[TheMadMilkman]

New York Times does have an article about the audiophile community on its website - the schiit asgard and headphone community are mentioned. Perhaps the mentioning of the schiit product had some unforeseen effects when they got put in touch with an audience that's decidedly more mainstream about its music gear?

 


My guess? It was this article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/13/technology/personaltech/a-sound-system-as-resonant-a-concert-hall-tool-kit.html?_r=0

Based on the time frame in the last segment, it makes the most sense. It's how I first heard about Schiit. And I can see how a mention in the mainstream press would radically change things for a company that only marketed digitally on relatively small forums and websites. Despite the pronouncements about newspapers being dead, the NY Times still has considerable influence.

 

[jacal01]

 
Then there are the occasional flat-earthers...

 
There be dragons at the edge of the world...

 

[marcoarment]

 

  New York Times does have an article about the audiophile community on its website - the schiit asgard and headphone community are mentioned. Perhaps the mentioning of the schiit product had some unforeseen effects when they got put in touch with an audience that's decidedly more mainstream about its music gear?

 


My guess? It was this article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/13/technology/personaltech/a-sound-system-as-resonant-a-concert-hall-tool-kit.html?_r=0

Based on the time frame in the last segment, it makes the most sense. It's how I first heard about Schiit. And I can see how a mention in the mainstream press would radically change things for a company that only marketed digitally on relatively small forums and websites. Despite the pronouncements about newspapers being dead, the NY Times still has considerable influence.

 
That article appeared in the print edition of The New York Times. That's bigger than you might assume.
 
I sold a popular iPhone/iPad app for about 5 years. It got coverage at some point in almost every tech site (including huge ones) and many mainstream news outlets. But the highest sales day by far — over 50% more than the second-highest — was the day that this article about it ran in the Sunday print edition of The New York Times.
 
(That Schiit article ran on a Thursday, but I bet it was still massive.)

 

[wine-fi]

Yes there are dragons at the edge of the world.  In the case of my wife, who happens to be one of those flat-earthers, she once asked for a pair of decent headphones to use with her iPhone rather than the default included earbuds.  So what did I do, I was at a CVS pharmacy and remembered she wanted a pair of cans and so I bought her a $15 blister packed pair of white plastic headphones.  So for that flat-earther (my wife), those cans (uh dragons...) were perfectly fine. -LOL.
 
If those cans had been given to me, I would have put them in my desk drawer with a label saying, "Use only in a listening emergency!"

 

[wine-fi]

See, it goes to show that people still read paper media. Ah... the power of the press!

 

[jacal01]

One of my all time favorite fantasy book series: Discworld by Terry Pratchett.
 
As well as the Discworld 1 & 2 adventure games, now extremely rare boxed collectibles (especially 2).

 

[Armaegis]

  See, it goes to show that people still read paper media. Ah... the power of the press!

 
Or perhaps people who are willing to pay for printed material are also willing to pay for other things
 
 
(in contrast to the mindset of those who only want to download things for free)

 

[ThePianoMan]

  One of my all time favorite fantasy book series: Discworld by Terry Pratchett.
 
As well as the Discworld 1 & 2 adventure games, now extremely rare boxed collectibles (especially 2).

Hahaha, that's a name I haven't heard in a long while.
 
Brings back good memories - long live Blind Io!

 

[aamer23]

Lovin the story thanks for sharing Jason, it really helps keep'in things real. As I was trying to workout how much to spend on a headphone amp and somes cans ( these would be my first serious listening headphones set up)

 

[aamefford]

This seems the thread for this - a thread dedicated to a company (Schiit) that produces an excellent product at a realistic price.
 
The quote below is from a recent article in the Paicific Business Times about a small audio company that shall remain nameless, but is being honored as the "Exporter of the Year."
 
"Combined, [their] three products — a phono stage, a pre-amplifier and a power amplifier — retail for a little more than
$24,000. In the world of high-end audio, however, [unnamed company] has come to stand for a great value for the money, with reviewers
commenting that it competes well with gear costing twice as much or more."
 
No source, and no transducers.  $24K.
 
A great value for the money.
 
