[Jason Stoddard]

 
the buzzing sound was very nerve racking , It sounded like something power related. When I saw buzzing I don't mean through the headphones I mean through the unit itself.
 
My hope is that Schiit will pay for shipping both ways to fix it considering they sent me my unit back faulty.

Of course we will. Just contact us, if you haven't already.

 

[grrorr76]

 
Of course we will. Just contact us, if you haven't already.

I have.  
I am awaiting a response.
Really appreciate it.

 

[stjj89]

   
 I received my Multifrost on Monday here in the U.S. and have the same issue. My buzzing sound sometimes happens only when switching to music files of different sampling rates. When I push the input option button, it goes away. I emailed Schiit today and will see what they say about it. Other than that odd fluke, the multibit upgrade sounds fantastic. 

 
I am experiencing the same issue. Please let us know what Schiit says when they get back to you!

 

[grrorr76]

   
I am experiencing the same issue. Please let us know what Schiit says when they get back to you!

Well they are taking care of me. paying to ship mine back. But mine was DOA .Its never worked from when I plugged it in.

 

[ericr]

Does anyone perceive a slight edge to the Multibit ?  

My reason for the Multibit purchase was to compare it to MHDT Havana, IMHO they sound more the same than different, but 1 thing stood out after approx 4 hours on Bifrost with a few breaks I began to experience some fatigue

Putting the Havana back in the loop and the fatigue resided and no further perception of edginess

I am sure with a different system this would likely be non existant but my setup,  JRMC > Dac > ampsandsound Kenzie Headphone amp > Sennheiser HD800, is pulling it out

Anyone ?

Yes - definately.

My BiFrost came back from Schmitt in Multi-bit form this time last week and has been powered on since then.

Last night my wife and I took in a live jazz performance, giving me the opportunity to compare the BiFrost MB and my other DAC to what we experienced at the jazz club. While I find the MB BiFrost to be a significant improvement over the Uber I also find the upper mids and treble of the BiFrost MB have a steeliness to them that detracts. For example, comparing some high quality jazz recordings to the live performance I find female vocals a bit too cool and the cymbals and hi-hat lacking in natural tone and decay.

My other DAC is the Paradisea 3, which like your Havana is from MHDT Labs. The P3 renders the the top-end with better detail, more realistic tone, and more natural decay (and without "etch", as you described it). When it comes to Soundstage the BiFrost MB is a much better performer than the Uber and here the P3 improves further - adding noticeable depth and a bit in width & height, along with an increased sense of the venue.

My guess is the BiFrost MB's performance is hindered somewhat by the lack of room for the discreet analog stage. About a month ago we had a mini-meet and I had the opportunity to swap a Yggy into my system for a direct comparison. The Yggy was fantastic (with absolutely etch or fatigue).

For those who already own the BiFrost, at $250 the Multi-bit upgrade is in my opinion an excellent value and a no-brainer way to experience the R-2R / Multi-bit goodness.

Now I'm hoping for an opportunity to give a Gumby a run in my system soon.

 

[stjj89]

  Does anyone perceive a slight edge to the Multibit ?  
 
My reason for the Multibit purchase was to compare it to MHDT Havana, IMHO they sound more the same than different, but 1 thing stood out after approx 4 hours on Bifrost with a few breaks I began to experience some fatigue
 
Putting the Havana back in the loop and the fatigue resided and no further perception of edginess
 
I am sure with a different system this would likely be non existant but my setup,  JRMC > Dac > ampsandsound Kenzie Headphone amp > Sennheiser HD800, is pulling it out
 
Anyone ?

 
Definitely noticing a shoutiness in the midrange compared to my DAC-19. I can see this getting fatiguing with time, but maybe I'll get used to it with time.

 

[joespride]

I had thought the whole resurgence behind Multibit / R2R was the ease of sound, no digital edge,  I know every thread I read they speak of naturalness, warmth, enveloping sound.  If that was the goal here I think the mark was missed
 
I am thinking most of the love is comparison to other dacs ...... IE... Most are not comparing it side by side with other R2R / Multibit options 

 

[Doneko]

For example, comparing some high quality jazz recordings to the live performance I find female vocals a bit too cool and the cymbals and hi-hat lacking in natural tone and decay.

 

Was the female singer's voice amplified during this performance?

 

[monkuboy]

Regarding how the multibit upgrade sounds... mine sounds just fine. Does it sound better than the Uber that preceded it?  Honestly, I didn't have the Uber that long for its signature to burn into my memory, and my memory is not good enough to really compare it to the multibit which I have had only for a week and really only had a chance to listen to extensively last weekend.  I thought the Uber sounded good and so does the multibit (or maybe I should be saying Buber and Bimby or Bibimbap); I am looking forward to more listening this weekend especially with the wife out of the house so I can turn up the volume. 
 
The comments on the upgrade range all over the place. Some are saying it has an edge or is harsh or whatever and some say it is warmer and are heaping accolades left and right so I think the thing to do is listen to it yourself in your own system and see what you think. If you try and go by what people are saying here, there seems to be no consensus.  Initially the people report jaw-dropping improvements which then shift to noticeable but more subtle improvements, then guarded answers that won't attract criticism from those with golden ears, to saying they don't like it. So you really have to try it in your system in your room with your ears. 

