Schiit Happened: The Story of the World's Most Improbable Start-Up

[45longcolt]

Monday morning thread derailment...

I think this was a real ad, if not it should have been.
Oh, and thanks again, everyone, for expanding my musical horizons with your suggestions.

 

[Ableza]

I had Thrush mufflers on my '73 Satellite Sebring...

 

[docBliny]

You meant FedEX, right?


** Yeah, I know. New Glen... Bezos... Amazon.

Since you semi-ninja'd me:

Today is Monday the 13th and I'm not in Kansas, so I can guarantee you this is not "Scheduled for delivery today." (Especially since they keep sending the package back to Olathe.)

That is when their app doesn't crash on startup, hang on startup, show I have nothing "on the way" until I click "Show all", or continuously go back to the Home screen when I almost get to details page...

Rant over.

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

Since you semi-ninja'd me:



Today is Monday the 13th and I'm not in Kansas, so I can guarantee you this is not "Scheduled for delivery today." (Especially since they keep sending the package back to Olathe.)

That is when their app doesn't crash on startup, hang on startup, show I have nothing "on the way" until I click "Show all", or continuously go back to the Home screen when I almost get to details page...

Rant over.

So, you're saying that I should not let their app dev team write the Android Forkbeard app for us?

 

[bagwell359]

I had Thrush mufflers on my '73 Satellite Sebring...

I did the same on my Limelight green/black '69 GTX w/ the 440 6 pack

 

[KoshNaranek]

Sankyo = when you can't afford Sanyo.

** They dabbled in home HiFi if I recall correctly. Definitely at the VERY low-end.

They Don't look like low end to me

https://sankyoflutes.com/

 

[Paladin79]

I did the same on my Limelight green/black '69 GTX w/ the 440 6 pack

Worth considerable money now. My oldest brother was very much into Mopar. I did have a 1974 Dodge Challenger and then got into sports cars for a while.

 

[Ripper2860]

They Don't look like low end to me

https://sankyoflutes.com/

Audio. Flute. High-end. I get it.

 

[docBliny]

So, you're saying that I should not let their app dev team write the Android Forkbeard app for us?

Only if you want a 1 star average rating for it.

 

[dstrimbu]

I thought that claim was made by Mike and Theta.

I am reading Paul's book "99% True" - it's really good! - and I'm just at the point where they dissolved Genesis and Paul and Terri maxed out their credit cards to re-start PS Audio. He is just getting into the development of their PowerPlant products in 1977-1978. As I get further into the book, if I see anything about DACs, I'll report out here.

Meanwhile, I asked my best LLM buddy (ChatGPT o1) the question: "In consumer audio, what company released the first stand-alone digital to analog converter (DAC) for use in high-fidelity systems?" Here's what it said:

Thought about first standalone DAC in audio for 31 seconds... <= [ I wonder how many tons of CO2 it took to run this query? ]

Clicking on the query response reveals ChatGPT o1's "thought process", in it's own voice - quite amazing, actually:

Tracing the origins
I'm pulling together the history of consumer hi-fi audio systems to identify the first stand-alone DAC. Brands like Sony, Arcam, and Meridian are potential pioneers, but Audio Alchemy in the mid to late 1980s seems plausible.

Tracing the timeline
I’m gathering info on the potential pioneers: Stax X-1T from 1986, Arcam "Black Box" from 1987, and possibly earlier obscure brands like California Audio Labs.

Pinpointing the pioneer
OK, let me see. The Stax DAC-TAL "X0C" seems to be the earliest known consumer stand-alone DAC, marking a significant step in high-fidelity audio systems in the mid-1980s.

Tracking the pioneer
It’s clear that Stax was the trailblazer, producing the earliest known stand-alone DAC for consumer hi-fi in the mid-1980s. This innovation sparked a significant shift in the market.

Verifying the timeline
Piecing together the Stax model history, confirming the "DAC-TAL" as the earliest stand-alone DAC in 1986, while also noting other early models like the "DA-300" and the pioneer "X-1T".

Pinpointing the brand
I'm setting the record straight: the Stax brand, specifically the model "X-1," is credited with the first stand-alone DAC for consumer hi-fi, available since 1986.

[ Stunning, eh? ]

Here's the query response:

According to most audio historians and hi-fi publications, Stax (the Japanese company best known for its electrostatic headphones) is widely credited with releasing the first stand-alone consumer digital-to-analog converter (DAC). Stax introduced its DAC in the mid-1980s—typically cited as 1986—predating other early external DACs from brands like Arcam and Meridian.

