[JohnnyCanuck]

A stand alone player has a built in DAC but a transport must send the digital data to an external DAC.

FTFY

JC

 

[Pedro Janeiro]

Vidaergir is all i need

 

[bboris77]

2020, Chapter 9
The DAC You Need?


Let’s get this out of the way: we have a new DAC, and it’s called Modius.

Jason, I have a few comments for you as a long time customer. It appears that your line of products is the largest it has ever been. By my calculations, you have 29 distinctive products right now, not counting the colour variations. As a consumer, I appreciate having a choice up to a point. At one point, having too many products leads to each of them being perceived as somehow less special. It can also lead to a degree of confusion on the part of consumer.

For example, when I heard that the Modius had a true balanced output that, according to some people, sounds different and better than the SE output, I got a bit confused. This was my thought process: "If I get the Modius, I need the Jotunheim to take full advantage of it. But the Jot is desperately due for an update, and with 29 products out, is it going to get a revamp/replacement? Maybe they will come out with a cheaper amp with a balanced input and SE output only. I better wait. I don't want to be in a situation that I was in a few years ago when I bought the Bifrost Multibit to get a taste of the MegaComboBurrito filter literally 2 months before the Modi Multibit was released."

Which leads me to my point - not knowing what is getting updated/cut, not understanding the vision behind upcoming products and having too many choices can lead consumers to a paralysis by analysis-type situation. Which is not a disaster - we really don't need to buy new toys every couple of months. I am happy with my current D70/Asgard 3 combo. However, I am always looking for that new envelope-pushing solution from Schiit because I really respect your ability to engineer/innovate. I guess I am just a bit confused by the fact that you guys made the decision to include a fully balanced output on the Modius that appears to sound different than the SE solution. It would be great if you could elaborate on what this means for the future direction of Schiit products, if possible.

 

[CoryGillmore]

My suggestion for the new amp's name is MAGNUM XL.

Modinheim! Modius+Jotunheim!

 

[adydula]

Which leads me to my point - not knowing what is getting updated/cut, not understanding the vision behind upcoming products and having too many choices can lead consumers to a paralysis by analysis-type situation. Which is not a disaster - we really don't need to buy new toys every couple of months. I am happy with my current D70/Asgard 3 combo. However, I am always looking for that new envelope-pushing solution from Schiit because I really respect your ability to engineer/innovate. I guess I am just a bit confused by the fact that you guys made the decision to include a fully balanced output on the Modius that appears to sound different than the SE solution. It would be great if you could elaborate on what this means for the future direction of Schiit products, if possible.

Interesting comments for sure....

Are we all having "fun" yet? Schiit is rocking the headphone audio world and we all have many great choices with Schitt products across a wide range of prices. This is good.
The paralysis analysis situation is usually brought on by the individual him or herself. Same thing happens when you go to a car dealer!! If your happy with your D70/Asgard 3 great....go listen to some great music...(I mean this in a positive,nice way.. :>). If your looking for a new envelope pushing solution then sell that stuff and get a YGGY and Ragnarok and be done with it. Many of the audio folks out here can not afford the higher priced stuff...and seeing a bunch of lower cost and technically excellent choices from Schitt is awesome IMO and many others.

One thing comes up when I like many want to get that shiny new amp or dac is selling the old stuff, and having people ask me if its any good. Well is just as good as it was when it was the new shiny thing and we all salvated over. So now I get .0001 % of something vs .001% of something....

Choice is good and if Thunderdome continues.....what sells determines what is offered, and what isnt selling goes by the wayside. But you have to get it out there to see the results and this is part of whats happening IMO.

Would it not be neat if Schiit came out with a matching amp with Modius that might approximate what Jotenheim is, but in a thinner package?? Just guessing here. Who knows except the audio wizards at Schiit....

A long time ago I was employed as an electronics tech working with GE, IBM and others on all types of electronics....if I had to start it all over again I sure would have liked to work at Schiit as a tech because they are indeed having "FUN"...

Alex
:>)

 

[schneller]

I fondly recall Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs and reading how when Steve came back to Apple, the first thing he did was simplify their product offerings into four categories: Mac and Laptop, Consumer and Professional. This was of course before the "i" series of products, such as the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Does Schiit need to worry about having too many products?

People like me certainly don't help. We all want something specific to our HiFi wants. Like for me, I look at their DAC offerings and I see the Gungnir as being such an ugly duckling of the lineup. I know more people who bought it and then jumped to the Yiggy than who kept it. It's priced above the $1K mark and just seems to offer nothing special. It's also the only DAC at the moment not available in black. The time seems ripe for a Gungnir 2 and of course I want it designed the way I want it.

