Gumby vs Yggy
Thanks everyone for the feedback and help. I ended up keeping it :) I also put my old Threshold S200 back into the system and things are sounding pretty nice. I guess I really should be looking at a proper streamer. Has anyone used a Bryston BDP-1 USB with the Gumby....it may be a perfect match with the new Gen5 usb board? And it's reasonably priced. |
Just another vote of confidence I guess... I've been through a lot of components (including dacs) at various price ranges and I think the Gumby is one of the most musically fulfilling components I've had... and has been around in an otherwise volatile system for 2 yrs. But I hear you, because I've heard the Gumby in setups where it seemed just a little better than a dac a third its price... so it does require a resolving system to come to life. I second the suggestion to try a different source (sms-200, etc)... you might be surprised at how much music is being left on the table by a computer source (I was!) Fwiw I'm currently running the gumby w/ tube pre and power... Modwright LS 36.5 and Rogue M180s, both of which are pretty neutral and quite resolving for tubes. Given the gumby's personality, the end result is detailed, clean, very slightly warm, and very revealing of virtually any change in the system. It does need to be left powered on all the time to sound right, but you probably figured that out. At any rate, I hope it sheds a little light on the potential for the gumby, and hope you enjoy it. |
I left it powered on and processing music streams for a solid week before I was very critical with it. At which time I started with the tweaks, power cord, usb vs optical, isolation stand etc. There certainly isn't a wow factor with this upgrade, but like I said yesterday...I miss it when I switch back to my old dac. I don't expect any more changes due to burn in at this point. I guess it's like gdhal said that if you notice big changes then there was a problem to begin with. The Arcam is a killer dac for the money. Perhaps others with better ears/equipment will notice a more stark difference. My experience has been much more subtle, but still pleasant none the less. |
treynolds - Okay...got it. Your Gungnir does have MB. Any idea how many hours you have on it now? I do recall mine (as originally purchased without MB) took a long time to "open up". Then, since I did the MB upgrade well after first getting the Gungnir, I had the benefit of experiencing before and after sound from it. There was a very marked difference. Sorry you are underwhelmed. Maybe with more time it will start to sound better. |
gdhal, no offense at all, was just teasing ;-) sorry if it came across as anything but!! The Gungnir I bought was multibit, most refer to this model as the Gumby. I think I'm going to pop the cover off to verify what board is inside. The tiny sticker on back does say it's multibit but there really is no way to tell from the outside. |
+1 to georgehifi's comments, treynolds... Glad George asked for clarification on which Gungnir you have. Sorry, thought Gumby implied multi bit. Based on that earlier reply gdhal, I think you do but am not completely certain. Having lived with the Gungnir for a couple of years before sending it in for the MB mod, I was very surprised by the transformation it produced. Some of the better $ spent. As an owner then, I'm interested in the experience of others. |
treynolds155 OP7 posts12-28-2017 5:52amSorry, thought Gumby implied multibit. I’ve read several reviews comparing the Arcam as being very close to the Gungnir ds so I was actually thinking they mislabeled this as a Gumby. From what I've read, you've still not cleared up if you got the standard Delta Sigma Gumby, at $849usd or paid extra for the upgraded R2R Multibit Gumby at $1249usd If you got the standard $849 Gumby, then yes the Yaggy will blow it away, if you got the $1249 Gumby the Yaggy will still be better but not as much. Cheers George |
ya got to keep rubbing it in about the Yggy gdhal lol@treynolds155 Sorry for the misunderstanding. Only because I cannot say/write with first hand experience about how the Gungnir sounds and you wrote "...something about the sound that I can't put my finger on", did I mention the Yggy sounding authentic. And, I have little doubt your Gungnir also sounds authentic. I was merely "piggybacking" on your experience. I apologize if anything I wrote offended you in any way. |
Thanks for all the great suggestions, I appreciate the feedback. Well the Gumby is back in the system, probably to stay. There is just something about the sound that I can't put my finger on....smoothness...air...less fatigue?? I find myself missing it when the Arcam is back in the system. Maybe I'm just nuts lol. I'm still very much open to the idea of a dedicated streamer, kinda surprised that there really aren't a lot of options. Aurender is out of my $$ comfort zone, Auralic is doable, surprised they discontinued the Mini. Bluesound Node 2? I very much prefer something with built in wifi. Anyway, with the gen5 usb board on the Gumby, I figure my MacBook/Audirvana should be fine for now. I really want to try a tube amp next. Got my eye on a Primaluna Prologue 5 which should be a very nice match for my modest system. |
But seriously, shouldn't a good computer with good software be a "good" source. Yes, it should. Many here on the forum though will site the fact that it isn't necessarily "good enough". However, I personally am in the camp of "relying" upon the Schiit DAC (Gungnir or Yggdrasil) to essentially "do their job correctly" and, therefore, negate the need for an optimized source. In fact those Schiit DACs have an indicator referred to as the "buy better gear" light. If it's off during playback, what's the issue? |
@treynolds155 You’re very welcome. Shadorne’s suggestion is perfectly valid, and in fact Benchmark does offer the consumer a much better trial period/policy than Schiit. But we’ve beaten the Yggy/DAC 3 comparison to death and ad nauseam, most recently in the following threads. Besides, if you’re insistent on multi-bit (and why not be?) then the DAC 3 is out of any contention. https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/new-yggdrasil-first-and-second-impressions https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/schiit-yggdrasil-21-bit EDIT: If you’re able to get a hold of this album https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elegant_Gypsy in digital format it can become very easy to discern a difference among DACs. |
Thanks gdhal!! I think that’s what disappointed me, all the Gumby and Yggy reviews tell of huge sonic gains and talked of the multibit “magic”. Don’t get me wrong, it sounded great, but so does my Arcam. Some songs favored one or the other but very comparable. And yes it was powered up with music streaming through it 24/7 for ten days straight. Source was Tidal through Audirvana. |
Sorry, thought Gumby implied multibit. I’ve read several reviews comparing the Arcam as being very close to the Gungnir ds so I was actually thinking they mislabeled this as a Gumby. @treynolds155 BTW, welcome to the forum! No need for an apology, but I'll gladly accept it! If "Gumby" implies "mulitbit" this is something I wasn't aware of. I thought is was just a "nick-name", like Jggy. I merely looked at the description on the Schiit website and noted there is a delta-sigma and multibit option. http://www.schiit.com/products/gungnir To your point about reviews indicating the Arcam and Gungnir are very close, while I haven't read those reviews (I own a Yggy), I do know that it *can* be difficult to discern a difference between DACs. Moreover, even if there is just a "slight" improvement/difference as *you* perceive it, then it may (your decision) still be worth the upgrade/change. If your system prior to Gungnir already sounded very good, it can be challenging to make improvements that are readily noticeable. I've always argued that if a change is introduced that is *obviously and immediately better*, then the level of sound quality to begin with should be called into question. |
