Chistopher73...
Do you remember which way you had the HFT fuse pointing?
Do you remember which way you had the HFT fuse pointing?
Shiit yggdrasil
I purchased this dac a few months back and I am absolutely blown away by how much I enjoy listening to it. I have owned a Bi-dat, Ayre QB DSD, Resolution Audio, PS Audio and many others as well as in home demo of very expensive Chord, Aesthetics and DCS gear. Nothing has sounded this good in my room in my system( Devore Fidelity, Line Magnetic - other products I absolutely love). Please forgive my lack of detailed description and hyperbole as I know many of us hear and experience reproduced sound differently so you might hate it. This is just a recommendation to try it. I am so glad I did. and wanted to share my experience.
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I ordered my yggdrasil DAC last week. Excited to get it. I’ll let you know my thoughts on it when it gets here. But sounds like i’ll be blown away like pretty much everyone else is. I usually don’t spend this much on a DAC or buy new, but I made an exception with the Yggy since everyone is saying it’s worlds ahead of anything close to it's price (and even 4 times it's price even) and a true reference quality DAC well below reference prices. |
I recently finished burning in the Ayre Codex DAC. It's not cheap around $1800 dollars but the sound it can produce is unbelievable. I've heard many DAC ranging from $300 to $10000. Arye has made something special with this model. Although, the Codex was originally made as headphone amp/DAC. The DAC is so good that it can definitely be the DAC on your main system. The Schitt is very good :), but I would also check out the Arye Codex as another option. After 500 hours of burn in, the music it produces is sublime! Charlie Hansen is a genus. |
I have owned an R2R ladder DAC since 2011 that costs, today, twice what the Yggy does, and it is now collecting dust while the Yggy just keeps me smiling. Before my R2R I owned an MSB Gold Link- Delta Sigma that, with the proper usb to spdif conversion from PC to DAC, sounded very good but not quite as good as the R2R that replaced it. To me the magic of the Yggy is in the filter. I’ve not heard a more musical, holographic sound from any DAC. The only mod I’ve done to my Yggy was replacing the stock fuse with a Supreme HiFi Tuning fuse. |
Good choice mpd, you also have a 5year warranty and 15 day return if for some reason you or your system don't get off on it. I very much believe, and this is being backed up by some very esoteric gear now as well, that going back to R2R Ladder Multibit dac conversion is far superior to convert Redbook (PCM) digital than any of the Delta Sigma (1bit, Bitstream, ESS Sabre) based dacs can do, there is a big shift back to Multibit for this by many hiend manufactures now, and Schitt has bought this back for a very good price. Sadly, though if your a dsd listener you have to go Delta Sigma and take the sound quality reduction of Reedbook on the chin, not being "bit perfect" Many reports are saying that dsd is a hoax anyway, I've yet to hear native dsd do anything special, and there's not much material that I want that is native dsd anyway. Cheers George |
The OP has compared the Schiit DAC to much higher end and pricey Dacs. We also have posters on this thread that are using very high resolving speakers like Wilson and own the Schiit. Peronsally, thats enough for me to try this DAC and hopefully keep it. Furthermore, it being made in the USA is a plus for me personally. |
I don't post here very often, but I am ric's friend with the Yggdrasil. He didn't ask to be paid a penny for sharing his knowledge. The Yggdrasil was, and is a very good dac. All of ric's mods improved the sound of the Yggdrasil. I don't know how good my Yggdrasil is in the grand scheme of dacs, but it is certainly better than when it started. Unfortunately, the digital game is moving very quickly, so what was a bargain a few months ago is probably still a bargain, but just a little less so. I still like my Yggdrasil, and the fact that there might be a better, cheaper dac will not change that. Mas |
Rick this thread is about the Schitt Yggdrasil, not about the mods you now do to the Gustard that are pride of place at the head of your website. That you now link to suddenly with a change in your signature in all your latest posts. Which I'm sure if the mods see it, is not a kosher way of getting free advertising for yourself. Cheers George |
