Schiit Happened: The Story of the World's Most Improbable Start-Up
May 3, 2020 at 2:16 PM Post #58,757 of 149,418
Wow. Bifrost 2 into Freya + and then into 2 Aegirs powering Paradigm Studio 40s! Lyr3 into HD6XX. How is it sounding lately?
This setup replaced a Theta David II, Theta Casanova, and Sunfire Labs Cinema Grand. When the David II tray motor failed and Theta declined to repair it, I thought it was time to simplify my system and return to two-channel. I found the Schiit Lyr 3 when I needed a good headphone amp for my desk at work. The rest is history. I'm quite happy. The Aegirs are perfectly able to drive the Paradigms. All that's left is to tame my room acoustics a bit and maybe add a sub.

Any suggestions on integrating a sub into this setup? From the little thought I've given it so far, it seems like when I add a sub, I'll be running a full-range signal into the Aegirs and Paradigms and the only crossover would be in the sub. I cringe at the thought of placing crossovers in front of the Aegirs, but then again, running full-range into the Paradigms would likely cause some fun phase problems with a sub, no?

Sorry for the ramble. To answer your question: It sounds great!
 
May 3, 2020 at 2:29 PM Post #58,758 of 149,418
I have been reading this thread for almost four years, and I have only posted once or twice. But I do check in every few days and really enjoy the discussions! (well most of the discussions)

I would like to give away my Yamaha RX-V1800 receiver for free to a Schiit fan in or around Phoenix, Arizona. I'll even drive it to you within the metro area, since I really need to get out of the house. I live in the far east valley so if you live on the west side, a few dollars for gas money would be appreciated. Not required--just appreciated.

This unit does have a problem. When it gets warm, the video HDMI signal cuts out. HDMI audio still works. Trust me when I say the problem is not the source, the cables or the TV. I have switched out all of these things, and the issue remains. Most tellingly, my new Denon receiver works perfectly within the same system.

It seems a shame to throw this away. I thought about donating it to Goodwill, but whoever would end up buying it from there would just throw it away anyhow. The idea to give it away on here popped into my head this morning, so here we are.

The fix is beyond my technical abilities, but maybe some of you would enjoy troubleshooting and fixing this.

PM me if you would like this, and we can arrange a day, time and place for me to deliver it. I do not have this thread pushing notifications, so it may take a day or two to get back to you. First come, first serve.

Thanks!


Yamaha_RX-V1800.jpg
 
May 3, 2020 at 2:38 PM Post #58,759 of 149,418
This setup replaced a Theta David II, Theta Casanova, and Sunfire Labs Cinema Grand. When the David II tray motor failed and Theta declined to repair it, I thought it was time to simplify my system and return to two-channel. I found the Schiit Lyr 3 when I needed a good headphone amp for my desk at work. The rest is history. I'm quite happy. The Aegirs are perfectly able to drive the Paradigms. All that's left is to tame my room acoustics a bit and maybe add a sub.

Any suggestions on integrating a sub into this setup? From the little thought I've given it so far, it seems like when I add a sub, I'll be running a full-range signal into the Aegirs and Paradigms and the only crossover would be in the sub. I cringe at the thought of placing crossovers in front of the Aegirs, but then again, running full-range into the Paradigms would likely cause some fun phase problems with a sub, no?

Sorry for the ramble. To answer your question: It sounds great!
Your set-up sounds appealing. When I had my Paradigm Mini Monitors I had a Paradigm sub and from the output of my NAD pre and ran single-ended into the crossover of the sub and then to amp and I thought it performed well. Now in my system and running balanced, it is not as straightforward but I have achieved a good result with the pre-outs of the Freya S to the Sumiko line input. Adjustment of the crossover point and the phase switch and speaker placement has resulted in nice tight integration in my opinion so I'm not headed to a path of a separate crossover. Some say this is not the best way to integrate with Maggies but I don't have any of the buzzing or muddiness that I've heard discussed. I'm sure others will give you their input as well.
 
May 3, 2020 at 2:55 PM Post #58,760 of 149,418
Aaannndd...with respect to Amazon, I don't think they are going to come out of this crisis in a better position. They've taken away one of the primary reasons people purchase from Amazon--rapid shipping--and are attracting huge flak for their employee and business development policies. In addition, it is almost literally impossible to tell where something is coming from (country of origin).

