[Birch]

Ripper2860 said:
What I was trying to state is that over the prior several days it was intermittently laggy and it has progressed to where today it is super laggy.

It’s been painful. Brings back memories of 28.8k modems

Obvious - It's retaliation. AVR, multichannel industry players - orchestrated DDOS attack.

 

[Orange5o]

This seems to me at best, hyperbole. At it's core, a surround sound mix basically means that a sound engineer took time to make decisions about which sound goes where. In standard 5.1 formats, the sound engineer took at least some care in deciding what each of the 5 speakers should be playing. Nothing about this process should inherently produce a result that is (considerably) fatiguing or unnatural. The sound engineer could have done a poor job, but the same is true of a stereo mix. I also don't quite understand the insinuation that imaging either isn't important to the listening experience or that it somehow must come at the expense of other intrinsically more important qualities.

None of this is to say that the approach Schiit is taking with Syn is inherently worse either. To the contrary, Syn seems like a really cool product. As far as I can tell no one has anything like it on the market. I absolutely love that Jason made this counter-culture old-school creation because at the end of the day it's a different option, and it may well produce results that will be to many people's taste. I personally would love to play around with one. But do we really have to champion it by saying that all multichannel audio is marketing and nervosa driven garbage?

This 100%. Digital multi channel sound is fantastic in the right room with the right equipment. This doesn't have to be a this vs that. It's a different product for a different setup.

 

[pinkfloyd4ever]

Ok this new surround thingie is interesting, and could actually make me consider finally making the jump from a soundbar to 5.1.

Here’s another request: when are you going to make a 2 channel preamp with bass management for subwoofer integration? No DSP or room correction, just an adjustable hi & low pass filter

 

[Rensek]

Dont subwoofers themselves already do that? Granted I haven't bough a sub since 1998 from a store called "REX", but even that 150 dollar pos had a high and lo pass filter.

 

[Potoroo]

The Syn sounds very exciting! @Jason Stoddard

I would really like to know what constitutes a gaming machine in the Schiit lexicon. I'm a Hi-Fi guy that also likes to game and I have a Hel 2e that squeals like a pig every time my GPU, an Nvidia RTX3090, throttles up. Just for giggles, I connected my Bifrost 2/64 with Unison USB to my gaming computer and it is dead quiet under any load I throw at my machine.

This begs the question, is my Hel 2e defective or will only a Unison USB interface function on a strong gaming PC?

I really want to get a Syn to soup up my audio while gaming.

What makes a gaming product gaming is deserving of its own thread but I have been deeply disappointed by Schiit's "gaming" DAC/amps. To me the glaring omission is lack of sidetone support. Every company with a focus on gaming - the Creatives and Logitechs etc - have sidetone support. They know how important it is for anyone in a multiplayer environment to be able to hear themselves speak. The problem with most current implementations is that these companies do it in software, which inevitably introduces latency that many people complain about. There's a real opportunity for Schiit to add zero-latency hardware sidetone support in products like the Hel. Then there's the matter of volume mixing ...

Ed: typo

 

[JamminVMI]

so when is the Schiit 5 channel amp coming out?

Rekkr x5, of course…

 

[artur9]

It looks like the Russsound is discontinued? Maybe I’ll try the SVS as I can’t find anything on the Emotiva site for transmitter/receiver, they just have a solo wireless receiver. Thanks for the info!

I think Emotiva advertises theirs as for subs only (the V-Sub?). If you look at the frequency response might be ok to use. Outlaw also has transmitter/receivers.

The Russound has a very tempting digital (Toslink) output perfect for a Modi.... I think my Russound were already discontinued when I got them.

 

[artur9]

Why is everybody asking for 5ch amps? Rekkrs are a dime a dozen and tiny enough to stash under/behind anything.

this!

Also, weren't you the one with the TV dialog problem? If so, how tempted are you to Syn?

 

[artur9]

Well, I’d wager most porn is consumed solo, not with a snuggled honey.

No virtual threesomes? With a pool boy, perhaps?

 

[artur9]

Rekkr is 4 watts mono.

according to this http://www.hometheaterengineering.com/splcalculator.html
86 db/W speakers given 4W at 10 feet will play at 85.3dB with speakers against the wall.

According to this http://www.cochlea.org/en/noise that's a quiet disco.
So, yeah, I say Rekkrs all around!

