[ToroFiestaSol]

What I like about this thread is that it shows how fast digital advances, and how irrelevant prices are regarding DACs.
Who knows, maybe in a few years, some chinese company, like Audio GD (I say Audio GD because parts alone of the products are more expensive than the asking price, but can be any other company which can sell products for that low prices) introduces a DAC with a custom FPGA or even an Intel or ARM processor, software and firmware upgradable and a state of the art dual mono PSU with expensive parts, like Lundahl transformers or Duelund Caps, which outperforms every DAC on the planet and sells for under 2k.
 
This may sound like a wild fantasy but nothing far from reality, just read the thread and the prices of the DACs...

 

[Light - Man]

  What I like about this thread is that it shows how fast digital advances, and how irrelevant prices are regarding DACs.
Who knows, maybe in a few years, some chinese company, like Audio GD (I say Audio GD because parts alone of the products are more expensive than the asking price, but can be any other company which can sell products for that low prices) introduces a DAC with a custom FPGA or even an Intel or ARM processor, software and firmware upgradable and a state of the art dual mono PSU with expensive parts, like Lundahl transformers or Duelund Caps, which outperforms every DAC on the planet and sells for under 2k.
 
This may sound like a wild fantasy but nothing far from reality, just read the thread and the prices of the DACs...

Interesting, which Audio GD DAC, etc. do you refer to and any links would be most helpful? (as there are quite a few threads)
p.s. It  sounds to me like you know what you are talking about - why not start a new thread and post a link here? 

 

[ToroFiestaSol]

  Interesting, which Audio GD DAC do you refer to and any link would be most helpful? (as there are quite a few threads) 

 
I mean their products in general, parts quality is awesome and prices are very, very low, just take a look at this (I know, it's not a DAC)
http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/NFB1AMP/NFB1AMPEN.htm
520 USD...fully balanced, class A, 0 feedback, R-Core transformer, digitally controled relay based volume control (this option alone costs 420€, not dollars, on the Violectric V281), DALE resistors, WIMA and custom NOVER caps...8w at 40ohms, 0.002 THD, >120db S/N ratio.
 
Now, do a search and find how much an amp with that caracteristics costs...it's just insane what they do, just imagine a DAC like the one I described above with that price/performance ratio.

 

[ToroFiestaSol]

p.s. It  sounds to me like you know what you are talking about - why not start a new thread and post a link here? 

 
I don't know much,  but what I do is reading and try to understand things, because it takes me a lot of effort and time to make money, and I want the best bang-for-the-buck with my hard earned money
 
There are some Audio GD threads, so no need for that

 

[Light - Man]

   
I don't know much,  but what I do is reading and try to understand things, because it takes me a lot of effort and time to make money, and I want the best bang-for-the-buck with my hard earned money
 
There are some Audio GD threads, so no need for that

 
Likewise - when I did Engineering (4 years full time) the first year was general engineering science which included Electrical and Thermodynamics, etc. I soon learned about electrical reactance and reluctance - my immediate reaction was an intense reluctance to go down the Electrical Engineering path!

  Someone really should start a new thread for all the stuff you mention.     

 

[wink]

  Why has this turned into an Yggy impressions thread? 

Look at the title of this thread.....   

 

[REXNFX]

   
It was good to have you over - it had been entirely too long since the last time - and I'm glad you go to hear the two units side by side!
 
A few comments/clarifications, ahead of my own impressions (which I will write up properly, and say nothing more about until I do):
 
The amp in use was actually my Woo Audio WA5-LE Mk2 w/ all parts upgrades. Normally I run Takatsuki 274B and 300B w/ Sylvania 6SN7GT tubes; I'd swapped those back out and have Sophia Electric Princess 274B and 300B w/ RCA signal tubes installed while I am showing the house (too many excited children/adults with sticky/over-zealous paws).
 
It's also worth noting that I still had things in warm-up/basic listening configuration, since I didn't start my "serious" listening until late Friday (which then carried on through most of the weekend).  This means that Yggdrasil was connected to the WA5-LE from it's single-ended outputs (WA5-LE is a single-ended design), and the Spring DAC was feeding it via balanced connections.  This is mostly a result of that being my normal configuration for Yggdrasil - as I usually have it's balanced outputs feeding my Ragnarok.  And the rationale for that is that the difference between the balanced and singled-ended outputs of Yggdrasil is a lot smaller than between the singled-ended and balanced inputs with Ragnarok.
 
For my subsequent formal auditioning I ran them both in the same configuration, i.e. both balanced into either amp (using a special box I have to switch the single XLR input on the Woo).
 
In this case Yggdrasil was being fed from my Auralic Aries via AES (I'm trading my normal usual RedNet 3 for a D16 AES) and the Spring DAC was coming off a microRendu, both fed a synchronized (grouped) stream from Roon.  My formal impressions (which might well wind up as a proper review in this case, since I got more time with the Spring DAC than I have with most of the other DACs I've auditioned), will include driving both units from a common source, and comparing the various input options for the Spring DAC, since it supports I2S in addition to the usual AES/SPDIF COAX/TOSLINK/USB.
 
My impressions to follow in a little bit (maybe tomorrow), but wanted to make sure the replay chain was completely identified ahead of that.

Would be interested to know if the source you use (Aries or Rednet) dramatically effects the SQ?