I would like the Gungnir 2 to the be the absolute best "SE" DAC that Schiit can make, while Yiggy remains the absolute best "balanced" DAC that Schiit can make. Removing all the balanced stuff would let Schiit concentrate on SE only while also allowing the DAC to hopefully achieve an even smaller footprint, which would also be great for me. Think of an SE only DAC, priced between the current Gungnir and the Chord Qutest. Maybe throw in a new input like I2S? Really try to set it apart from Yiggy while allowing it to sound as good or better than Yiggy. Otherwise, people will just buy BF2 on one end or Yiggy on the other. The Gungnir is just lost right now.

 

[adydula]

People like me certainly don't help

Ha!

So your part of the problem!! Well you dont ask or express your wants etc ...they will never know.

IMO its a good problem....market demand etc...

A great time in HP audio for sure!

Alex

 

[Pete Schiller]

This was my thought process: "If I get the Modius, I need the Jotunheim to take full advantage of it. But the Jot is desperately due for an update...

It is? Go check out the specs and the glowing reviews for it from a couple years ago: https://www.schiit.com/products/jotunheim
Jason is always trying to improve upon what are already amazing products at their given price points, but I don't think it's fair to say "Jot is desperately due for an update". It's still a heck of a good amp at $399. That said, it wouldn't be a shock for us to see a Magnius amp that matches up with Modius.

 

[45longcolt]

C'mon, everyone, you know a big part of the fun of this thread is asking Jason for stuff he'll never do...
(and then, just occasionally, does...)

 

[tincanear]

Are you sure that you are knowledgeable enough to set a price for a bunch of electronics based on another bunch of electronics?

reasonably so. i'm one of the two electronics engineers who responded to Jason's Engineer's Quiz a while back, but I don't design audio products for a living. I find Jason's Chapters very interesting reading, especially the technical parts involving circuit topology and innovative design.

say hi to Costanza for me.

 

[tincanear]

C'mon, everyone, you know a big part of the fun of this thread is asking Jason for stuff he'll never do...
(and then, just occasionally, does...)

and double-plus-good when Jason likes your request to make something with xyz features.

 

[bboris77]

It is? Go check out the specs and the glowing reviews for it from a couple years ago: https://www.schiit.com/products/jotunheim
Jason is always trying to improve upon what are already amazing products at their given price points, but I don't think it's fair to say "Jot is desperately due for an update". It's still a heck of a good amp at $399. That said, it wouldn't be a shock for us to see a Magnius amp that matches up with Modius.

Wait a second, that was my thought process only - I never said it was rational

 

[adydula]

So after a few weeks listening with a Schiit Ly3 and Bifrost 2 with Focal Clears....and loving it, I fired up the Jotenheim using only the SE output, low gain and I got this really big, funny schiit wide grin as I listened to the sound...no need for a sonic upgrade here...the Jot is still awesome as day 1...a perfect compliment with the B2 for a really nice setup that will drive most anything into outer space, very nicely.

Alex

Note: Last month I had 20 + headamps in house...so every week or so I rotate thru them and each and every time its like a whole new experience! Just when one starts sounding mundane, I switch and voila instant nirvana again...whats that tell you?

 

[bboris77]

So after a few weeks listening with a Schiit Ly3 and Bifrost 2 with Focal Clears....and loving it, I fired up the Jotenheim using only the SE output, low gain and I got this really big, funny schiit wide grin as I listened to the sound...no need for a sonic upgrade here...the Jot is still awesome as day 1...a perfect compliment with the B2 for a really nice setup that will drive most anything into outer space, very nicely.

Alex

This is how I feel every time I fire up my Asgard 3...I tried various op-amp driven amplifiers and never got the same feeling.

 

[tincanear]

I fondly recall Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs and reading how when Steve came back to Apple, the first thing he did was simplify their product offerings into four categories: Mac and Laptop, Consumer and Professional. This was of course before the "i" series of products, such as the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Does Schiit need to worry about having too many products?

People like me certainly don't help. We all want something specific to our HiFi wants. Like for me, I look at their DAC offerings and I see the Gungnir as being such an ugly duckling of the lineup. I know more people who bought it and then jumped to the Yiggy than who kept it. It's priced above the $1K mark and just seems to offer nothing special. It's also the only DAC at the moment not available in black. The time seems ripe for a Gungnir 2 and of course I want it designed the way I want it.

I would like the Gungnir 2 to the be the absolute best "SE" DAC that Schiit can make, while Yiggy remains the absolute best "balanced" DAC that Schiit can make. Removing all the balanced stuff would let Schiit concentrate on SE only while also allowing the DAC to hopefully achieve an even smaller footprint, which would also be great for me. Think of an SE only DAC, priced between the current Gungnir and the Chord Qutest. Maybe throw in a new input like I2S? Really try to set it apart from Yiggy while allowing it to sound as good or better than Yiggy. Otherwise, people will just buy BF2 on one end or Yiggy on the other. The Gungnir is just lost right now.

yes, especially with BF2 at about 1/2 price using the same 8X megacomboburrito upscaler / digital filter, and Yggy GS available for a bit more. and releasing a Gungnir 2 with remote would piss off the current Yggdrasil owners.