SBAF Wishlist for 2021 - Petition to MOTs

Fixed that for you

In all seriousness though, a low cost ZMF that comes in dynamic or planar flavor would be perfect.

 

An iFi IEMatch 4.4mm: self explanatory

A headphone version of the Raal SR1a: the SR1a technicalities are a stand out, but it would definitely benefit from better ergonomics (e.g to be able to use it in bed while not having to pick the right pillow and set up the wings to the right angle so they rest on it - which only works for smaller heads anyway...) and moaaar bass!

A stand-alone Megacombo-burrito resampler: that’s wishful thinking, of course, but wouldn’t it be nice to have Schiit’s take on an M-Scaler with Unison out?
I know I would love to try their filter with my Wavelight (in NOS, of course), just like I was dreaming about something like this for my Metrum Jade!

 

Desktop sized class AB speaker amp for powering passive bookshelves. I know of one such product and that is the Vista Spark amp. Would be nice to have more than one device on the market. Currently if you want to run bookshelves your choices are either go class D and buy a device like topping pa3, buy active speakers in the first place or buy a regular sized speaker amp and find room on your desk for it. Maybe a bifrost/jot2 sized poweramp with xlr inputs only that would be plugged into jot's preouts?

@purr1n iFi is already working on two streamers, one Zen sized and one Neo sized, both will support Tidal connect.

 

Heh, I ended up editing my post to just say "headphone". Who knows, maybe he has a low cost electrostat in the works?

 

Roon has a pretty powerful recommendation algorithm (similar to Spotify but arguably better) which in combination with Tidal can do what you'd want ok, not a 'music player' in the true sense but it's a close match.

 

I've already seen a lot of people request Modi MB with Unison USB so that should be obvious.

more specifically to headphones, a digital domain gadget that can do crossfeed

Also since I've gotten into recording music, a multibit ADC from any company.

 

Along the same lines as @Hands, I would also like to see a ready-to-go pi streamer, maybe from @Michael Kelly.

Pre-built with a pi-4, you choose ram size, SD card size (maybe 2 options like 8 or 16gb), case color and your choice of either RoPieee or moOde. This increases the price by the raw materials plus $75 or $100 for labor.

I think this could lower the barrier to entry significantly and allow less technically savvy people to experience pi streaming.

 

I believe this is actually in the works. Someone at headphones.com did an interview with Zach a few months ago and he mentioned something about a lower cost model.

Around 90-91 minutes in:

 

when was the HE90 built? Seems like whatever patent should be expiring

 

@Hands
It’s indeed impossible for anything like Eddie Current to be mass produced. VTL, Manley, Tube-tech, the current UA gear, and most other mass produced modern tube gear is pretty much distorted lofi crap compared to older stuff kept alive and EC. You can’t even restore most old school clean tube gear and early discrete solid state outside of the country of origin if it’s been cooked. Then you have anything Fairchild like chewing through 150 dollar 6386 tubes that were oop for a long time and the “pro” tube gear people too cheap to buy 100 of them new from Slovakia and match them. The techs can’t read the service manuals or get the parts. And you’ll have to hunt for years for nos components like clean mullards and pentodes not kept in a military stash and turned on every few years for nukes. A lot of the modern equivalents are worse or not to spec. Good luck finding old German parts. German techs and dealers themselves are selling cassette rack modules that just turn on as is because they can’t get the parts to fix them and make thousands in profit for a few hours of labor.

 

That would be great. I can justify a $500 headphone, maybe $700 at a stretch. Anything above that and I'm wondering why I'm not putting that money in two channel gear or hookers and blow life experiences.

 

I use my normal sized class AB amp as a monitor stand. At 4 inches tall it works great and takes up no more real estate on the desk than the built in monitor stand when you consider all the space behind the screen is not utilized in many cases already.

 

Exacto. These guys cruise eBay and dismantle shit for parts. They buy shit from third world radio stations with broken v72 lying around in the hope that when it fried, the silk covering the wires didn’t give out and fry everything on the modules. They dismantle old power stuff and commission custom Hammond and Lundahl transformers. There’s no way any mass producer could get the parts to produce a serviceable item.

