If one’s budget is $250 for a headphone amp, it certainly appears Schiit has come to the rescue.
Does Anyone Buy Schiit for the Sake of Schiit?
Most of us I think when buying something where workmanship and materials are less critical than price will go to a discount store like Walmart of Target (I think we've all heard they about calling it Tar-zhay because it's classier than Walmart) or Costco - the sort of stores where what you buy is not the best but it's always good for what you pay for it. I'm wondering, is Schiit the audio equivalent of Target? That is, does anyone buy it because the Schiit gear is particularly good, or merely that it's good for the price? The only Schiit product that I've ever bought is the Asgard as a headphone amp, since I don't use headphones that often, and I wasn't going to put a lot of money into it. Actually, I tried the Vali 2+ at first, and that seemed rather inadequate, so I sent it back and got the Asgard instead. It seems good enough, though I don't have much to compare it to, but it seems to struggle a bit in getting to higher volume levels.
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This does present something of a conundrum to posh retailers who have stuff on their shelves with bone crunching price tags that need to be sold - would they dare to stock Schiit even if they could? Customers may find that they prefer Schiit if they audition. Ouch. Isn’t competition a beautiful thing? Yes, Schiit have very experienced and highly reputable engineers on board. I suspect this may be a recent (last couple years or so) development. That Yggy thing I mentioned a few posts above was June 2018 - that was then, this is now. |
I have one of the last batch of their Sol turntable. From what I've heard in the comparable range, the Sol blows away the competition. It's no question that Rega, Thorens, etc. make nice turntables, and I know if you dropped some $ tweaking them, they do get better with upgrades. Even right out of the box, my Sol was a great sounding unit, and eventually I did some accessory purchases and some DIY tweaking too. It now absolutely sounds fantastic and completely runs circles around a Rega P3. I really wish they'd bring the Sol back into production or at least produce a few more tonearms so I can easily swap cartridges. My only regret was not purchasing extra tonearms when I could. -Lloyd
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I won't buy something just because of the name. I buy audiophile gears based on extensive quality reviews and trials. I purchased Schiit Modius and I kept it because I think it is a dac outperforming may DACs I had tried below $500 and other had reviewed below $1k. It takes away digital glare so I could listen to music many hours without fatigues, while still retains details and commendable SS width and depth. The only thing remained to be seen is its long-term reliability. I found the forumers who praise the Schiit as very good to excellent "budgetary" products but NOT audiophile grades are rather snobbish. If you do not beleive they are audiophile grade then do not buy it, because you are downgrading yourself to a non-audiophile at the same time. Why do you proclaim yourself to be a audiophile when you purchase and actually enjoy with a non-audiophile product? Snobbish! That is the first explanation I could think of. In addition, they are one of direct-sale companies that aim to serve well the audiophile community with quality yet affordable audiophile grade equipments. This business model puts themselves a competitor of not only other manufactures but also dealers. That is the second explanation I could think of. If you proclaim yourself as a audiophile and enjoy using the Schiit product, give the appraisal that Schiit actually deserves. Don't be that stingy. |
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