[valiant66]

Cables
.

 

[ScubaMan2017]

No....{{{snip}}}...No...... {{{snip}}}}....No......{{{{snip}}}....Longer response: we list B-stock when we get around to it. There's no rhyme or reason. If you want to inquire about unlisted b-stock, I suggest orders@schiit.com.

I appreciate my vendor not playing head-games like that. The B-stock is just that. A clearing house of new (or refurbished) gear. It builds trust. I'll be honest -- I was nervous about buying my Asgard2-Bifrost-black-stack-combo-pack (priced to blow away). I was fearing that I'd be buying obsolete, meh-quality gear. WRONG. My Asgard 2 with its puny (?!) 1W output is plenty strong to drive my Beyers (600ohm) and HD6XX. And my Bifrost... well... it just sounds.... I dunno... good.
I'm a happy customer.

 

[ScubaMan2017]

PLEASE! @Jason Stoddard For the love of (insert your Higher Power here) make an archive page for your legacy manuals and product specifications.

It's super frustrating when I can download manuals for mainboards and review QVLs from 2002, but can't download a manual or see specs for my Saga purchased in 2017.

If I'm somehow missing that this is available ... please feel free to flame me to high (insert your choice of fiery place of doom here).

EDIT: When I say available, I don't mean an email to Schiit support. I mean readily available on the fly somewhere on the site.

I contacted customer support about that issue. Web Archive gave me the legacy product specifications I was looking for. Their archive for Schiit goes back to 2010! Nice. Anyway, My 2 cents...

 

[bcowen]

That is the last thing we want to see.

Then I shouldn't be expecting your pre-order of the video? Dangit.

 

[Mkoll]

I'm sure this has been mentioned in this thread already but even if it has, it bears repeating: balanced Loki with more tone controls please! I think this would sell like hotcakes. I know I'd buy one.

 

[johnjen]

Tube 'maintenance' is a thing for those who want/need to keep high levels of SQ, as the tubes age.
And depending upon how detail oriented you are will determine the lengths to which you will/can go…

For me, I use Scotch Brite (not steel wool as slivers of steel and tube circuits are not a good match) and then I wipe clean the pins after burnishing them, and then I use Deoxit Gold as the 'finish' treatment.

I would exercise caution using Deoxit red due to its aggressive nature, and if used be sure to remove ALL of it after the pins have been cleaned.

And if things are really cruddy consider getting really small (plastic bristle NOT metal bristles) pin brushes to clean the tube sockets.
Finding pin brushes for the extra tiny 7 and 9 pin tubes is a bit of a challenge but for octal sockets (and larger) along with 3 and 4 pin XLR and RCA connectors, these pin brushes work rather well.

And if the cleaning bug has been triggered, also consider cleaning the IEC and standard AC connectors (both the male and female contacts) using the Deoxit Gold.
And use as little of the Deoxit gold as possible.
IOW don't just hose it on and leave it, instead use a Q-tip or cloth etc. (NOT saturated wet, but slightly moist) to wipe the mating surfaces and leave as little behind as possible.

And after all that, don't be surprised at the SQ shift…
Just say'n is all…

JJ

 

[GearMe]

Stripping and screwing top the list of things I want to do.

(ugh...sorry)

That is the last thing we want to see.

Then I shouldn't be expecting your pre-order of the video? Dangit.

NOW I get your avatar @bcowen !!!

I originally thought this was a Tarheel thing...

But it's really just the beginning of your act?!

Welp...I say hone your craft; maybe you'll be next year's Superbowl Halftime Show

 

[bcowen]

Tube 'maintenance' is a thing for those who want/need to keep high levels of SQ, as the tubes age.
And depending upon how detail oriented you are will determine the lengths to which you will/can go…

For me, I use Scotch Brite (not steel wool as slivers of steel and tube circuits are not a good match) and then I wipe clean the pins after burnishing them, and then I use Deoxit Gold as the 'finish' treatment.

I would exercise caution using Deoxit red due to its aggressive nature, and if used be sure to remove ALL of it after the pins have been cleaned.

And if things are really cruddy consider getting really small (plastic bristle NOT metal bristles) pin brushes to clean the tube sockets.
Finding pin brushes for the extra tiny 7 and 9 pin tubes is a bit of a challenge but for octal sockets (and larger) along with 3 and 4 pin XLR and RCA connectors, these pin brushes work rather well.

And if the cleaning bug has been triggered, also consider cleaning the IEC and standard AC connectors (both the male and female contacts) using the Deoxit Gold.
And use as little of the Deoxit gold as possible.
IOW don't just hose it on and leave it, instead use a Q-tip or cloth etc. (NOT saturated wet, but slightly moist) to wipe the mating surfaces and leave as little behind as possible.

And after all that, don't be surprised at the SQ shift…
Just say'n is all…

JJ

Dirty tube pins should be made illegal, because as soon as you plug the tube in you've just nastied up the corresponding socket. I use pipe cleaners for both tube pins and octal (or larger) sockets, and the thingies below work great for 9-pin and other miniature tube sockets. Totally agree that it's best to apply the cleaner of choice to the cleaning instrument, and then apply it to the pins and/or socket contacts. Unless something is really gunked up or corroded, good old isopropyl alcohol works well and evaporates quickly leaving no residue.

 

[bcowen]

NOW I get your avatar @bcowen !!!

