The Schiit Yggdrasil 2 DAC

Lagonda

VIP/Donor
Feb 3, 2014
3,422
4,673
1,255
Denmark
He had the accuphase combo, MBL transport, and Emm labs dac. I don't remember which dac we compared the transports in (lockdown had made me rusty) but I remember preferring the MBL transport to the accuphase
And it’s so pretty, the preferred drive of John Gotti and Liberace :rolleyes: Bling ! Bling !
 

Ed.P

Well-Known Member
Mar 12, 2018
71
95
123
I have not heard anything about a new Yggy, but I am looking forward to it, if it were to happen and if current owners do get that alleged "love" as the link said. The architecture is such that they just swap boards in and out, which is very powerful.

From Jason:

“2. It's possible that we may have to make chassis changes to ensure more upgradability in the future for products like Yggdrasil; of course, if we do this, it will also be offered as an upgrade. Yggdrasil is expensive, despite any protests by the car-priced-DAC crowd otherwise; we're going to do all we can to protect your investment in it. Don't worry, there's nothing imminent, and, if we do it, we'll make it worth your while, like maybe adding a remote option at the same time.“

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...tibit-for-the-masses.2494/page-72#post-253466
 

Al M.

VIP/Donor
Sep 10, 2013
8,683
4,471
963
Greater Boston
I would seriously doubt that there will be a Yggy3 this year. Mike has had a ton on his plate in the past year with his health, the new DACs, Unison and the transport. Now, if the chips they use are no longer available, I could see it then. I could see it the second half of 2021 or more likely Q1 2022. I would anticipate an update to the megaburrito filter, activation of native DXD (the 8x light on the front) and a better power supply. As for piano on the Yggy It is as good as it gets as Al can attest. Ask him about the Benny Green CDs. Same for tenor sax. Mesmerizing, listen to Ben Webster on meets Oscar Peterson, Encounters Coleman Hawkins and the fantastic recording with Gerry Mulligan. They are right there in the room with you. Also, the Yggy excels At high rez too!

Ah, yes, piano is great, here's an enthusiastic post of mine:

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/state-of-the-art-digital.29583/page-13#post-646561

All the Benny Green CDs that I have, mostly based on your recommendations, Joe, are amazing!
 

matthias

Well-Known Member
Mar 14, 2019
1,226
545
213
Germany
From Jason:

“2. It's possible that we may have to make chassis changes to ensure more upgradability in the future for products like Yggdrasil; of course, if we do this, it will also be offered as an upgrade. Yggdrasil is expensive, despite any protests by the car-priced-DAC crowd otherwise; we're going to do all we can to protect your investment in it. Don't worry, there's nothing imminent, and, if we do it, we'll make it worth your while, like maybe adding a remote option at the same time.“

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...tibit-for-the-masses.2494/page-72#post-253466

Thanks, this post was from April last year.

Interesting:
The pace of DAC/Analog upgrades will likely decrease, until we develop some new DAC technology ourselves.

Matt
 
Last edited:

ack

VIP/Donor & WBF Founding Member
May 6, 2010
6,774
1,198
580
Boston, MA
From Jason:

“2. It's possible that we may have to make chassis changes to ensure more upgradability in the future for products like Yggdrasil; of course, if we do this, it will also be offered as an upgrade. Yggdrasil is expensive, despite any protests by the car-priced-DAC crowd otherwise; we're going to do all we can to protect your investment in it. Don't worry, there's nothing imminent, and, if we do it, we'll make it worth your while, like maybe adding a remote option at the same time.“

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...tibit-for-the-masses.2494/page-72#post-253466

This is such a beautifully worded post from Jason, especially that "Yggdrasil is expensive, despite any protests by the car-priced-DAC crowd" - LOL
 

Al M.

VIP/Donor
Sep 10, 2013
8,683
4,471
963
Greater Boston
This is such a beautifully worded post from Jason, especially that "Yggdrasil is expensive, despite any protests by the car-priced-DAC crowd" - LOL

Hehe, well we both drive car-priced preamps with the DAC ;).

