[Jason Stoddard]

   
@Jason Stoddard, recognizing such info may be sensitive at this early stage, would you mind sharing:

• whether the 2-channel preamp this fall with the remote will include a built-in headphone amp? and
• if not, whether the 2-channel preamp will be passive (power for remote control operation only) or active?

 
Thanks!

Preamps are preamps, not headphone amps. That's all I can say for now.

 

[J&J]

OK I say it before you F--- me but the truth is your products are underpriced not because a higher $ will confer more respect but because the performance/price ratio is out of whack with other stuff out there and either you are the most altruistic ethical business guy in the world or you are setting us up for a bait and switch in the future
Is it possible you are manufacturing for future sale secret alloy self sticking dots to absorb stray EMR to attach to our schiit
What the heck I'll pre-order a dozen now

 

[FrivolsListener]

 
Preamps are preamps, not headphone amps. That's all I can say for now.

 
Schiit's Law:  One box has one function.  If you want three functions, it'll come in three separately upgradeable boxes.

 

[landroni]

 

 
Preamps are preamps, not headphone amps. That's all I can say for now.

 
Schiit's Law:  One box has one function.  If you want three functions, it'll come in three separately upgradeable boxes.

I'd say this predates Schiit. Either Keep It Simple, Stupid. Or the Unix "Do One Thing and Do It Well."
 
Either way, these are good philosophical signposts...

 

[ZoNtO]

   
Schiit's Law:  One box has one function.  If you want three functions, it'll come in three separately upgradeable boxes.

 
Except for their headphone amps that already contain preamp functionality. (Hence my question.)

 

[Rudiger]

@ Jason,
 
I'm not so optimistic, but well, great advertisement. Seriously, inequalities are increasing continuously in the world. Which means there certainly are more and more poor people, but also more and more very rich people.
Yes, Just look at the statistics.. 
Sooooo.... sorry, but the ostentatious hight end has on the contrary a very bright future ahead.
And yes, at this level, the audio quality is absolutely not important : this is only about to show what you can buy.

 

[Odin412]

   
I think it's a general trend on a luxury market nowadays. Replace "audio" with cars, watches, <whatever other expensive hobby there is> and you have an idea...

 
Thanks Jason for the most thought-provoking chapter yet! This is indeed the big elephant in the room. There is another elephant (almost as big IMHO), which is the general age of audiophiles - at least judging by the audience in many of the high-priced rooms at THE Show. The high-end industry is really facing the 'Buick problem' - the customer base is quite literally dying.
 
The post from @madwolfa quoted above got me thinking - especially since I happen to be fortunate enough to drive a German sports car and wear a Swiss watch. So I decided to look into how much a typical sports car and luxury watch has increased in price since 1990.
 

Item	1990	2016	Increase
Porsche 911 Carrera	$59,000	$89,400	52%
Rolex Submariner		$8,600
US compound inflation			93%

 
As you can see from the table above the Porsche 911 price has increased less than the compound US inflation. I didn't expect that - and it makes the price increases in high-end audio look even worse. I haven't been able to find the MSRP for a Submariner in 1990 (Internet searches only seem to find the current price for a 1990 vintage watch), but maybe some of you guys on the forum know?

 

[Jason Stoddard]

   
Thanks Jason for the most thought-provoking chapter yet! This is indeed the big elephant in the room. There is another elephant (almost as big IMHO), which is the general age of audiophiles - at least judging by the audience in many of the high-priced rooms at THE Show. The high-end industry is really facing the 'Buick problem' - the customer base is quite literally dying.
 
The post from @madwolfa quoted above got me thinking - especially since I happen to be fortunate enough to drive a German sports car and wear a Swiss watch. So I decided to look into how much a typical sports car and luxury watch has increased in price since 1990.
 

Item	1990	2016	Increase
Porsche 911 Carrera	$59,000	$89,400	52%
Rolex Submariner		$8,600
US compound inflation			93%

 
As you can see from the table above the Porsche 911 price has increased less than the compound US inflation. I didn't expect that - and it makes the price increases in high-end audio look even worse. I haven't been able to find the MSRP for a Submariner in 1990 (Internet searches only seem to find the current price for a 1990 vintage watch), but maybe some of you guys on the forum know?

