[Rensek]

The Mimby may have a tiny footprint, but it sounds mighty through my old 2 channel. Tonight it's given me a grand introduction to the Solti Ring Cycle, and brought out Mr Van Morrison in detail & texture I haven't heard before (Moondance, 100 plus listens).

Also, country doesn't get touched on here very often (ever?), but it really brought out the vocals of Reba in Fancy, & Randy Travis in Forever and Ever Amen, among many others. I tend to listen to country while woodworking.

Home improvement is more fun when it's Schitty.

 

[Rensek]

Question for the group, if you had 700 ish dollars to spend on 2ch audio components, where would you put it? Speakers excluded. Would you buy a preamp (saga), a DAC (mimby), and a 100ish amp? Or would you go straight for a Vidar and a Sys to control it (adding better components down the line)?

I guess what I'm wondering, is what do people feel is the most important aspect of a system, aside from speakers or headphones?

Or rather what is the least important item?

I'm convinced that the DAC matters almost as much as the transducers. What component infers the least amount of flavor to the system?

I know (feel) that my cheap 2.1 pc speakers sounded way way better after putting them through mimby/magni, then they did straight from my iPad. Those pc speakers have to be class D right?

Is it just a case of the quality Schiit components mitigating the sound degradation that gets to the system?

Opinions, thoughts, and ramblings very much appreciated by those more knowledgeable then I.

 

[MOFOfunk]

Tough and confusing questions will get you equally windy answers.

I would get a paper route and wait and see what Ragnarok II sells for.

But again it depends of where and for what you will use your rig. I would have to know what sort of speakers you are aiming at. And which’s and how many sources you have.

Is 700$ what you will spend on HIFI the rest of your life or is it just the beginning?

One way could be to: Get Saga and Modi multibit and hook them up to an old and heavy flea market amp. Try some 2nd hand speakers and see where it gets you. Save up for Vidar

DACs are nice but not so much without a preamp.
Preamps are nessesary to control input and volume. But useless without the power amp.
And so I reason that the power amp is the most important component in a 2ch setup. But it’s sharing the pole with transducers.

Which would suggest that you should grab the Vidar now while you have the dough and add the less important bits and pieces along the way.

It all depends...

 

[ItsAllInMyHead]

That's a great post!
I'm not going to steal anyone's ideas, but this post fits in the category of the "Music First Audiophile"
Again, nicely done. Post more if you get the chance.

Thank you for the complement. Happy to put stuff out there. Help me out with what you meant by "Music First Audiophile"? Should I post things like this elsewhere? Is that the name of a thread (I could not find it) or is that a descriptor of me? If it's of me, thanks! I'd say that's very fitting.

This group / forum reminds me a bit of a bunch of folks that don't know each other that got invited by a host (in this case Jason) to a party. We all jabber and run off into sub-groups until the host grabs us for supper. I never know what's in or out of bounds, but there seem to be some fun and extremely knowledgable (and did I mention fun?) folks here, so I'll read a lot and contribute where I can. I came a bit late to the game, but witnessing after the fact that people chipped in to buy a bike for someone (in many cases) on a different continent that they'd never met gives me hope for humanity.

As far as another recommendation... I'm listening to a new one (for me) as I type this, and I could not be more blown away.

Using a similar format...

Rodrigo Y Gabriela - 9 Dead Alive
- Listen to it when - You want to marvel at what 2 guys can do with guitars. You have some spare "headroom" i.e. won't p/o the neighbors or hurt your head. You'll want this loud, and you'll keep creeeeeping it up.
- Why I Think it's great (and I'm only 3 tracks in) - Ridiculous, Ridiculous, Ridiculous talent, and tone. From banging percussive body-beats to the subtlest overtones and harmonics.
- Standout Tracks - I just hit the intro to Misty Moses and the friggin' harmonics just gave me goosebumps. There's something about harmonics on guitars that they either make me smile or wince. I'll stop with the play-by-play.

Oh - and just for you.... Sorry, I just have to do it... Judy Garland's Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Yes, Really). But, Pink's version is pretty darned amazing, too.

Cheers

 

[ItsAllInMyHead]

(Moondance, 100 plus listens).

Also, country doesn't get touched on here very often (ever?), .... I tend to listen to country while woodworking.

