[r2muchstuff]

Shiit N Music
Monday

At the Research Triangle (Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill), NC Fall Schiit Meetup I previewed the Mjolnir 3 with my Beyerdynamic T1 600 ohm headphones.
At that moment I planned to own a Mjolnir 3. The Mjolnir 3 and T1 had the synergy.
Unknown then was which other headphones would also play nice.

Today I can say that first impressions of the HiFiMan Edition X, Grado SR 325e and Sennheiser HD650 are positive.
The amp needs more run time and I need more time with each headphone and amp settings. Other headphones to try as well.
This will take me a while to settle in with.

The Mjolnir 2 is sitting here as well. Comparisons will happen.

The Grado have long term been connected to Asgard 2. Will Asgard be displaced?
The Sennheiser have been connected to Valhalla 2 (6SN7 adapted). Will that continue? What about the Valhalla 3?

HiFiMan Arya-Stealth. After Mjolnir 3/Edition X the temptation is close to winning.

Sennheiser HD 650/Mjolnir 3 is fetching.

More questions than answers at this time.

Back to -

Enjoying the Schiit N Music

 

[Nick76]

Just placed my order for a black Yggy GS2 with Unison. Couldn't hold off any longer. I expect my MJ3 will be quite a bit happier in the near future

 

[r2muchstuff]

Pix or it didn't happen! (mostly just want to drool over pictures of silver Schiit...)

 

[cgb3]

Oh man, this is really having me considering a GS2 instead of going all out with the OG. Anyone have any idea how limited the GS2s are and when they are expected to disappear?

If I was going full form factor, I'd buy a Ygg, of some vintage. For the space, get the best.

I believe Schiit will release a TI card with the new "super chip" for the Bifrost within the next 15 months.

If not, I'm completely happy with the sublime sounds my current rig is putting out. I'm finally at my contented moment in my acquisition stage.

 

[sixergixer]

On the streaming thing, I agree with the consensus here, I don't trust streaming. It's renting, and I'd rather pay to own. I usually buy CD first, rip it to NAS and listen digital for a while. If it's a great album, or an okay album that gets it's hooks in me, then I invest in a copy on vinyl. This has been my model for 20-ish years now since I bought my first turntable in 2002-ish (I'm young enough to have been raised on cassettes then CD's, then vinyl last, not first).

But this led to an interesting counter point to the "owning my music" train of thought. Theft. My last move when I left active duty navy and moved from Seattle to Houston in 2019, I let movers take most of my stuff, but the high value stuff I put in a u-haul trailer and towed it behind my truck. I have learned my lesson with movers and sticky fingers. But then in Oklahoma City, I took my family to get dinner at a nice burger joint and after dinner walked back out to my truck to find the back door of the uhaul had been pulled off at the hinges. They got my TV (insurance paid for a nicer upgrade for the same purchase price) and some other misc electronics that were easily replaceable. But they also got a few boxes that were loaded into the trailer last, to include cleaning out over a third of my vinyl collection. They also got a box full of all my 6922 type tubes for my MJ2 and Vali2. I was devastated. Insurance wouldn't pay any more for the records than 20 bucks per. They said they weren't insured as "antiquities" so 20 bucks was max. I lost out on some really nice jazz to include a prized Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong Porgie and Bess original issue, as well as some indie rock bands that only did one run of their record and couldn't even be found on ebay/discogs.

So now I realize, we really don't own anything, we are just stewards. But as a steward, at least I can make an insurance claim if someone takes it from me, but if amazon decides to de-list it for whatever reason, I'm left with no recourse.

The tubes I was SOL. I had some really nice RCA's, Tesla's, Westinghouse, various JAN stuff, all gone. But it made it an easier decision to move to 6SN7 gear at least since I don't have a carefully curated collection of 6922's going to waste. So now I have a reason to hunt for more and more 6SN7s to build up that collection, which is part of the hobby, I guess.

That totally sucks. I'm bummed for you. But your viewpoint of being stewards of the things around us is an excellent outlook to have.

 

[bevanc]

How dare you toy with my emotions, FedEx!? You tell me my Yggy GS2 is in Dallas and set for Delivery on 12/11, then at 6PM on the day I stayed home to sign for the shipment you set the status to DELAYED/PENDING!! Damn you, FedEx!! Damn you to HADES!!

That's FedEx for you. Easily the worst delivery delivery service in the US.

 

[Moondog55]

Can you point to anything a streamer can do better than a computer?

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but my current computer streaming is excellent. I have a good motherboard, that allows clean usb audio outs. I have 3 32" monitors, versus a small streamer screen. If my main rack computer isn't counted, I have a 15" and 17" laptops that are very capable. Then the 4 12" tablets.

I'm in the "if not broke don't fix it camp".

My 14 year old Dell running Win10 is a 'crackle' machine when streaming. My Wiim Pro is smooth sailing. My Chromebook and Win11 computer are great but using them to stream is not as convenient. The Wiim was less than 7% of the cost of the Windows computer, half the price of the Chromebook and far more convenient to use in its 'one trick pony' persona. YMMV.

 

[MrChuck]

Does anyone know of a place in the Bay Area to buy a set of wired black KEF LS50?
I wouof rather avoid flea Bay, and to a certain extent craigslist. These will be used on my Ragnarok

Chuck

 

[StevePNW]

I am doing no such thing.
Officially, anyway… ;p



Shipping notifications are not being sent from a schiit.com email address, but from support@intacct.com — so you might want to check your spam folder.
(This may or may not apply to orders shipped from Texas only, which your Yggdrasil wouldn't be, of course.)

