[wout31]

They might suffer from I-Spent-ALOT-so-it-better-BE-GOOD-iditiosis once in a while. Same with wine

With Schiit gear THAT can never happen. Dirt cheap!

 

[HumanFly]

So how many days to go till flushing day?

 

[OldRoadToad]

.

 

[bagwell359]

logged in to give this answer (US Blues 3 posts above).. looks like someone doing more reading then listening/using...

On other topics:

I much prefer the Gumby over Yiggy if anyone wants to know. It's like a piece of Pass equipment. Very revealing and honest but a with a bit of sweetness - the Yggy is Joe Friday. I just sold off the first 10k of my vinyl collection because of the Gumby.

The 1.7i is nominally 4 ohms but spends a good deal of time not only under 4 ohms, but under 2 (not much current in the highs true, but it's down in the bass too (not by that much under). I'd like to hear that someone has used the 1.7i hooked up to the Vidar(s) on multiple recordings at near clip levels before we know.

I've got the Ragnarok and the Gumby: I hope Schiit comes out with a pure class A 2 ch amp through ~20 watts, that drops into A/B up to 150 watts that will drive a short (think Pass X150.5). Bet they could do it for under $2k. A/B amps like the Vidar (Classe, Adcom, etc.) spank the Class D stuff, but, just can't match Class A (tube or transistor). The best sounding amps if you can deal with the low watts is Pass's "First Watt" amps (J2), but, probably not enough commercial interest for Schitt (too bad), I'd buy either of those amps if Schiit made them.

 

[rlow]

logged in to give this answer (US Blues 3 posts above).. looks like someone doing more reading then listening/using...

On other topics:

I much prefer the Gumby over Yiggy if anyone wants to know. It's like a piece of Pass equipment. Very revealing and honest but a with a bit of sweetness - the Yggy is Joe Friday. I just sold off the first 10k of my vinyl collection because of the Gumby.

The 1.7i is nominally 4 ohms but spends a good deal of time not only under 4 ohms, but under 2 (not much current in the highs true, but it's down in the bass too (not by that much under). I'd like to hear that someone has used the 1.7i hooked up to the Vidar(s) on multiple recordings at near clip levels before we know.

I've got the Ragnarok and the Gumby: I hope Schiit comes out with a pure class A 2 ch amp through ~20 watts, that drops into A/B up to 150 watts that will drive a short (think Pass X150.5). Bet they could do it for under $2k. A/B amps like the Vidar (Classe, Adcom, etc.) spank the Class D stuff, but, just can't match Class A (tube or transistor). The best sounding amps if you can deal with the low watts is Pass's "First Watt" amps (J2), but, probably not enough commercial interest for Schitt (too bad), I'd buy either of those amps if Schiit made them.

Given the prevalence and trend of high sensitivity speakers these days, and assuming the Vidar is a success (my own experience with it would say that it should be), it wouldn't surprise me if Jason eventually builds a lower wattage, all class A amp, if he felt there were some unique sonic benefits to such a design/topology.

Also I have Gumby too- have considered going to Yggy, but all indications and descriptions of the sonic differences between the two have me sticking with it. With Gen 5 USB, it has taken another leap forward as well.

So are you powering your Maggies with Ragnarok? If so, and you like it, Vidar will have no issues driving them I don't believe, based on the feedback of others who have heard both.

Edit: to say nothing of the power spec improvements as well.

 

[peterzzz]

Last Friday I had the opportnuuty to (briefly) visit the Schiitr. With me I brought my Custom JH3x-Pro and a laptop with some tracks I know well:

- The Happy Pals New Orleans Party Orchestra - NOLA - Royal Telephone
- The FB Pocket Orchestra - Guerilla Jazz - Lost My Girl From Memphis
- C.P.E. Bach - The Three Cello Concertos (H. Suzuki) - Wq.170 I Allegro assai

The first two are from albums available as digital download on Bandcamp (go have a listen), the last I ripped from CD.

I went specifically to listen to the MB magic; I'm fairly familiar with the various DS DACs.

The first 'problem' I ran into is that all the multi-bit DACs were paired with tube amps. And all except the Mjolnir 2 (as paired with the Gungnir MB) had a completely unacceptable noise floor. The Mjolnir 2 was still rather noisy, but was down to a level where you could at least listen to music.

I briefly tried the 3 solid state amps available:

- Fulla 2, noisy but not to a level where it dominates if you're playing music.
- Jotunheim, quiet, internal DAC, no MB.
- Asgard, quiet, but paired with a 4490 Bifrost.

So back to the Gungnir MB with the noisy tube amp... Wow! So much definition / micro-detail. The NOLA album is a live recording with audience, there's _tons_ of detail and on lesser equipment quickly becomes a complete muddle, but the gumby took it all apart without effort. Everything was where it should be, rock solid imaging. And again, wow, what definition. Most impressed.

