[negura]

So tonight is the night. According to my very vague calculation, I was at over 1030 hours of 24/7 music play on my Yggdrasil. As promised a while ago time to turn the damn thing off. So, after this dramatic event, did music, the way I knew it, die?
 
5 minutes off - no sound changes really. Ok forget it, let's do this properly.
 
1 hour off. Dead cold. Back to life. Right off cold the treble was a bit harsh and the rest of FR a bit disjointed. Got back to it less than an hour later (still cold to touch) and the bass, impact, speed and details were all there. The mids were butter smooth, detailed and deep reaching like before (HE-6s/Eddie Current as we know it) and the treble already great. First minutes aside, I don't think Yggy went back to the first days' more dubious sound. Two hours later, it's lukewarm again and it sounds pretty damn impressive already.
 
I had an warmed up Theta Gen V on the side for comparison and ready to switch over to for a few days, if the sound was crap. But it's not. 
 
YMMV. FWIW. What. etc

 

[HemiSam]

  So tonight is the night. According to my very vague calculation, I was at over 1030 hours of 24/7 music play on my Yggdrasil. As promised a while ago time to turn the damn thing off. So, after this dramatic event, did music, the way I knew it, die?
 
5 minutes off - no sound changes really. Ok forget it, let's do this properly.
 
1 hour off. Dead cold. Back to life. Right off cold the treble was a bit harsh and the rest of FR a bit disjointed. Got back to it less than an hour later (still cold to touch) and the bass, impact, speed and details were all there. The mids were butter smooth, detailed and deep reaching like before (HE-6s/Eddie Current as we know it) and the treble already great. First minutes aside, I don't think Yggy went back to the first days' more dubious sound. Two hours later, it's lukewarm again and it sounds pretty damn impressive already.
 
I had an warmed up Theta Gen V on the side for comparison and ready to switch over to for a few days, if the sound was crap. But it's not. 
 
YMMV. FWIW. What. etc

 
Damn...that's good info.  I haven't braved it yet, but I'll likely end up in the same place eventually if the rain keeps coming as it has over the last few months here.
 
Are you going to brave a longer time off than the hour like turning it off while you're at work?  That seems like the next logical stop given this great data point you've shared.  
 
I'm two and a half weeks in.  I figure I want to run the ygg full time for at least 4-6 weeks just to see if I can tell a difference from this point forward. After that, I'll give it the power-down for a day or so a shot.  I've got another DAC I can lean on if it gets unbearable.  
 
Funny thing is that my most interesting aha thus far is that I'm as impressed with my Woo WA7 to TH900 dynamic pairing as I am with the KGST to Stax 007A's e-stat pairing, both fed from the ygg.  They're different, but not nearly as much so as I would have estimated had I not been able to switch back and forth on the ygg.  One fed via XLR's, the other via RCA's.  Love them both.  At first blush, I'd likely choose the TH900's, likely because they are both more forward in the highs and dig so deep in the lows...it would be too easy to pick the brighter pairing.  Allowing a bit of head time with the 007's, though, my hearing settles in and I'm reminded of how damn good the KGST/007A pairing is.   
 
HS

 

[johnjen]

So tonight is the night. According to my very vague calculation, I was at over 1030 hours of 24/7 music play on my Yggdrasil. As promised a while ago time to turn the damn thing off. So, after this dramatic event, did music, the way I knew it, die?

5 minutes off - no sound changes really. Ok forget it, let's do this properly.

1 hour off. Dead cold. Back to life. Right off cold the treble was a bit harsh and the rest of FR a bit disjointed. Got back to it less than an hour later (still cold to touch) and the bass, impact, speed and details were all there. The mids were butter smooth, detailed and deep reaching like before (HE-6s/Eddie Current as we know it) and the treble already great. First minutes aside, I don't think Yggy went back to the first days' more dubious sound. Two hours later, it's lukewarm again and it sounds pretty damn impressive already.

I had an warmed up Theta Gen V on the side for comparison and ready to switch over to for a few days, if the sound was crap. But it's not. 

YMMV. FWIW. What. etc

That is great news!

It tends to confirm that it is the audio path itself that needs the burn in, and not simply a thermal equilibrium issue. :thumb

JJ

 

[Argo Duck]

Er, which pairing was fed via XLR, which RCA @HemiSam?

More importantly, it's good to hear a report that RCA competes. Others have suggested it didn't, so it's nice to hear it may not be all black and white!

