Dedicated Schiit Yggdrasil thread

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Hutch, Mar 26, 2015.

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  1. gloomrider

    gloomrider Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Hollywood, CA, USA
    Regarding a volume control, I put one of these between the Yggy and a pair of JBL LSR308's and it works quite well.

    Impressions compared to the Gungnir: The Yggy is a clear step up. It's not a little bit better or "somewhat better". You wouldn't need critical listening or exhaustive A/B comparisons to spot the Yggy from the Gungnir. It jumps right out.

    The Yggdrasil is not the best DAC ever made. But I think the title of "best sounding contemporary PCM DAC for under $2500" is about right.

    In my opinion, where the Yggdrasil really shines is Redbook playback. Using a modern Sony BD player and a S/PDIF cable from Blue Jeans Cable, the Yggy makes every CD I throw in an adventure. Especially original issue 80s CDs. While I would never compare the sound quality of the Yggy to vinyl playback, I will say that the level of enjoyment is on par with vinyl playback, at least for me. The Yggy has made me a little less excited about vinyl.

    Oh, and regarding leaving the power on: Unless you're committed to leaving the Yggy on 24/7/365, you should look at another DAC. The components need time to stabilize and the sound after 170 hours of power on time is way better than when it's first turned on. This is especially true with sample rates higher than 48kHz in my recent experience.

    I hope this is helpful. Like I said, I've never spent this much on a single audio component. But I'm feeling pretty good about this purchase. So far, anyway.
     
    ribonucleic, mwb, Dreadnought and 4 others like this.
  2. jh901

    jh901 Forum Resident

    Location:
    PARRISH FL USA
    Remind me, is this the thread where we try to encourage speaker upgrades, etc? Haha.

    I'm really excited about all of these DAC developments over the past several months. Almost too excited!
     
  3. dnuggett

    dnuggett Forum Resident

    Location:
    DFW Texas
    I'm curious, have you heard the LM-515? This is exactly what I thought about it. I would consider the Yggdrasil for Redbook, but it only makes sense to me if it's going to better the LM-515 which I've been very happy with. I may still consider it for streaming/FLAC. Right now I listen to streaming/FLAC almost entirely on my Hugo/headphones or a bluetooth speaker. I've never thought much about incorporating it into my main 2 channel.

    Interesting that you your excitement for redbook wouldn't just increase with vinyl staying the same.
     
  4. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    I'm interested in the Yggy in general, but my next DAC is going to be the LM502ca, the DAC version of the 515. There might be dozens of DACs that are "better", but that's what I want my digital music to sound like.
     
  5. dnuggett

    dnuggett Forum Resident

    Location:
    DFW Texas
    Totally agree on the sound, although without hearing the Yggdrasil I can't say for certain I wouldn't like it more. I went with the 515 because I was focused on redbook, and I can use it's DAC with a USB input.
     
  6. Hutch

    Hutch Forum Resident Thread Starter

    We're talking about the BiFrost.
     
  7. ToTo Man

    ToTo Man the band not the dog

    Location:
    Scotland, UK.
    No need to leave the Bifrost on 24/7 IMO. My first Bifrost sounded horrendous out of the box but improved dramatically over its first 200hrs of use (I kept it on 24/7 during this period). I didn't notice much/any further improvement after this so I started switching it on as and when required, and noted no ill effects. I don't listen to music every day but on the days I do I'll switch it on about half an hour beforehand and then it remains on for the rest of the day (I do this with my amps too).

    I replaced my Bifrost with a Bifrost Uber, a very worthwhile upgrade IMO. To my surprise, the Uber sounded fantastic out of the box and required no burn-in period (and neither did my Loki), perhaps suggesting that Schiit now do longer burn-ins of their units before shipping. Like the standard model, my Uber does not seem to audibly suffer from being switched on only when required.

    I'm desperate to hear the Yggy, but the apparent requirement to leave it running 24/7 would concern me as an owner, not from an energy cost perspective but rather the potential shortening of its usable life. (Components running 24/7 will be subject to more heat and ripple than those not powered continuously and will likely need replacing sooner, especially if operating close to their ratings).
     
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  8. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    I don't suppose you're wrong here, but unless you were counting on keeping your next DAC for 30 years I don't think its going to be an issue.
     
  9. gloomrider

    gloomrider Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Hollywood, CA, USA
    This! Next year, we'll all groan at how the Yggy is "so 2015". PS Audio will have a new DAC that upsamples everything to 1024 * DSD (2.9 GHz). Just kidding.
     
  10. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    Well, "we" will, but we won't. :)
     
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  11. Jack Flannery

    Jack Flannery Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX
    I have yet to have turned off my Gungnir. That being said, if the Yggy is much better than the Guggnir, it must be something.
     