The FB Pocket Orchestra is a studio recording of exceptional quality. This provides an entirely different set of details to listen to, like the the pluck of the strings, the impact on the drum-skin etc. But sadly some of these were obscured by the noise of the amp.

The Cello concerto I love, the timbre of Cello was right (I frequently get to hear the instruments live). Which brings us to another point, I'm fairly sensitive to (excessive) trebble. And I found the Mjolnir 2 to be ever so slightly brighter than I'm comfortable with. Same with the Asgard, which I only briefly tried.

After listening to the Gungnir/Mjolnir stack for a while, I tried some of the headphones that Schiit had hanging on the wall. The HD800 has _amazing_ imagine and detail, but I could not live with it; it sounds flat and boring.
Bear with me before you hate on me. Its the bass, or rather the lack of it. Yes you can hear the notes, but there's no body, no punch, nothing. Of course, the HD800 is too bright for me, but its not painfully so.

Stand next to a double bass and those notes will slap you, stand next to a kick drum and its a whole body experience. HD800 has nothing, it gently strokes you where it should kick you in the gut.

The MrSpeaker Ether C Flow; I own an Alpha Dog, and was pleasantly (but not unexpectedly so) surprised by how far Dan has come with its headphones. After being gauged on the JH3x's bass however the Ether C Flow still suffers from. this planar magnetic lack of punch. It is worlds better than the HD800 though, no question about that. But after having heard the imaging and details of the HD800 the Ether C Flow does sound somewhat constricted. It is a great headphone though, I did enjoy listening to it.

Lastly I tried the Audeze LCD-XC, it started off good, nice imagine for a closed phone (slightly wider than the Ether C Flow I felt) and good detail, but I had to take the headphones off after a short while listening to the FB Pocket Orchestra, the trumpet had something nasty to it. A harsh glare that I simply could not deal with.


Sadly my time ran out and had to get back to doing what I was in LA for; I would have loved to try a Bimby with the Asgard, but alas time flies (and I wasn't sure if I was supposed to go rebuild their stacks). I had great time at the Schiitr and recommend anyone able to make the treck to do so.

Here I sit on the plane out of LAX, listening to these same tracks through my FiiO Q1 (which I feel has a very good PRAT/$ ratio) wondering if there's ever going to be a mobile MB device. Maybe a Centrance / Schiit collab? They have that mobile thing down and could take those worries out of Jason's hands.

I realize this is all a bit long and rambling, but given the history of this thread maybe not excessively so. Thanks for reading this far

(Edited to restore 2 paragraphs that went missing ...)

 

[earnmyturns]

Sadly my time ran out and had to get back to doing what I was in LA for; I would have loved to try a Bimby with the Asgard, but alas time flies (and I wasn't sure if I was supposed to go rebuild their stacks).

I owned Bimby+Asgard 2, then replaced the A2 by a Jot, which gave me a somewhat cleaner mid-upper range, especially for percussive higher piano notes (I listen to lots of modern jazz piano -- Rubalcaba, Taborn, Virelles, Iyer, ..., listening now to the wonderful new ECM release by Stefano Battaglia "Pelagos") and cymbals. But both are amazing value with C Flows. My Bimby is being upgraded to Gen 5 as I write, hoping to get it back next week. As you can see from my sig, my home office system is on a different price bracket, but I'm still very happy to listen to Bimby+Jot at length.

 

[EricDH]

Hey guys,

Sorry to be scarce, but it's been a busy couple of weeks. We're heading for what you might call a "triple flusher." That is, we're introducing three new products:

One will be two weeks before RMAF, on September 19. This one may be small in size and price. It may even look a bit familiar (doesn't all of our stuff?), but it's going to be very, very big in terms of performance and features. I'll avoid using the usual "never be the same again/resetting the bar/punching above its weight" hype, but we're really proud of this one. I'm excited to hear what you think.

Then, you'll see another new product one week before RMAF, on the 26th. This one is a new take on a very old idea, and will almost certainly cause some significant grumpitude and harrumphing from the, ahem, more traditional audiophile crowd. It's time to start skewering some sacred cows. But again, this one will be affordable as well. I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to the pro/con discussion.

And finally, at RMAF, we'll have something really groundbreaking. This one you won't be able to buy right away, but it will be a fully-functional look at something we've been working on for a long time. This one is a new take on a new idea, and it's definitely going to cause some lively discussions. I won't say any more, but you'll certainly be hearing more about this one—and, if you like what you hear, you'll be able to try it for yourself soon, for a very affordable price tag.

I'll try for an interim chapter before the 19th, but no promises. This is a busy month!

All the best,
Jason

My tea leave reading.....