On Sunday I just received my B-Stock Modi Multibit 2 from Texas and I did get a shipping e-mail from support@intacct.com. I'm really liking how it pairs with my Nitsch Piety and I was pleasantly surprised that my wife liked that I saved $30 and took care of her shopping for me...Anyway, it is a sweet sounding little package. Maybe over the holiday I'll try it out in my 2-channel setup. Cheers!

 

[Ohno Schiitizen]

 

[superultramega]

Does anyone know of a place in the Bay Area to buy a set of wired black KEF LS50?
I wouof rather avoid flea Bay, and to a certain extent craigslist. These will be used on my Ragnarok

Chuck

A web search is your best resource. But maybe AudioVision?

 

[JamminVMI]

Does anyone know of a place in the Bay Area to buy a set of wired black KEF LS50?
I wouof rather avoid flea Bay, and to a certain extent craigslist. These will be used on my Ragnarok

Chuck

Crutchfield is also good, they are in VA, but they ship free 2-day.

 

[PBraith]

As a former college professor who taught Copyright law in the business school of San Jose State University, I must remind this august group that when you purchase music or video on any pre-recorded media including digital downloads, you never really "own" the content. What you've purchased is the limited use rights to the content and if the media is physical, the piece of plastic containing the material. The owner of the copyright can, in theory anyway, revoke those use rights at any time.

It's just that they are far, far, far less likely to take that sort of action with a CD or LP or whatever you've purchased than they are with a streaming service or radio station. And with streaming services they are much more likely to force them to offer lower-quality versions if they are not happy with the royalty payments they are receiving, regardless of what you think you have "paid for."

OK, ass-like professor attitude put back in the box where it belongs.

If they came to my house, they would have to rip the vinyl out of my cold... um... well, after we had a chat, of course, and offered them a cup of tea, or if they look a bit rough, maybe a couple of beers.

 

[rkw]

I just had another "content unavailable" on Tidal (for some saved albums) and it's not the first time.

Search for the album again. I have this issue with Qobuz. The album is still there but the saved version is not.

This topic comes up regularly on the Roon Community Forum. The issue is caused by the record label replacing an album with a newer version (such as a CD resolution release replaced by hi-res version, or a remaster). However it isn't a direct replacement — it's more like the new version is added to the catalog and the old version is deleted. When this happens, Qobuz/Tidal doesn't know how to detect it and doesn't update the favorite, which continues to point to the old version that has been deleted. You have to manually update it yourself.

On Roon, the symptom is that the old album can still be opened but all of its tracks are labeled as unavailable. In that case, look in the Versions tab of the album and it may show a different version that you can open and make a favorite.

 

[Les Strat]

I am not a Boomer (Gen X), but agree 100% with you. This is why I went back to vinyl. I jumped on iTunes when it came out, then they changed models so I went to Spotify, they increased price, and then Tidal came out - which was better but then got more expensive, then Amazon Music because it came with Prime, and finally I said the hell with it. I spent thousands buying music (and movies) on Apple that I can't even access anymore (because all the Apple password/upgrade bs) and probably a grand more on streaming services that can be shut off or "amended" at any time. I stopped all that and use the "free" Amazon Music when I am on the go with my phone, but at home it's vinyl.

Sure I have spent a few grand on records, but to your point I own them. Nobody can take them away, update the terms of using them, change formats, or anything else - they are mine. A good modern vinyl system like I have (VPI -> Skoll -> McIntosh preamplifier -> McIntosh power amplifier -> Sonus faber towers) sounds just as good if not better than most folks digital systems. Also, in my second system (PC with Amazon Music -> Bifrost -> Lyr+ in tube mode -> Lokius -> Aegir -> Piega towers) the Bifrost cleans up the Amazon stream nicely and sounds fine for "exploring" new stuff before buying the vinyl.

The other bonus is I believe most artists get paid more when you buy a vinyl (or CD for those of you doing so) so you are actually supporting the music a little more.

I agree with you @LrrTx

I ‘own’ all of my favourite music on vinyl, CD…or both!

I had TIDAL on a free trial many years ago.
It didn’t last beyond the free trial.

I have been a Qobuz subscriber for several years but its use is limited to discovering new music and occasional late night listening sessions with friends.

After a few beers the convenience of being able to listen to almost anything which appeals, without leaving our chairs, trumps any possible loss of sound quality.

I certainly won’t rely on Qobuz (or any other streaming service) as there is a real risk that they will simply pull the plug or change the terms and conditions.

I got back into vinyl about 2 years ago, having vowed not to re-enter this rabbit hole after a 20+ year gap.

It is an expensive option!
I have spent a lot on the hardware- turntable, cartridges, phonostage, and new vinyl is not cheap.

However, I have been amazed how good this ‘obsolete’ technology can sound.

Initially I was sceptical about it ever approaching the quality of a CD on a top CD transport and DAC, but remarkably, in my experience, it does!

I certainly wouldn’t claim that it is ‘better’ than CD, but I love it, and have no regrets about getting back into vinyl.

Having said that, if I could only have one physical recording medium it would be CDs, for several reasons;
I already own about 1200 CDs
(Only about 300 vinyl albums)
Cost
Ease of storage
Ease of ownership/use
Ability to rip bit-perfect copies

Streaming is fourth in my list of favoured sources behind CDs, Ripped CDs (on networked hard drive) and vinyl.