[Ripper2860]

Quit playing these HEDD games, dammit! They are definitely on my wish list.

 

[adydula]

Remember the Schiit Jot2 has low and high gain with both the SE and Balanced circuits...and the feedback used is different...

So there could be differences in how well it sounds and would drive various headphones based on their efficiency

Glad u like yours, I had and still have the OG Jot 1 and had the Bifrost 1 and now the B2.

Both stellar amps and dacs....

 

[adydula]

Quit playing these HEDD games, dammit! They are definitely on my wish list.

Ha!

They are big, they are heavy, they are superb headphones at a cost that competes with cans that cost a ton more of $$$.

I am down to the Hedds, Empyreans, Clear MG Pros, HD 650..and a bunch of lesser cans...

Its possible Hedd might come out with another headphone, but the OC Hedd is a classic.

 

[singularitykid]

Remember the Schiit Jot2 has low and high gain with both the SE and Balanced circuits...and the feedback used is different...

So there could be differences in how well it sounds and would drive various headphones based on their efficiency

Glad u like yours, I had and still have the OG Jot 1 and had the Bifrost 1 and now the B2.

Both stellar amps and dacs....

Yeah I get it, and my method of 'balancing out' the amps is obviously flawed, but the other poster wasn't asking which of the two amps drives the HEDDphone the best, he was asking about the sound difference between both combo's. So by using SE and low gain on the Jot2 I may not have been driving my headphones optimally, but I was underserving them in a somewhat comparable way to how the Element II underserves them (although, really, it doesn't fare all that badly). I think the differences I could spot that way largely match up with what you'd expect going by other reviews of the Jot2, so I'm hopefully not too far off, and my comparison is useful to the poster asking for it.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

I was the one asking for the comparison. I really appreciate you taking the time to compare the two amps and posting your impressions.

I’ve always assumed my EL Amp II was pretty good with the BF2, but it’s helpful to know the Jot2 wasn’t head and shoulders better. I’m patiently awaiting my first tube amp to match up with my BF2 and Verite Closed. I’m hoping it’s quite the upgrade from my JDS amp. Only time will tell.

 

[joseG86]

After a few days, I almost didn't believe it..... I had a problem with Delta-Sigma Gustard X16: Female voices were sounding metalic in the edges, I really hated that and I was crazy about it because no matter what I did it was always this metallic wet tube like sound with female singers....

That is no longer happening with the Bifrost 2.

It's been almost a week and while I didn't find any sonic differences with the X16 and I no longer have MQA or DSD but I'm not missing delta-sigma at all. (MQA hhahhah)

I'll post soon when I compare them in a serious A/B test.

 

[theveterans]

After a few days, I almost didn't believe it..... I had a problem with Delta-Sigma Gustard X16: Female voices were sounding metalic in the edges, I really hated that and I was crazy about it because no matter what I did it was always this metallic wet tube like sound with female singers....

That is no longer happening with the Bifrost 2.

It's been almost a week and while I didn't find any sonic differences with the X16 and I no longer have MQA or DSD but I'm not missing delta-sigma at all. (MQA hhahhah)

I'll post soon when I compare them in a serious A/B test.

It's a tell tale sign of a cookie cutter DS DAC design. The well implemented ones sound like R2R OS timbre, but with more resolution and incisiveness where if I didn't look at that its specs, I wouldn't even thought it was DS in the first place though they cost many more times than BF2

 

[Mr BubbaHyde]

Just wanted to say thanks for all the valuable information in this thread! I am on the fence as far as getting a BF2, I have many dacs, Gustard x16, Schiit Modius, ifi Zen, Xduoo TA-10R, and was thinking about just trying a Modi Multibit to see what it did for me. After reading all your impressions I am closer to a BF2...

Thanks again!

 

[erroneous]

Perhaps my ears are full of lead, but I've been A/Bing Bifrost2 vs Yggdrasil A2 using Verite Closed and Aeolus through an EC Aficionado amp and there's really not much of a difference.
The Bifrost 2 has a tiny veil compared to Ygg, the Ygg has longer decay. I'll have to do more comparison to determine stage depth/size, but they're really not far apart.

There was actually a more noticeable difference between Bifrost 2 and Gungnir Multibit A2. There's the obvious tonal difference (Gungnir is pretty darn neutral), but it's immediately evident when A/Bing them that Gungnir pushes the stage back, has longer decay and more texture in the bass notes. I still preferred Bifrost 2 to Gungnir (even though I loved the positive attributes of the Gungnir).

