[bcowen]

When he needs accurate measurements, he has Finnegan perform a catscan.

ROFL!!!

 

[Paladin79]

Those joints would require precise measurements. I think all @Paladin79 has is a yardstick.

LOL you wish. I generally just mark the board wherever Finnegan rests his paw.

 

[bevanc]

I'd wager that the author's complaint isn't actually so much about that there wouldn't be any top-notch affordable gear out there—because thanks to Schiit at alia there absolutely is—it's probably more about the fact that the gear he's been conditioned to value is more expensive than what he'd like it to be.

Don't forget: The purchase price has a higher impact on perceived value of an object than anything else that can be objectively quantified. It's in the nature of the game, and not just in audiophila, that "the best gear" is also the most expensive. The causal chain behind this is just not what people would intuitively suspect it to be.

Biases are a pain to avoid.

There is so much that goes into pricing. I've spent a lot of my career quoting custom scientific instrumentation that had a high level of engineering and a lot of customers put little value on that until they purchase something that has been poorly designed and didn't do what they wanted it to properly.

Overhead costs are also a big part of it. A larger company that has a large marketing budget, an HR department and everything that comes with it. It then depends on how many you can make. If, as a company, you like to maintain exclusivity, your market is small, so all that engineering and overhead gets amortized over fewer products.

Add in the penchant for CNC machines chassis. Again, the less you make, the more cost gets added to each product for programming and setup. Also, you buy aluminum by the pound. Sheet is cheap and has minimal waste material. Machine a block from solid aluminum when you don't have to is actually dumb, but every reviewer that waffles on about this amp being machined from solid aluminum perpetuates this as has having value. Instead it has cost, with minimal tangible benefits and also massive waste in both material and energy. What it says is this engineer didn't understand manufacturing.

Schiit's model is great for many reasons. Jason's industrial design know how produces reasonably attractive, cost effective designs that can be made cost effectively in large and even smaller volumes. Maintaining a similar chassis also helps, reducing tooling and packaging costs as well. Do their products look like a Macintosh? No. But how much of the cost of that goes into the visual look of the item? At the same time, my wife does not object to my little stacks of Schiit around the condo.

Form and function is very subjective, but I feel Schiit gets form and function in balance.

Next, the two primary design engineers are co-owners. You get management and design in all for the same cost. They do it because they enjoy it and are not making money for shareholders or to pay off bank loans. I'm sure they do ok, but it is a benefit. They are not management heavy either from reading this thread, which also helps.

On top of that, the direct sales model cuts out massive margins for distribution and dealers. There are weaknesses to this model, but from a value perspective, most of the product I buy is from them because they understand value and engineer products to that ethos.

 

[bevanc]

There is so much that goes into pricing. I've spent a lot of my career quoting custom scientific instrumentation that had a high level of engineering and a lot of customers put little value on that until they purchase something that has been poorly designed and didn't do what they wanted it to properly.

Overhead costs are also a big part of it. A larger company that has a large marketing budget, an HR department and everything that comes with it. It then depends on how many you can make. If, as a company, you like to maintain exclusivity, your market is small, so all that engineering and overhead gets amortized over fewer products.

Add in the penchant for CNC machines chassis. Again, the less you make, the more cost gets added to each product for programming and setup. Also, you buy aluminum by the pound. Sheet is cheap and has minimal waste material. Machine a block from solid aluminum when you don't have to is actually dumb, but every reviewer that waffles on about this amp being machined from solid aluminum perpetuates this as has having value. Instead it has cost, with minimal tangible benefits and also massive waste in both material and energy. What it says is this engineer didn't understand manufacturing.

Schiit's model is great for many reasons. Jason's industrial design know how produces reasonably attractive, cost effective designs that can be made cost effectively in large and even smaller volumes. Maintaining a similar chassis also helps, reducing tooling and packaging costs as well. Do their products look like a Macintosh? No. But how much of the cost of that goes into the visual look of the item? At the same time, my wife does not object to my little stacks of Schiit around the condo.

Form and function is very subjective, but I feel Schiit gets form and function in balance.

Next, the two primary design engineers are co-owners. You get management and design in all for the same cost. They do it because they enjoy it and are not making money for shareholders or to pay off bank loans. I'm sure they do ok, but it is a benefit. They are not management heavy either from reading this thread, which also helps.

On top of that, the direct sales model cuts out massive margins for distribution and dealers. There are weaknesses to this model, but from a value perspective, most of the product I buy is from them because they understand value and engineer products to that ethos.

That doesn't mean I cannot appreciate something as beautiful as something that Paladin79 build. That is craftsmenship, something entirely different. Slapping hunks of aluminum on a machine is not necessarily craftsmanship. It can be, but it's rare.

 

[Paladin79]

That doesn't mean I cannot appreciate something as beautiful as something that Paladin79 build. That is craftsmenship, something entirely different. Slapping hunks of aluminum on a machine is not necessarily craftsmanship. It can be, but it's rare.

I am just a hobbyist with some woodworking and metal working tools and a bit of knowledge in specific fields.

 

[tafens]

Based on the drawings Jason posted last month: Gungnir and Folkvangr should be stackable.

Your Schiit will probably get extra-toasty, though. Gungnir isn't exactly contributing any cool air that could flow up against Folkvangr…

I have Bifrost2 and Lyr3 stacked with some rubber spacers in between, so I thought if Gungnir is in BF2 territory for heat it should be ok, but it might get a wee bit warmer than that of course.

If it gets too hot with the usual spacers, it’s time for some industrial level 65x100 mm ones I guess

 

[ImagesbyMurray]

Form and function is very subjective, but I feel Schiit gets form and function in balance.

That doesn't mean I cannot appreciate something as beautiful as something that Paladin79 build.

+1 I am lucky to have both. Craftsmanship has many forms; Jason's and Mike's elegant circuit board layouts, Tom's cabinetry and point to point wiring do a lot more for me than a Haas CNC milled chassis piece.....

Disclaimer: When I see a "No user serviceable parts inside" sticker, I absolutely need to verify that

 

[Zachik]

Sounds like this may be the genesis of the first GoAmpMe campaign. Very important to get it right.

Speaking of getting it right... Bill, not trying to get you worried, but crazy stuff is going on in the private "Bill's amp upgrade" thread
I mean @Ripper2860 said something nice about you! Crazy!!!

 

[Bonehead7171]

Does anyone wonder, as I do, why there haven't been any reviews of the Tyr? By a magazine or online publication, I mean. I have read all of the owners thoughts....

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

Does anyone wonder, as I do, why there haven't been any reviews of the Tyr? By a magazine or online publication, I mean. I have read all of the owners thoughts....

Reviewers tend to spend a few months with the gear until they put anything out. I'm sure we'll see more and more "professional" reviews of Tyr in the months to come.

(Although with most reviewers out there I use the term "professional" very loosely. )

 

[Ripper2860]

As opposed to owners that post impressions after 10 minutes.

 

[cricket]

@bcowen has taken all the cardboard talk threats quite well. I think he deserves an upgrade to some kind of tropical hardwood.

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

As opposed to owners that post impressions after 10 minutes.

Dude, how rude! I gave it a DAY!

 

[FLTWS]

As opposed to owners that post impressions after 10 minutes.

Or, while they are making their "unboxing" video for U-Tube.

 

[Paladin79]

@bcowen has taken all the cardboard talk threats quite well. I think he deserves an upgrade to some kind of tropical hardwood.

Balsa wood would be easier to work with. I was considering gluing together wine bottle corks but I have not figured out how to get him to pay for a truck load of French wine.