 

[Torq]

  Would be interested to know if the source you use (Aries or Rednet) dramatically effects the SQ?

There's a discernible change between sources, but I wouldn't call the differences between any of them "dramatic".  You'd find the biggest difference going from, say, USB straight out of a laptop to a properly-sorted RedNet configuration, and I don't think that would be particularly hard to distinguish between, provided you were actually listening.  
 
Of course I don't really think the difference between, say, a MIMBY and a DAVE is "dramatic" either.  Readily discernible, obvious and meaningful?  Sure.  Is it a big step up?  In the terms that audiophiles like to bandy about, yeah.  But quality is already so high with the entry-level Schiit gear that you're quickly into diminishing returns and "Dramatic" improvements there are really only going to come if you're moving from sub-standard gear, or changing your transducers!

 

[EvenR]

A lot of people are going ham over the Gustard X20U here on head-fi and other forums, claiming that it's on par or better than yggy stock and better when modded. An improved Gustard X20U Pro is also launching around December i think. Might want to add it to the list, since it's only 800-900$ depending if it's the x20 or x20u version. (u version has usb input)

 

[REXNFX]

 
There's a discernible change between sources, but I wouldn't call the differences between any of them "dramatic".  You'd find the biggest difference going from, say, USB straight out of a laptop to a properly-sorted RedNet configuration, and I don't think that would be particularly hard to distinguish between, provided you were actually listening.  
 
Of course I don't really think the difference between, say, a MIMBY and a DAVE is "dramatic" either.  Readily discernible, obvious and meaningful?  Sure.  Is it a big step up?  In the terms that audiophiles like to bandy about, yeah.  But quality is already so high with the entry-level Schiit gear that you're quickly into diminishing returns and "Dramatic" improvements there are really only going to come if you're moving from sub-standard gear, or changing your transducers!

Indeed it is easy to lose perspective when comparing digital to digital, now when I compare my vinyl rig to all the digital sources I've heard, I'd say vinyl is dramatically better particularly on analog recordings. Still looking for a digital source that competes but more inclined to think it's the digital remasterings I don't like, hoping MQA may be the answer. 

 

[Torq]

  A lot of people are going ham over the Gustard X20U here on head-fi and other forums, claiming that it's on par or better than yggy stock and better when modded. An improved Gustard X20U Pro is also launching around December i think. Might want to add it to the list, since it's only 800-900$ depending if it's the x20 or x20u version. (u version has usb input)

It's an average DAC at a somewhat above-average price.  I think you can do better for less.  And I find it fascinating that the first thing everyone I've come across that owns one does is to modify it.  And when I say modify it ... I mean by sticking bits of cardboard under the transformers and running odd bits of wire all over the thing, seemingly at random.
 
Like this, in fact.
 
For me, I don't think it's in the same class of product as Yggdrasil, and I'd rather listen to a MIMBY or BIMBY than the X20.  
 
That's just me though.

 

[EvenR]

 
It's an average DAC at a somewhat above-average price.  I think you can do better for less.  And I find it fascinating that the first thing everyone I've come across that owns one does is to modify it.  And when I say modify it ... I mean by sticking bits of cardboard under the transformers and running odd bits of wire all over the thing, seemingly at random.
 
Like this, in fact.
 
For me, I don't think it's in the same class of product as Yggdrasil, and I'd rather listen to a MIMBY or BIMBY than the X20.  
 
That's just me though.

Just reporting what other people have said in threads here and elsewhere, where several people preferred it to the yggy and other great dacs. I haven't heard the Gustard X20, but it got me interested and the threads had me kinda dumbfounded.
 
I don't go for the hype and instant-buy it, because i haven't read impressions from people i consider reputable and knowledgeable. 
 
Btw, what reason is there to downgrade to mimby/bimby in the context of this thread, and have you heard the Gustard, or are you guessing based on specs and other things?

 

[Torq]

Yes, I've heard the X20U.

Going from the Gustard to a BIMBY or MIMBY would not be a downgrade, based on the time I've spent with them. No doubt there will be people that prefer the X20.

 

[landroni]

  Indeed it is easy to lose perspective when comparing digital to digital, now when I compare my vinyl rig to all the digital sources I've heard, I'd say vinyl is dramatically better particularly on analog recordings. Still looking for a digital source that competes but more inclined to think it's the digital remasterings I don't like, hoping MQA may be the answer.

Well, MQA may be the answer only if your only goal is to turn to perceptual encoding techniques (think lossy MP3) and reduce bit count (i.e. reduce size, again think MP3):
http://www.head-fi.org/t/701900/schiit-happened-the-story-of-the-worlds-most-improbable-start-up/10890#post_12617348
 
Otherwise, there is no obvious benefit to MQA other than paying a load of money for rebuying all of your hardware and software and ultimately paying royalties to Meridian for the privilege...

 

[yage]

 
 
Like this, in fact.

 
Curiously, Ric Schultz, the proprietor of Tweak Audio, also outlined some DIY tweaks to the Yggy. He tried to pick up momentum on one of the Yggdrasil threads for this sort of stuff but was shot (shut?) down. Here's a link for those interested:
 
http://tweakaudio.com/EVS-2/Schiit_mod.html
 
 
NOTE: I don't own an Yggdrasil, modded or otherwise *and* I don't think any of the proposed tweaks are a wise idea.