[maxh22]

I wonder what will happen when Schiit eventually comes out with an upgraded version of Yggdrasil. It may prove to be an even better bargain!

 

[Torq]

  OK, thanks for clarifying that about the TT. It sure sounds like the takeaway here is that the Yggdrasil and the PWD Junior are super-audiophile bargains (and I guess the Mojo too). Best to you again.

 
I do think Mojo is as staggeringly good deal.
 
I might be guilty of praising it to the point of it seeming like hype, but I really think it's that good ... and especially at the price they ask!
 
The DirectStream Junior is very interesting and quite exciting.  I don't think it's quite the sonic equal of Yggdrasil today ... but the ability to make such significant upgrades in the sound as I heard moving from earlier firmware to "Torreys" in a downloadable update means that the potential is very hard to ignore.  And it does sound really VERY good as it is.  Wouldn't have been interested on the old firmware ... am now ... that's how a big difference it made.  Can't wait to see what they can wring out of that platform!

 

[rgs9200m]

Thanks. The only thing I would add, if only for completeness down the road as far as new developments go, is the brand new Metrum Adagio, given the Pavane's high marks. Though I wonder if they borrowed that name from Acoustic Zen  ...

 

[Torq]

  Thanks. The only thing I would add, if only for completeness down the road as far as new developments go, is the brand new Metrum Adagio, given the Pavane's high marks. Though I wonder if they borrowed that name from Acoustic Zen  ...

Yeah ... unfortunately I have no use for a DAC with a built-in volume control ... so unless it betters Pavane in some way when not going through that stage, I probably won't bother trying to listen to one.

 

[landroni]

 
 
I do think Mojo is as staggeringly good deal.

 
I might be guilty of praising it to the point of it seeming like hype, but I really think it's that good ... and especially at the price they ask!
 

Now that the Modi MB is out, I'm very very curious how it stacks against Mojo, in your opinion. Initial reviews seem to be quite positive, some feeling it isn't much of slouch compared even to Yggdrasil, and at 250$ it might become the budget go-to deal...

 

[x RELIC x]

Reading some thoughts recently I was wondering why, when talking about the Chord DACs, is the fact that the line-out can also drive headphones thought of as a negative. All DACs have an anologue out. The Chord DACs just have an extremely simple and staggeringly low impedance line-out that can drive headphones as well. Transparency and convenience... Bonus. There really is no seperate 'amp section'. The only way this is achieved is because the performance of the DAC is so quiet. In a way you can compare the Chord DACs to any other DAC, just that the Chord DACs have more of a direct path using headphones to hearing the DAC without requiring an external amp, which then is adding its own distortions to the DAC.

 

[Torq]

In the case of the Adagio, for me, the significant additional expense of the unit with the super volume-control isn't warranted unless it is somehow improving the sound of the cheaper, but supposedly identical from a DAC perspective, Pavane.  If the Pavane wasn't available then the presence of said volume control on the Adagio wouldn't deter me - just for my use case it seems to be cost for it's own sake.
 
With the Chord stuff I think it comes down to people's long-term conditioning, especially with portable gear - where the general mantra has been "pure line out", which probably started when people began strapping external amplifiers to their iPods and wanted to bypass the built-in amp stage.  That sort of thinking stuck - even in cases where the implementation makes it moot.

 

[Torq]

  Now that the Modi MB is out, I'm very very curious how it stacks against Mojo, in your opinion. Initial reviews seem to be quite positive, some feeling it isn't much of slouch compared even to Yggdrasil, and at 250$ it might become the budget go-to deal...

If I get to hear one, I'll certainly write up my thoughts.  Chances are someone in the local group will snag one - it just won't be me as I'm trying to get rid of stuff for my move not add more!

 

[Torq]

On another note, which will spawn another thread, I decided to pull the trigger on ordering a whole new Bifrost MB rather than just upgrading the one I have.
 
That'll give me access to the original Bifrost and the 4490 and then thanks to @crazychile I'll have an Uber board to play with as well, so I can compare all four (Original, Uber, 4490, Multi-bit) configurations back to back.
 
And then, since my Bifrost has a Gen 1 USB board, and the new one comes with Gen 2, I'll also have both USB interfaces available.  While I don't usually use USB for anything but portable audio, I'll make an exception here and do comparisons with both of those boards as well.  Maybe I'll get crazy and make it an 8-way comparison just for the hell of it.
 
Anyway, expect a thread on that within a few days of my new Bifrost arriving.  I'll post a link to it in this thread when I create the Bifrost one for those that are interested.

 

[johnjen]

  USB audio gives you too much flexibility, like having a cheap but decent source such as a NUC computer.
In addition it gives you DSD. 
 
Its hard to beat these especially when Coax is RF noise prone and Optical is jittery.

I wrote this and posted it in another thread.
 
So it's my 2¢ worth on USB and a comparison to it's near polar opposite.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/806827/audio-over-ip-rednet-3-16-review-aes67-sets-a-new-standard-for-computer-audio/1230#post_12751865
 
JJ

 

[deuter]

I wrote this and posted it in another thread.

So it's my 2¢ worth on USB and a comparison to it's near polar opposite.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/806827/audio-over-ip-rednet-3-16-review-aes67-sets-a-new-standard-for-computer-audio/1230#post_12751865

JJ

Thanks that was a good read.

It's would be nice to get an alternative to USB audio although it would take a few years before everyone could adapt to it.

 

[listen4joy]

There are some Dacs in your list that you didnt check yet, when you are going to check the rest and give your thoughts, of which Dac you will be choosing in the end.

 

[Torq]

  There are some Dacs in your list that you didnt check yet, when you are going to check the rest and give your thoughts, of which Dac you will be choosing in the end.

 
Short version ... when I get an open enough schedule that coincides with being able to get the remaining DACs on the list on hand to audition.
 
I had a trip pending, which got repeatedly pushed back and then cancelled.  That's back on the plan now, and it'll be at least a two week deal, which I may extend to a month depending on other factors.  Once I'm done with that it'll be down to when I can get my hands on the next batch of units.  I'd schedule that in advance, but I'm not sure of my return date and it's not like there are lots of available demo units ... sometimes there's only one for a given region at the higher end of things.
 
Then once that's done, and I have the shortlist fully defined, I need to try and get all of the units back together to audition directly against each other.  I'm skeptical that I'll actually be able to do that, but I shall try.  It'll be easier for units that I've heard via friends, or while in Europe, as those won't result in me asking a dealer or manufacturer for a second demo.
 
And then after that's all done I get to make my final choice.

 

[mikey8811]

Have you considered the Cary Audio DAC 200ts?

 

[Torq]

  Have you considered the Cary Audio DAC 200ts?

 
No, I didn't.
 
I can't see anything interesting about it, let along interesting enough to warrant it's price tag.
 
Most of the "clever" features I'd never use, so that doesn't help much there.
 
Beyond which, while when I started out on this path I was quite happy the AKM 4490 as a converter, at least lower down the price spectrum, the longer I've lived with one the more I'm thinking I actually prefer the 4396 in several areas - despite the newer chip measuring better.  We'll see whether that impression remains when I do my side-by-side all-up Bifrost variant comparisons.
 
Also, I'm just not adding any more DACs to the list this go around - if it's not listed in the first post at this point, it's not going to be (and the only exception I'd make is for a device that's doing something very different to everything else - on the order of the big Schiit, PS Audio and Chord units).  CotS-chip based DACs really aren't fairing that well in this line up.