[tvnosaint]

Just received the pulse (standard). No problems setting it up as I already have the GOs. First impression, bright as hell and not loud. Oh, it has gain settings and if you use fubar also digital filters. Both problems addressed. Still a little bright but the bass came on very nicely. As it burns in in liking it more and more . It is harsh , but relaxing slowly. Congested, but opening slowly. All burn in associated things from my experience. Fantastic power and detail for its price point. I don't see the glare going away completely but I'm just guessing. I do see the soundstage opening up. Already moments of wandering through passages and textures . In the 1st day. If the glare does not calm down enough for the he560 I'm sure it will for the darker ZMF vibro. The bass slams like thunder in those right now but it's a little shrill. Just a hair. Something I never thought I'd say. So naturally I can finally see why some people find the 560 peaky in the treble. I don't even want to hear Senns on this right now, cuz their treble is quite hot to my ears. Hoping for the best after burn in is complete. I have read the burn in is crucial for the pulse. I see promise and ability . For now it's asking as many question as its answering.

 

[pedalhead]

Besides detail.

What about bass slam?
Soundstage?
Genre specific which is the better one?

or is it flat out Ygg > Pulse Infinity ?

 
Listening to "Thinking" by Submotion Orchestra, which is a great bass track, despite the dynamic compression...both dacs go low and punchy with the HE1000...very nice.  Again I can hear the better clarity of the Yggy, and that helps all frequencies...in the case of the bass, it goes as low as the Pulse but Yggy's bass is a tad tighter I'd say, more defined. Pulse sounds a bit more congested on this track for sure.
 
I've not been able to pick them apart on soundstage, both seem excellent in that regard.  Whilst trying, I did notice that the bass line on Oscar Peterson's "You Look Good To Me" was easier to follow with the Yggy....again, it just seems more able to bring more out from the recording and present it in a detailed but natural way.
 
Genre - well the HE1000 makes everything sound good . Actually  I don't think the differences between dacs at this level are such that they favour a particular genre...that's more of a headphone game I reckon (and to a lesser extent, amplification).

 

[miceblue]

When I listened to the Yggdrasil last time, I wasn't really too impressed with it actually coming from the Pulse X Infinity. It does sound a bit better overall, but if you own the X Infinity already, I honestly don't think you're missing out too much from the Yggdrasil. The Yggy to me sounded a bit more dynamic in terms of bass definition and treble smoothness without sounding harsh, and the soundstage able to have more depth layering than the X Infinity (FTM digital filter), but other than that, both are very good to me.

The Yggy is probably more accessible than the X Infinity though considering the X Infinity isn't being sold, and if it is it will probably be more than $3000.


I originally backed the Pulse because I wanted an all-in-one DAC that can play any music file while having a good variety of inputs and outputs (I still wish it had RCA analogue inputs and S/PDIF output though). The great sound coming out of it was really an added bonus to me, and I'm really happy with its sound. Like I said before, I don't think I'm missing out too much by not getting a Yggy from what I heard last time.

 

[pedalhead]

Hi MB. Which headphones did you use to listen to the Yggy? I've only used my HE1000s so far and they are super revealing so a good way to hear the extra detail I'm definitely getting from the Yggdrasil. I should try out my HD600s as well and see if I hear the same difference.

 

[greenkiwi]

^^^ This is my thinking too... at the early backer price, I have two XFinities... for less than the price of one Yggy.  But at MSRP, it would be a different story.

 

[miceblue]

I was using the STAX SRM-2170 system with the DAC comparisons.

 

[foreverzer0]

  So, on the Yggdrasil v Pulse X Infinity thing....
 
Bottom line - Yggy is more natural, more micro-detailed.
 
Longer version - The Yggy is fantastic at presenting tiny micro-details that you didn't know were there on a recording.  This is very different from just having a "detailed" presentation - the Pulse is actually very detailed itself, but it's only when you compare directly with the Yggy that you realise it's smoothing out a lot of those micro-details that you didn't know where there.
 
For example, the minute textures in, for example, Nick Drake's voice on "Way to Blue" are totally smoothed over on the Sabre dacs (I'm including the DiDiT DAC212 here as it sounds very similar to the Pulse), whilst the Yggy is showing me all these little micro-sounds that make his voice so much more human.  When he holds a note, I'm hearing the slight rasp in his voice....think in terms of a slightly jaggedy horizontal line, whereas the other two dacs show a straight flat line, more of a one-note sound.  I've heard this song probably hundreds of times...never heard these little details. The Yggy also avoids that uncomfortable mid-range push you can sometimes get when a voice gets stronger/louder momentarily...on the Yggy these ebb and flows of volume sound natural, whereas the other two dacs both exhibt that annoying (to my ears) push.
 