 

[money4me247]

  So tonight is the night. According to my very vague calculation, I was at over 1030 hours of 24/7 music play on my Yggdrasil. As promised a while ago time to turn the damn thing off. So, after this dramatic event, did music, the way I knew it, die?
 
5 minutes off - no sound changes really. Ok forget it, let's do this properly.
 
1 hour off. Dead cold. Back to life. Right off cold the treble was a bit harsh and the rest of FR a bit disjointed. Got back to it less than an hour later (still cold to touch) and the bass, impact, speed and details were all there. The mids were butter smooth, detailed and deep reaching like before (HE-6s/Eddie Current as we know it) and the treble already great. First minutes aside, I don't think Yggy went back to the first days' more dubious sound. Two hours later, it's lukewarm again and it sounds pretty damn impressive already.
 
I had an warmed up Theta Gen V on the side for comparison and ready to switch over to for a few days, if the sound was crap. But it's not. 
 
YMMV. FWIW. What. etc

 
well, this is pretty great news. that means my new business venture of selling back-up power generators for the yggy at an exclusive head-fier discounts won't be in vain. don't worry, it won't be much more expensive than the yggy itself after discount
 
edit: ...but seriously, I think there is a business opportunity right here & a product like that would be very welcome around here great ideas come when you are hi on hi-fidelity!!

 

[HemiSam]

Er, which pairing was fed via XLR, which RCA @HemiSam?

More importantly, it's good to hear a report that RCA competes. Others have suggested it didn't, so it's nice to hear it may not be all black and white!

 
The Stax are balanced so I feed the KGST amp via XLR's.  Fortunately the ygg puts out the signal out of both XLR's and RCA's simultaneously, so that allows me to pipe the RCA outs on one channel to the Woo WA7.  My TH900's are stock...single ended.  The Fostex have really surprised me.  First few days with them was pretty mediocre.  At the end of the week, I was pretty impressed.  By week 2 I though, DAMN, these are good.
 
HS

 

[mikiphile]

So based on most of the impressions in this thread, one DEFINITELY WOULDN'T make a mistake getting this DAC as a main source for a serious speaker setup? Even better: if one was to get a good pair of speakers and amplification, it would make no sense paying 10k+ for a "high end" DAC from a well known "audiophile" gear company?
 
1. Would you guys agree with this characterization?
2. Anyone tried to compare it with some ultra (overpriced) high end stuff e.g. Esoteric, dCS...
 
Now, I would not be getting an "ultra high end" setup, but one where it makes sense to have a statement DAC worth several thousand.
 
Thanks!

 

[ciphercomplete]

So based on most of the impressions in this thread, one DEFINITELY WOULDN'T make a mistake getting this DAC as a main source for a serious speaker setup? Even better: if one was to get a good pair of speakers and amplification, it would make no sense paying 10k+ for a "high end" DAC from a well known "audiophile" gear company?

1. Would you guys agree with this characterization?
2. Anyone tried to compare it with some ultra (overpriced) high end stuff e.g. Esoteric, dCS...

Now, I would not be getting an "ultra high end" setup, but one where it makes sense to have a statement DAC worth several thousand.

Thanks!

I think its perfect for speakers.

 

[evillamer]

Speakers still win over headphones when it comes to imaging. As good as hd800 can be, it still can't image as well as a good pair of speakers without the use of special software. Although the saving grace for headphones is its ability to playback microdetails without needing to go overly loud and is not affected by room size.

 

[dwest1023]

I use both speakers and heaphones with my Yggy and both are greaty enhanced by it. I prefer speaker listening, but use heaphones at night. Definitly more detail out of headphones, but I prefer the soundsage over spekers as oppose to headphones.

 

[Wino]

  So based on most of the impressions in this thread, one DEFINITELY WOULDN'T make a mistake getting this DAC as a main source for a serious speaker setup? Even better: if one was to get a good pair of speakers and amplification, it would make no sense paying 10k+ for a "high end" DAC from a well known "audiophile" gear company?
 
1. Would you guys agree with this characterization?
2. Anyone tried to compare it with some ultra (overpriced) high end stuff e.g. Esoteric, dCS...
 
Now, I would not be getting an "ultra high end" setup, but one where it makes sense to have a statement DAC worth several thousand.
 
Thanks!

 
If you're saying… does the Yggy compare to 10K+ DACs ?  The short answer is NO… why would it ?  What makes you say "ultra high end stuff" is overpriced… especially used ?
 
