[yeemanz]

Quote:

Hey guys, what are these Lorentz tubes, and where does one get them? (Almost afraid to ask about cost.)
 

 
 

Quite a few posts on this tube on the Lyr tube rolling thread
 
They cost 50$ ea, but as far as I know, Tubemonger has run out of them or there are no matched pairs.
 
 

 

[Misterrogers]

Tubemongers had a bunch of them - all gone now. The gray PCC88 gray shields went for $50 each, and the trimica's went for $70 each. They're very very rare and difficult to find - the early Lorenz Stuttgart ones that is. I've been hunting them down for awhile now, and will have a couple of pairs of PCC88's trimica's available (one pair is spoken for), and the more rare and expensive E88CC ones. Think trimica+ 

 Check my sig for my tube site. I'll be making my 'extra' tubes available their when I have them.
 
Quote:

Hey guys, what are these Lorentz tubes, and where does one get them? (Almost afraid to ask about cost.)
 
As to the Bifrost, and the question of how much one spends on a DAC, you must keep in mind that the chip is only the beginning. You can have the hottest IC on the planet, but if the power supply, circuit layout and quality aren't up to snuff, the sound will be compromised. Not to mention the design choices that can be legitimately argued either way.
 
For example, lots of DACs upsample. (As I understand it, oversampling looks at the data more often that 44.1, i.e. 96 or 192 hz., where upsampling also converts the signal to an an approximation of 24 or even 32 bits from the original 16.) Jason viscerally condemns this practise. Other DACs go even more old school, using "antique" NOS chips and omitting filters and such that most consider mandatory. Yet some listeners feel these "stone age" units have something special. (See the vintage DAC thread elsewhere on head-fi.)
 
I'll be comparing my Bifrost (c'mon, c'mon Fedex) to the PS Audio (upsampling) and the built-in DAC of my player (Marantz 8004, pretty new) which also accepts other inputs including USB. Marantz apparently feels pretty confident in their DAC, and I can hear why. Right now, I go back and forth, with the PSA sounding more "analog" while on some tracks the built-in seems to have an extra edge on attack. Looking foward to seeing what the Bifrost will bring to the table.
 
 
 

 

 

[deadkenny64]

Well, it did elicit an updated response from Jason so I, for one, am glad he asked.
 
Quote:

And how is another person asking going to change the outcome of an question that has been asked and answered multiple times different?

 

 

[grokit]

NvM

 

[Wedge]

 
Quote:

And how is another person asking going to change the outcome of an question that has been asked and answered multiple times different?

The question last I checked was asked last week, where we were told hopefully next week, since now its next week, I got curious.
 

 

[estreeter]

Sensational ninja deletions from the mods in this thread. 

 

[Hero Kid]

Quote:

Sensational ninja deletions from the mods in this thread. 

 
I am obviously not paying enough attention because I am unsure what you are talking about...
Could you PM me with an explanation?

 

[hooked]

Just got mine today (non-USB), was #56.  First time posting impressions ever, so be gentle.  Previous DAC was a Nuforce HDP and first impressions this is definitely an improvement.  What really jumped out at me on first listen, is the additional detail and a bigger soundstage.  New to this, but the music also sounds different, I assume more realistic, but I don't have very much experience listening to real instruments.  Naturally all this is IMO.  Having fun re-re-discovering my music collection which has grown and diversified somewhat after starting this hobby.  A keeper so far.  Time to do some breaking in. 
 
As someone else has pointed out, there is a very faint click when changing tracks, not an issue for me though. 
Like the pushbutton to change inputs vs the knob shown in the first Bifrost picture. 
Looks good with the Lyr stacked on top. 
The Bifrost gets warmer than I expected (I realize the case is used for a heatsink which is the reason for this). 
 
I use the optical input for music and occasionally listen to the TV through headphones so I purchased this adapter to convert analog audio to digital coaxial.  Not for critical listening, but it does the job and allows me to use both inputs.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ED2UTG
 
 
 

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

 
I am obviously not paying enough attention because I am unsure what you are talking about...
Could you PM me with an explanation?

