[yonson]

Jason,

Can you tell us anything about how Vidar is selling?

Thanks.

I hope they are selling a ton, if shipping times are any indication they should be. I ordered mine last Saturday morning and it still hasn't shipped yet...

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Yep, sorry to be scarce--things are moving very fast around here, both with the new products and some more that are yet to be unveiled.

One new product with debut tomorrow at the first of our new, streamlined SchiitShows at the Schiitr in Newhall. For those of you who are in the area, stop by from 2-6 tomorrow. Mike and I will be there, and we'll be doing the official intros of the Vidar, Eitr, Gen 5, as well as the new product. You can probably convince Mike to go through whys and wherefores of the turntable, as well. We'll also be streaming video for those of you who can't drop your business in Brussels or Tokyo and fly out to an old cow-town in California.

Beyond that, this week has been a frenzy of prototyping, measuring, qualifying first articles, getting long-lead parts ordered, and a whole lot of other things. We're still on track for a couple of intros before the end of summer, and maybe a couple of larger ones before the end of the year. However, I should have a new chapter up next week!

 

[DrNickRiviera]

You can with a transformer that has an unbalanced [2 terminal] primary and a balances, center tap grounded secondary. These transformer adapters should be available----try amazon.

These devices are called "DI-Box", and are quite commonly used in recording studios and PA applications. There are a few things to consider when using these things:

• they come in active or passive varieties - the active ones are using electronics to "spilt" the signal, using various topologies and the parts quality can vary wildly. Unless you really really need an active one (and know what you are getting into) I would use a passive. Passives use transformers.

• transformer quality - the cheap ones use some very low quality transformers while the better ones use good transformers (which often are even additionally shielded)
• transformer step down - most of the transformers in these boxes are wound 1:10, so the signal on the output side is going to be MUCH lower than the input signal.
• the ones actually offering 1:1 wound transformers often do NOT have a center tap, so you don't actually get a balanced signal, so they are just a slightly better way of converting RCA->XLR

The DI-boxes from Radial Engineering are supposed to be the best ones, the specs and plenty of reviews are out there. They are expensive!

I currently use a "cheap" (~90 EUR) Samson SMax MCD2 Pro to connect my Vali2 to my monitor speakers (I had some nasty noise/grounding issues with RCA cables).
This device has 15:1 transformers, and it KILLS signal levels.
Using RCA cables I could just barely touch the volume pot to go from "whispering in a library" to "first row at a metal concert" volume levels on the monitors (with the monitors' internal amp at 10%). With the DI and XLR cables I can turn the volume all the way up on the Vali and get loud, but not painful volume levels, with the monitors at 50%.

TL,DR: DI-boxes exist. They work. Good ones are expensive. They (usually) drop signal levels by 10-15 dB (i.e. A LOT)

 

[Mike Foley]

Will the streaming video be available to view later? I'm in the wrong continent/time zone to be able to watch it live without falling asleep.

 

[JoeWhip]

Yep, sorry to be scarce--things are moving very fast around here, both with the new products and some more that are yet to be unveiled.

One new product with debut tomorrow at the first of our new, streamlined SchiitShows at the Schiitr in Newhall. For those of you who are in the area, stop by from 2-6 tomorrow. Mike and I will be there, and we'll be doing the official intros of the Vidar, Eitr, Gen 5, as well as the new product. You can probably convince Mike to go through whys and wherefores of the turntable, as well. We'll also be streaming video for those of you who can't drop your business in Brussels or Tokyo and fly out to an old cow-town in California.

Beyond that, this week has been a frenzy of prototyping, measuring, qualifying first articles, getting long-lead parts ordered, and a whole lot of other things. We're still on track for a couple of intros before the end of summer, and maybe a couple of larger ones before the end of the year. However, I should have a new chapter up next week!

Let's announce the availability of the DIY USB 5 board! Getting impatient!

 

[Pandahead]

Yep, sorry to be scarce--things are moving very fast around here, both with the new products and some more that are yet to be unveiled.

One new product with debut tomorrow at the first of our new, streamlined SchiitShows at the Schiitr in Newhall. For those of you who are in the area, stop by from 2-6 tomorrow. Mike and I will be there, and we'll be doing the official intros of the Vidar, Eitr, Gen 5, as well as the new product. You can probably convince Mike to go through whys and wherefores of the turntable, as well. We'll also be streaming video for those of you who can't drop your business in Brussels or Tokyo and fly out to an old cow-town in California.

Beyond that, this week has been a frenzy of prototyping, measuring, qualifying first articles, getting long-lead parts ordered, and a whole lot of other things. We're still on track for a couple of intros before the end of summer, and maybe a couple of larger ones before the end of the year. However, I should have a new chapter up next week!

Congratulations on turning this into a Royal Flush. I knew something was up. Waiting two years for Yggy was exciting then knowing you guys really did it, but now, my head is spinning!

 

[KoshNaranek]

We'll also be streaming video for those of you who can't drop your business in Brussels or Tokyo and fly out to an old cow-town in California.

