Loki Max analog improvement


White "chicken head" knobs. Seriously...I can't see the small indentations in the stock knobs from over four feet away so I did something about it! The "chicken head" knobs (had them on guitar amps for years) are an amazing solution allowing you to see adjustments...even in a darkish room...and when you switch to a preset you get entertained by the knobulations (a real term I just made up). They look a little strange at first but add some soul to the staid conservative design and now I really like the look. Who knew? The little set screws go right into the flat bit if the post and are secure. Cheap thrills. Get black ones if you have the grey Schiit finish...or red...blue...

wolf_garcia

@wolf_garcia

Thanks so much for taking the time to provide more detail. I was trying to convince myself I didn’t need one but that's become a lot harder!

 

I’ve used 2 Lokis for headphones or main rig (main system phones now, and video system) for a while and added the Max to the main system a couple of weeks ago. Amazingly cool, put between the preamp and power amp, no harm to the signal, no noise, and the relay system is really well done (like on my Freya). The original Lokis are also quiet and sound great, but the Max is on another level...the remote adjustment ability is a great thing allowing instant switching to see what’s what, and although I don’t use it on everything it’s great to bring out something buried in a mix as hey...recording producers have different tastes and sometimes need a hand. I use one preset for bass and treble boost for background music, one for just treble boost and one flat. Note it’s very easy to adjust anything with the remote, and it’s actually FUN! You need the poultry craniums though...you just do...certainly the Max is a great sounding investment making any system just better. A keeper.

A quick Google search reveals that "poultry noggin'" knobs are also available in silver or even (gasp) gold...

I'm still waiting for someone who switched from a Loki or Lokius to Loki Max to comment on any differences in terms of sound, rather than simply convenience (or inconvenience, as the case may be). 

@jctoy Mbmi please update regarding the Loki max performance. Will Do......And Wolf, Thanks for the info...........

Yeah man...ditto amundo as the Max is dead quiet...I have various Schiit items and all of them work perfectly...including 2 regular Lokis which helped me decide to try a Max.

Look at the "CH" dimensions and compare them to the spaces on the Max...smallish heads work fine and generally the post sizes are all the same. I can't mention where to buy them it can get flagged, but it rhymes with Barbizon. Sort of. Or guitar stores...other selling sites...

If interested in the performance, I posted a brief initial impression review here entitled Schiit Audio Loki Max Experience.  What makes it so effective from an audiophile viewpoint are the very fine amount of response adjustment for each “click” of the knobs and the bypass switch which reassures the listener that the Loki Max is not in any way degrading the quality of the music signal. Amazing performance at an almost unbelievable price. 

I just ordered the Loki Max this week....Should be here any day now....Silver color....is there a website where I can order the chickenheads......How do I know they'll be the correct size....

I got thin strips of dark navy tape on front of upper half of each knob. It can be seen across the room.

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Posting a pic is too technical for me as an old person. But the damn knobs are so inexpensive (you can get a pile of nice ones for less than a couple of burritos) that there's almost no risk...take a chance...live on the edge. And get the right size to avoid poultry knob mayhem. Day glow strips? No way man...I support the Chicken Head Industrial Complex as it's putting important chicken parts to good use.

Anyway that you would post a picture of this, so we can see what it is you have done?

I always change the knobs out on my equipment.  Cheap and satisfying.  Jerry

Yeah, the stock design definitely sucks for low light or for those of us of a certain age with poor vision. Another solution is to take thin strips of day-glo red or orange tape, and apply them over the grooves in the stock knobs.