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Apr 20, 2016 at 3:51 PM Post #4 of 18
It's up to your preference IMO. If you're serious about Multibit, get the Gungnir Multibit since it's more accurate than Bifrost Multibit and 4490 yet still sounds euphonic and relaxed / non fatiguing. Bifrost Multibit will get you that smooth sound, but you will notice that it's not as resolving as the 4490, but that's my opinion. I prefer the Multibit due to its sound signature even though it's less resolving than 4490 to my ears.
 
May 9, 2016 at 12:46 PM Post #7 of 18
I actually made an effort to backtrack, to hear all four versions of the Bifrost (and both versions of the USB). In my opinion, the Multibit stands head-and-shoulders above the 4490. The 4490 is musical and fun as all get out, but the Multibit does something extra and is certainly worth it in my opinion.
 
We also recently had a meet where I believe the two members above attended 
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The three of us each brought a Bifrost - I brought 4490. And the members above brought Uber and Multibit. A fourth person had the greatest interest in hearing all the generations he could, and did so right there at the meet. Conclusion - the same. The Multibit had the greatest resolution of the three.
 
Jan 2, 2017 at 3:19 AM Post #9 of 18
Just curious, hopefully someone can weigh in here. How does the bifrost compare to the dac that's in similarly priced products like the ifi idsd and chord mojo? Is there a general rule of thumb for what % of the total cost is alotted for the dac and amp portions. ~50/50 maybe? Like if an idsd is $500, then it's dac should be comparable to any in the $200-$300 range? (And more likely than not, the bifrost dac is superior to the idsd dac?)
 
Jan 2, 2017 at 8:41 AM Post #10 of 18
227qed said:
Just curious, hopefully someone can weigh in here. How does the bifrost compare to the dac that's in similarly priced products like the ifi idsd and chord mojo? Is there a general rule of thumb for what % of the total cost is alotted for the dac and amp portions. ~50/50 maybe? Like if an idsd is $500, then it's dac should be comparable to any in the $200-$300 range? (And more likely than not, the bifrost dac is superior to the idsd dac?)
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If your interest is in the iFi Audio products, I cannot help you. I've never had any experience of any kind with their products.
 
The difference between Schiit and Chord is a matter of taste, and what's important to you. I would also add, as you try to move up the line in Chord, there is a tremendous cost delta, which I find prohibitive. The used cost of the Hugo and the Brexit sales cost of the 2Qute made these accessible to me. But the cost of the Dave ($13000 without the stand) and Hugo TT ($4295 after Brexit sale) means I cannot help you with the sound signature of these products. Perhaps they are really excellent - I do not know.
 
Chord, limiting my experience to the Hugo/2Qute/Mojo is a very detail oriented, clean, crisp sound. I'll explain it thusly - when I am listening to headphones, I am often frustrated with the in-room sounds around me. It can become difficult to overcome the sound HVAC or a dog barking in the neighbor's yard. However, when I am listening to a Chord source, the sound is so distinct, so clear, that I have little to no difficultly discerning what sounds are in the "soundtrack" or "music" from what sounds are in the room. Put another way, I would not call myself new to audio listening. However it required five months of owning the Mojo before my brain burn-in finally clicked and understood that what I was hearing was quite good! Initially I thought it was a little bright, and surprisingly non-fatiguing for being so bright.
 
In contrast, the very first day I heard the Gumby, I knew I was hearing something special. The day my Bimby came back (upgraded from Bifrost Uber), I knew the change had been made. I'm going to allow for my personal prejudice (and limited knowledge of Chord's higher end products) to simply state Schiit to me sounds like the real world. Chord to me sounds like a sanitized version of the real world. I like both, very much! But there is definitely a distinct sound that Chord products make, and I would highly recommend a listen versus a blind purchase. Whereas I would recommend the Bimby (for headphones) and the Gumby/Yggy (for headphones and speakers) without hesitation. Also the resale value of these make them easy enough to sell, without much loss, should you decide you do not like their sound signature.
 
