[mr sushi]

5. Buying stuff or even better Schiit.

Jason is Dr. Frankenstien realizing he's created a horde of followers who would spend their disaster relief fund on multibit

 

[mattking52]

I'd expect there will be a lot of gain options, and gain will go much higher than 60dB. However, expect this to be at least 10x the price of Mani. If/when it comes out. The coronavirus situation may set some plans back. We'll see.

@Jason Stoddard - I will be following any news of an end-game phono stage from Schiit with GREAT interest; I have been waiting for you guys to do something along these lines for quite some time.

I know it's not Schiit's practice to comment in detail on future products, but given the speculative, non-committal comments you've made on gain, etc., I wonder if you could also speculate on the following: Would you anticipate that this potential phono stage would be housed in a Gungnir/Freya size chassis, or Yggdrasil/Ragnarok size? Just curious about the physical scale!

 

[Varejao17]

Hi all,
New here. I'm in process of designing a new soundsystem (primarily for turntable listening) and am really impressed by the Schiit products, reviews, corporate ethos and community.
The speakers I've got in mind are the Wharfedale Lintons (Sensitivity 90dB, Recommended Amp Power 25-200W, Peak SPL 110dB, Nominal/Min Impedance 6/3.5ohm) which I'd like to drive with Schiit's electronics.
What are some of the differentiating factors that may provide guidance between choosing the Freya+ and Freya S? It seems the F+ is top of the line with the tube buffer however the Freya S throws a curve ball with its Nexus technology, which I understand provides superior "balancing" (?)
In the power amp section there's a wide offer, all of which seems great. I'm mainly stuck between Aegir (possibly 2 of them for monoblocks) and the pure play Rag 2, though it appears many people also go with Vidar. From reads of the discussion, it seems the Rag2 is a powerful, and simple solve (including headphone functionality) but may be somewhat noisier / less discrete than the Aegir/Vidar power blocks.

Hi Nick - sounds like a good plan for a system. The Lintons are well reviewed.

I have the Freya+ and am completely satisfied with it. I don't think you're sacrificing anything with the tubes; I spend 95% of my time using the tubes - very good sounding. In my system the passive sections sound fine, but the solid-state buffer sounds less thin. The tubes are definitely more compelling though.

I had upgraded to the Freya+ from a McCormack Micro Line drive, which was a single-ended passive preamp/switch which was very well regarded for its time (e.g. Stereophile Class B) - the Freya hands down sounds better with a fuller midrange-bass.

 

[Randolf711]

+1 for the Freya with Tubes. The tube section has phenomenal air and imaging. When I’m running around the house, I use the solid state. When I’m really listening, I use the tubes. I think the Aegir sounds perfect with that set up (it’s not what I have- I use Vidars because I’m running Dahlquist DQ-10s which really need some power).

Hi Nick - sounds like a good plan for a system. The Lintons are well reviewed.

I have the Freya+ and am completely satisfied with it. I don't think you're sacrificing anything with the tubes; I spend 95% of my time using the tubes - very good sounding. In my system the passive sections sound fine, but the solid-state buffer sounds less thin. The tubes are definitely more compelling though.

I had upgraded to the Freya+ from a McCormack Micro Line drive, which was a single-ended passive preamp/switch which was very well regarded for its time (e.g. Stereophile Class B) - the Freya hands down sounds better with a fuller midrange-bass.

 

[chronoso]

Has anyone received a black finish Modi 3? Any photos of it?

 

[tincanear]

Hi all,
New here. I'm in process of designing a new soundsystem (primarily for turntable listening) and am really impressed by the Schiit products, reviews, corporate ethos and community.
The speakers I've got in mind are the Wharfedale Lintons (Sensitivity 90dB, Recommended Amp Power 25-200W, Peak SPL 110dB, Nominal/Min Impedance 6/3.5ohm) which I'd like to drive with Schiit's electronics.
What are some of the differentiating factors that may provide guidance between choosing the Freya+ and Freya S? It seems the F+ is top of the line with the tube buffer however the Freya S throws a curve ball with its Nexus technology, which I understand provides superior "balancing" (?)
In the power amp section there's a wide offer, all of which seems great. I'm mainly stuck between Aegir (possibly 2 of them for monoblocks) and the pure play Rag 2, though it appears many people also go with Vidar. From reads of the discussion, it seems the Rag2 is a powerful, and simple solve (including headphone functionality) but may be somewhat noisier / less discrete than the Aegir/Vidar power blocks.
In terms of listening/objectives, the system would be in a average sized city apartment living room. I'm looking for power, depth and versatility out of the amp as I'd be playing a range of reggae, techno, classic rock, punk, and heavier sound walls.
Would really appreciate any views on the above especially in the power amp section.
This thread is super interesting. Circuitry/electricity/business crash course.
Cheers
Nick

IMHO, best choice will be driven by SAF requirements, and by preferred listening level.

If you listen at high levels, consider a single Vidar amp:
the proposed speakers being 6 ohm units, they can be driven close to their peak SPL with a single vidar amp with over 170 W per channel in this application (give it plenty of cooling space, esp above the heatsinks on the sides). With the amp cost savings, get a Freya+ pre-amp (since you are using a turntable, you are likely looking for a fuller /warmer sound, which tubes can provide) If you don't like running in tube mode, use can use solid-state mode which will power down the tubes for cooler running and save tube life.

Monoblock Vidar's (at 400W channel) are way too powerful for those Wharfdales with a single 8" (200mm) woofer.