Help!  I'm struggling here….
 
Both of my household's cars together blue book for a third of that.
 
I'm not rich.  My household is a two profession household, with 2 undergrad and 3 graduate degrees between us.  We do ok.  The normal expenses of a first world life, child with special needs, taking care of a parent, saving for retirement, planning a (very) modest estate to take care of my special needs child when we are gone.  My money, like most of the population's, has many important places to go.  I will likely never have a stereo system worth costing $24K not including the source and speakers.  I will never, ever consider that this would be a good value for the money.
 
Heresy?  Not for me.  I suspect not for most.
 
Schiit gear on the other hand is a great value for the money at whatever price point they have chosen to occupy, at least so far.  Now to remember where I keep my soap box so I can put it away again….

 

[ThePianoMan]

  This seems the thread for this - a thread dedicated to a company (Schiit) that produces an excellent product at a realistic price.
 
The quote below is from a recent article in the Paicific Business Times about a small audio company that shall remain nameless, but is being honored as the "Exporter of the Year."
 
"Combined, [their] three products — a phono stage, a pre-amplifier and a power amplifier — retail for a little more than
$24,000. In the world of high-end audio, however, [unnamed company] has come to stand for a great value for the money, with reviewers
commenting that it competes well with gear costing twice as much or more."
 
No source, and no transducers.  $24K.
 
A great value for the money.
 
Help!  I'm struggling here….
 
Both of my household's cars blue book for a third of that.
 
I'm not rich.  My household is a two profession household, with 2 undergrad and 3 graduate degrees between us.  We do ok.  The normal expenses of a first world life, child with special needs, taking care of a parent, saving for retirement, planning a (very) modest estate to take care of my special needs child when we are gone.  My money, like most of the population's, has many important places to go.  I will likely never have a stereo system worth costing $24K not including the source and speakers.  I will never, ever consider that this would be a good value for the money.
 
Heresy?  Not for me.  I suspect not for most.
 
Schiit gear on the other hand is a great value for the money at whatever price point they have chosen to occupy, at least so far.  Now to remember where I keep my soap box so I can put it away again….

+1
 
Couldn't have said it better. People like bling, and it's been that way forever : /
Still, it's the measure of a skilled engineer/designer who can do a lot with a little. We know where the truly impressive work is being done.
 
But hey, the music still sounds good out of my "even less than budget" gear, so, as Jason says, all is well.
 
Happy Listening

 

[aamefford]

 
+1
 
Couldn't have said it better. People like bling, and it's been that way forever : /
Still, it's the measure of a skilled engineer/designer who can do a lot with a little. We know where the truly impressive work is being done.
 
But hey, the music still sounds good out of my "even less than budget" gear, so, as Jason says, all is well.
 
Happy Listening

Very true.  And the measure of a "skilled" marketeer Who can co a lot with a little…..  Actually, as I think about it, that is a true, and not necessarily defamatory statement, though it started out that way.  The unnamed company in the article started out to fill a part of the high end niche, and has done so quite successfully.  Schiit has done the same, down market a bit.  Both successes owe quite a bit to skilled marketing, and to products that apparently over deliver.  OK, Schiit's products over deliver.  At $24K (and yes, I know the same components can be had for 10x that price) they BETTER deliver!

 

[Ableza]

"value for the money" is in the eye of the beholder.  There are some products that hold no value for me at all no matter how little the might cost, and some that I will pay whatever is being asked because they hold great value to me regardless what others might consider a high price.  To each his own, as the wise men say.

 

[drez]

Yep, good luck to the above-mentioned company, may I flick through their review in the hifi magazine...

 

[jacal01]

It's not bling (or not in a properly structured pricing regime), it's more component quality.  Sure, you can get great sound with reasonably priced components and proper implementation, but you get better sound when component materials and fabrication are more optimized towards its function, precision, and/or reliability.  And then it becomes an exponentially diminishing return, where each quantum level increase in component quality and price gets you successively less increase in sound quality.
 
The tipping point becomes how much you are willing or can afford to pay for that last little bit of attainable sonic bliss available to you.  Such is the curse of audiophiles.