Schiit Gungnir DAC

Thanks for that. Because im debating if I should just upgrade my entire chain or just the DAC. Also because rumors are going around that Schiit flagships coming around end of year and its ard october. Im worried im going to regret upgrading so soon :/ (or maybe I should wait until the flagship comes out and get a second hand gungnir if the flagship is over my budget. Hopefully 2nd hand prices drop when ppl rush to upgrade to the flagship hehe)
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olor1n said:

 
The LCD-2 is a lot of fun from the Lyr and you can tweak it to be more balanced with the right tubes. However the Lyr is nowhere as capable as the Mjolnir in terms of transparency, as refined in bass control and extension, or as accurate in imaging. If you're upgrading from the FiiO E7 in your profile the Gungnir will be an eyeopener. You just won't hear its best with the Lyr in the way.

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Why would you regret jumping on the Mjolnir/Gungnir when the statement gear is released? Schiit's TotL will be more expensive. Do you expect those components to be the same price as the mid-tiers?

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olor1n said:

Why would you regret jumping on the Mjolnir/Gungnir when the statement gear is released? Schiit's TotL will be more expensive. Do you expect those components to be the same price as the mid-tiers?

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Of course not the same price but im hoping that the price increase isnt too substantial like double or triple price of gungnir/mjolnir

I doubt you'll see a mass exodus from the mid-tiers once the statement gear is released. Summit-Fiers and those who've held off on the mid-tiers will flock to the statement stuff, but the praise for the mid-tiers is unanimous. Performance beyond what I'm hearing now would be well in the realms of diminishing returns. I suspect marginal improvements with the TotL gear but also extra features to warrant the asking price (e.g. ability to drive speakers with the amp).
 
The release of top tier components won't diminish what Jason and Mike have achieved with the Mjolnir/Gungnir. I anticipate the opposite, where people who don't require the extra bells and whistles will be referred to the mid-tiers for best value.

Hmm, u make a compelling argument there. Im really tempted to get the gungnir mainly BECAUSE it has improvements in all the right places and everyone seems to agree on its benefits. Just not too sure on the mjolnir front though because i just recently started tube rolling the lyr haha XD

Well, I'm quite excited, I just ordered the Gungnir with USB this morning! I have been in the process of selling stuff that I don't need, so I have at least enough extra to pay for part of it! I also splurged and went with the AudioQuest Cinnamon USB cable and bought the full Audirvana+ and am using the new beta version with integer mode. So I am very happy! It will arrive only tomorrow since I'm lucky to live in such close proximity to Schiit!

justie said:

Quote:

olor1n said:

Why would you regret jumping on the Mjolnir/Gungnir when the statement gear is released? Schiit's TotL will be more expensive. Do you expect those components to be the same price as the mid-tiers?

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Of course not the same price but im hoping that the price increase isnt too substantial like double or triple price of gungnir/mjolnir

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From the early speculation, double is about right. I think it even mentions this on the Schiit website.

mackat said:

Well, I'm quite excited, I just ordered the Gungnir with USB this morning! I have been in the process of selling stuff that I don't need, so I have at least enough extra to pay for part of it! I also splurged and went with the AudioQuest Cinnamon USB cable and bought the full Audirvana+ and am using the new beta version with integer mode. So I am very happy! It will arrive only tomorrow since I'm lucky to live in such close proximity to Schiit!

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Congrats Mackat! Looking forward to hearing how it pairs with your Crack --> HD650 rig. I think you'll like it.

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justie said:

Hmm, u make a compelling argument there. Im really tempted to get the gungnir mainly BECAUSE it has improvements in all the right places and everyone seems to agree on its benefits. Just not too sure on the mjolnir front though because i just recently started tube rolling the lyr haha XD

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Tube rolling is fun but costly. No tube will elevate the Lyr to the level of the Mjolnir.

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olor1n said:

 
The release of top tier components won't diminish what Jason and Mike have achieved with the Mjolnir/Gungnir. I anticipate the opposite, where people who don't require the extra bells and whistles will be referred to the mid-tiers for best value.

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Bingo.
 
Aaannd...
 
Expect the top of the line to cost 2X+ for the DAC and just under 2X for the amp, and expect to wait quite a while--development of the DAC got reset to zero this summer because of a new DSP platform (the old one went end-of-life, in electronics-speak). Q1 2013 is the new guess. I've stopped saying "anticipated" or "expected" because it seems to get translated into "promised" far too often.
 
On the good news side, the new DSP platform is far more capable, which makes the statement DAC even more interesting. But it also does take us into new realms, which means more uncertainty, which means more time...

Hey Justie - I understand your conundrum quite well! IMO, the sota for low to mid range priced DAC's is here with us now, for the choosing. When the economy starts showing some solid improvement those choices may 'evolve' to fancier kit and of course go northward in price. When you start talking about $1.5K and up to $3K the field starts getting very thick. This is not 'impulse buy' land. These companies are going to need to make higher profits on those. I say - go where the value is now.

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jason stoddard said:

 
Bingo.
 
Aaannd...
 
Expect the top of the line to cost 2X+ for the DAC and just under 2X for the amp, and expect to wait quite a while--development of the DAC got reset to zero this summer because of a new DSP platform (the old one went end-of-life, in electronics-speak). Q1 2013 is the new guess. I've stopped saying "anticipated" or "expected" because it seems to get translated into "promised" far too often.
 
On the good news side, the new DSP platform is far more capable, which makes the statement DAC even more interesting. But it also does take us into new realms, which means more uncertainty, which means more time...

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HDMI inputs this time? Black finish? I'll give you a deposit right now if that's the...case.
 
-Daniel

Well, I got the Gungnir today!
 
I happen to be one of those audiophiles that likes to torture myself and experience the piece throughout the entire 'burn in'. In some cases that process can be painful (ex. JPS Labs speaker wire). In others its quite a joy. Good sound and smiles from the get go, only gets better with time.
 
The Gungnir is one of those smiles from the get go pieces of kit! It bested my current rig out of the box! Thats nice! I can say that it bests my Transporter (Stereophile rated Class A by the way) for several reasons - 1. No op amps. 2. Re clock that signal outside of that noisy ass box! 3. Better power supply 4. Multi DAC chip approach. Bottom line - good, clean enjoyable MUSIC! I put music in caps because it different than sound. Thats the difference. I can quickly tell when the sound is better when it sounds better THROUGHOUT the room, not just the sweet spot. These are subtle differences for sure. Very much influenced by subjective variables. Is the sound 'going in the right direction' - most definately. Thats all I really care about anyway.
 
Question now is: I have a decent 75 ohm RCA but I now have the option of using BNC out from my Transporter. Any recommendations would be much appreciated!

 
 
thanks - Eric

Add me to the club too!
 
 

Nice! What else have you heard the HE6's on?
 
-Daniel

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earwaxxer said:

 
Question now is: I have a decent 75 ohm RCA but I now have the option of using BNC out from my Transporter. Any recommendations would be much appreciated!
 
 
thanks - Eric

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In general, BNC seems to be thought of as a better digital interface.