The Aegir monoblocks will have a bit more finesse at lower volumes, but will not play as loud as even a single Vidar. If pushed hard into the 6 ohm load in monoblock mode, they are more likely to trigger the internal protection circuits.

Ragnarok 2 is also rated for 4 ohms loads, so it will drive the Wharfdales to ~75W per channel (adequate for medium / high volume levels in an average sized city apartment) and has high SAF (spousal acceptance factor, as its a smaller one-box one-shelf solution, more compact than separates. It's also fully discrete construction (the output transistors are sandwiched between the heatsinks and the silver-colored clamp plates on the left/right insides of the chassis), so if you listen at lower levels with speakers, its a good match. Not the best choice for IEM's or high-sensitivity over-the-ear headphones since its too powerful (use something like Asgard, Jotunheim, Lyr3 for headphones only). Ragnarok 2 can also accept add-on modules for phono pre-amp and USB multibit DAC.

Hope this helps. (don't be timid about asking more questions, audio electronics can be confusing, and within a given price range Schiit offers multiple options depending on your intended usage)

 

[Xcalibur255]

90dB sensitivity on the Wharfedales makes Aegir a viable candidate as long as you don't need concert level volumes in your home. I suspect the added finesse would suit them well.

 

[rkw]

Has anyone received a black finish Modi 3? Any photos of it?

It's odd that they didn't add a photo to the product page. This is one of the rotating photos on the home page:

 

[Gazny]

Has anyone received a black finish Modi 3? Any photos of it?

Here is a photo I found online for you!

 

[tincanear]

Has anyone received a black finish Modi 3? Any photos of it?

I would think it would use same finish as my Magni Heresy, but black top without the vent holes, and grey elsewhere (instead of Heresy's red color). My Magni Heresy looks like the pic, with a bit of sheen to the color.

aside: reminds me of a song "black is black...I want my baby back...gray is gray..."

 

[nickaudio]

Thanks guy, in a state of deep thinking following your excellent feedback. It seems the Vidar would provide the power and depth for listening to dub, drone, electronica and the like. When compared to the Rag 2, I suppose the benefit of the incorporated headphone could be resolved with an inexpensive Magni. But then by avoiding the Rag2 it raises the need for an alternative DAC to drive CDs or digital files. The finesse of the Aegir is sounds like a great match for realistic listening volumes of a city apartment but I like to crank it up when the opportunity arises.

 

[tincanear]

Thanks guy, in a state of deep thinking following your excellent feedback. It seems the Vidar would provide the power and depth for listening to dub, drone, electronica and the like. When compared to the Rag 2, I suppose the benefit of the incorporated headphone could be resolved with an inexpensive Magni. But then by avoiding the Rag2 it raises the need for an alternative DAC to drive CDs or digital files. The finesse of the Aegir is sounds like a great match for realistic listening volumes of a city apartment but I like to crank it up when the opportunity arises.

Rag2 and both Freya pre-amps have analog inputs. consider Modi 3 $99 DAC with USB, coax & toslink inputs.

 

[bcowen]

Yeah, Mark Levinson gear, even used, is more than I want to spend. No matter how good it is. Even those antique No. 20.6 are still advertised at $6800. That's a whole bunch more than I paid for my still loved SA-1 twenty years ago, and at that time the SA-1 were a lot closer to current production than the No 20.6 are now. Someday I'll have to make the effort to hear some ML and see what I've been missing out on.

Are you referring to a Plinius SA-1? With Schiit solid state amps excluded (I haven't heard one yet 'cause I'm a tubehead), the Plinius is one of the few solid state amps that I found quite enjoyable to listen to. If I had one I wouldn't be in any hurry to part with it...

 

[bcowen]

Shouldn't a "Schiit Stimulus" be called a "laxative"..?

Cheers and Stay Healthy!
-HK sends

OK, that was funny.

 

[oryan_dunn]

Hi all. Been a while since I posted.

I'd like to discuss the stimulus checks we are going to be getting in the U.S. I promise it will come around to Schiit and I'll try to avoid politics.

In my case I should be getting $3200. Options for me and others for how to use the money include:

1. Buying essentials (food, rent, etc.) Already taken care of in my case, I'm still working and being paid the usual.
2. Stocking up on masks and toilet paper to build toilet paper forts. Just kidding Please let these go where they are needed.
3. Paying down debt if you have it.
4. Saving the money.
5. Buying stuff or even better Schiit.

In my opinion if you've got the essentials taken care of the best use of stimulus money is spending it. After all how can you stimulate the economy if it is not used to buy goods or services.

Therefore this leads to the question of what to buy to do the most good. I plan on spending the money domestically and in particular buying some more Schiit (which is a great way to spread the stimulus [or Robert Heinlein's "pay it forward"] in the U.S. economy) and patronizing my favorite non-chain restaurant by getting take out or buying gift cards. This way I can further help the U.S. economy, reward a company that we all love for it's U.S. supply chain, and keep my favorite Pirate themed Rum bar from closing.

Finally I propose that we call this the "Schiit Stimulus" and I look forward to upgrading to a balanced DAC in my 2-Channel system.

I hope everyone is taking the Coronavirus seriously as it will take all of us helping each other to minimize the impact. If anyone needs reading recommendations I'll point you to The Great Influenza by John Barry and Get Well Soon by Jenifer Wright.

Edit: an option I omitted initially would be to give to worthy charity such as Multibit for the Masses (completely made up).

I'll be investing most and donating the rest. We've got everything covered, and the markets will rebound, I've got plenty of time to make that stimulus money work for me.