[Baldr]

So I built Bifrosts, Gungnirs, Modis, Ubers, all the Schiit Digital Stuff for me. What kind of stuff do I like?? Simple, good sounding, and ready to go anytime. Since I make digital stuff, which quantitatively requires warmup time so everything settles to the fewest number of LSBs (least significant bits) and reaches equilibrium. When I put my cans on, I want music NOW.
 
Stuff I build for me has the power switch in the back – I leave it on. It is ready to go and warmed up. My home Bifrost and Gungnir has been continuously on since our last power failure – about four months. I don't even turn anything off when I leave for days. Everything I have ever built, even when it had power switches on the front or a remote stayed on when the switch was off. The ever important stuff was on constantly - when you turned the “power” on you just made lights and no signal path fluff come on. Oh, you say, what about the power waste?? Even an Yggy uses about 1/3 the power of my 55” flat screen LED TV. A Bifront is about 15% of the TV. What about the carbon footprint? If you are concerned about that, take up a different hobby, say anthropology. Frolic around nude, with or without body paint, in some jungle region of the world. Commune with nature, eat grubs you find under leaves, and discover new species of millipedes crawling up your leg.
 
That is what and why I build it. It is not simple arrogance. It is been doin' this a long screw*n' time stubbornness. I repeat for emphasis. Three wise men could come to me with a message from God on how to build the perfect digital audio device. That device would NOT please everyone. Passive aggressive critics who never designed (or bought) anything audio their whole life would talk about flimsy power switches or whatever. Some buyers would buy and resell them. Users who are in this hobby but hate it (or themselves) so much they find nothing they ever like would continue to dirty up all threads they can. To quote Nancy Griffith, “they're out there running just to be on the run”. This is a hobby – it ain't no quest for an absolute. I do my best and I been doin' it a while. You either like my stuff or you don't. If you don't like my stuff – don't buy it. I sure as hell won't take it personally. I look on ebay right now and there are four used Bifrosts for sale. That is the tiniest fraction of even one percent of what we sold – not bad!
 
I again repeat – the purpose of this whole pastime is to have fun – not to throw out slop. Now if you like Schiit stuff, that is a plus. But even if you don't, and you are genuinely happy with an XYZ Mega Burrito D/A converter then that's still a plus because you are a positive contributor to our hobby.

 

[gikigill]

Wouldn't leaving them on all the time reduce component or valve tube lifespan.

 

[Shembot]

Dear Mr. Moffat,
 
Please continue putting the power switch where you damn well please, so long as your products continue to be awesome and as affordable as they can be considering the cost of your materials and time. 
 
Thanks,
Shembot

 

[nicolo]

Thankfully Mr. Moffat stepped in. Can everyone interested in switches please start a new thread on the merits/demerits of switch positions leave this thread alone. SHEESH!!

 

[StanD]

Wouldn't leaving them on all the time reduce component or valve tube lifespan.

So far he's only listed digital and SS stuff, no tubes.

 

[johnjen]

My amp & dac stay on all the time as well…
That way I don't have to wait for the system to come up to operating temperature and stabilize.
Because that's where the magic happens.
 
And the power draw is about that of a 100w light bulb, for the entire system.
 
And most modern appliances (TV's, microwave ovens, computer peripherals, etc.) NEVER turn off, even when the power switch is 'off'.
 
 
JJ 

 

[gikigill]

So far he's only listed digital and SS stuff, no tubes.

Just curious about the valve stuff but wouldn't mind knowing how SS behaves under those conditions. I am invested in 3 valve amps including a Vali and a similar number of SS headphone amps.

 

[7ryder]

  So I built Bifrosts, Gungnirs, Modis, Ubers, all the Schiit Digital Stuff for me. What kind of stuff do I like?? Simple, good sounding, and ready to go anytime. Now I also make digital stuff, which quantitatively requires warmup time so everything settles to the fewest number of LSBs (least significant bits) and reaches equilibrium. When I put my cans on, I want music NOW.
 
Stuff I build for me has the power switch in the back – I leave it on. It is ready to go and warmed up. My home Bifrost and Gungnir has been continuously on since our last power failure – about four months. I don't even turn anything off when I leave for days. Everything I have ever built, even when it had power switches on the front or a remote stayed on when the switch was off. The ever important stuff was on constantly - when you turned the “power” on you just made lights and no signal path fluff come on. Oh, you say, what about the power waste?? Even an Yggy uses about 1/3 the power of my 55” flat screen LED TV. A Bifront is about 15% of the TV. What about the carbon footprint? If you are concerned about that, take up a different hobby, say anthropology. Frolic around nude, with or without body paint, in some jungle region of the world. Commune with nature, eat grubs you find under leaves, and discover new species of millipedes crawling up your leg.
 
