+1,my Bifrost was pretty bad compared to the Vega and Sony HAP. But it was better than the TEAC 501.
Chinese DAC shames a few heavy hitters
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+1,my Bifrost was pretty bad compared to the Vega and Sony HAP. But it was better than the TEAC 501.
The multi bit conversion made it a much better DAC but still lifeless and very "digital"
Yeah, I was actually waiting for the Yggy to come out, but after owning the Bifrost I decided to go another direction... it's not a good sound imo. I like the concept of Schiit, made in USA, no middleman, no sales, etc. but the performance needs to be there too, and the attitude towards DSD is inexplicable. When the Sony HAP came out it redefined value for digital sources imo an d an all-in-one box that requires no computer, USB interface, etc is compelling. But times are moving on it seems, and the Roon interface is leagues better than the Sony HAP interface too.
I had high hopes for the Yggydrasil with the cult following. It is a good DAC but just not what I was looking for.
My son got the Bitfrost DAC. Isolation from USB was so poor that he could hear the noise from his PC as he played games! I measured it and it had a nasty jitter in addition to that -- the highest I have ever measured on S/PDIF -- on one of its inputs.
He also bought an interconnect from them and it was so poorly soldered that the solder from the center pin broke after a day.
He returned them all and bought the Oppo DAC-1 and has been quite happy other than volume control not keeping the levels the same on both channels as you adjust.
Ric,
This is his song! Like audio Raman Noodles. Just add water and instant audio expert.
Amir you are giving me hope that I can still hear. My ears were not lying to me.
My son got the Bitfrost DAC. Isolation from USB was so poor that he could hear the noise from his PC as he played games! I measured it and it had a nasty jitter in addition to that -- the highest I have ever measured on S/PDIF -- on one of its inputs.
He also bought an interconnect from them and it was so poorly soldered that the solder from the center pin broke after a day.
He returned them all and bought the Oppo DAC-1 and has been quite happy other than volume control not keeping the levels the same on both channels as you adjust.
I find when things have a cult following, it's usually more based on religious beliefs than reality.
Ric,
This is his song! Like audio Raman Noodles. Just add water and instant audio expert.
According to Ric, the IC opamps are in the digital section.
Goes to show that's there much more to a good DAC than the chip. Definitely not the case with my AK4490 based DAC.
So if I am that enamored with my Gustard I should start a cult? I would lean towards Buddhism since the DAC is Chinese.
The cult followers won't like it, because it actually has good measured specs
You need more "mystique" and less evidence.
Not crazy about it either. Lots of detail but less body than I am used to. I love my GG and the more options out there I hear, the more convinced I am about its unique qualities.
Bob I left the Yggydrasil powered up for over a week. It did open up a little but nothing like the stories you read about miraculous changes.
Exactly Wisnon. That is where the X20 excels in my system. Has the detail but maintains the body and warmth especially through the midrange.
I would love to compare it with the Resonessence Labs Mirus. It just may have the "warmth" ingredients that are missing from it. This warmth is due to the discrete output stage. The Mirus uses 100% IC AD797's.
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