A "statement DAC worth several thousand" (under 10K ?) is an oxymoron…  a statement DAC would certainly be over 20K… perhaps way more-
 
Sorry.. you asked...
 
David

 

[Pirakaphile]

If you're saying… does the Yggy compare to 10K+ DACs ?  The short answer is NO… why would it ?  What makes you say "ultra high end stuff" is overpriced… especially used ?

A "statement DAC worth several thousand" (under 10K ?) is an oxymoron…  a statement DAC would certainly be over 20K… perhaps way more-

Sorry.. you asked...

David

But do you think the Yggy is pretty darn close to Statent DAC sound, especially for the price?

 

[Wino]

But do you think the Yggy is pretty darn close to Statent DAC sound, especially for the price?

NO !  Absolutely NOT !   
 
As I said above.. a statement DAC is min. 20K….
 
Can you name me anything that is "pretty darn close" to a 10x value ??  Even out of audio ?
 
Is a VW Golf pretty darn close to a Porsche 911 Turbo ?  
 
Is an apartment in Brooklyn pretty darn close to a downtown penthouse ?
 
Anyone who tells you an Yggy is as good as or beats DACs waaaaaay more expensive has bad ears, a wacky system, or is lying…  it's just the laws of life...
 
The Yggy is great !  Really great… I've heard it briefly against a PS Audio something… 5Kish… Yggy was better… but less toneful…  it's thinner, very detail forward… not fatiguing…. w/ tweaks, even better…  but only so much better… 
 
You asked… telling it like I see it...
 
David

 

[Liu Junyuan]

I think this humorous passage from Schiit's official FAQ on its website is relevant here:

"How can this possibly be better than, say, the Arglebargle $15,000 DAC when this is so much less expensive?

Because the Arglebargle was most likely designed to the expectations of today, using commonly available parts in a super-fancy case, while we started with a clean sheet of paper.

But the Arglebargle has like twelve 32-bit DACs in it! Yours only has 21 bits! Hell, that’s not a full 24 bits even! What about my 24-bit recordings?

If your 24 bit recordings actually have 24 bits of resolution, we’ll eat a hat. And those "32-bit" DACs? Well, they have this measurement known as “equivalent number of bits.” This means, in English, how many bits of resolution they really have. And that number is 19.5. And 21 is better than 19.5, in all the math books we know."

 

[Pirakaphile]

NO !  Absolutely NOT !   

As I said above.. a statement DAC is min. 20K….

Can you name me anything that is "pretty darn close" to a 10x value ??  Even out of audio ?

Is a VW Golf pretty darn close to a Porsche 911 Turbo ?  

Is an apartment in Brooklyn pretty darn close to a downtown penthouse ?

Anyone who tells you an Yggy is as good as or beats DACs waaaaaay more expensive has bad ears, a wacky system, or is lying…  it's just the laws of life...

The Yggy is great !  Really great… I've heard it briefly against a PS Audio something… 5Kish… Yggy was better… but less toneful…  it's thinner, very detail forward… not fatiguing…. w/ tweaks, even better…  but only so much better… 

You asked… telling it like I see it...

David

I just assumed that once you hit about $1k, all DACs are pretty even on the playing field and just have different presentations of the same data. I mean, what more can you put in a DAC to make it any 'better' than the Yggdrasil? Granted, I haven't heard anything other than my Modi, but it just seems weird that the ten thousanth decimal difference in performance between DACs can be noticable by anything other than a precision testing device. Audio components all have their different sounds, but once you get to a point you can't get any higher. There's only so much resolution the human ear can detect, and we've invented equipment, like the Yggy, that far surpasses the limitations of human hearing. What makes a $20k DAC better than a $1k one?
Lots of things to go through, including sound preference, imaginary beliefs, music type, speakers or headphones, but what exactly makes the difference in 'betterness' between TOTL audio gear other than personal opinion and preference. Maybe I've gone too far off topic, but it seems odd to me that you can improve on something designed so methodologically (yay new word) for nothing other than superior sound reproduction.

All that bullschiit said, I've really enjoyed reading everyone's impressions, good and bad, watching the pointless arguments, and seeing the ridiculous burn-in/warmup cunundrum in the length of this thread. I'm happy to say that I'm probably going to get the Yggdrasil in the future because I'm not willing to spend more than $2.5k on an end-game DAC and I'm convinced that the Yggy is the best use of my funds based on the fact that most everyone who has one has ended their rampant postings of warmup and impressions with "just enjoying the music", and dammit, that's why I'm in this hobby.

For the music!