The Mike Moffat (#2 at Schiit) Blog

Discussion in 'Schiit' started by baldr, Dec 15, 2016.

  1. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    By the way, I suppose everybody knows, but then, there was a time when I didn't... The USB symbol (the trident thing) is on top of the plug. That is "top" as in the side of the motherboard that has all the bits on it.

    The USB laws allow those in possession of this secret first-time plugging.

    But, if you don't know the orientation of the board inside the box, and access is awkward... only a torch and a mirror can save you. Never get under somebody's desk without a torch and a mirror.
     
  2. bengo

    bengo Friend

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    Ask me in a year from now, my old phone with micro started to have charging issues after maybe 1000 cycles max? USB C sure feels more solid.

    Sometimes it takes me a couple of attempts to plug in a type A, but in my defense, it was into an Ethernet port...
     
  3. ButtUglyJeff

    ButtUglyJeff Stunningly beautiful IRL

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    I'm sorry, I guess I should have articulated my question better.

    Is USB-C a format someone like Mike Moffat can take advantage of? Does USB-C have the potential to outshine Schiit's USB gen 5 and the Eitr? Is it electrically more stable so as not to introduce noise or stutter? Will (or could) we see a Schiit DAC with a USB-C port?
     
  4. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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    Short answer: not really. The power and Data channels are still prone to being dirty.

    Long answer: USB-C 3.1, beyond being reversible and backwards compatible with 3.0 and 2.0, is pretty nifty stuff. The power delivery spec allows up to 100 watts of power to be delivered. It doubles the number of dedicated data paths, and has several separate assignable paths which can used for anything from DisplayPort, HDMI, audio, etc. It is also an order of magnitude faster for data than older USB.

    Edit: The only reason Mike might want to introduce Type-C plugs is to utilize the data bandwidth increases, or to do something crazy with the assignable pin outs. It's possible, but given their current design strategy, the only reason he'd probably do that is if the entire world adopted some new data format which made all previous redbook and DSD formats completely irrelevant and at the same time required more bandwidth than USB 2 or 3 could deliver.
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2017
  5. mrflibble

    mrflibble Friend

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    I once owned a usb stick that just had the plastic plug part with the contacts (no metal part round the outside). Somehow :oops:, I managed to plug it into the socket so that it was on the wrong side of the receiver contacts. One spark later and I had a dead usb stick and a dead usb port :oops:
     
  6. baldr

    baldr Schiit-sterer

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    I always wondered why streamed music had such a varied level of fucktivity about its sound, with the best resembling genital lice to the worst more akin to bubonic plague fleas and rats. Here is a quote from another site which is a slap in the face to all users of music:

    https://www.mattmontag.com/music/universals-audible-watermark

    I have always preferred a spinning disc to a stream; now I know much of the why. If this is the Universal way, we can only imagine that of others music suppliers. It used to be so inconvenient to maintain a physical library then locate, pick, and play a record. The promise of convenience with online streaming has been a wet dream of performance. I have a butt-ugly silver disc spinner proto in my living room. I will finish it as soon as Sol the TT is in production. The more things change, the more they stay ther same.

    I know, I know.. Streaming is so convenient. Then again, so is McDonald's.
     
  7. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    It's certainly a great deal easier to plug my phone into the charger in the dark now, with a USB-C connector. For some reason, even though previous directional connectors gave you a 50% chance to get it right, it always took me at least three goes...
     
  8. bengo

    bengo Friend

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    [​IMG]
     
  9. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    Masterful photeyshoppe skillz there, @bengo!
     
  10. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Streaming is wonderful...for listening in my car.
     
  11. Darren G

    Darren G Friend

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    Universal's watermark mechanism is mostly below my level of psycho-acoustic audibility. I can pick up on it in an exaggerated sample, and quick A/B switching, and I have no doubt that some people's brains pick up on it consistently, while my brain just doesn't.

    That written, for the music I really care about, I'll buy the CD. Physical Graffiti (Led Zeppelin) is just too good to compromise.
     
  12. Mithrandir41

    Mithrandir41 Friend

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    The first time I ever heard the digital watermarking was in a download of Mystic rhythms from Rush. I could clearly hear a warbling in the reverb between beats
     
  13. Darren G

    Darren G Friend

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    Not sure if I should envy those who can hear this or not ;)

    Yea in the exaggerated samples I can hear the warbling. In actual music, just doesn't register in my brain. Still even if I can't immediately pick up on it, it may contribute to listener fatigue. I love the advantages of Spotify, but I do find something about it grates on my nerves as compared with listening to my CDs.
     
