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

[Ripper2860]

Looks like I ordered mere minutes after you did, but no shipping notice yet. Did you go with silver or black? (I'm not sure that would matter, though. Curiouser and curiouser.)

Now we know how @Luckyleo got his moniker.

 

[Paladin79]

Super hard to compare all iterations as you note. And especially if trying to be even just a little "blind", methodically. So like most people, I have a set of songs I know super well, that I've used over years to learn to compare components/systems/rooms and to classify things on a few sonic spectrums (a spider diagram is one visualization of this concept, 2x2 is another). As others posted recently, you learn a lot from things like cymbals and violins and solo piano because they are acoustic instruments that have real-world reference points.

Then after a while you just listen and you know what works for you. But still, if someone attempts to do an honest-ish comparison of gear, I am usually interested in learning what they heard/experienced. There's a kind of triangulation that happens for me, at least with the language of this hobby. And there seems to definitely be a different "target" or emphasis on the voicing of certain particulars that uber-expensive (> US$4K) gear seems to aim for...

We have test music that was specifically recorded for us to show off multiple nuances. Our test subjects hear it and learn each criteria before any formal testing. The more experienced test subjects have heard it hundreds of times. I can no longer count myself among those who can hear the most subtle differences, I leave that to younger folks.

 

[Ripper2860]

Happy Thursday (or VH3 Release Day)!!

 

[corndog71]

Wima caps are fine performers, especially considering their price point.

To quote an old George Carlin joke: “hair is fine!”
Wima caps are ok but there are better caps out there. I know Schiit will never succumb to that level of madness. (Recalls something about Dave saying they sound better without a box…)

 

[MindBreak]

Now we know how @Luckyleo got his moniker.

I just got shipping confirmations on all 3 pieces of Schiit (Valhalla 3 included). @Luckyleo and I ordered about the same time.

 

[Ableza]

Looking forward to his comments. You have a standby DAC ready to go, I assume.

Gungnir MB to the rescue.

 

[sam6550a]

I for one am interested, but the caveat is that there are many factors in play here and that in the end, personal preference in sound and music is going to sway who's paying for the peat. Speaking for myself, and without inflicting you all with my saga, I discovered some interesting things about my preferences as a result of upgrading my Yggy to Yggy+ and from LiM to MiB, both at the same time. Again, without getting into all of it, I found that MiB was more "delicate" in its dynamics and overall presentation than I liked, and in particular versus the LiM in the original A2 chassis (and being fed AES vs Yggy+ which I find likes Unison USB over the others). And thus I sold my MiB...

Anyway, please do report back, and this is my plug for one of my favorites: Bruichladdich (pronounced "brook-laddie" I believe) Islay Barley. I discovered this at a whisky bar in NYC when I asked for something unusual. The server brought this out and he was right: it's complex and interesting, not just all about the peat and nothing but the peat.

I had not heard of Black Art, so thank you, @Ableza - I must go try and find some...

The plain old Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie is a very nice pour, I can only imagine what the Black Art is like.

 

[riffrafff]

Now we know how @Luckyleo got his moniker.

I think you're on to something!

Hey, my shipping notice just now popped up! Awesome.

 

[MindBreak]

I think you're on to something!

Hey, my shipping notice just now popped up! Awesome.

A fellow member of the Valhalla 3 page refresher spamming club I see.

 

[riffrafff]

A fellow member of the Valhalla 3 page refresher spamming club I see.

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[MindBreak]

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I ordered mine from my phone while balancing my luggage on a crowded train (standing up) on the way to the airport. So my thumb got a workout.

 

[sam6550a]

To quote an old George Carlin joke: “hair is fine!”
Wima caps are ok but there are better caps out there. I know Schiit will never succumb to that level of madness. (Recalls something about Dave saying they sound better without a box…)

There are many "better" caps out there, and they will probably sound different than the stock caps, but they may or may not sound better. When a designer "voices" an amp, it includes a lot if listening as well as measuring, which I surmise was done with Wima caps. My experience says that the more expensive caps do not necessarily mean better sound. Of course, YRMV.

 

[StimpyWan]

Wima caps are ok but there are better caps out there. I know Schiit will never succumb to that level of madness. (Recalls something about Dave saying they sound better without a box…)

Shush, but I agree...!

 

[Adam Balm]

There are many "better" caps out there, and they will probably sound different than the stock caps, but they may or may not sound better. When a designer "voices" an amp, it includes a lot if listening as well as measuring, which I surmise was done with Wima caps. My experience says that the more expensive caps do not necessarily mean better sound. Of course, YRMV.

Jason and crew do know what they're doing when it comes to selecting passive components for their designs.

 

[corndog71]

If I remember correctly, Sonic Frontiers used wima caps and they were pretty pricey back in the day.