Winter is coming and the car needs a set of tires BUT there is a slightly used super duper power cable for sale that I really need worse than the tires.
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And they were able to include a BNC in on the scarlatti dac, but no BNC out on the scarlatti upsampler. and the usb 2.0 connection on the scarlatti series was through the external clock (!).
so simple: usb to clock -> clock to upsampler by bnc spdif (only option) -> upsampler to dac by rca ou aes spdif
go figure.
Makes sense. The reason they can include so many options - AS WELL AS the mystery as to why there might NOT be a specific type of connection - is that from a raw parts perspective, it costs about $5.
Yes - I realize the inclusion of a certain protocol might drive the need for other bits in the box, but you get where Iām going with this. What I found interesting was that prior to the Network box, they felt USB was the āleast compromisedā means of getting bits from A to B. If they hadnāt believed that, I donāt think theyād have put it on a flagship DAC.
I do admire being willing to admit you were wrong and move forward (if thatās what is going on here) but limiting I/O in this way seems a bit suspect.
My feeling is that they never felt entirely comfortable with USB, and only reluctantly included the option in their line (almost always going through the clock, that is, terribly complex).
My 2 cents is that USB, being async, breaks their logic of syncing source and dac through their external clocks (they say they firmly believe in this, at least commercially).
They gave up implementing usb out in their network bridge, albeit being an announced feature. And then you have to use a spdif connection, and, of course, an external clock to assure the bridge and the dac are synced.
At least they moved towards ethernet, and its implementation is very good.
Having owned the Scarlatti and the Vivaldi stack, I must say they are insanely, and unnecessarely, complex.
USB is a bit of a conundrum, what with its advantages and disadvantages. Iāve often found it to sound very good - often better than other options, when available. YET - it is probably the easiest to improve upon. Every change you make to it is audible.
Now, this is not to say that if you select a protocol that is less subject to the effects of changes such as cables and power supplies and so on, that that is then an overall superior protocol sonically.
Sheesh!
Jvvita - you know, we Just Might Be Audiophilesā¦ 
I am very interested in the new Schiit USB implementation given that they claim to have built their own chipset optimized for audio. I have a Bifrost 1 multibit that can accept the USB upgrade. Maybe I ought to invest in that. But then Iād have to roll the Raspberry Pi back into the system andā¦
Decisions, decisions.
Why would you need Pi? Not familiar with the Schiit USB thing, but Iād be concerned about anything involving a Pi. Thatās how manufacturers make cheap server solutions they charge too much for.
Hereās their description on the new USB implementation.
Whatās all this hoo-ha about Unison USB?
āUnison USB is our own proprietary USB input, not based on C-Media or XMOS or any other off-the-shelf USB receiver out there. Instead, we spent a couple of person-years developing our own code for a standard Microchip PIC32 microprocessor, which allowed us to create a higher-performing USB input than anything else on the market.ā
Itās not so much that I NEED the Pi, itās just thatās what I used to feed into USB. I could just as easily bring up my Roon server and plug that into the USB port. I donāt plug a desktop/laptop into my system because I donāt have one of those lying around. I do have a Pi. I ended up getting a Bluesound node 2i and connect it via coax now and going back to USB would mean change is all.
Odds are I wonāt bother with the Unison upgrade. But itās nice to think about.
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Salamander does sell an in-cabinet refrigerator for their Chameleon line. Although Iām not sure why they show water and soda in it.
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You know you might be an audiophile of this is interesting to you. Sorry, couldnāt resist. 
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Bingo! Well put. This is not about any particular post.
But hey - look around at where we Virtually Are
Yeah. Iām here in my room listening to Simply Eva and my system has never sounded better. I guess I may be an audiophile. I do have the hat.
edit to change to Simply Eva.
You know what? Thatās all there ever is.
I had one, but gave it to my brother, as he was more of a hat-wearer than me. He can now retire on the proceeds. 
Iām not much of a hat wearer either. I wear them in my car when the top is down which is when the temp is above 50F and it is not actively precipitating. Itās a rule Iāve had since I learned to drive in a '68 Mustang convertible with the 289.
I find that the improvement in the sound the tyres make is negligible. Wouldnāt bother with them. The power cord is likely to make a way bigger difference.
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You might be an audiophile ifā¦
you refer to a $5,000 component as ābudget.ā
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You might be an audiophile if you had a WW Platinum HDMI and USB cable laying around that you forgot about. 
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Your wife thinks your rig is āthe other womanā.
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