I'm getting pretty close to being ready to sell Ygg because Bifrost 2 is just so close to it and with the Autonomy feature I won't have to pay $200 in round trip shipping to get my DAC upgraded again.

 

[theveterans]

Perhaps my ears are full of lead, but I've been A/Bing Bifrost2 vs Yggdrasil A2 using Verite Closed and Aeolus through an EC Aficionado amp and there's really not much of a difference.
The Bifrost 2 has a tiny veil compared to Ygg, the Ygg has longer decay. I'll have to do more comparison to determine stage depth/size, but they're really not far apart.

There was actually a more noticeable difference between Bifrost 2 and Gungnir Multibit A2. There's the obvious tonal difference (Gungnir is pretty darn neutral), but it's immediately evident when A/Bing them that Gungnir pushes the stage back, has longer decay and more texture in the bass notes. I still preferred Bifrost 2 to Gungnir (even though I loved the positive attributes of the Gungnir).

I'm getting pretty close to being ready to sell Ygg because Bifrost 2 is just so close to it and with the Autonomy feature I won't have to pay $200 in round trip shipping to get my DAC upgraded again.

You're dead accurate. BF2 is that close to Yggdrasil A2 in sheer resolution and almost the same tonality. Gungnir A2 has a leaner tonality but have better bass definition (due to its leaner tonality) as I've also heard them during my visit at Schiitr.

 

[Neweymatt]

Perhaps my ears are full of lead, but I've been A/Bing Bifrost2 vs Yggdrasil A2 using Verite Closed and Aeolus through an EC Aficionado amp and there's really not much of a difference.
The Bifrost 2 has a tiny veil compared to Ygg, the Ygg has longer decay. I'll have to do more comparison to determine stage depth/size, but they're really not far apart.

There was actually a more noticeable difference between Bifrost 2 and Gungnir Multibit A2. There's the obvious tonal difference (Gungnir is pretty darn neutral), but it's immediately evident when A/Bing them that Gungnir pushes the stage back, has longer decay and more texture in the bass notes. I still preferred Bifrost 2 to Gungnir (even though I loved the positive attributes of the Gungnir).

I'm getting pretty close to being ready to sell Ygg because Bifrost 2 is just so close to it and with the Autonomy feature I won't have to pay $200 in round trip shipping to get my DAC upgraded again.

Yeah, it was impressions like this vs the higher-end DACs, and the fact it is field-upgradable that convinced me BF2 was the sweet spot for me.

It was a bit more expensive than I had initially wanted to spend, esp vs ModiMB or Modius, but I have absolutely zero regrets, and I'm even more convinced now of it's long-term place either on my desk or in some other future system.

 

[erroneous]

Putting my money where my mouth is, just sold my Ygg A2. Now will proceed with Bifrost2 for both systems but also wish I had Gungnir A2 back just as a neutral A/B again.

 

[joseG86]

New discover and fix (video related):

Bifrost 2 USB causes very high DPC latency and crackling/noise/stuttering sound artifacts with some new encoded movies in MKV and audio E-AC-3 JOC when using NVIDIA Cuvid or DVXA (copy-back) as decoder, this also happens with Gustard X16 using USB. (Windows 10 x64)

This is the first time something like this happened to me, not also this movie but many I have. The one causing trouble was Zack Snyder's Justice League 2021 2160p HDR with K-Lite codec pack (MPC-HC, LAV filters for audio/video and MadVR for directshow with exclusive mode and bitstreaming set @ audio renderer. This problem was also experienced using PotPlayer


Fix 1:
Use DVXA Native if you have LAV filters

Fix 2:
Connect Bifrost 2 using optical cable to TV and set NVIDIA High Definition Audio as primary audio device for the movie if you have this problem (don't forget to switch Bifrost 2 to optical)

If you are experiencing this crackling/popping issue give it a try and use your TV as optical streamer or just switch hardware decoder.

 

[tameral]

So is it somewhat contraindicated to use Reveal+ with Bifrost2?

I read a post that said that doing EQ before the multibit dac was - while not quite contraindicated - less optimal than with non-multibit dacs

Curious for opinions on this opinion.

 

[Raptor34]

Putting my money where my mouth is, just sold my Ygg A2. Now will proceed with Bifrost2 for both systems but also wish I had Gungnir A2 back just as a neutral A/B again.

Tell me, do you actually listen to music or just A/B music.