheaply by 'local' shipping.

I don't expect Jason to publicly comment on this, but I hope he reads it and fixes the situation if it indeed is as it's been reported.

 

[shaunybaby]

well i think we all need picking up so tell us what was awesome about your day in this thread

 

[olor1n]

Quote:

Yeah, you definitely have had a bad run with the Bifrost olor1n. I did wonder about a sagging mains voltage at different times of day, but that's sheer speculation and pre-supposes the Bifrost's power supply isn't coping. (You could check this by running off a UPS if you have one that produces real sine wave).
 
Anyway,  hope it gets sorted soon.

 
 
I've also wondered if my current issue with the Bifrost is power related. Unfortunately I don't have a UPS to test this theory. I have the Bifrost plugged into the same power board as my Lyr and other appliances. Wouldn't the Lyr and other devices suffer the same issue as well if power is the cause?
 
Btw, Jason has asked George from Addicted to Audio to assist me with my Bifrost issue. This is above and beyond considering I bought the unit from Schiit directly, well before A2A became the distributor here.

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Quote:

If the store really does not carry stock and only orders from Schiit when you order from them, that's not a dealer. That's just a middle man, and it needs to be fixed because it serves no purpose for Schiit or the customer to do this. A dealer is supposed to carry a full line (or nearly so) of the products they are authorized to carry and have sufficient quantity to handle day to day business without resorting to special orders except on rare occasions. The manufacturer is supposed to get the benefit of selling bulk quantities to the dealer, and the customer is supposed to be able to rely on that quantity to get their product when they walk in or quickly and cheaply by 'local' shipping.
I don't expect Jason to publicly comment on this, but I hope he reads it and fixes the situation if it indeed is as it's been reported.

 
The distributor is a stocking distributor. A *seriously* stocking distributor. And they're stepping up above and beyond as necessary to serve customers in Australia, as evidenced by olor1n's experience. This isn't a decision that was made lightly, nor on a whim, nor when drunk, nor over a game of golf at the exclusive country club, nor over kickbacks and cigars, nor over backroom deals with chicks and drugs . . . you get the picture.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

 
The distributor is a stocking distributor. A *seriously* stocking distributor. And they're stepping up above and beyond as necessary to serve customers in Australia, as evidenced by olor1n's experience. This isn't a decision that was made lightly, nor on a whim, nor when drunk, nor over a game of golf at the exclusive country club, nor over kickbacks and cigars, nor over backroom deals with chicks and drugs . . . you get the picture.

 
No, not really.  Could you elaborate on the chicks and drugs part?  Pics would be great.

 

[grokit]

I want to make a deal while drunk, with chicks and drugs and smoking a cigar in the backroom of a country club

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Guys, we're nerds here. Note the "nor." Closest I've gotten to deals like that is the fiction I write. Sorry to disappoint!

 

[bruce108]

Face it, citizens of Oz, the problem is that we have six major cities, and for the level of sales here, six different distributors would be overkill.
 
Melbourne has something like 4 million people, Sydney more than that. If you can only have one shop-front, that's the obvious choice.
 
So at least some customers can listen to the gear. And the local Schiit distributor provides an excellent room for listening, plus expert help. This costs.