Quite a few I'd guess, Jason acknowledges this. The name is all of a piece with the products, so better that a potential customer not waste the company's time in buying then returning kit which doesn't suit them. Put the wrong kind of customer off right from the start is sound business practice.
I don't believe so, as Margaret Thatcher once said 'there's no such thing as bad publicity'.
They weigh up the repulsion it creates in some (not target customers anyway) with the attraction felt by others and decide the balance is in their favour.
Incidentally Stereophile has their review of the Yggy up now - http://www.stereophile.com/content/schiit-audio-yggdrasil-da-processor#RzoK4OQOrLet3WSB.97
Bad publicity can be a good thing ( because all publicity is still publicity, LOL) , Bad marketing on the other hand...not usually a good thing.
Also, I do not now how a company can 'accurately' gauge how much repulsion the brand name is creating...certainly not a small company like Schiit!
I'd agree that bad marketing - by which I'd mean ineffective marketing - isn't a good thing for a company wishing to generate interest and sell products. But seems to me that Schiit's marketing is jolly good in that they've managed to generate a lot of interest for a very small spend. They do very little direct advertising for example, but they're using Head-Fi to good effect with Jason's blog and writings about the company's history and the ins and outs of product decisions.
I also agree they can't accurately gauge (i.e. measure) the revulsion created through their choice of name, but as with any business decision you just have to go with your gut. My gut tells me they're on the right track.
I'd agree that bad marketing - by which I'd mean ineffective marketing - isn't a good thing for a company wishing to generate interest and sell products. But seems to me that Schiit's marketing is jolly good in that they've managed to generate a lot of interest for a very small spend. They do very little direct advertising for example, but they're using Head-Fi to good effect with Jason's blog and writings about the company's history and the ins and outs of product decisions.
I also agree they can't accurately gauge (i.e. measure) the revulsion created through their choice of name, but as with any business decision you just have to go with your gut. My gut tells me they're on the right track.
Al, as we all know there are many variables in listening to the SQ. We see that the Yggy did not measure very well in the report from JA in Stereophile. Yet that may not be an indicator of how the piece behaves in your room and to your ears and expectations. Or maybe it is??
I was recently listening to a piece of gear that is highly thought of...yet in my system and with the very high expectations that I had, I was severely disappointed. Part of that disappointment ---for me-- was probably due to the very high cost of this piece in relation to its actual performance. I probably shouldn't say this here...BUT to me the higher the cost of a piece of audio gear, the higher the expectation I have for it. This almost invariably leads to a certain amount of dissatisfaction with the piece in question. OTOH, since most of Schitt's gear is reasonably priced ( IMO) and nothing seems too over the top, then my expectation would likely be more than met! Unless there was a glaring fault, I would be more inclined to consider the piece. Whether I would jump to buy at that point...that is another question. I believe everyone will answer that question in a different manner. None of the answers would be wrong, IMHO.
You have good points here, Davey. Problem is, I don't just look for good, I look for incredibly good. The Yggy needs to be significantly better than my Berkeley DAC, which in itself is quite an excellent unit despite some flaws. I know what digital can do at a high level (dCS Rossini, for example) and I would hope that the Yggy would address the same problem areas that top digital can.
I have become disillusioned with a lot of high-priced equipment as well. Also, it is now more than ever clear to me that any high end system involves considerable compromise (hey, even any speaker positioning is by nature a compromise), and I prefer to have my compromises at lower price levels rather than at stratospheric ones.
Here's the question Al--- we all have high expectations, and for large amounts of money, I believe we are entitled to that; BUT are we as entitled to those same high expectations at lower ( sometimes much lower) price points? Or, should we be willing to overlook a few warts in this type of gear...
The Yggy has dynamics I spades as does the little sister Gumby which is what I have. FWIW, I find the Mytek stuff to be a bit too harsh. Perhaps that is the difference.
Here is the Yggy assembly line (scroll down to middle of page):
http://www.htforum.nl/yabbse/index.php?topic=150752.0
When you get it, keep it on all the time. It takes several days to sound its best.
Of course. I never disconnect my Berkeley either, and it doesn't even have an 'off' switch, on purpose. I'll probably give the Yggy at least overnight on CD repeat before I do any listening. I expect it to be fully at its potential after 1 week, which gives me another week to decide if I want to keep it. Dang, a 30 day return would be better.
Hope you post your thoughts on the Yggy once you have had a chance to listen.
Although the Yggy is $2300-, the other gear in the line is generally much less! The Freya is $699- and here's the thing, the newly expected amp is going to be similarly priced!!
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