Think about it, there’s not even a good mass produced 1176 anymore. There’s a guy cobbling together diy kits, a couple of guys making them in the USA, and one Polish guy. The mass produced ones are dog shit. And you can find the nos parts online, just not in big quantities. The tube parts and rarest early transistors, some of which are shockingly clean, you cannot buy without luck and hook ups.

 

Akitika GT-102 is perfect for that application. 50-60WPC Class AB. Runs cool, and especially if you have the DC scrapper installed, runs completely dead quiet with zero transformer hum. Plus can add a volume control knob that then would be right in front of you below your monitor.

 

Let's not idealize old things, some of the new iron is top notch can can be made to the same level or above the good old days. Comparing the very best tubes and transformers of yester year, barium telefunken AD1 and vintage C core some modern stuff gets surprisingly close and even beyond in some cases depending on tastes. Prices are stupid for nowadays breaching on ORFAS yet a well implemented modern tube amp will wipe the floor with vintage gear which commands silly coin. One can mass produce very good amps if the drive and willingness are present. Sad that more and more great builders are forsaking DIY and kits because they're annoyed on trivial questions from novices.

 

Another product that came to mind and that I bugged Jason about. RaspberryPi CM3 recipent board (like the USBridge signature) but running Schiit's Unison USB transmitter. Schiit really doesn't want to do a software product but if this was just a board with a case and a psu all they'd have to provide would be the hardware side of things (which admittedly is still quite a lot of work) and software would be taken care of by existing vendors such as Volumio or Moode.

Allo does this, both their usb and spdif offerings come preassembled (but can also be bought in diy version)

 

I see a lot of my wishes are covered by others, but I’ll reiterate anyhow. Basically for me, mostly a Schiit list:

• Schiit Aegir Maximus

Because moar power=better. I probably don’t really have to sell this one, it will just make the amp more versatile for a wider range of speakers, rooms, and listening levels.​

• Schiit Ragnarok Mini (desktop sized lower power speaker amp with a good HP amp)

There are simply very few choices in decent class A/B integrated amps that are sized for a desktop setup to power passive monitors. This is a niche that Schiit could dominate I think if they could shrink the form factor down enough. And if it had a HP out, even as good as Magni 3+, that would be a definite bonus.​

• Schiit Ragnarok Hybrid for speakers with a tube front end/preamp

Again, very few companies doing this. A hybrid tube integrated class A/B amp (or better yet, Continuity) for speakers, at a relatively affordable price with tubes in the preamp section would be almost by itself in the marketplace, and I think would grab people’s attention big time. Most speaker hybrids today are class D (e.g. Rogue or Peachtree) or expensive and not that accessible, like Vincent or BAT.​

• Schiit Sys/Saga balanced (remote, no tubes)

I think I’ve been harping on this one for 2 years. Schiit need a basic balanced preamp with a remote, ideally with Nexus, to support all their smaller balanced gear. Doesn’t make sense to have to get a Freya+ for your BF2 or Modius + single Aegir or Vidar.​

• Schiit tube speaker amp

I would love to see if Jason can build a great tube amp (power amp or integrated pre/power) for speakers. Lower power is fine. There’s a lot of cheap chifi tube amps coming into the market lately and grabbing a lot of customers - I think Schiit could get into this and do well with folks who want something made in US and is better quality (and you can actually get service for).​

• Schiit digital transport with Ethernet in and Unison output (other outputs are good too), but no CD.

Might tie in with the “simple RPi transport” idea. Support for your choice of Roon or DLNA endpoint on a hardware switch (no software config). If Unison USB is going to be Schiit’s ultimate transport connection type, they need to go where the market is going, and that’s streaming. A CD transport with Unison is fine, but it’s supporting yesterday’s media. Files and streaming, including Roon, is where the market is now (and only getting bigger).​

• IfI portable DAC/amp with Wifi and Roon support

Around the house great sound anytime I want it!​

• Bluetooth headphones and IEMs that are actually good, not just barely listenable/meh.

That one is non specific, but come on manufacturers, you can do better than this.​