Moondance is an all-timer for me, but I am definitely a Van fan. If you've not tried out Avalon Sunset or Days Like This, they may hit a sweet spot also for some after you're done working in the workshop albums. They're pretty laid back. Tupelo Honey is also one of my favorites as is the title track.

As for country... Not sure of your tastes, but a vocal you may dig that should shine on your rig is; "The Grand Tour" - 'The Possum'. It's definitely not a happy tune. If you're lookin' for happy, throw on - "The One I Loved Back Then (The Corvette Song)" also by George, or one of my absolute all time favorite make-me-smile songs (granted it's not for everyone) "Uneasy Rider" - Charlie Daniels. If you hate it, well like I said, It's not for everyone. YMMV (Pun intended)

As for a full album... hmmmmm... I'll start with.... .
Waylon Jennings - Ol' Waylon
- Listen to it when - you need to clean your Schiit in the workshop
- Why I think it's great - It's Waylon.... 'nuff said.
- Standout Tracks - Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love); Lucille; I Think I'm Gonna Kill Myself; Medley of Elvis Hits

Enjoy!

 

[Mike-WI]

Jason must be extremely busy cooking up some more fantastic Schiit for us Schiit-heads. He floated some really interesting stuff earlier and it will be interesting which (if any) make it to fruition ...

Vidar sized Class A amp?
A new Class A/B Asgard 3 with Contunuity? (Or will it remain as-is in a Classic Line?)
A Gumby Jr? (to replace Bifrost?) (I may have imagined this or it may have been alluded to by Mike in another thread)
Loki Max?
Sol Turntable? (It's got to be almost ready)
A CD transport?
A new USB controller? (for use with what??)
That Gadget? (Mike hasn't been saying much about that one lately)
A new phono preamp (tube-based?) to go with Sol? (I may have imagined that one too)

Who knows what lurks in the secret confines of the Schiit skunkworks that may be in varying stages of development. Hopefully @Jason Stoddard will pop-in and taunt us with tidbits and progress on the what-might-be's and ain't-gonna-happens! It's always quietest before the Schiit-storm -- and he's been awful quiet.

Remind me, is "Gadget" a digital switcher?
Given the increasing number of digital sources, seems like a great idea.

Mike

 

[ItsAllInMyHead]

Remind me, is "Gadget" a digital switcher?
Given the increasing number of digital sources, seems like a great idea.

Mike

I think it's a device that changes the pitch to C=256 or something of the sort while in the digital domain (most importantly) without altering the tempo. It is not a digital switching device from what I can remember.

 

[Ripper2860]

Rodrigo Y Gabriela - 9 Dead Alive
- Listen to it when - You want to marvel at what 2 guys can do with guitars. You have some spare "headroom" i.e. won't p/o the neighbors or hurt your head. You'll want this loud, and you'll keep creeeeeping it up.
- Why I Think it's great (and I'm only 3 tracks in) - Ridiculous, Ridiculous, Ridiculous talent, and tone. From banging percussive body-beats to the subtlest overtones and harmonics.
- Standout Tracks - I just hit the intro to Misty Moses and the friggin' harmonics just gave me goosebumps. There's something about harmonics on guitars that they either make me smile or wince. I'll stop with the play-by-play.

Excellent find!!!

 

[Mike-WI]

I think it's a device that changes the pitch to C=256 or something of the sort while in the digital domain (most importantly) without altering the tempo. It is not a digital switching device from what I can remember.

Thanks. Glad I asked.
What is the use case for the gadget?

Mike

 

[ItsAllInMyHead]

Thanks. Glad I asked.
What is the use case for the gadget?

Mike

I'll have to point you to Baldr's thread for a good answer. Essentially, from everything I've read that he's posted along with watching a video or two... it's supposed to just make music sound "more right". I understand a bit of music theory and tunings, but admittedly it's a bit beyond me. I would like to give it a try though. There are a few folks online that have done A/B playing of the same songs with different tunings, and I've certainly heard a difference. I cannot with certainty say that one is more pleasing to me than the other (A=440). I am not sure if we're supposed to post links but if you search YouTube, you should be able to find a few examples of "Verdi Tuning" etc.

If you search for "C=256 Mike Moffat" you'll get some good results for the Gadget aka Manhattan. Others may have additional info or know if we can post links. Also, I'm not sure if this should be on Jason's thread or Mike's. I've seen some sticklers around analog here and digital there.... but then again... we have my musings on music and cat pictures... so there's that.

Sorry I don't know more.