That is what and why I build it. It is not simple arrogance. It is been doin' this a long screw*n' time stubbornness. I repeat for emphasis. Three wise men could come to me with a message from God on how to build the perfect digital audio device. That device would NOT please everyone. Passive aggressive critics who never designed anything their whole life would talk about flimsy power switches or whatever. Some buyers would buy and resell them. Users who are in this hobby but hate it (or themselves) so much they find nothing they ever like would continue to dirty up all threads they can. To quote Nancy Griffith, “they're out there running just to be on the run”. This is a hobby – it ain't no quest for an absolute. I do my best and I been doin' it a while. You either like my stuff or you don't. If you don't like my stuff – don't buy it. I sure as hell won't take it personally. I look on ebay right now and there are four used Bifrosts for sale. That is the tiniest fraction of even one percent of what we sold – not bad!
 
I again repeat – the purpose of this whole pastime is to have fun – not to throw out slop. Now if you like Schiit stuff, that is a plus. But even if you don't, and you are genuinely happy with an XYZ Mega Burrito D/A converter then that's still a plus because you are a positive contributor to our hobby.

ya know, if you'd just get the g**damm Yggy released, they'd have other things to talk about. 

 

[Armaegis]

I'm kinda hoping that on the next product Schiit releases, the power switch is on the bottom.

 

[Chris J]

I'm kinda hoping that on the next product Schiit releases, the power switch is on the bottom.

Or it doesn't have a power switch.
Like my turntable power supply.
Or like my phono pre-amp.
Problem solved.

 

[gikigill]

I'm kinda hoping that on the next product Schiit releases, the power switch is on the bottom.

I wouldn't be happy unless it's in the next postcode.

 

[nicolo]

New Schiit releases shouldn't have any power switches anywhere, even in alternate dimensions.
 
They should be voice activated instead with a 2 part code. The first part of the code is your voice. For the second part, the Schiit product will access all the posts to check if you are talking about knobs, switches, baba yogi, cosmic rays and tachyons causing sound degradation etc. If you're talking about any of this, it will shut down and emit smoke just to scare you. That should take care of all current and future c**p.
 
Mike & Jason: make this happen!!

 

[madwolfa]

Wouldn't leaving them on all the time reduce component or valve tube lifespan.

 
I had my hybrid X-CAN V3 turned on continuously for more than 10 years without any noticeable SQ degradation over time...
People forget the tubes are actually tough SOBs and most of them used in modern amps are military spec. They run forever.

 

[disastermouse]

Jason, have you considered using Paypal and/or including shipping into the purchase price in order to get more people to want to order direct? I didn't buy my Schiit from Amazon, but I remember I was a little unnerved buying direct from a "random" company's website. Everything worked out fine and I'd order from you guys again if I needed to, but I think most people are very wary of taking that leap and ordering direct. Amazon is like a one stop place to buy everything.

I also think you guys are taking a decent-sized risk marking stuff up on Amazon. It could work out well and people will realize it's cheaper to just order from you and then they will do that. But there's also a chance they'll just buy a competing product on Amazon. I'm sure you guys know what you're doing, so keep us updated on how it works out.

Still though, as someone who uses Amazon regularly, it's irritating and frustrating to see how they basically screw over everyone except customers. Granted, the internet before Amazon screwed over customers instead of businesses. But there must be some happy medium...

My feeling is that there really isn't much competition for Schiit right now. There are other amp and DAC makers, surely, but I don't see how you can approach it like there are direct replacements for Schiit's products or vice versa. For enthusiasts, you generally decide BEFORE you end up on Amazon. For browsers, many will have to learn by experience that, as with cars, it's not a good idea to go to a seller without having done research.

 

[BeyerMonster]

Over the last few years we have been the victim of several increasingly complex fraud rings that use stolen credit cards, spoofed IP addresses, and drop houses. Internally, we have gotten very good at spotting fraudulent orders and have been able to keep those costs to a minimum.

 
tl;dr version:
Thanks for sharing. People suck. Happy you still sell stuff.
...
 
Much like most theft/piracy, a whole bunch of effort goes into mitigating things that just end up getting absorbed by everyone else who wants to pay a fair price for goods (food, headphones, art, etc). Things that sellers online and offline just shouldn't have to deal with.
 
I've learned to appreciate stories like this (and the serial returner Jason mentioned earlier) for what they are, but I don't get upset any more. Try to derive some entertainment from the story, appreciate the mildly humorous anecdote for what it is, and try not to fixate on how scummy people can be. It took a while, but I've just learned to accept that this kind of crap happens, the world can be a crappy place, and be happy that there are people out there willing to put up with this crap and still sell things.
 
If it means I have to pay the "idiots and thieves" tax surcharge, so be it. If that's the price I have to pay to have "nice things", I'll just try to be happy with the fact I can usually afford to pay it.