Whilst I'm only conscious of these little micro-details if I listen for them, their presence throughout the music makes for a more natural and believable presentation compared to the other two even when I'm listening casually. Certainly for me, having A/B'd them like this, I couldn't go back to the Sabre dacs knowing what I'm missing.  Note that I'm classifying the Pulse and DAC212 under the banner "Sabre", as that is the commonality between them, and therefore my thought is that's why they sound so similar and suffer the same drawbacks against the Yggy. Bear in mind that I'm using a Ragnarok for amplification here, and I'm not convinced it's the best pairing.  I'm looking forward to trying Yggy with some other tasty amps soon.
 
Having said all that, the Pulse X Infinity is a really enjoyable listen, and I'm happy with it considering what I paid as an early backer. I just think the Yggdrasil has moved the goal posts at it's price point, and with Gungnir multibit out there, and the other one incoming soon, it's really hard to see past them for value & enjoyment imho. It's just a shame Yggy is such a big ugly slab of metal, but I can live with it considering the payoff.

 
"...and the other one incoming soon..."
 
Which other one?

 

[pedalhead]

   
"...and the other one incoming soon..."
 
Which other one?

 
Bifrost Multibit (allegedly)

 

[grizzlybeast]

What is the difference between the pulse x infinity and the pulse xfi? Can anyone tell me?


Also why did lhlabs already make a new 2.0 chassis if they haven't even finished production of the 1.0. Talk about buyers remorse..

 

[coletrain104]

What is the difference between the pulse x infinity and the pulse xfi? Can anyone tell me?


Also why did lhlabs already make a new 2.0 chassis if they haven't even finished production of the 1.0. Talk about buyers remorse..

infinity has "naked resistors", some upgraded components, and the new Sabre chip

 

[grizzlybeast]

What is the difference between the pulse x infinity and the pulse xfi? Can anyone tell me?



Also why did lhlabs already make a new 2.0 chassis if they haven't even finished production of the 1.0. Talk about buyers remorse..

infinity has "naked resistors", some upgraded components, and the new Sabre chip

This makes me upset. They make all this new stuff before full filling their production. I'm gonna sell it as soon as it comes. I don't even want to hear it. Not to mention my standard pulse came scratched with the freaking volume jacked up. I wonder how isolated I am with these sentiments.

 

[Maelob]

i hear you- i sold mine but then could not resist the temptation and bought another used one . i know crazy. Give it some time

 

[mscott58]

What is the difference between the pulse x infinity and the pulse xfi? Can anyone tell me?


Also why did lhlabs already make a new 2.0 chassis if they haven't even finished production of the 1.0. Talk about buyers remorse..

Actually the 2.0 chassis was announced to the Infinity buyers before the 1.0 chassis versions were shipped. Everyone had the opportunity to decide what chassis they wanted, trading off the smaller size and sooner shipping for the 1.0 chassis against the for "commercial/professional" look, upgradable display and delayed delivery of the 2.0 chassis. So no real buyers remorse as everyone decided for themselves what worked best for them. 
 
Also the Infinity is an incredible piece of equipment! Have been enjoying mine for a few months now with my LCD-3's. 
 
Cheers 

 

[greenkiwi]

And a user upgradable display firmware

 

[grizzlybeast]

 

What is the difference between the pulse x infinity and the pulse xfi? Can anyone tell me?


Also why did lhlabs already make a new 2.0 chassis if they haven't even finished production of the 1.0. Talk about buyers remorse..

Actually the 2.0 chassis was announced to the Infinity buyers before the 1.0 chassis versions were shipped. Everyone had the opportunity to decide what chassis they wanted, trading off the smaller size and sooner shipping for the 1.0 chassis against the for "commercial/professional" look, upgradable display and delayed delivery of the 2.0 chassis. So no real buyers remorse as everyone decided for themselves what worked best for them. 
 
Also the Infinity is an incredible piece of equipment! Have been enjoying mine for a few months now with my LCD-3's. 
 
Cheers 

AHH okay thanks for the explanation. I have the xfi not infinity. I am mistaken and thought it was just a new chassis for all pulse dacs.