The DAC's sound is actually worth it.
 

kswanson27

Well-Known Member
Nov 21, 2018
368
179
128
79
It is worth noting that at the bottom of the list of current DACs I've had in here is the Berkeley Alpha Reference series (1 through 3) - fairly bland sounding overall
Wow, that's quite a statement. You're saying then that you like your modded Alpha better then the Ref 3? And, apart from no HDCD decoding you like the Yiggy better than the Alpha?
 

ack

VIP/Donor & WBF Founding Member
May 6, 2010
6,774
1,198
580
Boston, MA
Wow, that's quite a statement. You're saying then that you like your modded Alpha better then the Ref 3? And, apart from no HDCD decoding you like the Yiggy better than the Alpha?

Absolutely and by a wide margin; and they were all driven by the same transport and cables, in here
 

Lagonda

VIP/Donor
Feb 3, 2014
3,422
4,673
1,255
Denmark
I do find the contention that a top level dac has to be “car priced” illogical. The bits and pieces used are not very expensive at all. If very talented people decide they can manage with a lower profit margin by selling direct, and making money by moving many unit’s instead, it is absolutely possible. :) The HCDC encoding has become quite unimportant, the recordings with very good sound recorded in this format are few, and seem to be a matter of the mastering engineer having the excellent sounding Pacific Microsonics a/d converters on the shelf more than actual releases. When Microsoft bought the process 20 years ago it was ahead of its time, the widespread use of highrez files have made it anecdotal at this point. Even Mark Knopfler (a early adopter) has finally given up on it in his own commercial studio “British Grove Studios “.
 
Last edited:

ack

VIP/Donor & WBF Founding Member
May 6, 2010
6,774
1,198
580
Boston, MA
I agree on HDCD - I don't know of anyone else but Keith Johnson using it. Higher-rez is the digital future.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Lagonda

kswanson27

Well-Known Member
Nov 21, 2018
368
179
128
79
I do find the contention that a top level dac has to be “car priced” illogical. The bits and pieces used are not very expensive at all. If very talented people decide they can manage with a lower profit margin by selling direct, and making money by moving many unit’s instead, it is absolutely possible. :) The HCDC encoding has become quite unimportant, the recordings with very good sound recorded in this format are few, and seem to be a matter of the mastering engineer having the excellent sounding Pacific Microsonics a/d converters on the shelf more than actual releases. When Microsoft bought the process 20 years ago it was ahead of its time, the widespread use of highrez files have made it anecdotal at this point. Even Mark Knopfler (a early adopter) has finally given up on it in his own commercial studio “British Grove Studios “.
I have a dozen or so Reference Recordings HDCDs as well has a few others. The Berkeley does a superb decoding those and as much as I would like to get something in the Yiggy's price range and put a few $k in my pocket by selling the Berkeley I'm not sure I would want to give that up.
My Extreme is arriving next week so I'll listen for a while and then 15 day trial a Yiggy. I'm skeptical though.
 

Joe Whip

Well-Known Member
Feb 8, 2014
1,735
557
405
Wayne, PA
I don’t know if the RR From the Age of Swing was recorded with HDCD, but the 24/176.4 transfer I have of the master tape sounds absolutely incredible through the Yggy, way better than the great 2lp set I still have. The LP Is now just another dust collector.
 

Lagonda

VIP/Donor
Feb 3, 2014
3,422
4,673
1,255
Denmark
I have a dozen or so Reference Recordings HDCDs as well has a few others. The Berkeley does a superb decoding those and as much as I would like to get something in the Yiggy's price range and put a few $k in my pocket by selling the Berkeley I'm not sure I would want to give that up.
My Extreme is arriving next week so I'll listen for a while and then 15 day trial a Yiggy. I'm skeptical though.
Regretfully according to people who have gone trough the process of breaking a new dac in, 15 days is maybe not even enough :rolleyes: And i do believe dac’s are very system and taste dependent, some will find anything less saturated than a warm tube dac boring, others need hyper detailed to be satisfied ;)
 

microstrip

VIP/Donor
May 30, 2010
20,806
4,698
2,790
Portugal
I do find the contention that a top level dac has to be “car priced” illogical. The bits and pieces used are not very expensive at all (...)

