I would definitely agree that the main selling point is value for money. As to whether somebody with a bigger budget is seeking Schiit out for its own sake, I couldn't say. I do know that I'm personally aiming a lot higher for my next purchase - the bug bit me and I need to go bigger and better. but "solid gear that basically anybody can afford" is a killer niche. i love what they do and i love that so many people are buying $100 dacs and getting an idea of what is possible beyond the thrifts, pawn shops, and best buys of the world. i'm one of them
Does Anyone Buy Schiit for the Sake of Schiit?
Most of us I think when buying something where workmanship and materials are less critical than price will go to a discount store like Walmart of Target (I think we've all heard they about calling it Tar-zhay because it's classier than Walmart) or Costco - the sort of stores where what you buy is not the best but it's always good for what you pay for it. I'm wondering, is Schiit the audio equivalent of Target? That is, does anyone buy it because the Schiit gear is particularly good, or merely that it's good for the price? The only Schiit product that I've ever bought is the Asgard as a headphone amp, since I don't use headphones that often, and I wasn't going to put a lot of money into it. Actually, I tried the Vali 2+ at first, and that seemed rather inadequate, so I sent it back and got the Asgard instead. It seems good enough, though I don't have much to compare it to, but it seems to struggle a bit in getting to higher volume levels.