Schiit Loki DSD companion DAC $149

Schiit has done it again... A DSD DAC for $149

http://schiit.com/products/loki

http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2013/09/schiit-loki-adds-dsd-to-your-existing-dac-for-us149/

 

Astonishing to get a DSD DAC at that price.

 

Wow. That is impressive.

However, I don't really get why you need to hook it up to another DAC for just DSD implementation. I do get the pass-through feature/option. Their FAQ doesn't talk about this. I'm probably just a little dense

 

I don't 'think' you 'have' to hook the Loki to another DAC. If you only need it to decode DSD, you're set. Have a hard drive filled with SACD rips, you're in Heaven. But, since the Loki only decodes DSD, a loop-through feature allows the Loki to be added to any DAC set-up, with out needing anything other than another RCA cable, to patch it in. Decode PCM, turn the Loki off, need DSD, turn it on, it's that simple.

 

It that is the case then that makes since. I do wonder if having two devices might make the actual process of playing audio wonky as windows has a tendency of being a pit finicky about audio.

 

Maybe I'll just play my SACD's on my SACD player rather than paying to buy them one more time as DSD downloads.

Not what the industry wants I know, but what the heck.

 

It would be good to have an outboard DSD DAC with a HDMI input.

 

That certainly makes the most sense, at least to me. However, I think the interesting aspect of DSD is it's potential as a high rez downloadable medium. If they are able to keep costs down and the quality high than this could be an exciting option.

 

Well there are those of us who maybe didn't have the chance to pick up some of these SACDs the first time around and don't want to pay $100s of dollars for certain titles to ebay flippers. That and there are those of us who'd rather be freed from the constraint of the plastic disc. Clicking the mouse a few times and having music start is much more convenient for some than searching through a library of discs, opening up the case and popping it into the player and letting it read it. I fall into both categories. As long as the performance is identical, I'm ok with DSD over DACs, and I own at least 100 or more SACDs. Maybe this DAC will be the impetus for me to figure out how to rip my existing discs so I can move to an all file-based system once and for all. I've already ripped my CDs and the stereo content on my DVD-A discs.

 

So just to get this clear, would I need to have 2 USB cables coming from my PC in order to use this? One for PCM and the other for DSD? Also does this convert DSD to analog without the PCM step? Surely it must as that's a pretty small circuit board.

 

In all honesty I cannot really tell what the actual answer is because its a little too technical (and snarky) for me to totally comprehend.

edit: reading it again (and again) I think it is saying that no PCM conversion is involved.

 

Will this $149 DSD DAC sound better than a high end DAC fed with a 24/88 or 24/176 PCM signal, created on a PC with live PCM conversion of DSD files?

 

Yes ... just kidding. There is no way to tell unless you a/b them.

In theory not converting DSD to PCM should result in a "better" signal but theory doesn't always play out ... especially in the audio realm.

 

What is "better"?

 

This is serious Schiit. I may consider retaining my Theta and adding the Loki for DSD.

 

Funny how the term "DSD" has some taken on some kinda mystical meaning for audiophiles....

 

I'm a bit confused as to why an inexpensive little DSD DAC like this would sound better than converting DSD to PCM and playing through a more expensive PCM DAC. We'll have to wait for listening test reviews to see how it stacks up. It's tempting though to think that the little thing may have some of the same sonic compromises as the little Modi DAC based on its size and price. The Modi has a bit of what I would call glare in the treble and upper mids (I don't know if it's actually glare that I'm hearing, but if I had to guess what glare sounds like the Modi has it). It doesn't have a relaxed sound in the treble and upper mids. It's not a DAC to put on the night stand to listen to as you drift off to sleep. If the Loki has that same glare it isn't going to be a good DSD experience where a more relaxed and smoother treble is what DSD is supposed to deliver. Maybe there is some magic in doing DSD and the Loki won't have that glare? Maybe the Loki has a better analog section than the Modi? Otherwise I'd think that playing DSD through a good PCM DAC would be better. We'll have to wait and see. The folks at Schiit have ears and know audio so I have to assume they've listened to the Loki and its sound quality gives it a reason to exist as a separate product.

 

I'm confused why they think someone would buy a $150 DAC, and then have a budget for $25 DSD downloads or SACDs to rip. This is marketing 101, and these
guys just jumped on the bandwagon before the hottest buzzword, "DSD", dies a death like buzzwords of yesteryear in high end audio.

 

Oppo is going to add a similar feature to their players...

"DSD through Asynchronous USB is being investigated, but at this time the XMOS solution does not allow for Asynchronous USB to take a DSD signal. The standard USB ports and SMB sharing will support DSD, however."

I'm going to sit this one out and wait a bit. Then I'd have an affordable one box solution instead of three boxes.

 

Not when you consider a good quality Wolfson DAC costs around $10 when not bought in bulk. Most of the cost is the custom micro firmware needed to get DSD across USB, since there isn't a nice standard (with a cheap off the shelf USB driver chip) to do so. I'm guessing they also had to do a custom Windows driver to get DSD encoded properly through to their micro, which is also a PITA.

 

What's wrong with the available solution in your set-up? Just curious.

 

I'm not paying $150 to add yet another box to my life. Now that I know where Oppo is headed, I plan on giving away my theta dac and sony sacd player. The Oppo will be a one box solution.

 

DSD rips of SACDs are on the pirate sites. There's plenty of computer friendly DSD music available for those willing to pirate. Of course there are those who are ripping their own SACDs and not going to to pirate sites for DSD files, but they're certainly the minority. This DSD hardware wave is likely being pushed by the availability of pirate content. It's a chicken and egg problem. The hardware won't happen if there is not music for it. The music won't happen if there is no hardware. The pirates gave it the jumpstart. Now the legitimate content needs to catch up. I don't see DSD computer playback dying or fading away. The pirate content has already given it enough of a hold that it is going to stay.

 

This is the absolut shiznit of it... I don't know how folks expect to make any serious bux by placing a prohibitive pricing structure around content that has already been so widely distributed. Perhaps the content providers invest in the hardware producers to "double-down"?

 

Is Schiit doing a play of *** out of Luck? Loki?? Probably not but ya never know...