[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

2020, Chapter 3:
Lighted by the Blind

I'm sorta still chewing on the question of why you felt the need to write this chapter.
It sorta reflects some nasty-nes. Reads like fun though.

 

[audio philestine]

There are times when I think we need a middle path between obectivists or subjectivists…what, call it Sensiblist or Independent or something like that.

Quick, someone register "Sound Sensiblist" as a screen name...

 

[SeEnCreaTive]

I feel Jason was taking shots at a certain other community on a different site that tends to walk all over Schiit products heh.
Koodos!

 

[Paladin79]

There were fairly large differences between tubes in a double-blind comparison. Fairly large, compared to what I expected anyway. We were testing PVC-embalmed tubes that a friend had sent in using Saga Plus. Saga Plus isn’t the best platform for showcasing tube differences, because it’s simply a buffer, and a hybrid one at that. So, a half-solid-state no-gain buffer demonstrating audible differences is pretty amazing. At least to me. When we switched from the first tube to the second, I really expected to hear nothing. But the difference in tonality and stage was readily apparent. Now, this was on speakers, in a group, so maybe it’s group hypnosis, but…who knows.

@Jason Stoddard , I designed a class A headphone amp for some local tube comparisons and I will send you one down the road to check out. The most talented tube listener I know of has heard it with 6sn7's and I will let @bcowen give you his impressions of it if he is so inclined. FLTWS has heard it as well if he wants to join in.
I have been discussing it with your analog technician as well and that person might be curious to hear one. I do not have @bcowen's listening abilities with tubes, but IMHO this amp can help most folks distinguish between them. Locally four of the amps will be used for some blind listening tube comparison. (This is much easier than embalming tubes in PVC, even single triode pairs can be accommodated and hidden.)

 

[geniekid]

Much respect @Jason Stoddard, and to the folks at Schiit in general. Blind listening is a good idea, and I like that you're not afraid to challenge your perceptions about your own products. And share them.

 

[golfbravobravo]

I'm sorta still chewing on the question of why you felt the need to write this chapter.
It sorta reflects some nasty-nes. Reads like fun though.

Interesting how we all read things, even carefully written things, differently.

It seems to me to raise, and attempt to answer, some valid issues.

But then, I have an odd perspective on life anyway.....

 

[KamijoIsMyHero]

To make a very long anecdote a bit shorter, I tried again on the most resolving headphones, and this time I was able to call all three amps right.

Could you reveal which headphones these are?

 

[rollinbr]

Could you reveal which headphones these are?

2. There were three stations, one with the HD6XX, one with (I believe) the Hifiman HE400i, and one with the Dan Clark Audio Ether 2s.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sch...bable-start-up.701900/page-3701#post-15409003

 

[FLTWS]

Duplicate post.

 

[FLTWS]

It's a "night and day" difference

LOL!

 

[yonson]

2. There were three stations, one with the HD6XX, one with (I believe) the Hifiman HE400i, and one with the Dan Clark Audio Ether 2s.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sch...bable-start-up.701900/page-3701#post-15409003

My takeaway from that write up is the HD6XX sounds so close to the same no matter what you feed them with, that you can run them with pretty much anything amp wise. Which makes me happy because I have them and wasn't able to tell much if any difference when comparing Heresy, Magni 3 (not +), HEL, and my Oppo 105D other than I had to turn up the volume quite a bit more with the Oppo for the same output... I was too lazy to wade through the snow to go out to the shop and get my Vali2.

 

[Varejao17]

Hello everyone! First time poster, long-time reader and stalker of this page...

Congrats! What are you using for speakers?

ed

 

[KamijoIsMyHero]

2. There were three stations, one with the HD6XX, one with (I believe) the Hifiman HE400i, and one with the Dan Clark Audio Ether 2s.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sch...bable-start-up.701900/page-3701#post-15409003

Hmm so probably the Ether 2, I am familiar with the other 2 but not the Ether line. I will check them out.

 

[FLTWS]

Humorous audiophile anecdote on evaluating audio gear while under the influence;


Back in my 30's I went with a friend to a college buddy of his for a house warming. He had just moved in to a log cabin styled house in the woods which was a rarity in the area I live in and I was curious to see details of the finished product. The wives were all taken on a tour of the place by the hostess. Our host had only one goal in mind, he wanted to demonstrate his stereo for us, nothing else seemed to matter other than getting himself started on his second six-pack.

He led us immediately into the living room where he had a, typical for the times, shelving system of painted cinder blocks and unfinished planks of indeterminate wood type. For source he had a Garrard (I think it was) TT and a cassette deck feeding a mini-fridge sized receiver of Japanese origin but I can't remember the brand. It had every bell and whistle I'd ever heard of and it was driving a pair of Bose 901 direct/reflecting loudspeakers on the the stock pedestal stands for that loudspeaker. As I examined the receiver I noticed that he had the Bass tone control pegged and along with it the Contour control set to max.

He puts on "The Bear Went Over the Mountain" (I think it was) by the "Butthole Surfers" and advances the volume to "Ground Tremors" level, stands back with pride and yells "listen to that bass"!

My friend and I winced and shrank back from the tsunami of sound assaulting our ears. My friend then pointed to the left speaker and yelled "I don't think its working". I went over to the receiver turned down the volume and pined my ear to the left speaker and the then the right. Yep the only noise coming out of the left was a scratchy low level sound like a nail rubbed down a washboard. I checked all the wiring and even gave a wiggle to the left channel connectors to make sure there was no intermittent connection issue.

We brought this to our host’s attention and he immediately went into disbelief and denial. I worked the balance control from full left to full right a few times while my friend steadied our host back and forth in front of the respective speakers a few times. He finally stood quietly with his head sagging on his chest as if accepting the fact that he had murdered the left channel speaker but then he suddenly lifted his head, his face brightened, and he turned to us and said, "Yes, but the sound is so great we only need one speaker!!!"

Jason is definitely on point about liquor and listening.

If you’re lucky enough to live long enough a lot of funny schiit will happen along the way.

 

[DACattack]

Very, very interesting chapter, Jason. I commend you for challenging your own assumptions. In the end, such an approach can only lead to better and more interesting products.

I wish the Schittr weren't half the country away. It would be a blast to participate in a blind listening session there. May have to plan a weekend trip to L.A. around some future one.