  12. Larry Johnson

    Larry Johnson Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago area
    I haven't turned my DAC off (other than for very short spans like moving) since I bought it in 2002. Still works great. One reason might be that it has no on/off switch.
     
  13. gloomrider

    gloomrider Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Hollywood, CA, USA
    A bit more random feedback...

    170 hours might be a little conservative for full stabilization. My experience is that more like 200 hours is required to really tighten up the 176.4khz and 192khz rates. I didn't really start liking the sound of those rates until around 200 hours or so.
     
    jfeldt likes this.
  14. Dreadnought

    Dreadnought I'm a live wire. Look at me burn.

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    :edthumbs:
    Thank you. This was about as much as I hoped for and yours is a credible, convincing account. Yeah, good old redbook is really all I care about and many of my favourite are the early ones. CP32s! :D
    Still, this is a 2016 purchase at earliest.
     
  15. Hutch

    Hutch Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I noticed something about the BiFrost. I had been using a Sabre from the OPPO previously and when certain acoustic songs played my speakers would buzz. I thought they were blown. Playing the same songs through the BiFrost and the buzz is completely gone. Strange.
     
  16. ElvisCaprice

    ElvisCaprice Forum Resident

    Location:
    Jaco, Costa Rica
    For under $2500 I don't think your going to find a DAC to beat the Chord Hugo. It excels very well at redbook and makes an excellent main 2 channel DAC, which is what I use it for.
     
  17. dnuggett

    dnuggett Forum Resident

    Location:
    DFW Texas
    For redbook I preferred the sound quality of my LM-515 over an Oppo-105D connected to the Hugo . Personally I think that is due to the LM-515 DAC and tube buffer. The Hugo is a fantastic DAC, I just think the LM515 betters it for redbook.

    Interestingly enough both the Oppo-105D and the LM515 use a Sabre DAC. I couldn't stand straight Oppo for redbook. That tells me that Line Magnetic either did a much better job on the Sabre implementation or the 2nd order harmonics on the tube just makes me happy.
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2015
  18. ElvisCaprice

    ElvisCaprice Forum Resident

    Location:
    Jaco, Costa Rica
    Sure the LM515 probably colors the music to make it sound smoother, not as detailed. So if you have a bad recording in redbook it probably is more pleasant with some coloring than a DAC that is extremely detailed showing warts and all. And of course everyone has their preference.
     
  19. Jack Flannery

    Jack Flannery Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX
    I'm listening to Mini/Audirvana-Gungnir-Vahalla2-lCD-2 headphones. It is a fine system and sounds killer. Really wouldn't change a thing but I am seriously considering a Lyr2. But Stanly Clark is playing right now.
     
  20. Russell Weston

    Russell Weston Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ridgecrest, CA
    Can't recommend the Lyr highly enough. Tons of power, and throw in some $25 rca 6922's= pure heaven
     
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  21. Hutch

    Hutch Forum Resident Thread Starter

    In this regard I will say Schiit doesn't do lo-fi recordings any favors.
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2015
  22. jh901

    jh901 Forum Resident

    Location:
    PARRISH FL USA
    It's hard to place much value into your representation of the Hugo as the definitive greatest at a given price point. The new Schiit is more likely than not to wipe the floor with the Hugo. Same could likely be said of several others. The DAC marketplace is booming. We'll all benefit.

    Finally, it's just plain wrong to presume than an audiophile has been blinded by coloration. It can happen and it does, but the presumption that the Hugo is the barometer for uncolored is silly. You haven't experienced detail (and treble and bass extension, etc) until you've heard a DAC with an impressive power supply design and analog output stage. The Yggi is no lightweight in those regards from what I've read.
     
  23. gloomrider

    gloomrider Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Hollywood, CA, USA
    I have listened to a Hugo for a long weekend (perhaps 8 hours in all) several months ago and was as blown away as most others who've heard it. I've never put it head-to-head with a Yggy or any other non-portable DAC, but I'm sure that a Hugo would make an exceptional "listening room DAC".

    There is some ideological dispute in audiophilia regarding "critical listening" vs. "listening". Personally, "critical listening" is too much pressure. I'd rather just rock out.
     
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  24. dnuggett

    dnuggett Forum Resident

    Location:
    DFW Texas
    I'm not certain the LM515 has any less detail. I would say the Hugo is more sterile though.
     
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  25. dnuggett

    dnuggett Forum Resident

    Location:
    DFW Texas
    Given the totally different design considerations and the limits the Chord designers placed on the Hugo (transportable) I'd say that's a possibility for sure. Now, compared to the TT.. might be a better comparison.

    Agree- but I think he was more so agreeing with my point that the 2nd order harmonics of the tube might be my preference.

    Are you presuming to know what he has or hasn't heard? Or has he already stated this somewhere?
     
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