I recently performed a measurement and review of Schiit Sys Passive Pre-amp and Switcher . This is a quick hardware teardown of this unit.
As I noted in that review, there is not much in this box:
We have two inputs on right top side, controlled with the front panel push on/push off switch. The output then goes through the potentiometer ("pot") next to it on the way to the rear left set of RCA jacks.
I was pleased to see a Japanese branded pot there:
The rear RCA jacks are PCB mounted and held on top by a single self-threading screw into plastic:
I unscrewed it some so that you can see the threads. It is secure enough but I would not jam any heavy audiophile cables into it.
Sadly the trademark hand soldering of Schiit shows up here with solder splatters:
Those little white spots are bits of solder. I don't understand why a brush or cotton swab is not used to clean these contacts. Or why so much splatter is there to begin with. These can lead to shorts and reliability problems which can cost more than cleaning them. And while there, the flux should be cleaned too even if it is "no clean" type:
On the positive side, the sheet metal is pretty sturdy for a small box. Pretty sure you can drive over it and it would survive.
Conclusions
For a box with a specific function sold at budget prices, this type of design and construction is fine with the exception of solder splatter. I hope Schiit takes care of this issue which has manifested itself in Schiit Modi 2 teardown just the same. If you own this device, open it up and clean up the solder splatters.
As I noted in that review, there is not much in this box:
We have two inputs on right top side, controlled with the front panel push on/push off switch. The output then goes through the potentiometer ("pot") next to it on the way to the rear left set of RCA jacks.
I was pleased to see a Japanese branded pot there:
The rear RCA jacks are PCB mounted and held on top by a single self-threading screw into plastic:
I unscrewed it some so that you can see the threads. It is secure enough but I would not jam any heavy audiophile cables into it.
Sadly the trademark hand soldering of Schiit shows up here with solder splatters:
Those little white spots are bits of solder. I don't understand why a brush or cotton swab is not used to clean these contacts. Or why so much splatter is there to begin with. These can lead to shorts and reliability problems which can cost more than cleaning them. And while there, the flux should be cleaned too even if it is "no clean" type:
On the positive side, the sheet metal is pretty sturdy for a small box. Pretty sure you can drive over it and it would survive.
Conclusions
For a box with a specific function sold at budget prices, this type of design and construction is fine with the exception of solder splatter. I hope Schiit takes care of this issue which has manifested itself in Schiit Modi 2 teardown just the same. If you own this device, open it up and clean up the solder splatters.