Some of you may find this cowtown a little closer

www.cowtownrodeo.com

 

[Letmebefrank]

There is even more to the mastering issue that that.
I use a set group of test tracks to compare audio equipment for subtle differences, and both Dark Side of the Moon and Kind of Blue tracks are included. So, I've heard all the various versions of both of them, and my take is as follows:

I have long preferred the original mid-80s CD of DSotM to any subsequent issue.* But then I heard a vinyl rip of an original 1973 UK vinyl pressing by a vinyl ripping fanatic that calls himself "pbthal". Suddenly, it sounded like I remembered hearing it in the 70s. I compared the 1973 UK vinyl rip with vinyl rips of the original MFSL vinyl pressings, and the 73 is still better.

So, what I figured out is that DSotM was such a huge hit in the 1970s that - even if they only used the original two-track master to make copies for each country - US, Japan, Brazil, Netherlands, etc. etc. - the original master tapes wore and lost magnetism prior to the first CD and prior to the first audiophile vinyl.

Kind of Blue is the opposite. The original pressings all had 1/4 tone speed errors (a web search will provide details). But they did the sessions with a "safety copy" running in parallel, and when they unearthed the safeties in the 1990s, they were not only correct speed, but they were also in better shape due to being stored properly and never played.

Again, I've compared all the versions, and I currently prefer the "50th Anniversary CD" (before getting a Schiit Multibit, I preferred the 2007 SACD, but the Schiit does 16-bit, 44.1k so well that I can now hear a more natural sound on the 50th Ann CD.)

In general, when I compare vinyl rips of the same recent material to DSD/SACD and to PCM, my personal finding is that both vinyl and SACD add a very subtle noise that is pleasing to the ear, and thus sounds "better". This is called "euphonic" - a term often used to describe tube sound in the same way. So, I think that mastering makes far more difference, and for many 60s and 70s albums, the original master tapes deteriorated years ago (e.g. upon receiving the master tape for Close to the Edge, Steve Hoffman declared it dead).

(Please don't ask about a source for the vinyl rips - not only is it against the Forum rules, but my original sources are no longer online any more anyway. But I'm sure it is all out there on the Internet somewhere.)

And a big YMMV on all the above.

---
* Actually, for DSotM, the definitive version is the Alan Parsons Quad Mix. In the early and mid-70s, Pink Floyd toured with a Quad sound system with giant speaker stacks at the rear of the auditorium. There are certain sounds in DSotM that make no sense - they just seem silly - until you hear the quad mix where they move around the room. Unfortunately, the DSotM SACD used a new mix that was ambient surround. And Parsons was heavily involved in DSotM as an album, so hearing another engineer's later version is not the same. The 2011 "Immersion Blu-Ray" has the original Alan Parsons Quad Mix. Having said all that, I rarely bother to sit in the living room sweet spot with the surround speakers and listen to Quad albums, and so I am usually listening to the Stereo Mix...

I have the 24/96 immersion quad mix. It sounds great on my Klipsch surround setup, it even sounds good down mixed to 2ch on my headphones. There's much more detail than the standard version if your headphones can handle everything going on.

 

[rnros]

No, but I am interested in finding a cheap way to convert an unbalanced signal to a balanced signal, as I want to run two Vidars but I don't want to have to purchase a Freya or other balanced preamp to do so.

There must exist an active transformer box that will turn an unbalanced signal into a balanced one.

If you fail to find such a 'converter box', you may be able to find a used Jot for sale at a reasonable price. SE in and balanced preout with Jot.
Almost half the price (or less used) of a Freya and you would have the confidence of a good signal with the Schiit Jot.

 

[shultzee]

I can attest that a single Vidar drives a pair of Song-3's incredibly well. Freya>Vidar>Song-3 , I have owned some good gear through the years but I am pretty astounded actually with this setup.

 

[FalM]

I am driving a pair of Salk HT2-TL's with the Freya/Vidar combo and really enjoying it. I have had the Schiit gear for exactly a week. Not sure when burn in will be complete.

 

[belgiangenius]

Let's announce the availability of the DIY USB 5 board! Getting impatient!

Seconded!

 

[Pandahead]

I am driving a pair of Salk HT2-TL's with the Freya/Vidar combo and really enjoying it. I have had the Schiit gear for exactly a week. Not sure when burn in will be complete.

Mine have been playing since Saturday. Don't worry and enjoy the ride. I have always had a weakness for transmission line speakers. Salk products are impeccable. Vidar should really make them come alive as I think they have a robust bottom end, plus clean highs that aren't bright and grating. I don't see how anyone can go wrong with this gear.

 

[DamageInc77]

If you fail to find such a 'converter box', you may be able to find a used Jot for sale at a reasonable price. SE in and balanced preout with Jot.
Almost half the price (or less used) of a Freya and you would have the confidence of a good signal with the Schiit Jot.

That's a really good idea! Thanks.

 

[Brubacca]

I can attest that a single Vidar drives a pair of Song-3's incredibly well. Freya>Vidar>Song-3 , I have owned some good gear through the years but I am pretty astounded actually with this setup.

I am driving a pair of Salk HT2-TL's with the Freya/Vidar combo and really enjoying it. I have had the Schiit gear for exactly a week. Not sure when burn in will be complete.

Does the Vidar/Salk combo have lots of PRAT? (Pace, Rythym and Timing).
Do they rock with good ole rock n roll?

Lots of speakers I hear today are very polite and can sound good on some material, but BORING on others. I want to have fun and tap my toes to the music.