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Schiit not that Good?

Schiit was at AXPONA again this year. They were showing a Salk music server streaming into a Gungnir Multibit (?) feeding a Freya and two Vidars. Speakers were the Salk Song 3As.

 

So what happened?


Esoteric was just next door. This allowed attendees to move immediately from one room to another. Esoteric was showing a full stack of thier latest separates plus a VPI Avenger for analog. Speakers were a pair of Cantons I didn’t get the model of.

 

The Schiit room, while not bad, was completely destroyed by the Esoteric room. Esoteric played one SACD that unfurled a massive soundstage that I could sense even not being in the best seat. The sound of the Esoteric system, both via SACD and vinyl was dynamic, resolving, extremely musical, collected, vibrant, both large and delicately structured. It was a system that got all the minor details right. Such a good setup. The Schiit setup, while unoffensive, clean, and musical in its own right, simply couldn’t face the Esoteric in inner detail, soundstage, reality and low-level dynamics.

 

Why did the Schiit system fail so hard vs the Esoteric? Part of the reason might have been the junk cabling used by Schiit. Peaking behind the system I was Blue Jeans speaker cables and mess of power bricks, basic cabling, etc. I don’t know how much of the Schiit’s performance was compromised by inferior cabling, but I’m curious how close it would have come to the Esoteric had Schiit paid some basic attention to that area.


madavid0
wolf_garcia
6,724 posts
 
I disagree with the distortion argument since my SEP (pentode, not triode...a little more power) likely is running on a couple of watts until louder things require maybe 5 or so (in my estimation anyway), and the amp with 99db speakers ain't working too hard. If those evil alleged distortions are what's making me like my amp, then that's just fine with me. I do dismiss critics claiming to know what I'm hearing since they're not here, and even with the bandwidth or lack of distortion or whatever claims are made for Ralph's OTL amps or Berning's ZOTLs, not everyone prefers those designs.  I know exactly when my amp "runs out of juice" and when it doesn't, and it sounds so much better than any other design I've heard over the last 5 or so decades I'll likely keep the thing forever.
devilboy
1,176 posts
 
Dude, you are comparing apples to bananas.
wolf_garcia
6,724 posts
 
Polish them horns devilboy, and wash that little superhero suit before Mom comes home...Single ended tube amps with or without transformers..."dude"...however, apples are crunchy or not, can be red in color or green or speckled or otherwise, and historically were used for cider all over America to offer general drunkenness...bananas are very different, and although generally shipped green are usually yellow when ripe.  Really not much of a comparison, there ya go.
tyreman
1 posts
 
Running a Saga S here with a Modi 3 DAC
Pretty good if you ask me
Does all I want it to
Been using a few day but so far I am Happy
And No Hum either
Run with Parasound A23+ and B&W 805S 
plus my sources
somegeoffguy
31 posts
 
I'll hop onto this two year old thread!I was at Axpona 2019 and thought the Schiit room didn't compare well either. I have a Loki in my system, and it did have to go back for service (the infamous humm), but it sounds great now. Service was excellent after 18 months. Their other gear reviews well too, but I wouldn't buy it after hearing it at Axpona. I was there with my wife, and she agreed - sounded flat, 2D. Not full like other rooms.

I think they need to benchmark the other rooms and find a better combination of gear. Maybe try some different speakers? Can't remember what they ran. There was plenty of good sounding rooms, and everyone pretty much starts out with the same room.
-Geoff
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