  14. lm4der

    lm4der A very good sport - Friend

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    Jebus, this talk about watermarking music is horrifying to me. That they actually do this. Just... awful.
     
  15. Darren G

    Darren G Friend

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    Water-marking VOD is old news too. Nothing really to be shocked about ;)

    As usual it is unfortunate that the honest customers have to pay a price for the dishonest, but there is nothing to be surprised about.
     
  16. Energeezer

    Energeezer New

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    I always thought that digital audio watermarking came and went with DVD audio. Looks like I was misinformed.
     
  17. songmic

    songmic Gear cycler East Asia edition

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    I'm not sure if this has been discussed here, but with the production version of Gadget (which is said to have a USB input) on the horizon, I wonder if the Gadget would incorporate the Gen 5 USB.

    Part of me thinks the answer is no, for the following reasons:

    The Eitr is already priced at $179, and IIRC, the Gadget would be $199. If you could get what is essentially an Eitr with a superb re-tuner for $20 more, it would cannibalize on the pre-existing Eitr. No one would want to buy the Eitr (unless, Schiit decides to discontinue the Eitr once Gadget is released OR raise the price of Gen 5 USB-equipped Gadget). Also, IIRC, the Gadget supposedly comes in the same sized chassis as Eitr. I don't think it would be easy to fit Gen 5 USB and re-tuner in that small chassis (unless, Schiit decides to use a larger chassis for Gadget).

    However, another part of me thinks the answer is yes, for the following reasons:

    The Eitr/Gen 5 USB was a sort of revolutionary product of 2016 that put a lot of more expensive USB modules and DDCs to shame. Some people--myself included--went as far as to sell and re-buy the same Schiit DACs (Bifrost Multibit, Gungnir Multibit, Yggdrasil) we owned to get a taste of the Gen 5 USB, while others have separately purchased Gen 5 USB boards. Right now, all Schiit DACs with the exception of Modi are fitted with the Gen 5 USB by default, effecitvely freeing us from USB nervosa (and the need to buy an Eitr). However, introducing a supposedly game-changing re-tuner that many Schiit DAC owners would buy, which accepts USB input but doesn't have the superior Gen 5 USB, would cause our USB nervosa to relapse (since Gadget only has a coaxial output, which would be fed into the DAC and bypass the DAC's Gen 5 USB) and force many of us to buy the Eitr separately just to use it between our computers and Gadget. Sure, this approach could boost the sales of Eitr and might be profitable from Schiit's point of view, but at the same time it would be frustrating to its customers since they are essentially buying another Gen 5 USB converter when it's already built into their DACs just because the re-tuner forces them to bypass the one inside their DACs without offering the same superior USB solution. If Schiit decides not to incorporate Gen 5 USB into Gadget, this marketing approach would invariably piss a lot of people off.

    It would be like:

    "Hey, do you want a Gadget that magically re-tunes and makes everything sound better? It's yours for only $199. Oh, but on one condition only. You'll have to forgo the wonderful Gen 5 USB in your DACs and stick with the crappy one inside the Gadget. Well you can't have everything. Oh wait, if you really want to use the Gen 5 USB which is already in your DACs, you can just buy another one, it's called Eitr and yours for an extra $179. Haha, I'm laughing all the way to the bank."

    I'm sure Schiit, being a respectable company, wouldn't pull such a dick move on its loyal customers.
     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2017
  18. bengo

    bengo Friend

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    History shows that @schiit is perfectly happy to launch better, cheaper products and "cannibalize" its own sales...
     
  19. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    "The USB incorporation is Gen II to keep it under two hun"
     
  20. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    Over on Mike's blog on Headfi he said this:

    I was pleased with the Gadget's reception. The majority of those who listened "got it", even with the loud distractions of the shows' environs. I had an opportunity to speak with several press members, all of who realized that it is a fun device, which of course why we do this hobby. We now have a Gadget up and running at the Schittr, and as a project it is all but ready to put in production.

    Ivana for now is working on the translation of UAC2 audio (USB2) into a microprocessor. This will be a project of some duration. The reason for the moment is not to build a Gen V USB killer, but more for us to have a better low-cost solution. Most DACs which would glue to common USB solutions (XMOS, Cmedia, etc.) are I2S Sigma Delta types, which exhibit relatively high levels of sonic asstivity. Since we have a DSP processor in our entire upgardable line, we can configure much higher quality DACs, an ability which can be realized at the under $200 market when we have the USB running in our own micro. We will no longer be constrained by "audio" DACs.

    In order to fully implement the next versions of the Manhattan, we will need to utilize processors which are much more powerful and less DSP specific. This will be yet another learning curve for us which we will get to as soon as we conquer our proprietary USB interface.​
     

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