[370640]

Why no announcement? Why no “Modi 3?” Go two paragraphs up. Like I said, it was shades of gray. Although the AK4490 was the current darling of the delta-sigma DAC world at the time it went into Modi 2—being used in products fully 30x the price—it was not head-and-shoulders above the AK4396.

Was it as good as the AK4396? In my opinion, and in Mike’s opinion, yes. Was it better? In my opinion, yes. In Mike’s opinion, it was tradeoffs.

Which meant it was the same product, not a “3.”

...

I mean, in the last week, I’ve done the following:

1. Finished up development, including chassis tweaks, thermal and power testing, and A/B measurements for an upcoming product.
2. Built three different versions of a current product to see if we could take it to the next level with relatively minor changes. (Thank you, new PCB prototype source that is the magic combination of inexpensive and fast.)
3. Worked out a next-level change for that product based on the results of the different versions, then tried drawing it up, and then abandoning it (it wouldn’t fit in the chassis)
4. Did extensive testing on another step-up product which may or may not see the light of day.
5. Built a new variant on a current product to see if we like it—if we do, it can use the same chassis, which is nice.
6. Figured out a third variant on a current product using the same chassis again, and laid it out so we can try that, too. (Again, thank you new PCB source—I no longer have to think about how many protos I want to do.)
7. Tested a production change to a current product necessitated by a parts change (yep, again, but this time not Magni).
8. Breadboarded a bunch of variations on one of our current topologies, to see their relative performance pluses and minuses.

So Modi 3 coming soon then right

 

[OlDNuke]

Nice chapter, but it would be helpful if the upgrade path were known. Using the Apple example, you can plan to replace your old device and accumulate the funds, check the rumors on the changes, etc., it's clear as mud from the outside of Schiit what is coming up next, is it a new product or is one of the "upgrade-able" portions of something you have currently.

 

[Mr Rick]

Nice chapter, but it would be helpful if the upgrade path were known. Using the Apple example, you can plan to replace your old device and accumulate the funds, check the rumors on the changes, etc., it's clear as mud from the outside of Schiit what is coming up next, is it a new product or is one of the "upgrade-able" portions of something you have currently.

As Rachel would say: "Watch this space."

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

Bimby is fantastic, perhaps as important an upgrade for me as going from Vali 1 to MJ2. I'm looking forward to EITR at the end of the month, wherein I will do a gen2/optical/EITR three way shootout. We'll see if my ears are schiit or whether I can hear differences...

 

[rlow]

Nice chapter, but it would be helpful if the upgrade path were known. Using the Apple example, you can plan to replace your old device and accumulate the funds, check the rumors on the changes, etc., it's clear as mud from the outside of Schiit what is coming up next, is it a new product or is one of the "upgrade-able" portions of something you have currently.

The audio hardware space is not the Mobile device space. Apple, Samsung and others are monstrous businesses with huge revenues and massive numbers of employees (and manufacture everything in China/Korea). Most audio businesses are small to medium at best and I don't know of any that guarantee or pre-announce, on a consistent basis, when they will have a new version or product.

Jason and Mike have both stated many times that a new version, or a new product will come when they see actual real improvements, not just for the sake of announcing a new version to try to boost sales. We should be thankful for this approach IMO.

EDIT: Also to add, as Jason said, they run experiments all the time to see if they get improvements - so really the "upgrade path" is not truely known even to them until they hit it....perhaps they have a sense or a desire of what they might like to do, but nothing real, until the experiment has proven successful.

 

[Peter J]

Interesting chapter as usual, Jason.

I have to confess, when you're talking thin film vs thick film my mind wanders to the amount of honey on the peanut butter sandwich I'll eat for lunch. My bliss, I suppose.

 

[OlDNuke]

My comment reflects mostly on my own OCD. But don't heavily advertise that products are upgrade-able without a roadmap/launch window/deployment schedule for your product, even if they are just dust in your head at the moment. I would rather know that for example; Bimby is being worked for an upgrade, launching in time for Christmas and it fails to improve on the current product enough to go to market than to see that it's listed as upgrade-able on the site but never moves off it's base unit.
This isn't about boosting sales, or improvements that to me are more sideways than upgrades, more on the planning and final versions of products in the lineup. Don't say your product is upgrade-able if you only plan on doing it via an accidental "Oh Schitt, that worked!!" It's not honest to the expectation that down the line, there will be something to improve your purchase.
It's my own version of crazy, I own it.

 

[Letmebefrank]

I would rather know that for example; Bimby is being worked for an upgrade, launching in time for Christmas and it fails to improve on the current product enough to go to market than to see that it's listed as upgrade-able on the site but never moves off it's base unit.

This seems like the exact kind of thing most people do NOT want, myself included. Why would I want them to announce an upgrade for a specific date when they aren't sure there will even BE an upgrade to release?

 

[mdoxey73]

My comment reflects mostly on my own OCD. But don't heavily advertise that products are upgrade-able without a roadmap/launch window/deployment schedule for your product, even if they are just dust in your head at the moment. I would rather know that for example; Bimby is being worked for an upgrade, launching in time for Christmas and it fails to improve on the current product enough to go to market than to see that it's listed as upgrade-able on the site but never moves off it's base unit.
This isn't about boosting sales, or improvements that to me are more sideways than upgrades, more on the planning and final versions of products in the lineup. Don't say your product is upgrade-able if you only plan on doing it via an accidental "Oh Schitt, that worked!!" It's not honest to the expectation that down the line, there will be something to improve your purchase.
It's my own version of crazy, I own it.

Um... I've personally upgraded my Bifrost twice (Uber -> 4490 -> multibit), and am considering doing so again for Gen 5 USB. The upgrades clearly exist.

 

[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

Nice chapter, but it would be helpful if the upgrade path were known. Using the Apple example, you can plan to replace your old device and accumulate the funds, check the rumors on the changes, etc., it's clear as mud from the outside of Schiit what is coming up next, is it a new product or is one of the "upgrade-able" portions of something you have currently.

You're asking, rather rudely, for an impossible insight and disclosure on the design- targets and future of Schiit products.
Apart from that. Why would you even want to upgrade every time?
The current model will not break down because there's a new one coming.

 

[AudioBear]

Thanks for another great chapter that reveals what a day in a life full of Schiit is all about. Lot's of poop but in the end a lot of creativity and fun. It's really great that Jason and Mike are willing to pull back the curtain and let us see what really goes on behind the walls.

Not all changes or updates are for the better. Laws of unintended consequences can apply. Mike and Jason have a great deal of experience to judge what to change and with what to change it. I'll trust them to do as best they can. Will they always be right? No. That's life.

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Not all changes or updates are for the better. Laws of unintended consequences can apply. Mike and Jason have a great deal of experience to judge what to change and with what to change it. I'll trust them to do as best they can. Will they always be right? No. That's life.

Bingo.

OCD? Can tolerate alcohol? Drink more.

 

[KoshNaranek]

Bingo.

OCD? Can tolerate alcohol? Drink more.

OCD?
Check

Can tolerate alcohol?
No Go


Plan B of Meditation and Yoga working pretty well so far

 

[Jason Stoddard]

OCD?
Check

Can tolerate alcohol?
No Go


Plan B of Meditation and Yoga working pretty well so far

There's also Plan C in California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and a few others I forgot.

 

[RCBinTN]

Great chapter, Jason.
I've worked in mfg for 38 years. Our biggest challenges were always validation and change control.
Both internal changes and by our suppliers.
Nothing worse than when Alex pokes his head in and says "uh, we may have a problem."
Then we discover that a key supplier made a change w/o telling us about it.