[ThePianoMan]

Awesome Chapter Jason, thanks.
I lost it when you mentioned the cat puke in one of the service amps. Do you have more funny stories/mysteries you'd be willing to share?

 

[NA Blur]

Walter Deming, considered the father of modern quality, talks about service and how it is often overlooked as a quality factor.
 
"Our customers should take joy in our products and services" and " Profit in business comes from repeat customers, that boast about your project or service, ann that bring friends with them."
Walter E. Deming

 

[mkozlows]

 

• USB port power management problems. Number one with a bullet. We have very few problems with drivers these days…but getting a USB port not to throttle power sometimes seems to take an act of God.

 
So what's the obstacle to using the regular device power supply rather than USB power? I mean, obviously that wouldn't work for Fulla or Modi, but for Bifrost and up? If it would get rid of common service issues (and whatever kind of sound quality issues might be involved with bad USB power), it seems like it'd be a big win. Is this more expensive/more complicated than I'd think?

 

[madwolfa]

  So what's the obstacle to using the regular device power supply rather than USB power? 

 
So every time you turn off your DAC it would "disappear" from the system?

 

[swannie007]

Great chapter Jason, thank you. If only more companies took a more proactive approach to service many would still be in business.
Bad service is like a cancer and will eat a company alive if neglected. As an example, there are some highly regarded companies who will never see another dollar from me due to bad, or virtually non-existent, service. Bad service is talked about more than good service, unfortunately. 
Way to go Schiit, keep up the good work! Cheers from Oz.

 

[earnmyturns]

Download/ write sdcard.

Boot.

Grab IP from router.

Mount NAS.

Listen to music.

Your issues with upnp sound like networking issues, not software issues.

Mounting NAS is exactly what I don't want to do, the UI for Volumio 1.55 sucks, indexing a large library is a joke (I tried). BubbleUPnP is infinitely better for my use cases. As for "networking issues," sorry, no. Sonore software (1.3 on SOtM sMS-100, 2.1 on Sonicorbiter SE) works perfectly. My data network is all wired with CAT-6, 1Gb (Ubiquiti EdgeRouter PoE-5 and best Netgear 1gb switches), . The Android UPnP control points talk to the data network via a Unifi UAP-AC WiFi access point. I built this network with pro-quality gear to handle hi-res well, I've tested it thoroughly, and it works beautifully, except for the problem I described. I appreciate that UPnP/DLNA are protocol cans-of-worms, but clearly, Volumio 1.55 has a race condition in its handling of UPnP command sequences from BubbleUPnP. Life is way too short for me to waste time on tracking this down further, or searching for other distros. A few $100 to Sonore are more than worth it.

 

[earnmyturns]

  5.  Browse to SMB location
 

You didn't read what I wrote. What's failing is UPnP/DLNA. I don't want to NFS or SMB, because I dislike how remote-mounting control points organize/index tracks, compared with what I get from BubbleUPnP, which matches my use cases and UI preferences very well. The point, again, is that self-service through OSS is fine (I've used it many, many times) until it isn't. Paying someone a reasonable markup for a tested packaged config that meets your needs is no shame, and in fact helps the ecosystem if you can afford it. Same reason I give to public radio and favorite podcast sources like Radiotopia. 

 

[JK-47]

First off, I would like to say that Jason has given me great customer service. I am the former owner of the tube eating Mjolnir 2 refered to in this part of the latest chapter. 
 
A Mjolnir 2 that came back, “eating” expensive NOS tubes. I took that one, figuring it would be easy—a bad heater regulator, overbiased, oscillating, something like that. Nope. Heaters were perfect. Biased perfectly. Not oscillating. Sounded great. Stuffed it on the burn-in rack for days with stock tubes. No problems. That had to go back to the customer with a  “no fault found” diagnosis.
 
I did not claim the tubes were "expensive NOS" at any point, I just stated what was happening, and to what model of tube. I never mentioned tube price or asked for anything other than to have the amp looked at. I sold the Mjolnir 2 and bought a Vali 2, to make use of the orphaned tubes. If I didn't think Jason looked after me properly, I wouldn't have bought the Vali 2.
 
Jason, thanks again for personally taking the time to look at the amp.

 

[tonykaz]

  Audiophile Fuses ?
 
I was just cruising along, reading, yawning a bit, hmm, this seems like an "Orientation" segment in a "New Hire" initiation program.           
 
Then, Kerpow : "Audiophile Fuses"  you gotta be kidding me!   Getoutahere! ,  I had to laugh, you woke me with that one.  
 
Now that I'm Awake I'd like to mention my disappointment :  My favorite Audiophile Company ( not counting Sennheiser ) doesn't have a CEO ! 
 
Even that "Super" regarded Amp Company in the Southwest ( the one with no Amps to sell anyone ), has a dam CEO !, they even provide new owners with a "Lifetime" warrantee.
 
I wonder if anyone, out there, beside Cavalli, are still offering wayyyyyyy-long warrantees?   The Korean Car people offer a "limited" 10 years but you can buy a CNA "Service" agreement to extend the Full Coverage out to 10 years. You can buy the CNA service contract for "Any" Car.  It's a good idea considering the price to repair the failed electronics inside that Dash Board ( or Transmission ) !   
 
