Schiit’s Jason Stoddard introduced Etir-2 wih the usual flurry of marketing, a new post in Schiit Happened at Head-fi and an Ask Me Almost Anything session on YouTube. Etir-2 is an update of an earlier product that cleaned up a USB digital input. The new one does the same, but this time with Schiit Unison USB Audio 2 repleacing the C-Media USB audio device. Today, I’ll write about why one might want such a thing … in a word, new life for old DACS.
Revisions
- 2026-04-01 Original. Yes, Etir’2 is a real thing. I’m not clever enough to write an April Fools story. Jason Stoddard is but Etir’s beginnings are typical Schiit. Something in overstock leading to a scheme to make bank off of the surplus parts.
References
- https://www.schiit.com/products/eitr-2 product page
- Jason’s Head-fi Etir-2 origin story — only at Schiit
- Etir-2 Ask Me Anything at YouTube
Etir-2’s origin story
Jason’s Head-Fi article explains the origins of Etir-2. So the story has it, a few too many power supply transformers were ordered for a product. Something about cases vs each. And in the move to Texas, said parts were unearthed and shipped to Schiit’s new home in the sun. Being Schiit, a parts surplus is an opportunity to design the treasure into a product. But what can a 5 volt wall wart power?
And there was this disk transport thing that was a one run wonder. But it included USB to AES conversion with SPDIF, AES-3, and TOSlink outputs. Some cut and paste happened, a prototype board laid out, software built and tested, first articles were good, so a batch were built to gage response.
The image shows Etir’s backside. At the left, an XLR output for AES-3, an RCA output for SPDIF, a TOSlink optical socket, the USB-C USB Audio 2 input, the Forkbeard transceiver, power swithc, and power barrel connector to use up the transformer inventory.
The 5V transformer powers an internal power supply when connected. When connected, Etir-2 reports as USB drawing 0 MA. When the transformer not connected, Etir-2 reports as USB drawing 500 MA. Jason calls this scheme “linear override.”
Jason has not mentioned it, but it should be possible to use Etir-2 to fan out a USB source to multiple AES-derived destinations by using more than one output. TOSlink is jittery so leave it for home theater. The other two are staple. SPDIF is the home version of Audio Engineering Society’s AES-3.
At church, the run from the mixer to the PA speakers is AES-3. Each of our Martin speakers has a daaisy chain ouput. We use these to pick up the mains, wings, and under-balcony off a single loop. Each speaker does its own time delay and equalization so no drive rack is needed. AES-3 is a big cost saver in installation sound.
The Dismal Audio Use Case
During lock-down, I bought a Schiit Gumby Multibit with some angst about the cost of that pig in the poke. It came, it was an ear-opener but just the beginning of a series of upgrades that saw a Vidar power amp replace a GAS Ampzilla, Freya+ replace a Parasound P5, and Maggies. That last change was dramatic.
At the time, I was using a HiFiBerry streaming endpoint and later an Allo Digital endpoint that had gone wonky. With USB-C Unson USB Audio 2, Mike sheepishly confessed that he preferred USB to SPDIF. His way os saying that he’d made the USB source keep time correctly. On pitch without audible jitter (It shows up as glare. Jitter gives you that ’70s Phase Linear brittle sound back).
So people are using Etir-2 to extend the service life of classic Mike Moffet DACS. A couple of us have bought for early Gumby. Jason dug out one of his early Theta Digital DACS that Mike had built back in the late 80’s. Still sweet playing Red Book and 48k audio.
In my case, Etir-2 bridges a Pi4 USB-3 output to Gumby’s SPDIF coaxial input. Suddenly, Gumby can play Blues Project’s “Progjections” record without glare. Back in the day,, the LP hurt until about “Wake Me, Shake Me”. The CD is bright, that was the band’s sound. Bright guitars and stage organ for a psychedelic electric blues sound straight out of the Filmore. Etir and Gumby make the entire record listenable. The cymbal glare morphs into bright long-ride cymbal sound — that kind that raises 18 year old youth hackles. Sadly, father time has stolen that ability along with high end hearing.
As I’m writing this, I’m listening to Bill Evans Trio live at the Village Vanguard (Sunday session). Gumby Gen5 is right in there with the Mesk kids (Magni-Unity and Mimir here).
Dismal Manor Dispatches 
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