To Hell with the Schiit Audio Hel+?
The rather popular gaming interface has been sent straight to Hell where it will be enjoying eternity with the leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas — but that’s only part of the story.
The Hel+ was an upgrade over the Hel 2 which was introduced in 2021; The Hel 2 added more inputs and outputs for console users, and included a unique A-to-D mic to facilitate call taking on the computer or console while listening to music or gaming.
Innovation in the gaming market is huge because there is so much money being spent by consumers on it; high-end audio is a drop in the bucket in comparison when you look at the tens of billions being spent globally on portable, console, and PC gaming.
Sony recognized the potential of the best-selling Audeze Maxwell and purchased the high-end headphone manufacturer to gain even more market share and control Audeze’s state-of-the-art headphone technology.
Schiit jumped into the gaming space years ago because it understands the market and the consumers who are buying better quality gaming headsets to improve the experience.
The pricing also reflects a recognition that gamers want quality but also products that are affordable.
Schiit Audio has introduced the Gunnr, a rather versatile gaming interface that should make gamers happy this holiday season.
Featuring up to 2000mW RMS output per channel, exclusive Soundstage Control for hearing into the gaming environment, and the ability to run portably with a single USB-C connection.
“Gunnr replaces Hel,” said Jason Stoddard, Schiit’s Co-Founder. “It’s more powerful, more capable, and more versatile than Hel by any measure.”
The Schiit Audio Gunnr has two new features that you might find useful: Soundstage Control and Linear Override.
Soundstage Control is an industry-exclusive feature that adds analog width and presence knobs to the front panel, for instant, fingertip adjustment of critical parameters that can give a competitive edge.
Width expands or contracts the scope of hearing. Turning the knob to the right makes everything sound more expansive, and can help identify sounds that would normally be masked. Turning it to the left blends the channels, which can make music sound more natural on headphones.
Presence enhances or suppresses sounds that people are most sensitive to. Turn the knob to the right to bring voices forward, or to hear small disturbances (wind rustling, twigs snapping, guns cocking).
Turn to the left to suppress voices, to fix music mixes that are too shouty, or to compensate for headphones with too much midrange.
Linear Override is a first-in-the-industry power supply that allows Gunnr to run with a single USB-C cable (no other external power), for exceptional portability—or the customer can plug in the supplied AC wall power supply, to override the USB power, boost the rails, increase gain, and deliver the full 2000mW of RMS power per channel.
“Whether you’re a gamer or an audiophile, whether you’re using hard-to-drive headphones or IEMs, Gunnr gives you the flexibility you need,” explained Stoddard. “The Width and Presence controls are completely bypassable, if you want a completely pure signal path. There are 3 levels of gain, including negative gain, which means you’ll always have the right gain for any headphone. And you get both USB and optical inputs, as well as an analog preamp output.”
Gunnr also features an all-new chassis with significant refinements, including “fastener-free” design for a sleeker look, and a solid, milled aluminum knob for aesthetics and better feel.
Gunnr is available now at Schiit.com in black finish for $229, including the AC wall power adapter. Customers who don’t need the wall adapter for higher power can choose to go without it and save $15.”
The Bottom Line
Gaming has become one of the most important categories in consumer A/V and high-end companies that don’t understand that the typical “gamer” also enjoys streaming and listening to music through a pair of headphones is thinking very short-term.
You can only sell so many pairs of $30,000 loudspeakers a year, whilst brands like Audeze and Schiit have discovered that you can sell thousands of pairs of gaming headsets and interfaces making it a rather viable part of your business.
Gaming has become almost 50% of Audeze’s bottom line and that’s rather remarkable for a company that also offers some of the world’s most expensive headphones that are considered to be a benchmark for performance.
Schiit Audio has a huge following in the headphone world and those customers are their target with the Gunnr. If you are serious about gaming — you might want to consider this interface.
Consider us sold.
Where to buy: $229 at Schiit.com
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