Pardon me, but I never did mods on the Yggy. I posted mods on my website that were DIY mods only. When the Yggy was released I was super excited. I thought the Yggy (especially with mods) would be a reference product for years (just shows you how fast digital is changing). This is why I helped my friend who had one do the mods....I suggested them and he did them at his house one at a time. He took photos and I put the whole thing up on my site so that those with Yggys could see how to mod them, if they chose. No one chose to do all the mods that I know of. I never modded an Yggy nor have I ever had one here. If you search you can find my Yggy mod page (no longer linked from my site but still in the ethers). But I have been waiting for a DAC to mod and the Gustard is the real deal. The stock Gustard speaks for itself. Read the other threads where people have done A/Bs against other DACs. Obviously, one can take anything further, which is what I am doing. Yes, I am making a ton of money on $400 mods on cheap DACs.....ha ha. Your quote above was about the modded Yggy being compared to other things.....and yes, at the time I thought it might be as good as I suggested. In fact, it might be. The trouble is....no one wanted or wants to mod their own Yggy. Simply too expensive of a product to mod (and maybe lose resale value) and Schiit is not into tweaking and would not support mods (I am assuming). Suggesting inexpensive mods for sale on the internet is not unscrupulous. Most who buy the stock Gustard will never do a mod nor have me do one.....you know that is true. They will be super happy with it stock. But for those that want more for very little then there are people like myself who offer services that are super reasonable. If you have just bought an Yggy I can see how you would be very uncomfortable with this whole conversation. If this info about the Gustard is true then the Yggy becomes yesterdays toy. Do you think the Gustard will be "The DAC" at its price point in a year....no way Jose. We are moving real fast here. There maybe a $500 DAC in year that is even better. More reason not to invest so much now in digital with it changing (for the better) so fast. The faster this info about the Gustard gets out the more people are served......they get better more versatile sound for less. I love to serve people.....Great sound for the masses! You have to get how fast digital is changing. If you are not reading all the forums and studying closely then you are going to spend more than you need and on inferior gear. The Yggy is a great DAC....no doubt. Just don't read any of the other threads about the Gustard (stock or modified) and you will be fine. There was a cartoon in the old "Audio" magazine that showed this guy sitting on a park bench holding a brand new preamp box that he just opened and his head was down all forlorn looking and the caption said. "Joe, just realized that his brand new preamp was already out of date". I hope to keep a few people from suffering this fate. Love is all there is. Ric Schultz tweakaudio.com |
Interesting to see his 'subtle' methods here as well: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/schiit-yggdrasil-dac?highlight=yggdrasil Shilled his mods for the yggdrasil, which wasn't even available to market yet. Somehow he had an idea of mods for it by simply looking at the casework. Lol. This guy is a genius. Must have not had enough business coming in for Yggy mods, so he turns his attention to a cheaper alternative DAC, and guess what guys, this one is much better than the Yggy. This very DAC he spoke about being comparable to the TOTALDAC et al here: Right now my friend is thrilled with the changes but would love to A/B with some other serious DACs so if you want to hear a modded Yggy then let me know and we can hook you up with this guy....he is in Pocoima. I think his modded Yggy would be much better than the MSB Analog DAC.....so DACs like the Bricasti, The Total DAC Dual, Empirical Audio DAC, Lampizator Golden Gate, and Berkeley Reference would be nice to compare with. I have a feeling the modded Yggy would do very well against these DACs and there is much more to do....much more. Suddenly he has a change of heart and the Gustard is better----especially with his mods attached to it. Lol, this fella is hilarious. He has tweaks and mods for this one, and he shows up in every thread on any forum on earth to sing the praises of this new DAC --- but always with his mods attached to its greatness. Hmmm....I've been to many a fish market, and I know my fish, and this is reaal feeeesshy. I suggest you desist from suggesting DAC purchases while simultaneously selling the mods you provide for them. Highly unscrupulous! |
