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Author Topic: Schiit Yggdrasil DAC Review (pre-production): a short preview of your next DAC  (Read 80228 times)

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Marvey

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Re: Yggdrasil: a short (p)review of your next DAC
« Reply #50 on: January 09, 2015, 12:27:09 AM »
Quote from: adamaley on January 08, 2015, 10:51:15 PM
I don't think this has been addressed/asked yet - can you guys who have experience with the DAC give impressions on the USB implementation on the Yggy? Did it respond to 3rd party USB converters such as the OR5, or even Schiit's own Wyrd? Or does it have a USB implementation that doesn't need such ancillaries to shine?

Will do in a bit when I get home.
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zerodeefex

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Re: Yggdrasil: a short (p)review of your next DAC
« Reply #51 on: January 09, 2015, 12:31:44 AM »
Quote from: adamaley on January 08, 2015, 10:51:15 PM
I don't think this has been addressed/asked yet - can you guys who have experience with the DAC give impressions on the USB implementation on the Yggy? Did it respond to 3rd party USB converters such as the OR5, or even Schiit's own Wyrd? Or does it have a USB implementation that doesn't need such ancillaries to shine?

USB implementation is rock solid. fiddling in jriver, using a split USB cable with 5V from a linear power supply, and the wyrd offered no improvements. It was great in general.

Quote from: pyu on January 08, 2015, 11:24:31 PM
Thanks for the review. I have to say, the part that stood out for me the most was when zerodeefex said he had to mod his HD800 again because he couldn't stand to listen at higher volumes.  :D

And I see that the Yggdrasil will be using the same chassis as the Ragnarok. Not to be a downer but as someone who has limited desk space, I do hope that Schiit will consider finding ways to shrink them into smaller form factors. People who own hi-fi equipment might be okay with these sizes but I think if you are able to make them smaller, you will be able to make them more accessible to a bigger demographic.

I removed the rug liner from my HD800s last night and listened with the pulse + LPS > Klone. Same problem at super loud volumes. I just don't listen that loudly unless I'm doing a comparison so it wasn't a problem until I sat down to critically compare gear.

With regard to the size, this is a no-compromise, box. Mike has said this is the best DAC he knows how to make. If size, weight, color, etc are serious enough concerns for you, this might not meet your needs. It sounds fucking amazing and I haven't heard anything that's close in my price range so it's right for me.
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Marvey

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Re: Yggdrasil: a short (p)review of your next DAC
« Reply #52 on: January 09, 2015, 01:21:53 AM »
Heard Yggy proto with following "sources":
  • OR4 with turboclocks;
  • Wyrd+ OR5 no turboclocks (note OR stock has better regulators compared to OR4);
  • built-in Gen 2 USB.
Mostly sounded the same. I may have preferred USB by a small margin because it sounded like it had more body. #1 OR4 with the turboclocks sounded the most lean. That could either be a turbo-clock effect or because it only had 3-4 hours warm-up compared to the USB sessions later which had 5-6 hours warm-up. There was no sacrifice in resolution, precision, dynamics with the USB.
 
Bottom line is that it was too close between #2 and #3. Heck, it was close overall even with #1 in the mix - nothing like say the differences on an AGD M7, which sounds seriously gimped without OR5 or even with an inferior converter, e.g. Ciunas.

Keep in mind that Yggy has some of the Wyrd enhancements built-in. The final caveat is that production units will supposedly use the new generation of the C-Media USB chip which is supposed to be sonically better. So yeah, will be happy to ditch the OR5.
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pyu

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Re: Yggdrasil: a short (p)review of your next DAC
« Reply #53 on: January 09, 2015, 01:40:52 AM »
Quote from: zerodeefex on January 09, 2015, 12:31:44 AM
With regard to the size, this is a no-compromise, box. Mike has said this is the best DAC he knows how to make. If size, weight, color, etc are serious enough concerns for you, this might not meet your needs. It sounds fucking amazing and I haven't heard anything that's close in my price range so it's right for me.

From a personal perspective, I probably can re-arrange my desk to make space for it. I have not seen how the internals of the Yggdrasil or Ragnarok look like when it is in the chassis so I have no idea if there is any spare room for easy shrinkage. As someone who admires and understands why Apple wants everything to be as small as possible, if Schiit can improve further on the size aspect without compromising on the audio quality, it would be swell.
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knerian

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Re: Yggdrasil: a short (p)review of your next DAC
« Reply #54 on: January 09, 2015, 01:45:29 AM »
Quote from: pyu on January 09, 2015, 01:40:52 AM
From a personal perspective, I probably can re-arrange my desk to make space for it. I have not seen how the internals of the Yggdrasil or Ragnarok look like when it is in the chassis so I have no idea if there is any spare room for easy shrinkage. As someone who admires and understands why Apple wants everything to be as small as possible, if Schiit can improve further on the size aspect without compromising on the audio quality, it would be swell.

This is the Rag from Schiit's own site:

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Anaxilus

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Re: Yggdrasil: a short (p)review of your next DAC
« Reply #55 on: January 09, 2015, 01:51:51 AM »
Quote from: pyu on January 09, 2015, 01:40:52 AM
From a personal perspective, I probably can re-arrange my desk to make space for it. I have not seen how the internals of the Yggdrasil or Ragnarok look like when it is in the chassis so I have no idea if there is any spare room for easy shrinkage. As someone who admires and understands why Apple wants everything to be as small as possible, if Schiit can improve further on the size aspect without compromising on the audio quality, it would be swell.

If they could have, they would have. The size is not random choice. Many things in physics can NOT be replaced by downsizing.

Primary emphasis on form factor is inevitably a compromised choice and will never yield best possible performance.
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Marvey

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Re: Yggdrasil: a short (p)review of your next DAC
« Reply #56 on: January 09, 2015, 02:03:29 AM »
Crappy image from HF resized with secret algorithms. Yggy's based on very modular platform with a huge motherboard. The upgrade-ability aspect is one reason why it's so big. Two huge oversized transformers, and a choke (going to be bigger when prod.); DSP board; SPDIF board, USB board. D-A and analog out board. Probably a bunch of shunt type power supply circuits, hence the heat and wattage suckage (more than the typical DAC). All boards on risers.
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knerian

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Re: Yggdrasil: a short (p)review of your next DAC
« Reply #57 on: January 09, 2015, 02:12:27 AM »
Quote from: Anaxilus on January 09, 2015, 01:51:51 AM
If they could have, they would have. The size is not random choice. Many things in physics can NOT be replaced by downsizing.

Primary emphasis on form factor is inevitably a compromised choice and will never yield best possible performance.


The size of the Yggy is a bit disappointing, on my planned portable rig I already am lugging around 2 car batteries.  It's gonna suck that I will have to lug around the Rag as well, I think I may be over the 100 lb mark already.
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Anaxilus

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Re: Yggdrasil: a short (p)review of your next DAC
« Reply #58 on: January 09, 2015, 02:21:14 AM »
Quote from: knerian on January 09, 2015, 02:12:27 AM
The size of the Yggy is a bit disappointing, on my planned portable rig I already am lugging around 2 car batteries.  It's gonna suck that I will have to lug around the Rag as well, I think I may be over the 100 lb mark already.

Have you tried an iPhone? I've been told any perceived differences would be in your head. Or you could try a new diet.
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jexby

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Re: Yggdrasil: a short (p)review of your next DAC
« Reply #59 on: January 09, 2015, 04:20:53 AM »

the contractor just completed an addition to the west wing of my trailer, and my bid on the local nuclear plant to power the Yggy should be approved by mid-next week.

my ears will never be the same.
nor would my home.  would it ever grace the doorway.
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