Schiit URD CD Transport SOON?

I have two transports - an Atoll DR200 Signature and now the Schiit Urd.  I’ve used the Atoll transport the past few years, connecting to an Yggdrasil OG (now Yggy+ LIM), with a Jorma SPDIF cable.

I purchased the Urd as it is my understanding is that this is Mike Moffat’s attempt at creating an improved interface – the Unison USB which uses the USB Word clock to synchronize the flow of data from transport to DAC.

For the Urd I am using a Kimber Select Cu USB-C to USB-B cable.  I believe that people are going to find out that different USB cables sound different.  I would caution the use of adapters, as I believe they would degrade the sound.  I tried another USB cable that uses silver plated copper, but it sounded a bit lean to my liking.  And ,I did not want to wait through a long burn in period for it to open up.  The Kimber USB cable broke in quickly and is a very nice sounding, coherent, cable.

The Urd through USB sounds better than the Urd or Atoll SPDIF.  The soundstage is stable and natural sized.  Imaging is a bit more precise than the SPDIF connection.  Resolution, pitch, dynamics, PRAT, noise level and decay are all very, very good.  The sound is fluid and effortless.  I can’t find any real faults.  The Unison USB definitely sounds “more analog” than the SPDIF connection.

I also briefly listened to the Urd SPDIF using the Jorma cable.  Compared to the Atoll, the differences are less than the Unison USB.  I didn’t critically listen to compare the two, but noted the PRAT jumped out as a difference.  The Stream based Urd sounds a bit more relaxed than the somewhat more energetic Teac based Atoll.  With SPDIF, these two transports are closer in performance, and one might prefer one over the other.

The build quality on the Urd appears to be very good.  The functions on the Urd are very, very basic – Play, Stop, Eject, Forward and Reverse.  The remote works well.  I found the Urd to be somewhat quirky about having the function buttons pushed too quickly, and can lock up, causing the need to toggle the power switch.  Once I learned this behavior, I have been more deliberate, and no longer experience this problem

I believe the Urd represents a very good value for the performance level it achieves.   I’d highly recommend an audition to anyone considering a new transport. 

I know the first run of Urds was to be rather small - perhaps 250.  I believe those may have sold out  quickly and a second run is planned.  Perhaps there are some units DOA, but I have read of only one user with this problem on this forum. Outside this forum the biggest users are on Head Fi and Superbest Audio friends forums.  I've read of some USB connection issues there, but no DOA units. 

My Urd arrived just fine - not DOA.  It works fine, too.  The USB-C connection is a bit picky about cables. Perhaps some people are having issues getting a proper compatible  UAC2, USB 2.0 cable?  Also, it helps to completely read the user manual before using the unit to understand  proper operation of the unit.  I initially had problems getting the Urd to connect and function properly until I read  user manual. 

I have had an Yggdrasil since they first came out and it has been completely reliable.  The build quality of both the Urd and Yggdrasil are very high, in my opinion.  Schiit offers a 5 year warranty on the Urd with 2 years on the Stream Unlimited transport. 
 

fastcat95,

I've successfully used a DH Labs Mirage and a Kimber Kable Select Cu, both native USB-C to USB-B with no adapters.

Both of these as Urd USB output to an Yggdrasil+.  I haven't tried any digital inputs. 

fastcat95,

There's a couple of reviews for the Kimber Kable on the web.  One on Hi-Fi+ by Alan Sircom and the other in German on Fairaudio.  I'd say I agree with both of those reviews for the Kimber Kable.  A lot of people on this site  have used the DH Labs cable.  So, you should be able to find many opinions on it.

The Kimber cable breaks in very quickly, and sounds good from the get-go. The DH Labs cable may need an extended burn-in time.  The presentation, to me, was a bit lean in the midrange and bass.  I didn't want to use the Urd to burn in the DH Labs for 200 to 500 hours, therefore I picked up the Kimber Kable.  I kept the DH Labs cable as I may use it as an input cable somewhere down the road.  Also, I may try to burn it in more on my PC, or loan it to a friend to burn in.

The DH Labs cable has a bit more air and sparkle up top. That's somewhat expected being a silver plated cable.  The Kimber sounds more like very good copper, if you know what that means.  A bit warmer and organic toned, with a lovely midrange.  A bit more grounded and meaty, but not too slow sounding.

Cables being so highly subjective and dependent on your system build and personal preferences, I can't say which one you'd prefer.  The Kimber is several times more expensive.  Not that that always matters.  But, the Kimber is using a very high purity, all copper design, which typically yields a more coherent presentation, in my experience.

Both companies offer returns.   

There's not many USB-C, USB 2.0, audio grade cables out there.  Oyaide Neo has a moderate priced cable that might be worth investigating.  DH Labs also has a less expensive cable. Audioquest and Wireworld also have several cables available. 

fastcat95,
Perhaps "picky" is not the best word.  The user manual states to try non-audiophile cables, free of adapters, that meet the USB 2.0 specs.  I can't say what all that means as the USB 2.0 spec is 650 pages long.  However, the spec indicates a 4 wire connection and shield.  Contact 1 is VBUS - the power.  I think that some audiophile cables may not use the VBUS.  So, I take the Urd user manual to say the cable requires all the connections.  

I think the connection issues for some folks may have been where people have been using whatever cable they had lying around, and/or using adapters.   On SuperBest Audio Friends I see one fellow has been using an $8 Amazon cable successfully.

Another potential issue here is you state that you are using a Denafrips Pontus DAC.  The Urd user manual states the DAC must be UAC2 compliant.  Denafrips specs for your unit state use of a "Proprietary USB Audio Solution via STM32F446 Advanced AMR Based MCU."  It appears Denafrips wrote their own USB controller code.  Is their controller UAC2 compliant?  Are you using their latest driver?

The  final issue is that you say the Potus USB requires 5 V to trigger the reciever.  Does the Urd supply that?  That's a question I would ask Schiit.  I know they did extensive compatibility testing over an extended period of time.  Did you ask them if the Urd had been tested with your DAC?

On the Urd, do you get the broken USB icon on the Urd or an exclamation point?