Frequency Response: 20Hz-20Khz, +/-0.05db 
 

Balanced 4.4mm Output
 

• Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 400mW RMS

• Maximum Power, 50 ohms: 320mW RMS

• Maximum Power, 300 ohms: 120mW RMS
 

SE 1/8” Output
 

• Maximum Power, 32 ohms: 200mW RMS

• Maximum Power, 50 ohms: 150mW RMS

• Maximum Power, 300 ohms: 40mW RMS
 

Either Output
 

THD: <0.0002%, 20Hz-20KHz, at 3V RMS SE, 6V RMS balanced

IMD: <0.0003%, CCIR

SNR: >118db, A-weighted, referenced to 2V RMS

Crosstalk: >-80dB, 20Hz-20KHz

Output Impedance: less than 0.5 ohms 
 

USB Receiver: Schiit Unison USB™

D/A Conversion: Schiit Mesh™, a unique combination of our time- and frequency-domain optimized digital filter and a standard delta-sigma modulator, in this case an ES9018

Sample Rates and Bit Depths: 16/44.1 to 32/192 
 

Outputs: 
 

• 4.4mm balanced output

• 1/8” single-ended output
 

Analog and output Stage: TI OPA1656 x 2

Power Supply: USB powered, with +/- 5V rails via high-current dual-polarity switching regulator, with inductor filtering and local regulation

Controls: volume, NOS, invert, and Loudness, all accessible via capacitive touch buttons under glass

Power Consumption: 0.9W typical

Size: 2.4 x 1.4 x 0.44” 

Weight: 4 oz

 

 

In both cases, it’s a matter of design and intent. We held off on doing a portable DAC/amp for many years because we didn’t feel that we could do something special. Sure, we could have taken the DAC-chip-of-the-day and put it in a tiny box with an OLED display and some buttons or a twisty knob, but that would literally be like everyone else. We don’t do things for the sake of me-too. We do things when we think we have something unique, something that can add to the options you have available.
 

Yes. With Mesh™ digital to analog conversion, Unison USB™, and thoughtful design (like no moving parts and an eternal screen), we think we have a portable worth considering.
 

Mesh is our way of bringing our unique, time- and frequency-domain optimized digital filter to smaller, more affordable DACs. You see, all Schiit DACs from Bifrost on up have all used our own unique math, developed over decades, implemented on a costly Analog Devices DSP. That’s the filter that Mike Moffat called “megacomboburrito,” and it’s an important part of how our DACs sound. Now, we’ve figured out a way to bring this filter to more affordable products by implementing it in the 32-bit Unison USB microprocessor, and combining it with a standard delta-sigma modulator for a unique digital to analog conversion method.
 

Sorry. Look at it this way: other DACs use the built-in digital filters of the D/A converters they are using. We use our own.
 

Because we believe our own digital filter is truly unique, and the best sounding filter on the planet. You can verify it for yourself, because we also included an NOS mode on this DAC, so you can run your own digital filter and send the data straight to the modulator. Go ahead and try it. Make your own decisions.
 

Like a lot of what we do, it’s not off the shelf. It’s our own USB interface designed to do a single thing well: to interface seamlessly with modern UAC2-compliant devices. It’s really the best way of getting audio from your phone, tablet, streamer or computer to this DAC.
 

No. It’s limited to 32/192, in order to reduce power draw. We figured you’d enjoy a portable that doesn’t drain your phone as much, and can still play literally every track on every major high-res streaming service, than some bragging right that you can play DXD content.
 

The sad truth about OLED screens is they dim over time, and are frequently treated as a “wear component.” We use individual lighting-style LEDs run very, very conservatively, so they’ll last almost literally forever. It’s a small thing, but we want to build for the next generation, not just the next sale.
 

Yep. Because it’s a portable device, we know you might drop it in the sand. Or your coffee. Sorry, that’s just being realistic. And it’s not like we can hermetically seal something with 2 giant holes for headphones in it. Nor is it possible to have self-cleaning headphone jacks (though they are super-high-quality, gold-plated parts).
 

No. No battery. We say “portable” because Vestri is tiny enough to carry with you everywhere, and can easily be powered by any USB-C phone or tablet. 
 

Yes. Phones, tablets, computers, streamers—basically anything that has a UAC2 compliant output. UAC2, finalized literally before we were a company (in 2009) is the world standard for transmission of digital audio via USB. It’s supported by virtually all modern devices.
 

Yes, Vestri is made on our own in-house SMD line in Corpus Christi, Texas.
 

No, not like this. The original Fulla was smaller, simpler, and featured a physical volume knob attached to a real potentiometer, back in the ancient days when that seemed like a good idea for a portable. We also played with another design we called the Svala, getting far enough to do a chassis for it, but we decided the performance wasn’t good enough for us. Vestri is a clean-sheet design, unrelated to either of those.
 

In Norse mythology, Vestri was one of the 4 dwarves that held up the sky. Yeah. Dwarfs holding up the sky sounds a bit claustrophobic, but there you go.