 

[LFC_SL]

The comments on the upgrade range all over the place.

Opinion is subjective. Opinion is subject to experience and perception. People forget to account for relative comparisons.

One of the most overused and misused words on the forum is incidentally 'bright[ness]'.

Take opinions with a pinch of salt. Follow members that tend to share your own experience. Most importantly demo for yourself.

 

[stjj89]

  I had thought the whole resurgence behind Multibit / R2R was the ease of sound, no digital edge,  I know every thread I read they speak of naturalness, warmth, enveloping sound.  If that was the goal here I think the mark was missed
 
I am thinking most of the love is comparison to other dacs ...... IE... Most are not comparing it side by side with other R2R / Multibit options 

 
I will say that from my quick 30minute listening/comparison session this morning that I like my DAC-19 quite a bit more. The DAC-19 is smoother, doesn't have the shoutiness in the mids, has a warming, more enveloping sound (without sacrificing soundstage size), and has noticeably more subbass. In-depth comparisons soon.

 

[billerb1]

Opinion is subjective. Opinion is subject to experience and perception. People forget to account for relative comparisons.



One of the most overused and misused words on the forum is incidentally 'bright[ness]'.



Take opinions with a pinch of salt. Follow members that tend to share your own experience. Most importantly demo for yourself.

 



+1. Is the Multibit perfect? All I know is that, given the choice, I certainly would never volunteer to go back to the Uber. The Multibit is a significant upgrade to my ears in my system. I'd personally prefer a bit more smoothness but I'd also like a yiggy for $250.
Bottom line...I feel like I bought a lot of extra meat on the bone for a very modest price. Much appreciation to the good people at Schiit.

 

[rtaylor76]

In my experience, plugging a 120v product into 240v results in an instant POP and physical destruction of capacitors.

Bad transformer then? Who knows. They'll fix it.

 

[kstuart]

  I had thought the whole resurgence behind Multibit / R2R was the ease of sound, no digital edge,  I know every thread I read they speak of naturalness, warmth, enveloping sound.  If that was the goal here I think the mark was missed
 
I am thinking most of the love is comparison to other dacs ...... IE... Most are not comparing it side by side with other R2R / Multibit options 

I found that after having the Multibit Bifrost running continuously for 5 days, the brightness and glare that I experienced in the first day or two, had gone away.  I would run it for that length of time before giving up on it.
 
I think that Schiit's recommendation of "4 hours to 99%" should be "4 hours for 99% of listeners", i.e. those who have never used a DAC better than the Bifrost Uber.
 
(I also think that they expect that people with very trained ears would be the ones who would be going for Multibit Gungnir or Yggy and that is why they may have glossed over the subtleties of burn-in with Bifrost.   However, in Hoffman forums, there is a rigorous description of the improvements in sound quality of the first Bifrost model, over a period of 200 hours of use.)

 

[Riffle]

Yes - definately.

My BiFrost came back from Schmitt in Multi-bit form this time last week and has been powered on since then.

Last night my wife and I took in a live jazz performance, giving me the opportunity to compare the BiFrost MB and my other DAC to what we experienced at the jazz club. While I find the MB BiFrost to be a significant improvement over the Uber I also find the upper mids and treble of the BiFrost MB have a steeliness to them that detracts. For example, comparing some high quality jazz recordings to the live performance I find female vocals a bit too cool and the cymbals and hi-hat lacking in natural tone and decay.

My other DAC is the Paradisea 3, which like your Havana is from MHDT Labs. The P3 renders the the top-end with better detail, more realistic tone, and more natural decay (and without "etch", as you described it). When it comes to Soundstage the BiFrost MB is a much better performer than the Uber and here the P3 improves further - adding noticeable depth and a bit in width & height, along with an increased sense of the venue.

My guess is the BiFrost MB's performance is hindered somewhat by the lack of room for the discreet analog stage. About a month ago we had a mini-meet and I had the opportunity to swap a Yggy into my system for a direct comparison. The Yggy was fantastic (with absolutely etch or fatigue).

For those who already own the BiFrost, at $250 the Multi-bit upgrade is in my opinion an excellent value and a no-brainer way to experience the R-2R / Multi-bit goodness.

Now I'm hoping for an opportunity to give a Gumby a run in my system soon.

Thank you and joespride, I have owned the Paradisea and have now owned a Havana for over 6 years. I had a similar experience with an NAD M51 last year and I ended up sending it back to AudioAdvisor. Now I believe I wouldn't be happy with the Bimby either. I may start with the Gumby and see if I'm happy there first. I need a few weeks with gear, if it bothers me out of the gate I can never really get over it. Other times I love something out of the box and it gradually wears on me. The latter was the case with the NAD M51 where listener fatigue became an issue in my systems. If Schiit had a 30 day trial on the Yggy I would have pulled the trigger already.