I originally thought this was a Tarheel thing...

But it's really just the beginning of your act?!

Welp...I say hone your craft; maybe you'll be next year's Superbowl Halftime Show

LOL! I have a feeling anything further I say on this would be considered revolting, so I just won't.

 

[johnjen]

Dirty tube pins should be made illegal, because as soon as you plug the tube in you've just nastied up the corresponding socket. I use pipe cleaners for both tube pins and octal (or larger) sockets, and the thingies below work great for 9-pin and other miniature tube sockets. Totally agree that it's best to apply the cleaner of choice to the cleaning instrument, and then apply it to the pins and/or socket contacts. Unless something is really gunked up or corroded, good old isopropyl alcohol works well and evaporates quickly leaving no residue.

Those just might work for me but they also necessitate checking to make sure I wouldn't leave any residual cotton behind which would be counter-productive. And the same for the pipe cleaners since they also use semi-loose fibers.

Here is the set of brushes I use…
https://www.ebay.com/itm/LMH-Small-...zQAAOSwv0tU9xmq:sc:USPSFirstClass!98126!US!-1
But unfortunately this set doesn't go small enough for the 7 & 9 pin sockets.

JJ

 

[US Blues]

The best way to clean tubes and tube sockets is to put them in your vinyl cleaning machine.

 

[leonthebumme]

Dirty tube pins should be made illegal, because as soon as you plug the tube in you've just nastied up the corresponding socket. I use pipe cleaners for both tube pins and octal (or larger) sockets, and the thingies below work great for 9-pin and other miniature tube sockets. Totally agree that it's best to apply the cleaner of choice to the cleaning instrument, and then apply it to the pins and/or socket contacts. Unless something is really gunked up or corroded, good old isopropyl alcohol works well and evaporates quickly leaving no residue.

Wait, so it's okay to clean out the tube sockets with something like isopropyl? (With the unit unplugged, obviously.) I would have thought getting moisture inside an electronic device like the Freya would be bad?

 

[bcowen]

Wait, so it's okay to clean out the tube sockets with something like isopropyl? (With the unit unplugged, obviously.) I would have thought getting moisture inside an electronic device like the Freya would be bad?

I've done it for 25+ years with good results. You have the first step totally correct: unplug the unit. I then dip the end of a pipe cleaner (for an octal socket) in isopropyl and squeeze off the excess so that the end is moist but not dripping wet. Insert in the tube socket contact, and move it up and down. Repeat as necessary with a clean one if the tip comes back all black and yucky, and then follow that with a dry one. You can cut the pipe cleaner into 1/4's to economize...just leave enough length to easily get into the socket hole. With the isopropyl, the higher the concentration the more quickly it evaporates (whatever is between the labeled percent and 100% is just water). No need to go with lab grade stuff, but 93% or higher is recommended so that it dries quickly. I use 99%, but then I tend to always overdo things. And don't use rubbing alcohol as that has lanolin and other skin conditioners in it that will leave a residue. Let the unit sit for 5-10 minutes for good measure before reinstalling the tubes and plugging it back in to make sure any residual moisture has evaporated.

 

[johnjen]

The best way to clean tubes and tube sockets is to put them in your vinyl cleaning machine.

It's the spin cycle that'll do them in… hahahahahahahahahaha

JJ

 

[treecloud]

We have several musicians on staff at Schiit, and one of our technicians, Zacchias, will frequently pick up Lisa's guitar and carry it around the shop, playing. Every time I hear it, I think, "Holy crap, that's the best speaker I've ever heard..." and then I realize just how far we are away from reproducing even a single instrument. Your analogy of "a box too small to contain reality" is shockingly accurate.
Seriously, thanks for the perspective, because it really got me thinking. I really hope everyone finds what makes them happy, that allows themselves to suspend their disbelief, and live for a time in a box that is big enough to deliver at least a small slice of reality. And I hope they can do it without going far, far down the rabbit hole.

Well I'm happy it struck a chord. It is an interesting topic with lots of corners. We're riding the history of the technology of art train, which at bottom one might think is the drive to find and create better and better conveyances of aesthetic experience. Then you hear a tune on your phone with earbuds and you're just floating. Suspension of disbelief is not solely dependent on quality of reproduction, it's also emotional receptivity (gotta be in the mood). And the drive/compulsion to reproduce reality exactly does not end with music and film, now we're cloning and genetically modifying biology (who knows where that will eventually lead). The basic drive may be to answer age old philosophical that may be unanswerable. It's almost as if we consciously/unconsciously seek omniscience, and we could almost get there if we could only reproduce reality exactly.

Well IMHO we ain't gonna get there, but music, when it's right, in it's various conveyances, is damn close. It's what makes audio the best hobby ever.

In the early stages of the rabbit hole, before you quite know where the edges of the box are, in the back of the mind you think you're going to get there. Aural glimpses along the way fuel the fire. Eventually you start to realize you're chasing your tail a little bit...everything sounds different, some better, some a lot better! But it still probably doesn't sound like you have a string quartet sitting in the room (well maybe a little). For me that was when the enjoyment of the music and the hobby completely merged, and the hobby became less of an obsession. Ah...the sweet spot!

You're a good man Jason...hoping your customers don't fall TOO far down that rabbit hole. Not to worry we're having a blast!