I'm pleased with the 5 years that you provide my Asgard2 !   Some of my Sennheisers are 25 years old and still singing their hearts out. Phew, how much longer should anyone expect? 
 
100,000 Products in the Field !   Holy Cow !!!    You guys can take your foot off the Gas!
 
And now you wanna do 2 channel.  You'll be upstairs, at the Venician, with the Big Boys like D'Augistino.  It will be amusing to see the "Press" Coverage you get, I wonder if you'll be spinning records and all that. Hmm, what Speakers would be featured? and are you gonna have trusses for your speaker cable "interfaces"?   With a name like Schiit you're gonna be throwing a Wrench into their works.  I might have to stop in just to see it.  I can see the Poster :  an old table Fan with the Schiit hitting it!
 
Ok, nice Chapter, explaining your Service Department, it's what I expect it would be, you confirmed my estimations.   
 
Tony in Michigan
 
ps.   Are there any of those "special" fuses available for my Asgard2 ?

 

[tonykaz]

Lifetime warrantees from Google search,
 
Well, I found 32 outfits offering Lifetime: 
 
Koss the headphone people ( I was surprised )
 
Craftsman Tools    --  I've used it, it's true.  I knew this one. 
 
Ridgid Tools  -- I own two of their Shop vacs and didn't know about the lifetime.
 
Timbuk2 --  I've bought plenty of this outfit's stuff , my Wallet is a Timbuk2, I use their Courier Bags for Business travel.   Didn't know about the Lifetime.
 
Zippo still backs up their lighters with Lifetime!    I knew this one but forgot. 
 
+ at least 27 other outfits including Cutco Knives which I own and DON'T recommend  ( OXO Good Grips outa England is better at 1/10 the price ) 
 
Tony in Michigan 
 
ps.  Marriage still offers the possibility of being miserable for a person's lifetime but it's an option, determined on a case by case basis.  

 

[valiant66]

I wonder if anyone, out there, beside Cavalli, are still offering wayyyyyyy-long warrantees?   The Korean Car people offer a "limited" 10 years but you can buy a CNA "Service" agreement to extend the Full Coverage out to 10 years. You can buy the CNA service contract for "Any" Car.  It's a good idea considering the price to repair the failed electronics inside that Dash Board ( or Transmission ) !   

Bryston (a fine Canadian audio company) still has a 20 year warranty on their analogue gear (including speakers!), although their digital stuff is only 5. http://bryston.com/pages/warranty.html

 

[hekeli]

Mayflower offers 10 years warranty on their ODAC/O2 etc. It's amazing how people can live on soldering and selling that stuff. Should start making fancy cables instead..

 

[catspaw]

1. A Ragnarok with a near full-grown cockroach in it. No clue if it caused the problem…still wondering how it got in there.

 
Pffff, that one is easy: Cockroaches like good Schiit.

 

[Serenitty]

 
  Audiophile Fuses ?
 
I was just cruising along, reading, yawning a bit, hmm, this seems like an "Orientation" segment in a "New Hire" initiation program.           
 
Then, Kerpow : "Audiophile Fuses"  you gotta be kidding me!   Getoutahere! ,  I had to laugh, you woke me with that one.  
 
Now that I'm Awake I'd like to mention my disappointment :  My favorite Audiophile Company ( not counting Sennheiser ) doesn't have a CEO ! 
 
Even that "Super" regarded Amp Company in the Southwest ( the one with no Amps to sell anyone ), has a dam CEO !, they even provide new owners with a "Lifetime" warrantee.
 
I wonder if anyone, out there, beside Cavalli, are still offering wayyyyyyy-long warrantees?   The Korean Car people offer a "limited" 10 years but you can buy a CNA "Service" agreement to extend the Full Coverage out to 10 years. You can buy the CNA service contract for "Any" Car.  It's a good idea considering the price to repair the failed electronics inside that Dash Board ( or Transmission ) !   
 
I'm pleased with the 5 years that you provide my Asgard2 !   Some of my Sennheisers are 25 years old and still singing their hearts out. Phew, how much longer should anyone expect? 
 
100,000 Products in the Field !   Holy Cow !!!    You guys can take your foot off the Gas!
 
And now you wanna do 2 channel.  You'll be upstairs, at the Venician, with the Big Boys like D'Augistino.  It will be amusing to see the "Press" Coverage you get, I wonder if you'll be spinning records and all that. Hmm, what Speakers would be featured? and are you gonna have trusses for your speaker cable "interfaces"?   With a name like Schiit you're gonna be throwing a Wrench into their works.  I might have to stop in just to see it.  I can see the Poster :  an old table Fan with the Schiit hitting it!
 
Ok, nice Chapter, explaining your Service Department, it's what I expect it would be, you confirmed my estimations.   
 
Tony in Michigan
 
ps.   Are there any of those "special" fuses available for my Asgard2 ?

Tony, you may have just provided the title for the next chapter, "Never take your foot off the Gas"

 

[MrSlim]

Nevermind