Number one: no idea. Can't be the Gadget, as the Gadget has only one feature.

Number two: reads like it could be an equalizer. That would definitely make some audiophiles grumble.

Number three: well, this must be the Gadget then....

 

[Dalgas]

Hey guys,

Sorry to be scarce, but it's been a busy couple of weeks. We're heading for what you might call a "triple flusher." That is, we're introducing three new products:

One will be two weeks before RMAF, on September 19. This one may be small in size and price. It may even look a bit familiar (doesn't all of our stuff?), but it's going to be very, very big in terms of performance and features. I'll avoid using the usual "never be the same again/resetting the bar/punching above its weight" hype, but we're really proud of this one. I'm excited to hear what you think.

Then, you'll see another new product one week before RMAF, on the 26th. This one is a new take on a very old idea, and will almost certainly cause some significant grumpitude and harrumphing from the, ahem, more traditional audiophile crowd. It's time to start skewering some sacred cows. But again, this one will be affordable as well. I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to the pro/con discussion.

And finally, at RMAF, we'll have something really groundbreaking. This one you won't be able to buy right away, but it will be a fully-functional look at something we've been working on for a long time. This one is a new take on a new idea, and it's definitely going to cause some lively discussions. I won't say any more, but you'll certainly be hearing more about this one—and, if you like what you hear, you'll be able to try it for yourself soon, for a very affordable price tag.

I'll try for an interim chapter before the 19th, but no promises. This is a busy month!

All the best,
Jason

Christmas comes early this year. I was about to pull the trigger on a SOtM sMS-200 mini network player. I guess I'll wait another week or two now. Maybe there is a new piece of Schiit that I must have.

 

[artur9]

I was about to pull the trigger on a SOtM sMS-200 mini network player.

I had one of those and loved it. Can't see it being beat if you combine it with an Eitr. Only reason I replaced it was to get away from USB. Cannot recommend it highly enough.

 

[JoeWhip]

Looking at the posts regarding the Gumby and Yggy. I have to disagree. I had the original Gungnir and upgraded to the MB the day it became available. Early this year I got the Yggy. I find the Yggy to be the better DAC by a good margin. Natural, open, spacious and detailed. Loved the Gumby but the Yggy is very impressive.

 

[Robert Wortman]

Color me skeptical. I am a little bit of a cheapskate but that's not the whole reason. DAC's from cheap to outrageous pretty much measure distortion free and flat in frequency response from 20hz to near the Nyquist frequency of the sampling rate. In fact, some of the outrageous ones intentionally have worse distortion than the mass market cheap ones. I know specs aren't everything but I have difficulty believing that any DAC with less than .01% distortion, SNR above 90db, and flat frequency response is going to sound different than any other by a large margin. One of the worst pieces of crap I ever had on hand in my shop was a Sharp CD player that probably cost $39. I got it free and was using it for a test signal source. When it wasn't refusing to load a CD it didn't sound bad at all. Not as good as the better hardware I had at the time but the difference was pretty subtle. It produced sine waves at any frequency up to 20khz that looked perfect. I used it to show an internet audio expert that no, digital audio players do not produce stair step wave forms at their output. I know, people say music isn't sine waves but that's because they don't know what they are talking about. Every sound and every non DC electrical signal is a sum of sine waves. I don't dispute that you like your big Schiit better than your little Schiit but I bet if the levels got matched and lights went off, you'd have difficulty telling them apart. When I was putting together budget audio systems to give away, I would use decent speakers, a reasonable amp, and whatever cheap-a++ digital source I could find. Even a $20 DVD player wasn't that bad compared to what they were used to listening to.

 

[JoeWhip]

Another all DACs sound the same argument? I guess the chipsets, algorithms, and most importantly, the quality of the analog output stage with power supplies etc. doesn't matter. Yep, a 1990's CDP from Sharp can match the output stage of an Yggy.

 

[KoshNaranek]

Another all DACs sound the same argument? I guess the chipsets, algorithms, and most importantly, the quality of the analog output stage with power supplies etc. doesn't matter. Yep, a 1990's CDP from Sharp can match the output stage of an Yggy.

Don't get too worked up. If he doesn't hear the difference, then he doesn't. No amount of arguing is going to convince him otherwise.

Just kick back and enjoy the music. IMHO, there is nothing like the bamboo flute to calm one.

 

[valiant66]

By cheap I mean $40, which have been upgraded to ≈$65/set. (Dayton B652's)

And the wires I use to feed them are $125.
So literally my speakers are the 'least expensive' single component in my entire system.

JJ

Sure. But how much did you spend on your headphones, and what proportion of time do you spend listening to them versus your speakers?

I too have a cheap pair of speakers, but I don’t care what they sound like because they get less than 10 hrs use per year.
.