Schiit Happened: The Story of the World's Most Improbable Start-Up

[jacal01]

I was reading somewhere just recently that the PCM63(K) multibit ladder DAC chip was like upper mid tier, and that the TOTL multibit ladder chip in its day was the Ultra Analog D20400(A).  What are your/Mike's thoughts about that?
 
If the Yggy is using discrete resistor ladder conversion, and not a dead or dying multibit chip production, does your passage above imply that the Yggy includes a oven section for thermal stability?
 
BTW, a very well written chapter, now that I've had the chance to digest it at a more leisurely pace.  Some interesting perspectives raised.

 

[smitty1110]

I will never again live where it snows.  Life is too short to be cold.

 

That's what Ragnarok and a gaming rig are for

With just the gaming rig, my room is never cold. Ever.

 

[jacal01]

  ... Okay, you can also throw in fringe stuff like I2S over HDMI, as long as you’re OK with paying the HDMI licensing fee…but then you’re getting into licensing…and technically, Plugfests. Shudder.

 
Do you still have to pay HDMI a licensing fee if you're just using their connector and with your own circuit pin-outs, in this case LVDS I2S?  As far as updating standards go, the accepted LVDS over HDMI pin-out configuration (i.e. PSA std.) wouldn't need to periodically change, just like S/PDIF connector conventions don't. The only thing that is variable is whether or not 3.3 Vdc power is applied to pin 19 in conjunction with a 1KΩ pull up resistor.
 
The number of audio manufacturers now implementing I2S over HDMI (PSA std.) is now 10.  Audio-gd just threw their hat in the ring along with DAC manufacterers PSA, Wired4Sound and Rockna. AFAIK.

 

[Muinarc]

Jason, if I am understanding you correctly, you are saying that digital hasn't improved much in the past 10 years...

...and if you are I appluad you for it. Decent to good digital has most definately gotten cheaper, but the gains we see have been minimal. My personal feeling is that the introduction of the iPod accelerated what was left to discover in Delta-Sigma DACs, and its gone about as far as it can go. I'm glad someone like you wacky Schiit guys are out there willing to try something that no one in the sub-$bajillion arena is doing, even if I wont be able to tell the difference.

 

[Clemmaster]

Excellent read!
Holding my breath...

 

[reddog]

Reminds me of when my '69 Camaro seized in Truth or Consequences, NM, 5 days rebuilding the engine in the absolute middle of no where, good Mexican food though!

You love for the art that was American Muscle Cars is further evidence, Schiit got Soul!!!

My friends Volkswagen bus broke down in Truth or Consequences, and the food was great, though was happy to get back to Las Vegas, NM.

 

[smitty1110]

 
Do you still have to pay HDMI a licensing fee if you're just using their connector and with your own circuit pin-outs, in this case LVDS I2S?  As far as updating standards go, the accepted LVDS over HDMI pin-out configuration (i.e. PSA std.) wouldn't need to periodically change, just like S/PDIF connector conventions don't. The only thing that is variable is whether or not 3.3 Vdc power is applied to pin 19 in conjunction with a 1K pull up resistor.

 


In theory you could do so, but in practice they'd probably sue you for everything and the kitchen sink. They'd give some spiel about protecting their copyright, and protecting consumers from buying non-standard stuff, etc.

 

[jacal01]

Funny, a fellow HeadFier building a DIY LVDS I2S over HDMI driver board actually sent an email to the HDMI organization asking about licensing fee requirements, since he was contemplating going into some kind of limited production at the time.  He never heard back from them.
 
I wonder if the current DAC, DDC and transport manufacturers currently implementing HDMI I2S are ponying up any fees to them for the use of their connectors?

 

[ultrabike]

---

Properly implemented ladder/colinear/sign-mag/your-fav-word DACs feed with a 44.1 kSPS signal need to interpolate to 352.8 kSPS which in the best case means that 7/8 samples into the DAC are simply guesses (and really there isn't much one can do about that). I don't even know if the original samples substitute the interpolation samples so maybe all samples into the DAC are actually guesses anyway in the old solutions (best guess is all is gone). If going from 48 kSPS to 352.8 kSPS, it is AFAIK certain none of the original samples will make it to the ladder DAC.

As far as the PCM63 with the DF1700, the solution resolution gets caped to 16 bits because while the output of the interpolator can be set to 20 bits, the inputs are capped to 16 bits. Only the DF1706 for the PCM1704 was able to do better than 16-bit input AFAIK.

So to me, either way, something is lost.

In the absence of this digital formats, we proly have analog formats in the shape of vinyl and so forth. A lot (perhaps way more) will get lost as signal travels from the pick up mechanism to the transducer. Not to mention that the typical commercial media storage doesn't always keep up well. It is IMO not a perfect world.

Also, I have a feeling that the analog front end of the DAC will do quite a bit more damage to the original samples than the delta-sigmas (multi-bit or not).

Will a multi-bit DS sound different than a interploation+OS ladder DAC solution. Possible. It would IMO strongly depend also on both what is behind and infront of said DACs.
 
Also noted that the interpolator Schiit is using, going by the descriptions, seem like a different and fairly interesting approach. Maybe some goodness to that.

 

[JohnnyCanuck]

 
I wonder if the current DAC, DDC and transport manufacturers currently implementing HDMI I2S are ponying up any fees to them for the use of their connectors?

 
I would think that any fees would already be included in the cost of the connectors.

 

[Ableza]

   
I would think that any fees would already be included in the cost of the connectors.

Uh, no.  You get to pay licensing fees for the rights to use HDMI.  The cost of the connector is insignificant in the greater scheme of things.

 

[HiFi Guru]

Is there a music server in the future? 

 

[AManAnd88Keys]

  Is there a music server in the future? 

No, as far as I know. Software and compatibility issues are the main reasons.

 

[BydoEmpire]

Here's hoping Yggdrasil actually makes a noticeable improvement and doesn't end up being different just for the sake of being different. Anyways congratulations to everyone at Schiit, It must be a great joy/relief to see these products come to fruition for people to enjoy.  

 

[jacal01]

Noticeable difference compared to what?  Jeezus.