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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 have zero interest in ANY transistor power amp (I’ll read about them...otherwise, no no no) in my main listening heap, class d or a or a/b or yer mama. I’m limited to efficient speakers, but that’s just fine as they tend to hurl the sound at my earballs with more gusto than otherwise, and my simple single ended tube amp sounds so damn good. I’m now becoming more curious about OTLs like the Atma-Sphere stuff (although I’m not so sure there is anything "like" Atmas-Sphere’s amps)...perhaps that’s my next step if I can deal with 16 tubes instead of 4...I might have to talk to Ralph...balanced stuff appeals to me, and I like the word "circlotronic."
shkong78's avatar
shkong78
1,485 posts
 
Schitt does not attempt to make the best product.

But they try to make good product at price point affordable to general public.

Thus they did not use exotic cables beyond reach of ordinary folks.
audition__audio
1,522 posts
 
wolf,
Given your speakers, you cannot do better than the M-60s or the 30 watt stereo amp. After using one of Ralph's amps you will realize that much of what you liked about your SET amp is actually distortion and that these amps, even with efficient speakers, run out of juice very quickly. Another option is the ZOTL stuff from David Berning. 
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.
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