TL;DR - Mojo is better than Bifrost, but it has a Chord signature sound that not everyone likes. I recommend to give the Mojo an audition, and to purchase the Bifrost Multibit if you must buy blind. Gumby and Yggy are in another realm.
 
Jan 2, 2017 at 1:42 PM Post #11 of 18
sheldaze said:
If your interest is in the iFi Audio products, I cannot help you. I've never had any experience of any kind with their products.

The difference between Schiit and Chord is a matter of taste, and what's important to you. I would also add, as you try to move up the line in Chord, there is a tremendous cost delta, which I find prohibitive. The used cost of the Hugo and the Brexit sales cost of the 2Qute made these accessible to me. But the cost of the Dave ($13000 without the stand) and Hugo TT ($4295 after Brexit sale) means I cannot help you with the sound signature of these products. Perhaps they are really excellent - I do not know.

Chord, limiting my experience to the Hugo/2Qute/Mojo is a very detail oriented, clean, crisp sound. I'll explain it thusly - when I am listening to headphones, I am often frustrated with the in-room sounds around me. It can become difficult to overcome the sound HVAC or a dog barking in the neighbor's yard. However, when I am listening to a Chord source, the sound is so distinct, so clear, that I have little to no difficultly discerning what sounds are in the "soundtrack" or "music" from what sounds are in the room. Put another way, I would not call myself new to audio listening. However it required five months of owning the Mojo before my brain burn-in finally clicked and understood that what I was hearing was quite good! Initially I thought it was a little bright, and surprisingly non-fatiguing for being so bright.

In contrast, the very first day I heard the Gumby, I knew I was hearing something special. The day my Bimby came back (upgraded from Bifrost Uber), I knew the change had been made. I'm going to allow for my personal prejudice (and limited knowledge of Chord's higher end products) to simply state Schiit to me sounds like the real world. Chord to me sounds like a sanitized version of the real world. I like both, very much! But there is definitely a distinct sound that Chord products make, and I would highly recommend a listen versus a blind purchase. Whereas I would recommend the Bimby (for headphones) and the Gumby/Yggy (for headphones and speakers) without hesitation. Also the resale value of these make them easy enough to sell, without much loss, should you decide you do not like their sound signature.

TL;DR - Mojo is better than Bifrost, but it has a Chord signature sound that not everyone likes. I recommend to give the Mojo an audition, and to purchase the Bifrost Multibit if you must buy blind. Gumby and Yggy are in another realm.
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Thank you for the .02. I ended up just buying a mimby last night. I had a modi 2 uber for a year or so, but sold it without thinking too much. Needless to say, I am really missing it and was at a loss for where to go next. I'm really happy with my ifi ican however, so I decided against the dac/amp combo for now and just went dac. It should keep me going for a quite a while though, until I can go all out with a gumby and pro ican. As to the resale of schiit, I can say my modi went up like a hot cake. Many offers within hours. So when it is time to upgrade, I feel good knowing that I basically rented a mimby for less than a good meal out at a restaurant!
 
Feb 21, 2017 at 2:01 PM Post #12 of 18
I would also add that it does depend a bit on your source and your headphones. I upgraded from the Bifrost Uber to Multibit, and on certain headphones can really tell the difference. That being said, I plugged in my HD598s, which were my gateway into better sound, and didn't really notice all that much of a difference, but that's likely due to the lower-end nature of these headphone. 
 
That being said, on my Audeze El-8O (2016) and Fostex TH-X00 Purpleheart headphones, I heard more clarity and space while maintaining a very musical sound. When I got my Bimby back from the upgrade, it immediately sounded a lot more present to me, but, again, more so on the more expensive headphones.
 
So, if you have good headphones already, the multibit is worth it. If the Bimby (total, not just upgrade) is more expensive than your headphones, I would recommend you save the money and first invest in a better pair of headphones. Just my, highly subjective, two cents.
 
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