 

[Ableza]

A story to share. Yesterday a good friend of mine came by who also happens to be a musician, a guitarist and keyboard player in a jazz-rock fusion band. He wanted my opinion on something new he'd recorded. It was pretty good stuff, sort of Return To Forever with a reggae beat. It lit up my 2-channel system nicely. He noticed my headphones in my home office and asked about them. So I burned his new track onto my music server and let him listen on my Schiit Yggdrasil-Mjolnir 2-MrSpeakers Ether Flow C setup. He was blown out. "Wow," he said, "that sounds amazing. How many thousands of dollars did this setup cost?" I replied, "Does that matter? How many thousands of dollars did your guitars cost?" "Touché" was his reply. And then he spent a half hour listening to various tracks. When he left I had given him the Schiit and the MrSpeakers web site addresses. Another convert.

 

[RCBinTN]

Great story @Ableza
OK, I'm resubscribed. Decided to try the ignore advice.
I was missing you folks too much...
I already learned it's been too long since I listened to The Yes Album and Waylon Jennings.

 

[RCBinTN]

I've tried many, many times to rate albums and tracks, and I just cannot do it. Your timing is great though. Last night a friend of mine listened to a few of my headphones, and then we spent hours listening to random stuff through the LS50Ws after he got sucked in. He had never listened to recorded music except through car speakers and/or a bluetooth type speaker, or headphones that come free with phones etc. It was a joy to watch his reactions. The sequence was ... Oh well if you think you like THAT well then listen to THIS... Followed shortly by WOW / DUDE! / $chiit-Eating Grin... He asked me to put together a list of songs he could use to go listen to equipment. After about an hour I came up with a fairly long list.

Well onto actually answering your question - To me, there are some really poor recordings that I still adore just because... If you're looking for some recommendations for things that are well-recorded - I actually have no idea what is well recorded or not, but here are a few that I think sound pretty great that may not be known as well. They're in no particular order, and are not in any "Top 5", but I put a few notes as to why I like them. I hope you will, too. They're what popped into my head in the moment, and you can go from Meiko to Warren Zevon...

Alison Krauss - 100 Miles or More: A Collection.
- Listen to it when - you don't mind shedding a tear
- Why I think it's great - Incredible recordings. That voice, that voice, that voice.
- Stand out tracks - Lay Down Beside Me (Old Don Williams Tune); Whiskey Lullaby; Jacob's Dream (Get your tissues)

Roy Orbison and Friends - A Black and White Night
- Listen to it when - you want (or need) to bounce around and smile
- Why I think it's great - It's ROY and darn near everyone else. I mean c'mon Bonnie Raitt, Jennifer Warnes, and KD Lang are his Doo-Wop Girls. It's an EPIC group of people having an all-out blast playing music.
- Stand out tracks - O' Pretty Woman (James Burton, Bruce Springsteen, and Roy jamming is FUN); Crying.
- If you ever come across a copy of the Blu-Ray - grab it.

Yes - The Yes Album
- Listen to it when - you want to take a straight and stronger course to the corner of your life.
- Why I think it's great - Dunno... I just do
- Standout tracks - I've Seen All Good People (Maybe a Top 5 song),

Willie Nelson - Milk Cow Blues
- Listen to it when - Coffee time, chill. When you don't mind looking up from your work and to no-one in particular just nodding your head and going "Cool!"
- Why I think it's great - some amazing recordings with some phenomenal musicians and vocalists. Makes me grin.
- Standout tracks - ALL of it. Texas Flood and Night Life if you forced me to pick.

Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company
- Listen to it when - You may feel nostalgic, who knows... It does take a mood
- Why I think it's great - I think Ray Charles had one of the coolest, most expressive voices in music. The song choices and pairings.
- Standout tracks - Do I Ever Cross Your Mind, Sinner's Prayer, Here We Go Again, Crazy Love ... yeah just all of 'em.

Happy Listening!

Thank you for the tip about Willie Nelson's Milk Cow Blues.
He is a fantastic artist...I will find that CD!

 

[ItsAllInMyHead]

Great story @Ableza

I already learned it's been too long since I listened to The Yes Album and Waylon Jennings.

Warms my heart. Welcome back.

A story to share.... Another convert.

Very Cool!

 

[Ableza]

@RCBinTN I'll pay you a dollar to produce a listenable mashup of Yes and Waylon Jennings.