---

Why Stax?​

1. Mid-1980s Release
   Stax launched a separate DAC unit when the consumer CD player market was still young. At that time, digital audio was primarily available only via integrated CD players (i.e., the transport and DAC were housed in the same component).
2. Proof-of-Concept for Separate DAC
   Stax’s product proved that offloading D/A conversion to a dedicated box could yield superior audio quality. By giving the DAC its own circuitry, separate power supply, and better shielding, the design reduced noise and jitter.
3. Pioneering the Idea of “Separates” in Digital
   In the analog era, audiophiles embraced “separates”—stand-alone preamps, power amps, phono stages—to reduce interference and improve fidelity. Stax essentially applied the same approach to digital audio, laying the groundwork for what would become a major trend in hi-fi.

---

Other Early Stand-Alone DACs​

• Arcam “Black Box” (1986/1987): Among the very first from a British manufacturer, it quickly became popular in the UK audiophile scene.
• Meridian & Theta Digital: Soon followed with their own externally housed DACs, designed for high-end music systems.

Though brands like Arcam often get mentioned as early pioneers, the consensus is that Stax beat them to market by a modest margin.

---

By releasing the first stand-alone DAC, Stax introduced a design philosophy that would evolve into an entire market segment: the external “digital front end.” This architecture remains prevalent today, whether in desktop USB DACs or high-end audio separates.

Thoughts?

 

[dstrimbu]

Nice!!! I'd recommend Fear of a Blank Planet and Deadwing to check out next (though The Incident is my personal favorite). They're the ones that really got me into PT, and that was thanks to Radio Paradise!

Absolutely stunning band live, too.

I must mention "In Absentia"! Crazy good album, and a go-to pretty much weekly for me.

How could one not love Porcupine Tree? Porcupine Tree are an English rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987.

 

[bagwell359]

I g

Worth considerable money now. My oldest brother was very much into Mopar. I did have a 1974 Dodge Challenger and then got into sports cars for a while.

I got it after the gas crisis. It was pretty beat and I had limited funds. Got about 15 mos ('74--'75) out of it and sold it to a guy who souped it up for 1/4 mi stuff, still that was only the 3rd best engine they came with, and it was a major gas guzzler. Pretty sure it was in a dump by about 1978. The frames don't hold up unless they were in an arrid climate. Pretty much a major wallower in the corners. But still much more exciting then my next two cars: '68 LeMans w/ a sluggish 400 ci, and then - a Silver '76 Mercury Monarch with a vinyl roof that was a hand me down after I got out of college (Grandma level car).

Last 10 years driving around a '14 Toyota Avalon XLE Touring with 18 inch rims and 45 profile tires, and aluminized pipes and cold air intake, sort of a sleeper thats about 305 HP and still gets 26 in mixed driving.

Best sleeper I ever saw was my friends '67 Plymouth Belvedere w/ a 440 in brown w/ rust, that he managed to install a nearly flat hood (stock it had a high rise). He used to dust Vettes and GTO's and whatever anyone he could suck into racing against him. Got lots of beer money with that beast.

 

[dstrimbu]

Pay attention to proper AC and star-grounding to ensure every component is at the same differential to one, single, absolute ground.

I'll make my request for a physical grounding lug on Tyr 2F here, again, 'cuz I'm totally going to upgrade...

 

[Paladin79]

I g

I got it after the gas crisis. It was pretty beat and I had limited funds. Got about 15 mos ('74--'75) out of it and sold it to a guy who souped it up for 1/4 mi stuff, still that was only the 3rd best engine they came with, and it was a major gas guzzler. Pretty sure it was in a dump by about 1978. The frames don't hold up unless they were in an arrid climate. Pretty much a major wallower in the corners. But still much more exciting then my next two cars: '68 LeMans w/ a sluggish 400 ci, and then - a Silver '76 Mercury Monarch with a vinyl roof that was a hand me down after I got out of college (Grandma level car).

Last 10 years driving around a '14 Toyota Avalon XLE Touring with 18 inch rims and 45 profile tires, and aluminized pipes and cold air intake, sort of a sleeper thats about 305 HP and still gets 26 in mixed driving.

Best sleeper I ever saw was my friends '67 Plymouth Belvedere w/ a 440 in brown w/ rust, that he managed to install a nearly flat hood (stock it had a high rise). He used to dust Vettes and GTO's and whatever anyone he could suck into racing against him. Got lots of beer money with that beast.

Best sleeper I ever saw was a Sunbeam Tiger, a 289 in a small sports car chassis. When in high school my Latin teacher’s husband gave her a new fire red GTO, she must have been 62 or so lol. Guys were envious.

 

[bagwell359]

Seen pics of the Sunbeam, but never in person. I drive my wife crazy while we are driving around - "ooh look at that <specific year, model, specs>".... I had a wealthy girl friend that had the first Porsche 928 in '78 - only real refined beast I ever drove regularly.