So, before I do my last four write-ups for this first half of this cycle, I wanted to make a couple of observations and share some other thoughts. This is not because they’re particularly insightful, or even necessarily new – it’s mostly because I’m procrastinating on having to write any more impressions!
One of the takeaways I have from this process is not, so much, that Yggdrasil is a “giant killer” (although, at least for my purposes, it’s certainly doing that) and more that the market, as a whole, has lost the plot.
For a start, any DAC, or other component I guess, that’s sold through the traditional distributor/retailer begins life with a huge handicap. And that’s that, compared to a directly-sold product like Yggdrasil, all other things being equal, it’s going to cost about twice as much.
That’s a big differential for most people, especially when it puts you in the $5,000 ballpark.
Some products are going to be expensive simply because they’re very low volume, have special facets to their construction (e.g. TotalDAC), and dealers or not, they’d still be expensive. They may, or may not, justify their price with their performance … but even if they didn’t they’re not something that there’s necessarily an easy way to reduce the cost on.
Products like that are interesting … as they at least try new things … typically in areas that more staid and traditional vendors won’t tread.
And, in touching, and listing to, many of these components, I get a definite sense of “me too”, particularly when it comes to pricing. I get the notion of “charge what the market will bear”. That’s fine. But when the designs are uninspired, and that’s reflected in the sonic impressions, it makes a mockery of the entire process.
Compare something like the Bryston BDA-3, which is about as basic and traditional an “audiophile” approach as you’re going to findin this line up, to the PS Audio DirectStream Junior which is following a newer, more interesting path … and for a price that’s right in the same ballpark. It’s hard to look at those two and not think that Bryston just “phoned it in”. For me, not only is the PS Audio unit much more functional, much more creative and interesting and, as it happens, something I find much more engaging to listen to, it’s also USER upgradeable AND includes a very nice network interface.
And Yggdrasil, at over $1,000 less than the Bryston (or Gungnir multi-bit at essentially a third the price), also treads ground that is so far off the path that the BDA-3 walks, that it’s really hard to see what was going through the heads of those that set its price point. Yggdrasil gives you input, DAC and output upgradability, a unique filtering scheme and successfully employs novel converter chips in a way they were not designed to be used.
You might compare the BDA-3 to the exaSound e22 Mk2 … in terms of price they’re right at the same level. Both follow a basic “use good components, engineer a good PSU, keep the chassis functional” approach. But the exaSound is a much nice listen than the Bryston. Whether that’s down to the choice of DAC chip is hard to say (I am inclined to think not, as I have tended to prefer AKM over ESS). And at least exaSound tried to improve all aspects of the design ... up to and including creating a proper driver to make the thing work as well as possible on the platforms they claim to support.
My personal and engineering biases are definitely showing here ...
I like high-end performance, but I do appreciate novel engineering (as long as it gets results). I am not very price conscious, but I certainly prefer higher value products. I care about moving things forward and trying new things. And then all other things being equal, aesthetics matter to me as well.
I don’t have a lot of brand-loyalty. That tends to do favors only for the manufacturer, and more than once has gone to pot by relying too heavily on their fans and their name and not enough on actually turning out superior and/or interesting products.
There’s nothing especially wrong with those products that simply tread the classic audiophile path of “good PSU, quality manufacture, good components”. But at the price levels they’re starting to show up at, they’re going to have their lunch eaten for them by more disruptive companies that are less-risk averse and/or more creative.
Going forward, I’ll be biasing my audio-related spending heavily towards companies that are not just rehashing the same kind of tired design philosophy that’s been the mainstay of the audiophile world since I first got into it 30 years or more ago.
Do something new.
Be aggressive with how you position it.
Take a risk.
And let’s see if we can’t move the whole industry forward instead of just trading on a long established name and hoping a high-price tag will drive enough expectation bias that you come out ahead.
One of the takeaways I have from this process is not, so much, that Yggdrasil is a “giant killer” (although, at least for my purposes, it’s certainly doing that) and more that the market, as a whole, has lost the plot.
For a start, any DAC, or other component I guess, that’s sold through the traditional distributor/retailer begins life with a huge handicap. And that’s that, compared to a directly-sold product like Yggdrasil, all other things being equal, it’s going to cost about twice as much.
That’s a big differential for most people, especially when it puts you in the $5,000 ballpark.
Some products are going to be expensive simply because they’re very low volume, have special facets to their construction (e.g. TotalDAC), and dealers or not, they’d still be expensive. They may, or may not, justify their price with their performance … but even if they didn’t they’re not something that there’s necessarily an easy way to reduce the cost on.
Products like that are interesting … as they at least try new things … typically in areas that more staid and traditional vendors won’t tread.
And, in touching, and listing to, many of these components, I get a definite sense of “me too”, particularly when it comes to pricing. I get the notion of “charge what the market will bear”. That’s fine. But when the designs are uninspired, and that’s reflected in the sonic impressions, it makes a mockery of the entire process.
Compare something like the Bryston BDA-3, which is about as basic and traditional an “audiophile” approach as you’re going to findin this line up, to the PS Audio DirectStream Junior which is following a newer, more interesting path … and for a price that’s right in the same ballpark. It’s hard to look at those two and not think that Bryston just “phoned it in”. For me, not only is the PS Audio unit much more functional, much more creative and interesting and, as it happens, something I find much more engaging to listen to, it’s also USER upgradeable AND includes a very nice network interface.
And Yggdrasil, at over $1,000 less than the Bryston (or Gungnir multi-bit at essentially a third the price), also treads ground that is so far off the path that the BDA-3 walks, that it’s really hard to see what was going through the heads of those that set its price point. Yggdrasil gives you input, DAC and output upgradability, a unique filtering scheme and successfully employs novel converter chips in a way they were not designed to be used.
You might compare the BDA-3 to the exaSound e22 Mk2 … in terms of price they’re right at the same level. Both follow a basic “use good components, engineer a good PSU, keep the chassis functional” approach. But the exaSound is a much nice listen than the Bryston. Whether that’s down to the choice of DAC chip is hard to say (I am inclined to think not, as I have tended to prefer AKM over ESS). And at least exaSound tried to improve all aspects of the design ... up to and including creating a proper driver to make the thing work as well as possible on the platforms they claim to support.
My personal and engineering biases are definitely showing here ...
I like high-end performance, but I do appreciate novel engineering (as long as it gets results). I am not very price conscious, but I certainly prefer higher value products. I care about moving things forward and trying new things. And then all other things being equal, aesthetics matter to me as well.
I don’t have a lot of brand-loyalty. That tends to do favors only for the manufacturer, and more than once has gone to pot by relying too heavily on their fans and their name and not enough on actually turning out superior and/or interesting products.
There’s nothing especially wrong with those products that simply tread the classic audiophile path of “good PSU, quality manufacture, good components”. But at the price levels they’re starting to show up at, they’re going to have their lunch eaten for them by more disruptive companies that are less-risk averse and/or more creative.
Going forward, I’ll be biasing my audio-related spending heavily towards companies that are not just rehashing the same kind of tired design philosophy that’s been the mainstay of the audiophile world since I first got into it 30 years or more ago.
Do something new.
Be aggressive with how you position it.
Take a risk.
And let’s see if we can’t move the whole industry forward instead of just trading on a long established name and hoping a high-price tag will drive enough expectation bias that you come out ahead.