We can apply that reasoning to any electronic equipment in audio. I feel curious why people buy a "logic cost" DAC and do not apply the same line of thought to amplifiers, for example.

Sometime ago a friend come when I was driving Quad 606 mk2 directly from the with Vidaldi DAC. He was really astonished that the 606 could sound so good.

The law of diminishing returns applies to audio electronics, but audiophiles apply a reverse law twice to create an exponential law on audio investment!
 

Lagonda

VIP/Donor
Feb 3, 2014
3,422
4,673
1,255
Denmark
We can apply that reasoning to any electronic equipment in audio. I feel curious why people buy a "logic cost" DAC and do not apply the same line of thought to amplifiers, for example.

Sometime ago a friend come when I was driving Quad 606 mk2 directly from the with Vidaldi DAC. He was really astonished that the 606 could sound so good.

The law of diminishing returns applies to audio electronics, but audiophiles apply a reverse law twice to create an exponential law on audio investment!
Sure Fransisco. I would say the parts used for large classical amplifiers are substantially more expensive than what you need to make a good dac, in dacs you pay a lot for the name and reputation/marketing /talent of the designers. One thing i find prohibiting for me personally is the rate of depreciation in digital, the very expensive servers and dac of today are bargain bin offers insider few years. Look at the Trinity dac that was the rave of the business a few years ago, who is talking about it now ? And look at the prices for some of the older DCS gear. The development is just so fast in digital o_O
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: PeterA

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
14,605
5,413
1,278
E. England
Milan, you could always buy a dac and, y'know, stick with it. Even more so if you liked it ahead of buying it. My Eera dac is a decade old design, and if it had a Digital In jack, I wouldn't look at any other dac to use with proposed streamer move. What was good in 2009/10 is still good today.
 

Lagonda

VIP/Donor
Feb 3, 2014
3,422
4,673
1,255
Denmark
It is best to listen with your ears and not your eyes.
That being said, i was thinking “bullshit” when one reviewer described the casework of the Yggy as handsome. I was expecting something like Oppo or Bel Canto. But it is actually well made and has a high quality feel, even if i would have preferred a more classical size for stacking in a system.
 

Lagonda

VIP/Donor
Feb 3, 2014
3,422
4,673
1,255
Denmark
Milan, you could always buy a dac and, y'know, stick with it. Even more so if you liked it ahead of buying it. My Eera dac is a decade old design, and if it had a Digital In jack, I wouldn't look at any other dac to use with proposed streamer move. What was good in 2009/10 is still good today.
I do believe you are cheating yourself out of potential improvements that way Marc, but trying something with an open mind is not going to kill anyone, even financially :)
 

microstrip

VIP/Donor
May 30, 2010
20,806
4,698
2,790
Portugal
Sure Fransisco. I would say the parts used for large classical amplifiers are substantially more expensive than what you need to make a good dac, in dacs you pay a lot for the name and reputation/marketing /talent of the designers. One thing i find prohibiting for me personally is the rate of depreciation in digital, the very expensive servers and dac if today are bargain bin offers insider few years. Look at the Trinity dac that was the rave of the business a few years ago, who is talking about it now ? And look at the prices for some of the older DCS gear. The development is just so fast in digital o_O

Prices of parts for classical amplifiers can be very reduced, the same way those used in DACs. IMHO the rate of depreciation of digital is also due to the very fast moving standards, that are only settling now. The Trinity DAC was a good product with small distribution, no marketing, a typical one man company.

BTW, I am discovering the hard way that expensive current Lamm electronics depreciates more than current expensive DACs ... :(
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing