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Schiit Gungnir DAC Measurements

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Hands:


Test Hardware and Setup

-DIY Gaming Desktop - i5 2500K locked at 4.5GHz, Biostar TZ77XE3 motherboard, GTX 780, Antec EarthWatts 650W Green PSU, Auzentech Bravura sound card, 4 140mm fans, goofy UV cathode lights in case, Fractal Design Define R4 case...overall, most likely not optimal for audio. Plugged into APC H10 power conditioner. I did run Fidelizer on it for the tests. Using USB 3.0 ports, tested for which ones produce best results and use those two.

-JKSPDIF MK3 - Input with generic USB cable, output with 75ohm RF attenuator (-10dB) and 75ohm BNC to BNC coaxial cable to DAC. Battery powered.

-Schiit Gungnir DAC - Takes JK BNC out to BNC in, RCA out to SB1240. Using the most recommended cables listed on Blue Jeans Cables for both. Plugged into wall socket. Also used USB input (same cable used for JKSPDIF) for a couple tests. USB input is Gen. 2.

-Creative X-FI HD USB (SB1240) - Takes line-out signal from DAC to line-in for recording purposes, powered by USB bus, plugged into desktop. Unit is limited to 48/96KHz input/output.

Software

RightMark RMAA 6.3.0, ARTA (used basic multimeter for calibration), JRiver MC 18

Misc. Notes

I used BNC input on the Gungnir for most of these tests. I did some in USB and decided it was not worth re-doing all of them. You can get a basic idea how they compare based on the RightMark and jitter measurements.

Creative SB1240 has a slight roll-off in the bass.

I do not guarantee 100% accuracy with these measurements. Take these for what they are.

Links

Schiit Gungnir DAC - http://schiit.com/products/gungnir
JKSPDIF MK3 - http://www.johnkenny.biz/home-1/mk3-hiface
Creative SB1240 - http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-digital-music-premium-hd
RightMark Audio Analyzer - http://audio.rightmark.org/index_new.shtml
ARTA: http://www.artalabs.hr/

Hands:
Gungnir with BNC input, RightMark RMAA 16/48 tests using ASIO.

Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB | +0.02, -0.14 | Very good
Noise level, dB (A) | -92.8 | Very good
Dynamic range, dB (A) | 93.2 | Very good
THD, % | 0.0046 | Very good
THD + Noise, dB (A) | -82.7 | Good
IMD + Noise, % | 0.023 | Good
Stereo crosstalk, dB | -93.1 | Excellent
IMD at 10 kHz, % | 0.010 | Very good
General performance | Very good

Attached RMAA pictures will always be in this order unless noted otherwise:

1. Frequency Response
2. Noise
3. Dynamic Range
4. THD
5. IMD
6. IMD Swept
7. Crosstalk

Hands:
Gungnir with BNC input, RightMark RMAA 24/96 tests using ASIO.

Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB | +0.02, -0.15 | Very good
Noise level, dB (A) | -94.8 | Very good
Dynamic range, dB (A) | 96.3 | Excellent
THD, % | 0.0046 | Very good
THD + Noise, dB (A) | -83.4 | Good
IMD + Noise, % | 0.023 | Good
Stereo crosstalk, dB | -90.6 | Excellent
IMD at 10 kHz, % | 0.0091 | Very good
General performance | Very good

Hands:
24/96 tests WITH USB instead of BNC. Results show USB is likely a slightly better solution than BNC via JKSPDIF, but this could change with a better converter.

Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB | +0.02, -0.15 | Very good
Noise level, dB (A) | -96.9 | Excellent
Dynamic range, dB (A) | 97.0 | Excellent
THD, % | 0.0042 | Very good
THD + Noise, dB (A) | -84.1 | Good
IMD + Noise, % | 0.023 | Good
Stereo crosstalk, dB | -94.6 | Excellent
IMD at 10 kHz, % | 0.0084 | Very good
General performance | Very good

Hands:
Gungnir JTest jitter measurements using a 24/48, 0dB file generated in ARTA and played back through JRMC 18. Tested BNC and USB. Also tested with software upsampling in JRMC, just to compare how this turns out on the Gungnir vs. other DACs I've tested (idea is to see if some DACs benefits from it more than other or not at all, though upsampling could ultimately be messing with results and making them useless).

1. BNC
2. BNC - Upsampled
3. USB
4. USB - Upsampled

Jitter is low either way, but USB looks a bit better. Upsampling might actually be slightly detrimental, though still gives good results. IIRC, this is touching on the limitations of the SB1240, so it's entirely possible the Gungnir has less jitter in actuality.

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