 

[artur9]

Dont subwoofers themselves already do that? Granted I haven't bough a sub since 1998 from a store called "REX", but even that 150 dollar pos had a high and lo pass filter.

Most have the low pass, very few have a high pass. I wager the ones that do are pricey.
Best I've been able to determine is you either get something like a Marchand or go full on "speaker management" system like Xilica.

 

[A Jedi]

Well, when it comes to surround sound, I like to turn things up. A couple watts per channel maybe fine in some circumstances but it can also damage a speaker if pushed too far.

So you can get THESE or anything between them and the Rekkrs.

Also, weren't you the one with the TV dialog problem? If so, how tempted are you to Syn?

Yup. And tempted lol.

 

[StevePNW]

I'm really liking the Magni Piety with my Meze 99 Noirs. A really fun listening combination with Tom Petty Wildflowers 2014 Remaster, and Dire Straits-Dire Straits; Down to the Waterline. This amp has made me pick up these HPs whereas they've been neglected in recent months. A really good combination with punch and dynamics! The SYN looks amazing and versatile. It will take quite a bit for me to move from my Sony TV > Node 2i > RME DAC> Freya S> Dual Vidars > KEF LS50 Metas & KC2 sub. The vocals and impact are amazing through the KEFs. The dispersion from the concentric drivers doesn't trap you between the speakers and wayyy-more intelligible movie human voices than with my Maggie LRSs. I would be interested in a SYN/Freya Max with with built-in Singularity and XLR connections though...

 

[r66cort]

Syn is wildly exciting - and I am thankful it exists. For many of my friends that are interested in multichannel surround, but haven’t bit the bullet with AVR craziness, it is a seriously compelling option. These are individuals in NYC and LA who don’t have space for 11 channels but love movies, are passionate about music, and would love an immersive experience within their confines - it’s just what the doctor ordered. I’ve already referred in the double digits - I can’t wait to see what this little thing can do.

I’m also thankful it’s not what I need (right now). Thinking Syn would be the pitch shifting, soundstage and dynamics expanding Uber Gadget, I was pinching my audio pennies. I still look forward to such a device from Schiit. Adding channels is near impossible in my confines - a device over the past hours I’ve been trying to imagine integrating - and want(!) - but having recently given away all of my multi-channel ability through gifting speakers and amps or selling to get some serious Schiit 2 channel and headphone gear. I’m adoring the new Freya S and Bifrost 2 - the latest review from Andrew dismisses the absolutely incredible 4x gain that facilitates a level of soundstage depth I didn’t know was possible. SYNergy! I can’t describe how transformative the difference between my an Atom amp and Modi 3 vs Asgard 3 and OG Bifrost brought to my headphone experience. Magic.

I truly look forward to Schiit’s prospective future - whether it’s a Syn Uber Balanced, Bead-blast Silver finishes (a true dream!), Raggy Mini, and Gadget Uber (Once all of this chip stuff gets settled for Mike). Cheers to this entertaining group who thinks outside of the box, brings affordable value, and doesn’t just produce boring (square) black boxes.

 

[Erratic Gravy]

This seems to me at best, hyperbole. At it's core, a surround sound mix basically means that a sound engineer took time to make decisions about which sound goes where. In standard 5.1 formats, the sound engineer took at least some care in deciding what each of the 5 speakers should be playing. Nothing about this process should inherently produce a result that is fatiguing or unnatural. The sound engineer could have done a poor job, but the same is true of a stereo mix. I also don't quite understand the insinuation that imaging either isn't important to the listening experience or that it somehow must come at the expense of other intrinsically more important qualities.

None of this is to say that the approach Schiit is taking with Syn is inherently worse either. To the contrary, Syn seems like a really cool product. As far as I can tell no one has anything like it on the market. I absolutely love that Jason made this counter-culture old-school creation because at the end of the day it's a different option, and it may well produce results that will be to many people's taste. I personally would love to play around with one. But do we really have to champion it by saying that all multichannel audio is marketing and nervosa driven garbage?

My Experience of good ole fashioned Dolby Pro -Logic has been on the whole pretty positive - yes it works surprisingly well on recordings with the pro logic encoded but back in the day I would demo a lot of live music Cd's using matrix surround and that was often startlingly effective or a total mess !!