I am going to take the time necessary to really do a serious output stage on the Gustard. I have tried a couple of output stages but they were only slightly better. I want it to blow your mind. So, it will take time....maybe a couple of months....maybe sooner....maybe later. However, level one completely transforms the DAC into another whole level. It will be easy to update to any new mods as the Gustard is not heavy and easy/light to ship and I turn around things in a couple of days. I just started a thread on What’s Best Forum that will be the main place for people to share and ask questions about the Gustard. Sorry for hijacking the thread....but someone asked about the Yggy/Gustard difference and there we went. Back to regular programing. Ric Schultz tweakaudio.com |
ricevs, when will
Gustard X20
Level 2 mod be available? Digital is a computer so I never chase latest or greatest. Too much depreciation hit. I cannot find any policy statements about "business interests" here....can you locate them for me? I don't understand why people care for identity of a post. This is a free open INTERNET forum so one should judge CONTENTS of a post. |
Spencer, Please have him do the first 3 AC mods listed on my site....rather than what he did to the Yggy. I cannot find any policy statements about "business interests" here....can you locate them for me? I will put my website (tweakaudio.com) with my name when posting. Hey big $425 mods on a few DACs......going to rake it in! he he. I really get excited about a product that is mind blowing for its price. I have never had much money but always want the best sound I can get. When I find such things (whether or not I have any financial interest in them) I share my findings freely. I want everyone to be happy! When the Yggdrasil came out a year ago I was so excited that I helped my friend mod his (my suggestions....he did all the work) and put a page on my website with link from my front page showing how to DIY mod the Yggy. I did not mod the Yggy but wanted people to know how great the Yggy was and that one could do these simple mods and get even greater sound. I thought the Yggy would be great for years! Digital is changing fast!!! Only a couple of weeks ago did I remove the link on my website.....if you search you will find it. I did not remove the info from the web. But why would you want to mod an Yggy now that a way less expensive DAC is better and more versatile? What people are doing is combining Roon with HQplayer. You have the incredible ergonomics of Roon and the great sound of HQplayer. Ric Schultz tweakaudio.com |
ricevs, Your point that both dacs should have the same mods makes sense, I will ask my friend about that. After seeing this argument between you and George. I just clicked on your profile From a quick browse I see that every single post you've made in 2016 on this site is about Gustard and updates to it. Then I noticed that you are a professional and the first thing on your homepage is doing updates to the Gustard. Not that any of that convicts you of anything! Just saying that it is good practice here (and I thought Agon policy) to sign your posts such that it's clear to all readers that you have a business interest in the topic at hand and what your business is. Certainly can't hurt to sign with your company name or website below your name, right? Many of us might feel deceived reading commentary without such disclosure, though I'm sure you mean no harm. I've read much of the commentary, mostly on computeraudiophile and whatsbestforum regarding HQ Player and quadDSD. Hopefully, someone soons comes up with easier to configure and use software that can equal or exceed that performance. Sounds like many are frustrated with HQ Player complexity, more so than with other popular music software such as JRiver, A+, Amarra, etc. When someone does so, I'll look forward to hearing it and listening for the possibility of improvement over what I hear now from top PCM with R2R ladder dacs. Cheers, Spencer |
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Like where you now stand, promoting (headlining) now on your site the mods for the Gustard, when a year ago it was for the best ever for PCM the early v1 Schitt Yggdrasil. And yes quote like this below, are just what those voodoo fuses are all about.
