USB Meets its match - the Schiit Eitr (pronounced "Eater")

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by toddrhodes, Sep 15, 2017.

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  1. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    @toddrhodes - Todd, this is of interest to me because after so many decades of vinyl only, I am going to set up a decent digital front end. And, for now, the only thing I care about is Redbook. But the fact that there are converter that would allow me to use computer sourced audio into an old school style DAC- no oversampling, ladder type, tube rectified, etc. is cool. Right now, I'm planning on taking baby steps, just like you did when you dove into vinyl a few years ago.
    best,
     
    toddrhodes likes this.
  2. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    I still haven't done a listening test yet to compare the Eitr to the Gen 2 Gumby or Gen 2 Modi Multibit (Mimby). I will eventually. Just not motivated to do it now.

    One of the reasons I got the Eitr is to have an affordable USB to S/PDIF converter. A converter like that is very very handy when trying DACs at meets or dealers. It means I can bring my laptop and Eitr to a dealer or meet and be able to try any PCM DAC that has a S/PDIF coax input and not need to worry about Windows drivers. I just wish the Eitr had two S/PDIF outputs so I could connect two DACs to it and more easily do an AB comparison. Plus this little toy will let me try some older R2R DACs that have S/PDIF inputs but no USB and other DACs like the Berkeley Alpha that don't have USB. So this Eitr thing is very useful to have and also very affordable, along with being a USB to S/PDIF converter that does it with high quality. So win win for me. Other USB to S/PDIF converters I've been considering are double or triple or quadruple the price of the Eitr. I like saving money while not compromising audio quality.
     
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  3. AmosM

    AmosM Courtier to Queen Jane

    Location:
    Denton, USA
    Same experience, using the Eitr into a Rega DAC-R (from a Mac Mini running Audirvana). More depth to the high end, improved soundstage, and less fatigue on longer listening sessions. Probably the biggest bang for the buck in my system.
     
    Thouston likes this.
  4. Uri Cohen

    Uri Cohen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Jacksonville, FL
    Eitr will be great if you are planning to use DACs that don't have upgradeable USB and you do a major of your listening from the computer. I have the Bifrost Multibit and I don't feel the rush to upgrade to the Gen 5 USB board since it my major DAC to my CD player. I just ordered the Modi 2 Uber and Mangi 3 this pass week and to be honest for casual listening from my laptop I just don't care enough for the USB improvements at this time.
     
    beverett likes this.
  5. Dreadnought

    Dreadnought I'm a live wire. Look at me burn.

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    I've had an Eitr for about a month, replacing a Wyrd. Although I was certain I heard an immediate decided improvement I'm terrible at maintaining that difference in my mind. I definitely had some audiophile neurosis from the relentless assertions that "USB sucks", which may very well be true. I wasn't going to buy a $1K USB > S/PDIF converter, which seemed the going rate for a good device, for a $600 Multibit Bifrost and had hoped that the next Schiit gadget was this. $179 is a great price and way cheaper than an appointment with a shrink. YMMV :laugh:
     
    billnunan likes this.
  6. SirMarc

    SirMarc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cranford, NJ
    Was a joke, put the words together
     
  7. PopularChuck

    PopularChuck Senior Member

    Location:
    Bay Area
    Yep. I got it. Schiit and Shinola. :D Just saying... Not a fan of the company.
     
  8. Jack Flannery

    Jack Flannery Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX
    They seem to thrive without you.
     
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  9. PopularChuck

    PopularChuck Senior Member

    Location:
    Bay Area
    Indeed they do. Hipsters easily parted with their money.

    I kid. Mostly.
     
  10. Chris Schoen

    Chris Schoen Rock 'n Roll !!!

    Location:
    Maryland, U.S.A.
    "Sheeeeit!" :laugh:
     
  11. Jack Flannery

    Jack Flannery Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX
    I have two of their dacs and two of 5heir headphone amps. I am far from hipster. The Gungnir multibit is really the first time digital didn’t sound digital. Enjoy your blue meters or whatever.
     
    billnunan likes this.
  12. PopularChuck

    PopularChuck Senior Member

    Location:
    Bay Area
    We have a misunderstanding... I mean Shinola is for hipsters. I have purchased several Schiit products over the years and love them.
     
  13. Jack Flannery

    Jack Flannery Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX
    So what? I had a Shinola watch. Looked good. Kept perfect time. Didn’t cost a bunch of money.
     
  14. Shiver

    Shiver Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Is this the same principle as the Musical Fidelity V-Link(s)? If so, would be interesting if anyone's tried both.
     
  15. PopularChuck

    PopularChuck Senior Member

    Location:
    Bay Area
    I'll stop know before I step in it any deeper.
     