We'll see how this ends up working out, but, bottom line, all the rules are changing, everything you expected is no longer certain, and there's gonna be a ton of change...for both good and ill...after we get through this. I'll share more once the smoke clears.

This is a very weird time.

 
May 3, 2020 at 3:15 PM Post #58,761 of 149,418
This setup replaced a Theta David II, Theta Casanova, and Sunfire Labs Cinema Grand. When the David II tray motor failed and Theta declined to repair it, I thought it was time to simplify my system and return to two-channel. I found the Schiit Lyr 3 when I needed a good headphone amp for my desk at work. The rest is history. I'm quite happy. The Aegirs are perfectly able to drive the Paradigms. All that's left is to tame my room acoustics a bit and maybe add a sub.

Any suggestions on integrating a sub into this setup? From the little thought I've given it so far, it seems like when I add a sub, I'll be running a full-range signal into the Aegirs and Paradigms and the only crossover would be in the sub. I cringe at the thought of placing crossovers in front of the Aegirs, but then again, running full-range into the Paradigms would likely cause some fun phase problems with a sub, no?

Sorry for the ramble. To answer your question: It sounds great!

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but since you're running balanced-out to the Aegirs you should be able to run the sub from the single-ended output. You wouldn't have the crossover in front of the Aegirs this way. (you already answered your own question, really!)
 
Last edited:
May 3, 2020 at 4:00 PM Post #58,762 of 149,418
You may just need to adjust the phase of the sub. If you have a variable phase then experiment for best bass at the listening position. If it’s just a switch (0 or 180) then you may need to move the sub around.

I run a REL and my mains both with full range inputs without issue.
 
Last edited:
May 3, 2020 at 5:06 PM Post #58,763 of 149,418
Do expect it to be a game-changer in what you can expect from a transport.
And do expect it this year.

Jason, I'm going to show my ignorance by asking this: With respect to designing a CD player, couldn't you add a transport to either Gungnir or Yggdrasil and end up with a CD player/DAC combo for not much engineering effort?
 
May 3, 2020 at 5:09 PM Post #58,764 of 149,418
This setup replaced a Theta David II, Theta Casanova, and Sunfire Labs Cinema Grand. When the David II tray motor failed and Theta declined to repair it, I thought it was time to simplify my system and return to two-channel. I found the Schiit Lyr 3 when I needed a good headphone amp for my desk at work. The rest is history. I'm quite happy. The Aegirs are perfectly able to drive the Paradigms. All that's left is to tame my room acoustics a bit and maybe add a sub.

Any suggestions on integrating a sub into this setup? From the little thought I've given it so far, it seems like when I add a sub, I'll be running a full-range signal into the Aegirs and Paradigms and the only crossover would be in the sub. I cringe at the thought of placing crossovers in front of the Aegirs, but then again, running full-range into the Paradigms would likely cause some fun phase problems with a sub, no?

Sorry for the ramble. To answer your question: It sounds great!

I have Paradigm Studio 20’s, 2 Aegir’s running mono, and a Freya S. I use two Dyna Technologies Pro 10 subs located at bottom of the speaker stands. I picked the side of the stands based on which sounded better and had better overall bass room response. The subs are fed from the Freya S single ended outs. The sub crossover is set to where the studio 20’s start rolling off (about 58 Hz in my room). With the subs located close to the speakers I do not have any phase issues.

The mono Aegir’s are fed the full range from the Freya S balanced outs.

This set up works great for me and provides nice tight, fast and full bass that is well integrated with the Studio 20’s. I would expect with you 40’s you could set the subs cross over point a bit lower.

I strongly recommend two subs.

Edit - checked the sub settings and they are set to about 58 Hz cross over not 45 as originally stated.
 
Last edited:
May 3, 2020 at 5:11 PM Post #58,765 of 149,418
This setup replaced a Theta David II, Theta Casanova, and Sunfire Labs Cinema Grand. When the David II tray motor failed and Theta declined to repair it, I thought it was time to simplify my system and return to two-channel. I found the Schiit Lyr 3 when I needed a good headphone amp for my desk at work. The rest is history. I'm quite happy. The Aegirs are perfectly able to drive the Paradigms. All that's left is to tame my room acoustics a bit and maybe add a sub.