Pity they’re made of plastic and aluminium, and therefore invisible to a demagnetizer. (plenty more where that one came from) unless there's a frantic clean up done on all the voodoo. Cheers George |
ricevs, You make some interesting and logical points. Currently on the 6 Moons Web site is a review of the French TOTALDAC d1-6 which is a R2R ladder design. According to Srajan Ebean (reviewer ) the Sabre based Fore Daisy DAC held its own in direct comparison. As you rightly acknowledge, many factors come into play to determine the final sound quality. Charles, |
George, You say the same thing over and over on many threads...that is the definition of "obsessed".....but really besides the point. What you are doing is generalizing. You have not heard the Schiit or the Gustard, so how can you know anything about how they sound? You cannot. I would say that generally, you are mostly correct. But not always. There are too many factors to say which DAC will sound best at any price point no matter what the technology is inside. You, obviously, think otherwise. It is too bad that you base your knowledge on guess work rather than true knowledge (actual listening tests). Here are some more things to consider. Many, in the last couple of years have discovered the joys of upsampling all PCM to double and Quad speed DSD (using HQ player, the best sounding of all the upsampling software at this time.....to be bettered soon, no doubt). "They say" that this upsampled PCM to DSD sounds better or as good as playing the PCM through a "Great R2R DAC". The Yggy, though very good is no match for an MSB Analog...let alone Select, Rockna, TotalDAC, Trinity, etc. Mike Levine....look him up....bought the Trinity (R2R DAC that lists for $45,000) and finally heard the glory of PCM. However, he soon sold it as Quad times DSD oversampling using the inferior JRriver software came really close using his Lampizator DAC to decode the DSD. I believe he is about to try HQ player and I bet he will be amazed. Quadman.....look him up.... is double upsampling PCM to DSD using HQplayer into a modded Gustard and he says his PCM sounds as good as his turntable setup. He is looking for ways to get quad and eight times DSD into the Gustard. You cannot do any of the above with an Yggy. It only plays PCM. By the way, the three people who have A/Bed the Yggy and the Gustard, that I know of, are all listening to straight PCM and feel the Gustard is better. None has done the DSD upsampling game yet. |
It’s not from an obsessed person/s on forums, just read and enlighten yourself from those many digital tech designers that are in the know about PCM conversion and search their posts and papers and advanced knowledge explanations on what’s best for PCM conversion. And you’ll understand maybe what goes on. Search "Delta Sigma vs Multibit" doing PCM. Multibit is "bit perfect", Delta Sigma is not. And of course there are other factors (I/V stage just being one) around the conversion technique used that need to be addressed. But get it right, in both and Multibit is clearly ahead of Delta Sigma for doing PCM (Redbook) conversion. Even Martin Mallison of ESS Sabre said in a video (if you care to search and watch it). That finally their lastest ESS Sabre dac is "close" to the performance of Mulitbit doing PCM conversion. Cheers George |
George, I wish you were right....it would all be so simple. However, everything you do to a DAC effects the sound. What is real is what something sounds like. 3 people (2 posted on line) have said the Gustard beats the R2R Yggy playing 16/44. I trust what people hear, not some obsessed person on a forum. |
If your friend A/Bed with the Gustard with his Yggy had some mods done to the Yggy....then he should redo the test after doing some simple mods to the Gustard. With 3 simple mods (anyone can do...no soldering) the Gustard jumps another level. Just two days ago a friend said his not burned in stock Gustard beat his stock Yggy and now he wants to sell the Yggy. He has yet to do any mods to the Gustard. Huge Losses?....the Gustard costs practically nothing. My friend does not want to post about how good the Gustard is for fear that the resale value of the Yggy will go down before he sells it. |
kana813 Not for reproduction of Redbook CD (PCM) it can’t, as it uses sabre (Delta Sigma based) dacs. Only Ladder Multibit Dac can reproduce PCM "Bit Perfect". Delta Sigma just gives an approximation, one thing it can do is dsd, if your into that hoax. Cheers George |
A friend owns both and uses the latter solely to play DSD files since the Yggy doesn't. Yggy wins, but if you like buying from relatively unproven Chinese companies(IMHO) like Gustard, it's overall SQ is pretty great for its price. FWIW, I always tell friends that gear from companies lacking strong reputations usually result in huge losses when the upgrade bug strikes down the road. "Flavor of the month" always goes sour! YMMV. Cheers, Spencer |
