You might take a look at their new Modius for $199 balanced??
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I was thinking about that. My amp is SE, though. Also, I think if I go with a D/S DAC, I would like the option of a DSD direct mode that bypasses the onboard converters and modulators. I am fond of being able to choose the filters and modulators with HQPlayer based on material and mood. It makes a subtle difference in sound but a big difference in my perception. The RME allows me to do this for pleasure listening. I contacted Topping and the D90, infact, has a DSD direct mode. I’m going to give it a whirl for home.
Schiit products should be more accesible. I wish they do something about it. Working with Amazon maybe ? Internationally these are pain in the as to buy.
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Some of them are avaliable on Amazon US.
I can’t see any Schiit product there. I guess they don’t ship to my country. Who is the seller ?
I think they avoid middle men to keep prices down but it can make access a bit more devilish depending upon your location.
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Yes, Schiit started selling a selection of its products on Amazon recently. I think it’s still cheaper to buy directly from Schiit - this Jot would be $499 from them, if I’m not mistaken, and shipping to the east coast would add another $20.
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Looks like amazon is just acting as a store front. Everything still comes from Schiit so unfortunately the consumer isnt gaining anything here except a smaller wallet.
I wonder if they felt like the had to create an amazon presence given just how prominent it is?
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That’s my take. A huge percentage of shopping is done only through Amazon. Some don’t realize that outside vendors exist or have been around forever (such as B&H Photo Video). They have to charge more through Amazon to cover the overhead costs.
…to keep the profit margins up…
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That sounds right. Schiit products are generally priced low for the high quality you get compared to other manufacturers at the same price point. For a business, they probably are already operating lean and aren’t in a position to make less profit on each item sold, so they’ve probably set prices on Amazon in order to make similar profit compared to when selling directly to the consumer. Unfortunately, that doesn’t help our wallets as consumers.
I think Schiit did this just because some folks in other parts of the world were asking for this. So you got it…but again its a bit more expensive your correct…but you can always buy from Schiit direct as I and most of us here in the states do.
Going direct to the source has been the core model of Schiit from the beginning…cut out the cost of the middleman…get a good piece of gear at a low cost compared to many others…
Alex
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Maybe. Ive read enough of their posts on various forums and they are aware of their position in the audio market, so Im not sure if they are overly focused on increasing their profit margins per unit. Their position as a value proposition in the market is important to them and I think they would rather sell more of a certain unit than make more per unit. But thats really just an apples to oranges comparison. Why the unit is $50 more on amazon is unclear, not sure what type of cut they take for being a storefront, Apple apparently wants something like 30%, IIRC, for using their app store as a front so…
I know, but I find it odd that they want this and yet things are still being drop shipped from schiit. What @generic said is spot on in that people now think amazon is the only game in town. The only thing I can think you would gain may be convenience with dealing with import fees as amazon usually estimates them up front and adjusts price accordingly. So maybe a 10% upcharge for not dealing with customs?
Ive always ordered direct from Schiit. Fedex works fairly well and is convenient enough for me with how they deal with duty charges.
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I am just glad to not have to deal with this here in the USA…
I have ordered some stuff from England and had to deal with a lot of BS from customs, fees and just general international BS.
I’d be willing to bet money that putting items on Amazon is basically just marketing for Schiit. There are a billion or so Amazon customers you might not otherwise reach if you didn’t list products there. Even if they don’t sell a single thing through the Amazon store front, it’s worth doing.
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I agree and was just about to say: they probably want to be visible on Amazon for branding purposes without ever wanting to sell anything on Amazon.
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Oh, man. I hate doing this in real time. I had a, ahem, late night listening session comparing the RME and the Bifrost 2 last night. I realized that I am learning not only a new DAC but new speakers which bit of a cluster muck.
Comparing the BF2 to the RME the differences in my home system are not subtle. In that system, the RME is very smooth. The BF2 is very “exciting” - so exciting that I am having a hard time wrapping my head around it - it has presented as too much, tiring, and weird to me.
Here’s the part that gets me, though. I played with the positioning of the C7s outside of the envelope of what was acceptable with my previous couple sets of speakers. I put a another 2 feet between the C7s (for a total of 10), moved them another foot into the room and pointed them straight out and, well, BOOM. Everything came into focus, the treble sweetened, the stage no longer seemed exaggerated, and the “slam” and emphasis on percussion became engaging rather than distracting.
All of the comments about the BF2’s weight, texture, resolution all make sense to me now.
I went ahead an ordered a D90 yesterday when I thought I would send the BF2 back. I will come back with a bit of a comparison of the two in a few days.
BTW Beyonce’s Lemonade on Harbeths with the BF2 through a Heed Obelisk is one of the best stereo experiences I’ve ever had.
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Hmmmm…
20 characters
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That’s interesting and good stuff – the impact of speaker positioning/placement/orientation. Between the RME, BF2, and D90, that will be quite the shootout. FPGA Chord Mojo or Qutest would like to have a word though, I kid. How many feet are you from each speaker? I get curious of what others’ stereo triangle looks like for a particular room/equipment.