Yggdrasil? Gungnir Multi? Any updates?

Feanor

Feanor

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Does anyone have an update on either of these Schiit Audio DACs? As I understand both are based on "ladder" rather than delta-sigma DACs. Also, both employ DSD chips and a sophisticated algorithm to perform oversampling (non-asynchronous) and filtering.

Anyone heard either of them?

Anyone compared either to other well-regarded DACs?

Anyone seen a review by a popular & reputable reviewer?
 
I haven't heard either of these, but have one point of correction. Neither has any DSD chips nor support for DSD playback unless it is converted to PCM. The Yggdrasil was recently received by The Computer Audiophile for an upcoming review, and he has already stated that his initial impressions are extremely favorable. Other reviews of the Yggy are expected but still pending.
 
audio.bill said:
I haven't heard either of these, but have one point of correction. Neither has any DSD chips nor support for DSD playback unless it is converted to PCM. The Yggdrasil was recently received by The Computer Audiophile for an upcoming review, and he has already stated that his initial impressions are extremely favorable. Other reviews of the Yggy are expected but still pending.
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Yes, quite right; thanks. What I mean to say was 'DSP' (digital signal processing).
 
Feanor, are you thinking about upgrading you DAC?

You should try and give the Hugo 2Qute DAC a listen. For about $1500 it is a bargain considering it is basically a Hugo with supposedly better sound minus the headphone amp


Larry (BR)
 
Mechnutt said:
Feanor, are you thinking about upgrading you DAC?

Larry (BR)
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Larry,

Yes, i'm giving it some thought. (I know you recently upgraded yourself). I'm not unhappy with the Bifrost Uber I'm using at the moment, but ever onward and upward.

The "resistor ladder" (R-2R) DACs have been proclaimed the inherent best type by some people, (not that I have a personal opinion). The Yggdrasil and Gungnir Multi both use this type of DAC. The claim-to-fame of the Ygg and Gumby ( as some nickname it) is that it uses a sophisticated filtering algorithm that oversamples but ultimately returns the original input bits (filtered for frequency) to the downstream R-2R DAC; they a call it a "closed form" filter.

The Yggdrasil is prohibitively expensive for me at US$2300 but I might be able to swing the Gungnir Multi at US$1250 -- at least if & when the Canadian dollar climbs back somewhere closer to parity with the US.
 
Bill I don't know what type of sound you are looking for but the Hugo Chord has a very musical, liquid and lush sound with a fabulous midrange. It leans just a bit on the warmer side of neutral but not too warm. I considered buying one. The 2Qute is a better deal if you don't need the headphone amp. My friend (a maggie owner as well) that owns the Hugo much prefer's it to his Wyred 4 Sound DAC DSDse with the Femto clock upgrade. I have heard both in my system and his and the Hugo is the clear winner.
 
Mechnutt said:
Feanor, are you thinking about upgrading you DAC?

You should try and give the Hugo 2Qute DAC a listen. For about $1500 it is a bargain considering it is basically a Hugo with supposedly better sound minus the headphone amp

Larry (BR)
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So ... is there a Hugo without the headphone amp and is it cheaper? Sad to say, but US$1500 is getting a bit rich for me.

In any case, I'm at best in the very early stages of upgrading. Since I'm still quite impressed with my Schiit Bifrost Uber, I though I'd consider their Gungnir Multi; (I suspect the basic Gungnir might be too small an upgrade to be bothered with).
 
Mechnutt said:
Bill I don't know what type of sound you are looking for but the Hugo Chord has a very musical, liquid and lush sound with a fabulous midrange. It leans just a bit on the warmer side of neutral but not too warm. I considered buying one. The 2Qute is a better deal if you don't need the headphone amp. My friend (a maggie owner as well) that owns the Hugo much prefer's it to his Wyred 4 Sound DAC DSDse with the Femto clock upgrade. I have heard both in my system and his and the Hugo is the clear winner.
Click to expand...

Larry,

"Musical" is great but my bias is towards detailed and transparent with palpable images, so I think we have slightly different preferences.

I was super impressed with the Bifrost Uber on account of it's 3D images versus any DAC I'd previously owned. That, if nothing else, predisposed me to consider the upscale Schiit models.
 
Bill, have you taken a look at the PS Audio Perfect Wave. There are a few on Audiogon for about $1200.
 
Mechnutt said:
Bill, have you taken a look at the PS Audio Perfect Wave. There are a few on Audiogon for about $1200.
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The PS PerfectWave is an interesting device -- quite a different concept from Ygg/Gumby or any R2R DAC for that matter. I though they were $6k new or something like that; $1200 seems very cheap.
 
At a current used price around $1,200, he would be referring to the previous generation DAC from PS Audio known as the PerfectWave II. Their DirectStream DAC is the current model which lists for $6,000.
 
Feanor,

Not R2R, but I'd seriously look into the iFi DACs, at the sub-$1000 price range.
 
An IFI DAC would be lateral move from his Schiit Bifrost Uber DAC. I did a shoot out with some friends with an IFI DAC, a Hugo, Bryston BDA-1, Exogal Comet and a W4S DSDse and the IFI sounded like a radio in comparison to the other DAC's. The IFI rep stated that he was not surprised by the results and that the IFI was not built to compete above its price point. The IFI sounded good and musical for a $500 DAC but it lacked the air, sound stage, transparency, dynamics, detail and resolution of the other dac's. It sounded flat in a $15K system.
 
I recall you comparison of these DACs; on that basis I would bet, (I am betting), that an iFi would be less than a lateral move from my Bifrost Uber.
 
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