Schiit Audio Yggdrasil Review

Dr Tone said:
I borrowed a Transparent Reference AES cable from my dealer and ran it all weekend. Yesterday I finally had enough, something just wasn’t right, everything was soft and had lost focus. Switched back to USB. Soundstage snapped back into focus. Instruments and passages started catching my attention again.

So I disagree with Mike, his AES port isn’t the best input. Or maybe the DAC USB output on the Aries G2 is just that good.
Click to expand...

Can you give more détails/feedback on the Aries G2 please?
 
Dr Tone said:
I borrowed a Transparent Reference AES cable from my dealer and ran it all weekend. Yesterday I finally had enough, something just wasn’t right, everything was soft and had lost focus. Switched back to USB. Soundstage snapped back into focus. Instruments and passages started catching my attention again.

So I disagree with Mike, his AES port isn’t the best input. Or maybe the DAC USB output on the Aries G2 is just that good.
Click to expand...

Not every AES cable is the same. My MIT SL Matrix Plus cable beat some others in a shootout -- also in soundstage focus.
 
Al M. said:
Not every AES cable is the same. My MIT SL Matrix Plus cable beat some others in a shootout -- also in soundstage focus.
Click to expand...

I had no intention of buying it, it was all he had available for me to try. In fact I had no intention of paying more than $100 for a 2.5 ft AES cable. Turns out I win and don't have to buy one at all. :D
 
Tried to do a comparison of AES and BNC connections on the Yggdrasil yesterday, with music files coming from a Bryston BDP-2. BNC cable is a Black Cat Tombo Tron, AES is High Fidelity Reveal. Ideally, they should be the same make cable, I know, but it's what I've got.

I say tried, because switching between the inputs on the Ygg caused it to lock up. This actually happened once before, attempting the same comparison, and a power off/on fixed it. This time around, I tried to press the input switch less rapidly, but after a while, the switch stopped responding, there was no sound, and the VCO light was blinking. Several power downs, unplugging all connections and power cord didn't help. I left it unplugged for about an hour, tried again... still no luck, but I let it stay powered on, and at some point it just started working again. Weird.

Still, I got some comparison listening in before it froze, and there was a small difference between the two. AES seemed a bit fuller, and more lush, and BNC had a drier but slightly more detailed sound. But they were quite close, and it might simply be down to the different makes of cable. Not sure which I prefer TBH.
 
Sounds like it might be a good time to sent it in for the Analog 2 update and have them take a look at it for you.


Never mind research shows yours is upgraded already. I was switching like mad between USB and AES without issue on mine, but I know that doesn't help you.
 
^ True... maybe I'll write to Schiit and describe it.

Don't plan on doing that kind of rapid switching / button pressing again though. Doing the occasional input selection change has never been a problem.
 
Mechnutt said:
They guy never commented on how it sounds.
Click to expand...
Amir has a long and rather sordid history of avoiding the dreaded "audibility" word.
We can measure far below anything we will ever hear (vs imagine hearing/psychogenic stuff).
Until he can demonstrate any of the "poor" measured performance being at/above, rather than below detection thresholds, it's all but a tempest in a teapot.
 
Quite frankly, I am still thoroughly enamoured with my Schitt Audio Yggdrasil. This past month has found me listening more to the living room sound system with the Yggy than the studio system with the Esoteric K-01X. The Yggdrasil sounds so good, so much like real music, it is difficult to end a listening session. High-res downloads played from the Aurender N100H are rich, detailed, dynamic, with ultra quiet background. I don't sense I am left wanting for anything. This is exactly why I let my ears decide what's good for me, not some bench test results. I remember my original McIntosh MC30 mono tube amplifiers that I purchased back in 1968. The specs were not that spectacular but man oh man did those amplifiers sound good. That is all that really matters to me. In my humble opinion, the newest Yggdrasil DAC is fabulous.
 
I struggle to hear below -60 to -70dB threshold in tests designed to measure the dynamic range in headphones which seal out most to all outside noise. A "typical" system in a "typical" listening room will not be as good. Worrying about some measurements at -80 to -120dBFS makes for a good conversation and room for academic bashing of products yet bears no real world significance.
 
I really have to wonder about Amir, as he always bashes anything Schiit. Too much nonsense on that site on so many levels that I stopped participating. And I consider myself as an objectivist. In the end, to pass final judgment IMHO, you have to listen too. It is amazing that I can bring home a file I was present in the control room for and listen at home and it sounds just like the live mic feed listening through the Yggy. I guess that doesn’t matter.
 
Yes, and Amir doesn't even specify if the units were warmed up properly. It is known that measurements improve during warm-up (c.f. AtomicBobs findings on Superbestaudiofriends.org), just as listening impressions do.

***

As for Amir being against anything Schiit, he's pissed that his son's Schiit Pyst interconnect cable ($ 20) once broke, IIRC.
 
jdandy said:
Quite frankly, I am still thoroughly enamoured with my Schitt Audio Yggdrasil. This past month has found me listening more to the living room sound system with the Yggy than the studio system with the Esoteric K-01X. The Yggdrasil sounds so good, so much like real music, it is difficult to end a listening session. High-res downloads played from the Aurender N100H are rich, detailed, dynamic, with ultra quiet background. I don't sense I am left wanting for anything. This is exactly why I let my ears decide what's good for me, not some bench test results. I remember my original McIntosh MC30 mono tube amplifiers that I purchased back in 1968. The specs were not that spectacular but man oh man did those amplifiers sound good. That is all that really matters to me. In my humble opinion, the newest Yggdrasil DAC is fabulous.
Click to expand...

Have you ever tried comparing a rebook CD? If so , what did you prefer the K01X or the YGGY connected to your Moon transport?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top