★Carried & Installed
Schiit amplifiers & DACs · Kansas City.
IntegrateIT carries and installs Schiit Audio across the Kansas City metro — the DAC that gives a streamer or a television a proper analog output, the headphone amplifier at a favorite chair, and the stereo amplifier and preamplifier in a study or a bedroom. One precision first, because the trade is sloppy about this word: Schiit is a line we carry and install under distribution, not one we hold our own dealer agreement on, so we do not call ourselves an authorized Schiit dealer. What we are is the people who decide where the equipment sits, wire it to the rest of the system, set it up and write down how it works. Phone: (913) 804-7575 or office@integrateit.tech.
What we carry and install from Schiit
Schiit sorts its range by what the box does, and the categories below are its own. The pages we read describe the components and how to connect them; none describes a control-system driver, so we treat Schiit as stand-alone equipment and plan it that way. We specify, install and commission to order.
- DACs. The Modi 5, Mimir, Bifrost, Gungnir 2 and Yggdrasil. A DAC converts a digital source, such as a streamer, a computer or a television’s digital output, into the analog signal an amplifier uses. Schiit publishes connection guides for streamers, computers and TVs, and we wire to them.
- Amplifiers for speakers. Schiit lists the Gjallarhorn F, Vidar 2F, Aegir 2F, Wotan and Tyr F under Speaker Amps. They suit a single pair of speakers in a study, a den or a bedroom. Whether the equipment sits on a shelf or in a cabinet is a placement decision we make with the speakers.
- Amplifiers for headphones. The Vali 3, Midgard, Valhalla 3, Lyr 5 and Mjolnir. Schiit’s Modular category lists the Magni, Asgard X and Jotunheim 3, and its guide describes the Asgard X as a headphone amplifier and preamplifier with an optional DAC module. A headphone position is a real listening seat in a media room or a study, and it gets wired like one.
- Preamplifiers. The SYS, Saga 2, Kara F and Freya 2. A preamplifier chooses the source and sets the volume ahead of a power amplifier, which is the arrangement when a stereo system has more than one source or the power amplifier sits across the room from the listener.
- Phono stages. The Mani and Skoll F. A phono stage sits between a turntable and the rest of a two-channel system, and a room with a record player needs one somewhere in the chain.
- Equalizers. The Loki Mini+, Lokius and Loki Max F. A tone-shaping equalizer is not room correction, and we do not use one as a substitute for speaker placement or calibration.
How we put Schiit into a room
- The job first. Headphones, speakers or both, and from which sources. Schiit’s own guides start the same way, with separate guides for choosing a DAC and amp, a headphone amp, a DAC, amps and preamps, and an EQ.
- Connections, labelled. Source to DAC to amplifier to speakers or headphones, with the right cable at each step and a label on each end.
- Placement, access and air. Where a model takes tubes, Schiit publishes a tube-insertion guide. We leave access to the tubes and room around the chassis.
- No promise the pages do not make. In a room with a control system, the television, lights and other sources are programmed into it, and the Schiit stack gets a written power-up order. The proposal says which parts of the room one button covers.
- The record. The model list, the connection diagram and the settings go into your project record, so the next person to touch the system knows what it is.
Where Schiit sits beside the other lines we carry
Schiit suits a system built around one listener or one pair of speakers, and the other lines answer larger questions. NAD Electronics is the answer when an amplifier should live in a rack and serve several rooms. For a two-channel room built around records, the turntable is its own decision: we also carry Rega and Pro-Ject turntables, and a Schiit phono stage is the part between either of them and the amplifier.
Common questions
Who installs Schiit in Kansas City?
IntegrateIT (Overland Park, KS) carries and installs Schiit Audio across the Kansas City metro — studies, listening rooms, media rooms and headphone seats in homes on both sides of the state line, from Leawood and Prairie Village to Mission Hills and out to Lee’s Summit. To be precise about the relationship, because the trade is sloppy about this word: Schiit is a line we carry and install under distribution, not one we hold our own dealer agreement on, so we do not call ourselves an authorized Schiit dealer. What we do is specify the equipment against the room, wire it, commission it and document it. Phone: (913) 804-7575 or office@integrateit.tech.
What is a DAC, and does my system need one?
A DAC, a digital-to-analog converter, turns a digital signal into the analog one an amplifier needs. Many receivers, streamers and televisions have one built in, so the question is whether the one you have is the weak link, or whether a source such as a computer, a streamer or a television’s optical output needs a better one. Schiit lists five DACs on its products page — the Modi 5, Mimir, Bifrost, Gungnir 2 and Yggdrasil — and we choose one against the sources in the room.
Do you install Schiit headphone amplifiers, or only speaker systems?
Both. Schiit lists headphone amplifiers (Vali 3, Midgard, Valhalla 3, Lyr 5, Mjolnir) and speaker amplifiers (Gjallarhorn F, Vidar 2F, Aegir 2F, Wotan, Tyr F). A headphone position, whether a chair in a study, a desk or a seat in a media room, is wired like any other source-to-amplifier chain, with the source and the cable runs planned so the listener can reach the volume control. A speaker amplifier goes beside the speakers or in a cabinet with air around it.
Can Schiit gear be controlled by the rest of the house?
The pages we read describe the components and their connections, and none describes a control-system driver, so we treat Schiit as stand-alone equipment. Schiit also lists remote controls among its accessories. In a room with a control system, the display and the other sources are programmed into it and the Schiit stack gets a written power-up order. If you want one button for everything, we say at the proposal stage which parts it covers.
What happens after the install?
Every unit is labelled and its settings are recorded in your portal with the room plan and the model list. Levels are set at the listening seat, the connections are tested source by source, and the connection diagram is kept with the project. Our installation carries a five-year workmanship warranty from the final invoice.
Tell us how you listen and where. The equipment follows.
Or read about media rooms · whole-house audio · calibration
Written by Daniel Alon, founder of IntegrateIT LLC, with twenty years in IT and AV integration — Control4 Platinum Dealer, Crestron Elite Partner, Lutron Certified Installer, CEDIA member, HTA Certified. Overland Park, KS.