Does Anyone Buy Schiit for the Sake of Schiit?

Have to agree with those who are impressed with the Yggy - there are few DAC’s that sound any better, if any. Got the Yggy v2/OG (whatever) and it is superb in all respects.

But... it all depends upon what electronics and speakers you mate it with, what types of interfaces you use, and whether it’s burnt in and warm - once again... "synergy" makes all the difference.

And... I’ve also found that how a component "measures" is no indicator of how it sounds. In fact, many... if not... most components that measure well do not sound well... and... many... if not... most that do not measure well do not sound well.

Its all about the quality of the recording / engineering / harmonics / etc. that determines how good or poor a recording sounds with any set up.  And... the type of music makes all the difference - if you're listening to rock, rap, electronic, etc., you will never be able to discern the differences in sound quality of components, no matter what components you're using. 

That is... "many that do not measure well, do sound well..."

My Schiit Aegir has won the day in multiple battles against seemingly sure victors, including Pass XA30.8, Van Alstine M225s… I learned there’s a reason the Aegir is on the Stereophile Class A recommendation list, and it’s not for “savin ya a dollar!” The lower cost is just icing on the cake, albeit glorious icing for sure. And my Yggdrasil OG provides amazing sound as well. There is absolutely nothing cheap quality-wise about Schiit products. 

If I can act as referee of my own thread, I think the result is that there are indeed people who do buy Schiit for the sake of Schiit. I think it would have been a little less obtuse of me to look at the price range of Schiit products. They make an amp for $1499 and a DAC for $2199, which would be a mid-level product for more conventional audio manufacturers, but the overwhelming majority of their products are in the $500 or less range, which means the actual field in which they compete is makers who concentrate on gear in that range, of which there are several. In their chosen field they are indeed a major player, both in quality and price. I would also like to emphasize that I didn't necessarily pose the question thinking one answer or the other was more likely.

@2psyop is it not more ridiculous to overspend on something without getting the quality you paid for?

Depends on what is meant by ridiculous. Some goods are purchased precisely and deliberately because they are expensive. What you actually get, including quality, may not be predominate motive.

This violates normal micro economic theory and common observation, but may be sort of explained.

I think an important consideration in audio gear is that the price is a signal in itself of quality; this is not that unreasonable. No short-cuts or compromises have been made with those thick front panels.

The snob effect is well known. There are other reasons, perhaps overlapping (conspicuous consumption, brand name, made in America - which of course Schiit is, etc), but that is a taste.

In the meantime, it does appear ridiculous, I agree. My amp goes to 11.

These kind of goods have a name, by the way - veblen goods, and they are everywhere.