The following is a 1/17/18 post (at head-fi) by Mike Moffat
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/what-a-long-strange-trip-its-been-robert-hunter.784471/page-428#post...++++++++++++
"This upgrade stuff can be a real hassle. I started this over 30 years ago at Theta Digital, in an era when digital audio tech was moving quickly, relative to today. In 5 years I went from Gen I to Gen 5 (missing, as with Schiit, the Gen 4 (4 means death in most of Asia) moniker). Kinda like USB tech today. But in the case of major sonic upgrade in the Yggy as a DAC only, it took almost 4 years to turn the page.
So what do you get for your $550? Two new analog boards with 4 really expensive DAC chips, check, all DSP software upgrades done, check, oh and all production LTIPPs fixed. WTF is an LTIPP? It is a (L)ess (T)han (I)deal (P)roduction (P)henomenon. Let’s go over these one at a time. DSP software for the megacombo burrito filter. Couple of increments there – the first was a glitch visible on the -90 db sine wave measured on the earliest Yggys that was endlessly trolled on one of the forums dealing with computers and audiophiles. The second software enhancement was to was to add some routines in the filter which helped overall linearity. Then the LTIPPs – the first was a 75 ohm (instead of 50 ohm) BNC connector which affected some Yggys before production caught it. At 12 Mhz, the maximum S/PDIF frequency (at 192KHz sampling, 3MHz at 48K) the affect is negligible, but a specification is a specification. Finally, there was a revision changing the grounding of the mother board which was more of an enhancement than a LTIPP. The result is better electrostatic sensitivity. Finally the analog boards. The so-called analog boards are the heart of the entire Yggy because they are the digital to analog converter boards. All other boards live in support of these boards. These boards, more than any others are a significant sonic enhancement of the entire product. This is not only my opinion, but a concensus of several beta users. The 600 ohm driving capability, initially absent, was added after the fact of the main mod because we could while we were revving the board. Whereas the appearance of the top of the boards in particular is quite similar, the inner layers of the boards are quite different. Most of the differences are not apparent from an inspection of the top layer. I will be coy, because it is something I view as proprietary.
So for $550 you get two new analog boards, an a$$hole to appetite inspection, all new upgrades we have figured out over the last almost 4 years. The result is a better measuring, far better sounding unit. So why do we have a few users bitching, and sometimes very loudly. Some is on us. We are trying to simplify our lives – one model, one color. Keeps the price down. Except we from time to time run black units, which get mixed in with our normal clear aluminum anodize color. Then we make a change, run it a few months but since the black units were made before the announced change date, it falls through the cracks. It is just then that a user bellyaches with about 685 posts all about how much we suck and don’t keep our deals. Then we have two problems – the first is our black unit which fell through the time made vs. Time shipped crack which is on us and then the second is we have a customer who apparently thinks 685 posts is better than contacting us and telling us why he thinks we are wrong, as opposed to telling the whole world we are wrong. This makes us wonder why we even offer black, much less upgrades, because we are really not a custom shop.
So why do upgrades? Two big reasons – one is the fact that the best designs are inherently upgradable. One big reason is the best designs divide the major components in compartments. In the Yggy design, that would be Power supply, analog, DSP, Input, control, USB, etc. Makes it easy to change one part of a circuit (or sometimes even chassis) to affect a major change. Allows the imagination to run wild. Please understand that the below is my pure imagination; nothing planned – only a what if: replacing the control section and chassis with a windowed one could make the unit remote controlled – replacing the input card could add a gadget or other inputs. Replacing the USB, could sound better or accomodate new USB standards. Replacing the analog or the DSP software can make the unit measure or sound better. On and on. Get it?
The other reason arguing upgradability is value. An upgradable unit always has a residual value that the last year’s model does not. More used Yggys on the market reduce its value, making it far more obsolete in planning than upgrades. Jason agonizes when we offer upgrades – the engendered cries and squeals from those who either had unfortunate timing or those who suffer from C programming language logic - "If Schiit ever offers an upgrade, even after 4 years, then I got phucked" or better yet "Schiit’s upgrade program is planned obsolesence".
I have no ability to envision what ideas I get tomorrow, next year, or next decade. I do know that I am doing my damnedest to offer the best over time at the highest value. I/we aren’t perfect – but I’ve been doing the best I can for the last over 40 years. I also respond best to the nicest queries/complaints. It is not that difficult to be cordial. Thanks, everyone."
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