[paradoxper]

Wow, all-in-ones being a disgusting mess? People are truly just utterly ridiculous. Even someone as OBJECTIVE as that one guy sold an all-in-one variant.

Pardon me for wanting Schiit to fill in all sorts of gaps and potential consumers.

Gotta love the snobbery

Right. Why don't you ask Jason why they aren't going to do a all-in-one, or that is, why he think they're not a good idea-bad from a design approach, ok.
 
You can want what you want and other's can state their opinions just as well. 

 

[sludgeogre]

Wow, all-in-ones being a disgusting mess? People are truly just utterly ridiculous. Even someone as OBJECTIVE as that one guy sold an all-in-one variant.

Pardon me for wanting Schiit to fill in all sorts of gaps and potential consumers.

Gotta love the snobbery

The only person who's being a snob here is you. We're not asking them for products that they have already said they won't make. Sure, their definition of what a "disgusting mess" is might be different from yours, but their complaints with the design, from day one, have been totally clear.
 
This is like a vegan complaining that McDonald's doesn't have enough options for them. If you don't like it, there are plenty of other people filling in the gaps you've mentioned.

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Actually, to be completely clear, what we said was that we prefer to keep the DAC and amp separate, so we can:
 
(a) Help mitigate digital noise, by having the products in separate chassis
(b) To eliminate one source of obsolescence—the DAC will probably be upgraded before the amp, for example, so if it's part of an amp, you're throwing out a perfectly good amp
 
This doesn't mean that we would completely throw out the idea of doing a combined DAC/amp, if it was, for example, at a much lower price point than Magni and Modi, or if the issues could be mitigated by making the DAC relatively harmless in terms of radiated noise, and upgradable to make it non-obsolescent. 
 
Note that this doesn't necessarily predict future products--this is simply a clarification of our position on combined products.

 

[J&J]

Upgrade itis drives the hobby and provides the manufactures the opportunity to empty our wallets it's a symbiotic win/win relationship. I would only suggest to Jason that if there is a demand for a dac/amp integrated unit go for it maybe an upgradeable plug in (update later) dac in the "box".
 In some ways this is reminiscent of the separate amp, pre amp vs integrated amp debate  I've had both and there is something convenient about the one box solution
 I can't comment on the electro-magnetic soup created by the one box solution but hey gamma rays are getting in anyway Damn sun!!!

 

[VintageSTX]

Still would love to see a DAC between the modi and bifrost

 

[terance]

  Still would love to see a DAC between the modi and bifrost

 
Yeah, I really want a Schiit DAC that is better than the Modi, but I don't want to spend $150 just for the option of using USB =/

 

[Change is Good]

I have two schiits I'd like to see drop...
 
1) As others have mentioned, an all in one Amp/DAC
 
2) A DSP gaming device with a decent DAC inside, to blow Astro and Creative's products out of contention.
 
Thank you

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Actually, to be completely clear, what we said was that we prefer to keep the DAC and amp separate, so we can:

(a) Help mitigate digital noise, by having the products in separate chassis
(b) To eliminate one source of obsolescence—the DAC will probably be upgraded before the amp, for example, so if it's part of an amp, you're throwing out a perfectly good amp

This doesn't mean that we would completely throw out the idea of doing a combined DAC/amp, if it was, for example, at a much lower price point than Magni and Modi, or if the issues could be mitigated by making the DAC relatively harmless in terms of radiated noise, and upgradable to make it non-obsolescent. 

Note that this doesn't necessarily predict future products--this is simply a clarification of our position on combined products.

Thanks for the clarification, Jason. I'll remain optimistic about your future endeavors, as you guys have hit it out of the ballpark with every single piece of Schiit I have bought. I'll keep my fingers crossed for an all-in-one that you will be happy with. You best believe I'll be one of the first to throw money at the screen if/when one pops up.

 

[Armaegis]

How about some DIY options for those of us that like to tinker and blow stuff up because we think we know what we're doing?

 

[hodgjy]

I'd love to see a Schiit CD transport (no internal DAC) in the same form factor as the Bifrost. 

 

[Otheronek]

I'd love to see a Schiit CD transport (no internal DAC) in the same form factor as the Bifrost. 

I would be all over this schiit. A transport that plays everything.... Holy schiit that would be awesome!!!!!

 

[inertianinja]

I'm no engineer, but I would guess that the solution of an "upgradeable" DAC/amp combo would compromise on size (and therefore portability). I think you save a lot of space by putting everything on the same board... Adding an interface for non-permanent components will add size.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I'm no engineer, but I would guess that the solution of an "upgradeable" DAC/amp combo would compromise on size (and therefore portability). I think you save a lot of space by putting everything on the same board... Adding an interface for non-permanent components will add size.

 
Creative packaging solutions can work but of course not for anything portable. If the Bifrost (which uses the same chassis as the Asgard) has an upgradable USB daughterboard that eventually became the Modi, in the future it may be possible to have an Asgard with the same daughterboard packaged (if differently) in the same chassis, provided it can be made to have the kind of noise isolation that Schiit will be happy with. 
 
Then again even for portables this isn't totally unheard of - you can swap out amp cards for some HiFiMan players, so that basically means you have the amp and DAC on separate boards, plus the screen and other components (of course in this case it's the amp that is swappable).

 

[Armaegis]

How about a usb bridge of some sort? something i2s (though there's no standard there either)

 

[TeskR]

A Bifrost with a muting relay that doesn't click so I can use optical on my PC while using VoIP programs