  16. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    Same type of device. The V-Links were a USB to S/PDIF converter.
     
    Shiver likes this.
  17. Jack Flannery

    Jack Flannery Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Bah. I’m just giving you some grief. I am thinkin* about getting a clip on manbun.
     
    PopularChuck and toddrhodes like this.
  18. toddrhodes

    toddrhodes Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    South Bend, IN
    Would love to hear what direction you end up going here. By Redbook, am I right in assuming you have a pile of CDs to listen to? Or just RB FLAC/ALAC files to choose from that you'll stream into a DAC?
     
  19. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    There are, I don't know, at least a thousand CDs here- after culling. But what I'm most interested in is older legitimate CD reissues of albums that are otherwise unobtanium on vinyl now, such as this: Leaf Hound - Growers Of Mushroom
    The CD I got was this: Leaf Hound - Growers Of Mushroom...Plus , reissued in 1994 and supposedly made from the tapes. (Ken, mentioned below, that when he did Spring on CD, he got the master tape, not a digital file. His version, done quite a while ago, sounds football fields beyond the more ubiquitous version available today- they used some of his liner notes).
    I have a friend, Ken Golden of LaserCD who has not only reissued some pretty famous prog albums on CD himself (e.g. Spring, on the Neon label, which I do own on vinyl), but has been an amazing resource into older obscure rock, e.g. Blast Furnace -s/t, which is superb (and has benefitted by a decent vinyl reissue that I can highly recommend at reasonable cost) or Brian Davison's Every Which Way which is not an expensive album, but pretty below the radar (and just superb, sounds like early Stevie Winwood blues shouter stuff; Davison was the drummer for The Nice and did the album after Keith Emerson moved on to ELP).
    The problem is, obviously, that a lot of the more obscure heavy rock, psych, proto-metal, and prog-'ish' records are now super collectible and/or rare and have not been well reissued on vinyl if at all. Thus, the older CDs where they exist, will give me access to that music without paying nutty money for a single record, or suffering a lousy reissue or counterfeit. (As a retired copyright lawyer, I'd obviously have a problem with the latter).
    I'm less interested in 'hi-rez' or the ability to stream-dunno if Spotify or Tidal even have some of these titles. I also don't want to deal with computer network issues using a server, an interface and some very expensive DAC that will be superseded next week by something better.
    So, the concept is to keep it simple- the ladder DAC, no oversampling, tube rectified types with no analog filtering are of interest to me. And a simple CD only transport for now.
    If I want to go into a really serious digital rig at some point, I can always relegate that set up to the vintage system.
    Make sense? I'm still sussing this out.
     
    toddrhodes, reapers and Ham Sandwich like this.
  20. doug_s.

    doug_s. Forum Resident

    Location:
    maryland
    your question is not really the "apples to apples" question. the question should be:

    "would you buy a $10k car that performs like an $80k car, that is called the turd burgler."

    later in this thread you said you get to name products, write press releases, etc. for one of the biggest companies in america. well, different clients have different needs. maybe your present client is one of those stuck-up sorts - the type that schiit is poking fun at? (or maybe not, who knows?) in any event, there's different marketing for different clients; you need to expand your horizons and up your game a bit, me-thinks. you never know when you will have a david-like client out there slaying the goliaths...

    doug s.
     
  21. Cliff

    Cliff Magic Carpet Man

    Location:
    Northern CA
    Hey Ham. Have you done any comparisons yet?
     
  22. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    Not yet. I do plan to. I just haven't been motivated to do it yet. I expect the differences are going to be subtle. I'm recovering from an ear infection. Once my hearing is more recovered I'll do it. But right now such a listening comparison for subtle changes would likely be futile and frustrating.
     
  23. RiCat

    RiCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT, USA
    As an aside to luv'n my Gumby, I wanted it in black to match the rest of my gear. I took it to a local shop that does vinyl signs and automobile wrapping. They covered it in a black that matches the rest. We left tight cuts at the lights, buttons and vents on top.
     
    billnunan likes this.
  24. Cliff

    Cliff Magic Carpet Man

    Location:
    Northern CA
    No worries Ham. I am currently running a Toslink cable to my Modi2 Multibit from the Motherboard audio out. Surprisingly, I prefer the crappy motherboard digital out to my SB Audigy card out. Maybe because it's 'just' digital. I don't know. It's so much easier to set up USB due to drivers and the like but the sound is muddier in the bass and harsher on the top end than thru Toslink. So I thought this device could cure that. Hope you feel better soon.
     
  25. Piotter

    Piotter New Member

    Location:
    Nantes
    Would I win on Sound Quality when replacing my M2tech Hiface TWO by the Schiit EITR ? Are there any comparisons yet ?
     
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