https://www.schiit.com/products/syn
They seem to offer a lot of bang for the buck. This thing is $399.
They seem to offer a lot of bang for the buck. This thing is $399.
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Schiit Audio has a surround synthesizer gadget.
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Pretty cool. Don't know anything about the company or how they manufacture the majority of it in USA for that price, but nevertheless....
Mr. Afternoon
Mixing Engineer & Artist
I've heard good words about Schiit but damn this line in the FAQ for this product makes you question if Schiit Audio's name is on purpose...what a poor take.
Instead of positioning this as an upmixer, they're positioning it as a "normal people" alternative to a regular 5.1 or Atmos rig. Atmos rig I can understand, but 5.1 rig? I dunno chief. I feel like setting up a basic AVR for 5.1 might be the same price.
Also, they say that it will never go out of fashion because it doesn't need to keep up with new audio standards. Claiming no replacing your AVR every couple of years. All of the new audio standards have been backwards compatible! DTS:X and Atmos cores sound fine on my receiver which doesn't support them.
Schiit has a large following, and I'm not sure I'm comfortable so many people coming under these impressions.
Otherwise, looks pretty cool! One thing they're doing right is encouraging people to try music in synthesized surround and to not dismiss the idea of surround music.
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Mr. Afternoon
Mixing Engineer & Artist
GUYS I THINK WE'RE BEING APRIL FOOLED! MR. GUTTENBERG HATES SURROUND!
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SOME SCHIIT ! 
The person who reported it on FB Quad Traders (a member here too) said it wasn't an April Fool joke.
I merely am reporting what I saw. I know as much as everyone else.
I do not look at Steve Guttenberg anymore than I look at Paul McGowan. They both have designs on my wallet. I think both of them are a dumb idea.
I merely am reporting what I saw. I know as much as everyone else.
I do not look at Steve Guttenberg anymore than I look at Paul McGowan. They both have designs on my wallet. I think both of them are a dumb idea.
What is interesting is that the FAQ section specifically states that it’s a tweaked Hafler circuit..tweaked Dynaquad.
ClassicalSurroundFan
Well-known Member
I have no interest in upmixing, but does anyone think this might have any utility toward accurately decoding any variety of quad vinyl, even if by accident? It looks a lot like Surround Master 3 but certainly cheaper here in the US.
Steve Bruzonsky
400 Club - QQ All-Star
Since the product is actually not sh-t but listed on Schit's website with a super lot of info as a now current product, its not April Fool. However, in my 5.1 system I am happy with using the Surround Master v3! Also, this Schit product does't state on the website what technology it is using to make quad or 5.1 out of stereo.
barfle
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
Whether this is an April Fool’s joke or not, I simply can’t understand the mindset of someone who would pick such a name for their company, or who would display it in their home.
While I’m not above using the word, I know many people who find its presence offensive.
While I’m not above using the word, I know many people who find its presence offensive.
Yes the name is awful but memorable. Maybe more applicable for a Netflix comedy. But it is legit and the company has been around for a while . I always thought it sounded Germanic in origin. But ancestry.com says it hails from Britain & Ireland. So there, because of the forum I've learned something new today.
Mr. Afternoon
Mixing Engineer & Artist
It's not an April Fool's. Once again I've been made a fool. Oh well.
Oh well.
Once upon a time even the venerable Audio Research made a high dollar surround sound decoder with similar claims:It's not an April Fool's. Once again I've been made a fool.
https://arcdb.ws/model/SDP1
Mr. Afternoon
Mixing Engineer & Artist
It's not the stereo to surround I have a problem with. That's all good. It's the bashing of real surround in the FAQ (for Schiit)!
Meanwhile over in Europe, Sennheiser's GSX-1000 gizmo actually delivers HRTF 7.1 channel surround sound on whatever headphones you want to attach for around $200. Looks like it's fading from the market, which has me hoping for a true ATMOS version in the not-too-distant future.
I drive my HD 800 S cans from one of these, and it's quite a gratifying surround experience!
I drive my HD 800 S cans from one of these, and it's quite a gratifying surround experience!
Earlier I said to myself "I would NEVER" add a piece of gear to my system with a name like that. I might be willing to suspend that rule.
However one rule I would never likely suspend is that I need to have some decent technical explanation about how a piece works and does what it claims to do. That explanation is lacking here although I suppose if you asked they might tell you in some detail. If anyone does please report back here too.
One thing that caught my attention about this gadget is, that it seems to come with something similar to the famous Sonik Wiz pre upmix gadget built in. (SW please look at that closely and see whether it is sufficient. ) A width control. It also claims ESS DAC chips which are very well thought of.
I would also be interested in what Chucky might have to say about it. It might be the first competitive gadget for the SM.
However one rule I would never likely suspend is that I need to have some decent technical explanation about how a piece works and does what it claims to do. That explanation is lacking here although I suppose if you asked they might tell you in some detail. If anyone does please report back here too.
One thing that caught my attention about this gadget is, that it seems to come with something similar to the famous Sonik Wiz pre upmix gadget built in. (SW please look at that closely and see whether it is sufficient. ) A width control. It also claims ESS DAC chips which are very well thought of.
I would also be interested in what Chucky might have to say about it. It might be the first competitive gadget for the SM.
I hear Eugene Levy is an investor.
ClassicalSurroundFan
Well-known Member
...and a co-pro with Creek Audio.
Ok first the nonsense starts with:
"Syn isn’t like any other surround processor."
and then:
"it’s really no different than the old Hafler matrix idea, which derives L+R and L-R from any stereo signal."
Gimme a break. How can it be unlike any other surround processor if it's based on the Hafler Matrix concept. Perhaps they mean a secret sauce of tweaks makes it different. There's more than a few oldie quad type decoders in the day for playing stereo into surround. They also had width & depth controls which allowed them to be flexible in playback meaning they didn't need to subscribe to a particular system just twiddle knobs till it sounds right.
I don't think we will find out more how it works until an independent review is done on it. Until then it's just so much fluff on their website.
It differs from my pre-synth because it looks like the Schiit just has adjustments for decoding coefficients. And the method (actually Sansui's) is based on given known decoder scheme that alters the phase balance into the decoder.
Edit: A shout out to @chucky3042 whatcha think of this gizmo?
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