mdp, To your question is anybody using the Yggy with top notch speakers, yes. I have a friend using the Yggy with Evolution Acoustics MM3, fed by latest Spectral electronics and Sonore Rendu Signature. He compared to a number of dacs in the $5-10k(the usual suspects) with a few home demoed before deciding on the Yggy. Performance further enhanced by a few basic & reversible commonly done damping/isolation mods done by a local tech (details searchable online). An interesting point is that another friend bought an Yggy to replace his Phazure dac in a much more modest system using Golden Triton Ones and he is thrilled with Yggy too and can hear distinct improvement over the pricier Phazure. Cheers, Spencer |
SKOCZYLAS "Has anyone compared the balanced vs RCA outs on the schiit?" Yes I have but, the results, while stunning, cannot be attributed solely to the XLR outputs. I've had an YGGY for about 6 months now .. I introduced it into my total NAIM system with sensational results; I echo all the good words already printed above. Anyway, I was looking to replace my NAIM Headline Headphone amp and decided to buy the Schiit Mjolnir 2 purely because it has balanced inputs .. just for Shiits and grins and for no other reason. I use Sennheiser HD650 HP's which have the neat feature of swappable cables .. I bought the XLR cable from Sennheiser (about $300 .. Cardas cable) and 2 Tellurium Q Black Diamond XLR interconnects from the YGGY to the Mjolnir ... Stunning, absolutely stunning ... Now let me expand on my original statement about not being able to attribute the sound solely to the balanced outputs .. I introduced too many variables into the system at one time to be able to point to a specific component. I have never listened to tube based headphone amp before and Tellurium Q Black Diamonds are a stunning cable. The Schiit folks are on to something really good .. |
In audio, the MSRP of a product should not be a correlation to its performance. More often than not, the high markups paid relate to the exterior cosmetics of the product, marketing costs and distributor fees rather than the interior circuitry. Schiit sells direct to consumers, relies heavily on word of mouth for marketing and places value on the it's internal circuitry and proprietary design so ultimately the consumer wins. If one can look beyond the yiggy's price point, its no frills exterior casing and the fact it's called 'schiit', you will discover a truly high end product and one of audio's tremendous bargain. |
@darknightdk Thanks. Yes I've also read about the Yggy's break in time and such. It's very re assuring to know that someone with really high end speakers as yourself is speaking and vouching for a DAC with a much lower MSRP then what some but certainly not all of Wilson owners would use as their DAC. Again it's all personal taste and you have some real nice speakers but, you didn't feel the need to have a 10k plus DAC in your system to pair with your Sashas. Which I think speaks very highly of the Schiit DAC. I'm really looking forwarding to acquiring this DAC soon. |
I have the Sashas. I’ve not heard the MA1 so I can’t comment on that. I would urge you to find a way to audition a conditioned yiggy. A word of advice, if you are auditioning the yiggy, it has to be ’burned in’. Fresh out of the box, the yiggy will take at least 3 weeks for it to perform at it’s best and you will notice changes and refinements in its sound signature over this duration. This is recommended before any serious evaluation. Even burned in, the yiggy must be left on continuously to sound it’s best. With a 5 year warranty, this should not be an issue. |
The Schiit Yggdrasil is the real deal. Period. No other DAC at this price point can compete. It can compete favourably with any DAC at any price point, depending on how revealing your system is; the yiggy will reveal minute details, dynamics and spectral information that wasn't there before. My Wilsons have not sounded better. This is not a $2,000 DAC. It is a $12,000 DAC at 85% off. |
Should have paid the extra $200 for the ladder Multibit version, then you would have had "Bit Perfect" conversion of Redbook. Cheers George |
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Heard it at can jam this week. It blew me away. I'm buying it instantly. It's honestly incredible. Analog sounding. Real. Grainy. Articulate. Not sterile. Lifelike. 2200 well spent. Mike is also freaken hilarious. HILARIOUS. American made... Ect. How can you beat this???? Let's make a fanboy Facebook page. I'm in. |
I have Schiit’s entry-level Bifrost and for the size and array of my system it is perfect. As for build quality, let’s put it this way: You wouldn’t want one thrown at you. You’d be flat on the floor and the DAC would be playing its heart out. My other DAC is the Emotiva, every bit as good and with balanced outs at about the same price. |
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/670-schiit-audio-yggdrasil-multibit-dac-review/ http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/schiit-yggdrasil-best-digital-ana... Here is some very detailed info on Yggy and many listening impressions/comparisons. Cheers, Spencer |