This blog seems to indicate that it was under $2000...not sure myself: http://www.ablogtowatch.com/rolex-prices-past-60-years-revealing-analysis/

 

[Baldr]

Two points:
 
1.  Many potential or current clients seem to mistrust corporations.  The truth is that only a monopoly is capable of coercing its public.  Give an inability to coerce, screwing is impossible.  In a competitive market, he customer is always able to look elsewhere.  It is also undeniably true that the best way to grow as a manufacturing business is to build products that please your customers.
 
2.  And speaking of competition - Jason and yours truly engage each other in that way.  When I came aboard, it was challenging to come up with a line of DACs competitive with our early amps, even though at Theta, our prices were significantly less than those of our competitors.  After the struggle with the low price DACs, I built the Modi to blow through the hundred buck barrier, and soon there was Jason answering back with the Magni, and then the Fulla collaboration.   So we ended up with a very competitively priced line of DACs proper to high end and another similar line of headphone amps (excepting the Raggy).  We only lacked a line of two channel (intended to drive ultimately and primarily speakers) amplifiers to play in that arena.  Here we come!

 

[Armaegis]

   
if not, whether the 2-channel preamp will be passive (power for remote control operation only) or active?
 
 

 
I want a fully passive remote. A device that can somehow interact with the preamp at a distance, press the buttons and turn knobs, all without need for batteries or power. In the olden days, we called such devices "children". Nowadays, I'd just be happy with a Schiit branded...
 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 

[jibzilla]

 
Knew of $200K speakers and customs for more so I supposed I shouldn't be surprised at $20-30K for a tube.  But yikes. I had no idea. I've been enjoying a set of Amperex 6922 orange label tubes and wondering whether I would try some $200/pair alternatives in the MJ2.  Feels a little like an old Peanuts cartoon where Lucy and Charlie are lying in the grass looking at clouds and she says something like, "Why, I think that's Michelangelo's scene of God Dividing the Waters in the Sistene Chapel.  What do you see Charlie?" to wit "I was going to say a donkey and a cow. . . "

 
Yeah I would say every area of audio has been hit fairly hard. Tubes and speakers seemed to get hit really hard though. I agree with Jason on putting the most loot down on the speakers but I think that it has gotten quite out of hand if there are 100 different $100k+ speakers.
 
Active speakers are a different story though. Fairly new trend so I think there is some real possibilities for something new and ground breaking at a reasonable price. I am a really big fan of my active speakers but found the vast majority of active speakers to sound horrendous. At least for me I do not feel the Pavane is out of place with my much less expensive active speakers.

 

[FrivolsListener]

   
I want a fully passive remote. A device that can somehow interact with the preamp at a distance, press the buttons and turn knobs, all without need for batteries or power. In the olden days, we called such devices "children". Nowadays, I'd just be happy with a Schiit branded...

 
There were remotes like that.  Single function TV remotes to advance the channel changer where pressing the button strikes a hammer on a near-ultrasonic bell.
 
I could hear it, but as a kid I had extraordinary hearing.  I can absolutely state that the family cats hated, and would run far away from it when you pressed it.

 

[JohnnyCanuck]

Well, here's the transmitter.  I'll leave the receiver portion to Jason.
 

 

[David Aldrich]

  Well, here's the transmitter.  I'll leave the receiver portion to Jason.
 

@Jason Stoddard  Please make this compatible with the pre-amps.

 

[ScottFree]

   
There were remotes like that.  Single function TV remotes to advance the channel changer where pressing the button strikes a hammer on a near-ultrasonic bell.
 
I could hear it, but as a kid I had extraordinary hearing.  I can absolutely state that the family cats hated, and would run far away from it when you pressed it.

 
Thinking about remotes made me remember my first TV that my mom and dad let me keep in my room. Absolutely no idea what kind it was but since it was made before the remote in order to change the channel you had to press these tiny buttons on the front of the TV next to the screen. Being the young, and lazy person that I was I eventually hinted upon the idea of using some elastic bands to hit the buttons in order to change the channel. Took a while because each button was quite close together, but I could change the channel spot on nine times out of ten.