Any suggestions on integrating a sub into this setup? From the little thought I've given it so far, it seems like when I add a sub, I'll be running a full-range signal into the Aegirs and Paradigms and the only crossover would be in the sub. I cringe at the thought of placing crossovers in front of the Aegirs, but then again, running full-range into the Paradigms would likely cause some fun phase problems with a sub, no?

Sorry for the ramble. To answer your question: It sounds great!

I run my KEF Reference 3s full range with a sub and find using REW with a decent microphone with calibration like the UMIK-1 (https://www.minidsp.com/products/acoustic-measurement/umik-1) to be very useful. Using this method you can measure the response of the speakers and sub individual to work out the best crossover and gain. Also, you can use it to sort phase by just adjusting it until you get the highest volume at the crossover frequency when both the sub and speakers are running.
 
May 3, 2020 at 5:20 PM Post #58,766 of 149,418
Jason, I'm going to show my ignorance by asking this: With respect to designing a CD player, couldn't you add a transport to either Gungnir or Yggdrasil and end up with a CD player/DAC combo for not much engineering effort?
There is no room. By creating a separate spinner, users will be able to "add a transport to either Gungnir or Yggdrasil and end up with a CD player/DAC combo" as they wish. Or indeed, add it to any DAC of their choice. :)
 
May 3, 2020 at 5:24 PM Post #58,767 of 149,418
The inference is that Unison USB is also way better than S/PDIF
It depends a bit on the source. In my experience, Unison Yggdrasil A2 with a decent USB source (Allo USBridge + LPS) was better than anything I used before, including two > $1K AES streamers, but Pi2AES>AES>Yggdrasil A2 is even better, although not by much. But Pi2AES requires a bit of hardware and software DYI, which is fun for me, but for simplicity, low cost, and very good quality, Unison is a big win.
 
May 3, 2020 at 5:38 PM Post #58,768 of 149,418
This setup replaced a Theta David II, Theta Casanova, and Sunfire Labs Cinema Grand. When the David II tray motor failed and Theta declined to repair it, I thought it was time to simplify my system and return to two-channel. I found the Schiit Lyr 3 when I needed a good headphone amp for my desk at work. The rest is history. I'm quite happy. The Aegirs are perfectly able to drive the Paradigms. All that's left is to tame my room acoustics a bit and maybe add a sub.

Any suggestions on integrating a sub into this setup? From the little thought I've given it so far, it seems like when I add a sub, I'll be running a full-range signal into the Aegirs and Paradigms and the only crossover would be in the sub. I cringe at the thought of placing crossovers in front of the Aegirs, but then again, running full-range into the Paradigms would likely cause some fun phase problems with a sub, no?

Sorry for the ramble. To answer your question: It sounds great!
I just used XLR splitter cables and ran full range from the Freya S into both the Vidars and the sub. Then I just adjusted the low pass and the phase on the sub.
 
May 3, 2020 at 5:50 PM Post #58,769 of 149,418
There is no room. By creating a separate spinner, users will be able to "add a transport to either Gungnir or Yggdrasil and end up with a CD player/DAC combo" as they wish. Or indeed, add it to any DAC of their choice. :)

My apologies. I wasn't suggesting that the transport would fit in the same case with the DACs. I was suggesting that, with a new case, a CD player could be made from existing DAC components along with any number of transport mechanisms. The same device could also accept the input from other digital sources such as a streamer.

Your point of adding a Schiit transport to any number of DACs is absolutely valid.

My point is that a Schiit CD player/DAC would be a pretty nice thing to have in one's system while eliminating one box and a few cables. :o2smile:
 
May 3, 2020 at 8:14 PM Post #58,770 of 149,418
My apologies. I wasn't suggesting that the transport would fit in the same case with the DACs. I was suggesting that, with a new case, a CD player could be made from existing DAC components along with any number of transport mechanisms. The same device could also accept the input from other digital sources such as a streamer.

Your point of adding a Schiit transport to any number of DACs is absolutely valid.

My point is that a Schiit CD player/DAC would be a pretty nice thing to have in one's system while eliminating one box and a few cables. :o2smile:

hopefully available as transport only (for those that already have a unison-upgradable DAC), or with an optional add in DAC module like the one used on Bifrost 2?
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top