I'd prefer not to - suffice it to say that you haven't lost anything in terms of feedback on the BiFrost : we just had an uninvited guest and it seems that he has been shown the door. In hindsight, the mods did the right thing. 
 

 

[internethandle]

Here's a pic/write-up of Jason and Rina at RMAF from Stereophile's site, where the Bifrost made an appearance:
 
 

 
 
 
Quote:

Jason Stoddard and Rina Slayter presented a row of Schiit headphone amplifiers—Asgard ($249), Valhalla ($349), and Lyr ($449)—along with the Bifrost DAC ($449, with “buzzword-friendly” asynchronous USB input; $349, without USB input).
 
Schiit products are made in the US. Stoddard, responsible for the elegant casework and analog circuitry, explained that he keeps the designs super simple. Slayter is the “production master and head of operations.” On the Schiit website, you’ll find a picture of her preparing a chassis for assembly. All Schiit products must also pass her final listening tests. Mike Moffat, formerly of Theta, is responsible for the digital circuitry.
 
I listened through the Asgard to a track by Mark Hollis’s Talk Talk. The music and sound were lovely—smooth, easy, and entirely involving.

 
Pretty good endorsement from Stereophile's Stephen Mejias for the Asgard + Bifrost treatment.
 
Here's a link to the original article:
 
http://www.stereophile.com/content/some-good-schiit

 

[eclein]

Jason and Rina!! -Great write-up in Stereophile, you guys know as well as I, its all about people and what people want- it could be called TOTAL SCHIIT!!! and as long as nice folks like you guys are behind it and strive to make it the best sounding DAC you can these guys will write about ya.....plus the name has a bit to do with it....a stroke of genius I might add!!!!!!

 Now get my USB board in and ship those babies out!!!!!!!!!! Ed L.

 

[judmarc]

I love Talk Talk - bought their first two USA-available LPs when they came out.  What was the material being demoed at RMAF?
 
hooked - thanks very much for the writeup. 
 
the music also sounds different, I assume more realistic, but I don't have very much experience listening to real instruments
 
One way to try to tell whether the music is sounding more realistic, though the fact that you're having fun re-listening to your music collection is a good hint in itself, is to pay attention to the "instrument" we're all most familiar with, the human voice.  If you've got any recordings, especially recent ones, that feature vocals that aren't overwhelmed by backing instruments or singers, see if you can hear details like phrasing, breathing, little changes in volume, etc., to a greater degree with the Bifrost than with your previous setup.  This is the sort of thing you'd be able to hear if the singer were in the room with you, so if you can hear more of it with the Bifrost, then I'd say yes, it's more realistic.

 

[blankdisc]

I had an opportunity to meet both Jason and Rina in person during the show. What a pleasure! Jason is definitely the coolest person in the room, and Rina is just so nice.  
Also had a chance to listen to Bifrost. OMG, the details, the sound stage, and the treble/bass extension. I couldn't believe it first, so i actually took out my laptop and listened through my own HE-500.
What did i think at the end? Well...I placed an order immediately.  

 

[sampson_smith]

A very good exercise to point out, judmarc. Thanks! I am getting this close ("-->|<--") to ordering a Bifrost, which I hope will pair nicely with my WA6SE.  
 
Quote:

One way to try to tell whether the music is sounding more realistic, though the fact that you're having fun re-listening to your music collection is a good hint in itself, is to pay attention to the "instrument" we're all most familiar with, the human voice.  If you've got any recordings, especially recent ones, that feature vocals that aren't overwhelmed by backing instruments or singers, see if you can hear details like phrasing, breathing, little changes in volume, etc., to a greater degree with the Bifrost than with your previous setup.  This is the sort of thing you'd be able to hear if the singer were in the room with you, so if you can hear more of it with the Bifrost, then I'd say yes, it's more realistic.

 

 

[leesure]

Quote:

USB? We're finally getting boards in tomorrow, so if they test well . . . Friday!
 

How did they test?