RMAF 2019 Show Report

If You Aint Got Music, Then You Aint Got Schiit

  Sure we've all read a wide variety of Schiit jokes, and they are apparently never-ending too! We'll first get the obvious out of the way, as the company earned a very special Enjoy the Music.com Best Of 2019 Blue Note Award for both their Jotunheim balanced desktop headamp / preamp and Lyr 3 hybrid headamp / DAC / phono (starting at $399 each depending on options). While it deeply saddens me to note that this review was perhaps Jeremy Kipnis' last before he passed away. In a sense it also shows a rebirth of exceptional quality high-end audio at real-world pricing. You know, something everyone can afford and so can reach the widest audience.

Jeremy's final words on these two units? "I'd like to congratulate both Mike Moffat and Jason Stoddard for creating a company and a product line that open the high-end listening experience up to anyone willing to listen to their favorites, yet one more time. This commitment to the listening experience is not at all limited to this one company and certainly not to these affordable products. But in their name there is truth: this is the Schiit! And if this company continues to listen and create affordable audio gear (as it has the past 10 years) that enhances the remote listener's experience by bringing them closer to the actual music event. If this is true, then, then we have indeed reached a new pinnacle in the human evolution toward complex thinking, yet simple play, or rather simply play the music and enjoy!" Be sure to read his review, as it's outstanding!

Speaking of affordable, just before RMAF 2019 Schiit announced their new Sol cast aluminum turntable ($700) that doesn't look like any other affordable turntable within the world. As the result of six years of R&D, they chose to create a true unconstrained unipivot design based on aluminum die castings. That's right, there's not a hint of MDF wood or acrylic. Their mind-blowing on-the-fly adjustable VTA, at this price, is just a hint of the creativity. Ok, so I know RMAF 2019 is in Denver and am not 100% sure what kinda Schiit their smoking, yet this turntable also includes an 11" long carbon fiber tonearm. All this for only $700?!?!? That's smokin' good!

Longtime turntable geeks know the longer the arm, the more satisfaction it brings (wait, so bigger actually is better?). Yes it is, just ask my Muse / wife Heather. A longer tonearm = higher tracking accuracy. Turntables truly excite me : )

Of course Schiit is sittin' pretty within the audiophile domain of bang-for-the-buck. Could go on in length about the beautiful spread at RMAF 2019, yet am a bit short for time as have many other exhibitors to cover. Bottom line, you truly need to check out Schiit's products. Perhaps sleep on it, and then buy what you like. Please allow me to humbly thank everyone @ Schiit for proving music lovers super sexy sound, yet without taking a crap-load of Bitcoin out of your wallet.

Oh my, I never mentioned Schiit's incredibly impressive... Lookey here, just visit their website as even if you have an ultra-fi $$,$$$ main rig, how about your office, or garage, or tree house, or roving RV, or... 

Ok, back to writing more Schiit about the many other exhibitors at RMAF 2019.

As always, in the end what really matters is that you...

Enjoy the Music,

Steven R. Rochlin

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