New Yggdrasil - First (and second) Impressions

I would suspect that if you had a lower jitter source to the Shiit DAC to start with, there would be an obvious difference between the OPPO and the Shiit DAC.

Making a comparison using the OPPO as a CD transport is okay, but only if you are comparing two DACs driven by the OPPO S/PDIF digital output signal. Even then , I would argue that you need a lower jitter signal to tell what the DAC’s can actually do.

Using the OPPO as a DAC only and driving the OPPO DAC and the Shiit DAC from a low jitter S/PDIF source is a valid comparison betweenthe OPPO DAC and the Shiit DAC.

Trying to compare the OPPO analog outputs to the Shiit DAC analog outputs, driven by the OPPO digital output (and coax cable) is inconclusive. The jitter inside the OPPO is probably lower than the OPPO S/PDIF jitter, so even though the DAC in the OPPO is maybe not as good as the Shiit, the lower jitter will cause it to sound better or at least different.  The S/PDIF cable alone could easily skew the results, depending on the jitter that it adds.

The point is that the selection of the source (and S/PDIF cable) is critical when comparing two DACs. The lower the jitter, the better.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

I’m "relying" on the Yggdrasil to essentially "do its job" and what I believe I paid for, which is to correct the jitter, irrespective of how low or high it is to begin with.

A simple test to determine whether its doing the job is to try 2 different coax cables, a cheap one and a good one and see if there is any sonic difference. If there is, then the DAC will benefit from lower jitter S/PDIF signal.

You could also compare 2 sources, like a Sonos, Transport, computer etc..

Most DACs fail this test.

Empirical Audio

So I am using multiple sources.

But did you drive only the Shiit DAC from 2 different S/PDIF sources or use 2 different S/PDIF cables?

This will tell you whether it is jitter immune or not.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

Oppo UDP-205 > Belden 1694A (Canare RCAPs) coax > Schiit Yggdrasil

Emotiva ERC-3 > Belden 1800F AES/EBU > Schiit Yggdrasil

Samsung SMT-C5320 > Optical Mitsubishi Eska POF > Schiit Yggdrasil

Gateway NV79 > Belkin e129760-c usb > Schiit Yggdrasil

gdhal - Now you have a good DAC. In order to get the performance from it, you need good digital sources and good cables. This is the best advice I can give you.

Audiophiles that upgrade the DAC and not the digital source and cables are usually the ones reporting that the upgrade was not that significant. They are the ones that report that most DACs sound the same.

The source is actually more important than the DAC. Most systems need a source/cable upgrade much worse than a new DAC.  Even a $599 Synchro-Mesh reclocking your CDT will make a huge difference.  If you want to start cheap, get an IFI SPDIF iPurifier for $149.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio