[winders]

  I just started reading this thread. And I think this has been one of the best and informative DAC threads on head-fi. Thanks!

I agree. Reading this thread made me very comfortable purchasing my Yggdrasil last week. Torq is a great resource!
 
Thank you, Torq!!

 

[sonorsnoopy]

You should try the Crane Song Solaris. A pro audio DAC, supposed to be better than the yggy. Haven't tried one yet.

https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/comments/5j24h7/loving_the_sunshine_today_from_my_desk/

More transparent than the lynx Hilo, and a better than average headphone amp

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/mastering-forum/1105990-dangerous-convert-2-vs-crane-song-solaris.html

 

[Limniscate]

RE: Yggy v. Ayre Codex
 
They sounded exactly the same to me and another guy who owns Senneheiser 800 headphones.  We tested them on my system: 
 
Magnepan 3.7i speakers, Sanders Magtech amp, Audio Research Ref5SE preamp, Shunyata Zitron Python XLR interconnects between the DAC and preamp, Sonore Microrendu with Uptone LPS-1, Curious USB cable/Oyaide USB.
 
When we first tested them, the Codex seemed to have more liquid mids, but the Yggy seemed to have better bass.  Then we realized that they weren't volume-matched.  They were only about a 1-1.5db difference.  We also didn't use the same interconnects.  After we volume-matched and used the same interconnects, we could not distinguish the two.
 
The Yggy with Curious cable also sounded the same as through my Singxer SU-1 with Transparent Reference AES cable.  However, the Oyaide Neo d+ cable didn't sound as good as the Transparent/Curious on the Yggy. 
 
YMMV

 

[john777]

You should try the Crane Song Solaris. A pro audio DAC, supposed to be better than the yggy. Haven't tried one yet.

https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/comments/5j24h7/loving_the_sunshine_today_from_my_desk/

More transparent than the lynx Hilo, and a better than average headphone amp

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/mastering-forum/1105990-dangerous-convert-2-vs-crane-song-solaris.html

No, I am sorry, but this is not acceptable. "You should try the Crane Song Solaris" when YOU haven't...

Speculation and blind belief...

 

[john777]

RE: Yggy v. Ayre Codex

They sounded exactly the same to me and another guy who owns Senneheiser 800 headphones.  We tested them on my system: 

Magnepan 3.7i speakers, Sanders Magtech amp, Audio Research Ref5SE preamp, Shunyata Zitron Python XLR interconnects between the DAC and preamp, Sonore Microrendu with Uptone LPS-1, Curious USB cable/Oyaide USB.

When we first tested them, the Codex seemed to have more liquid mids, but the Yggy seemed to have better bass.  Then we realized that they weren't volume-matched.  They were only about a 1-1.5db difference.  We also didn't use the same interconnects.  After we volume-matched, we could not distinguish the two.

The Yggy with Curious cable also sounded the same as through my Singxer SU-1 with Transparent Reference AES cable.  However, the Oyaide Neo d+ cable didn't sound as good as the Transparent/Curious on the Yggy. 

YMMV

Now, this is much more what we want and need... Thank you Limniscate

 

[sonorsnoopy]

No, I am sorry, but this is not acceptable. "You should try the Crane Song Solaris" when YOU haven't...

Speculation and blind belief...

Well this is a thread about a man who is desperately looking for improvement. Just take it as a hint, as a new possibility. I read about the Solaris on gearslutz, I was impressed by the comments and I wanted to share this to the man who loves to test DAC's. That's all.

That forums are infiltrated by approx 50% secret dealers who claim various impressions isn't acceptable as well. After all audio forums are all about blind believ...

 

[john777]

Well this is a thread about a man who is desperately looking for improvement. Just take it as a hint, as a new possibility. I read about the Solaris on gearslutz, I was impressed by the comments and I wanted to share this to the man who loves to test DAC's. That's all.

That forums are infiltrated by approx 50% secret dealers who claim various impressions isn't acceptable as well. After all audio forums are all about blind belief...

I believe that Torq has stopped 'desperately' looking for improvement...

It's all semantics anyway.

 

[MaxPowerZ]

No, I am sorry, but this is not acceptable. "You should try the Crane Song Solaris" when YOU haven't...

Speculation and blind belief...

Let me try to understand your premise for a moment. It's your firm belief that any recommendation based on the word of others is speculation and hence unacceptable? That makes some sense, but I think it's a little wrong headed. Firstly, the recommendation is clearly premised, leaving the reader with the option ascribe whatever value they want to it. Wouldn't it be more problematic if someone didn't include this information? Secondly, if I recommend a movie on Netflix based on reviews would that also be speculation? Speculation is hypothesizing without adequate data, which could be ascribed to anything in the thread. Even if you do hear two different DACs side by side, you don't actually have any hard data to prove that one is better than the other. The whole exercise is riddled with psychological pitfalls such as confirmation bias. Thirdly, there's a difference between a recommendation to try and one to buy. A recommendation to have something on ones radar can be based on anything, because it does no harm to anyone.

The world is filled with truly unacceptable things, someone writing a few words in a Forum would have to be a lot more offensive to register on that list.

 

[Argo Duck]

This - from the posting guidelines (Reviews and Impressions) - may be relevant. I presume it applies to general posting too:

Please don't recommend or post reviews of equipment you don't own or otherwise don't have a reasonable amount of familiarity with. You wouldn't recommend someone a car you've never driven or suggest someone live in a country you haven't been to, so recommending headphones and equipment you haven't owned or used is unhelpful. Even if you've seen the same comments about something from a dozen members, save discussion of that if you're intending to buy it yourself

I agree sonorsnoopy clearly identified not having personal experience with it, and that there are far worse things in the world.

 

[manpowre]

I just read the last 4 pages since last I was on, insteresting discussion. Not sure whom to quote here, but some of the high-end Dac's in 10k+ range also have separate power supply, some of them have full galvanized USB input (which Yggdrasil misses), and some of them have tubes, like the Lamp big7. Some of them are mono-chip setup like Hegel HD30 (Which I have auditioned) + a digital streamer and we can keep going to totaldac with its special design on the print boards (take a look at pictures of totaldac inside vs other high end dac's).
 
There are specific upgrades to the yggdrasil that can be auditioned like USB galvanized + reclocker mechanism on the USB, or a superb usb-Spdif converter to feed the Yggdrasil. Once these upgrades are in place, take the high end DAC's at 10-14k usd and compare them. Some of these high end dac's like the Hegel HD30 are very crisp up top so its not musical anymore (Hegel has galvanized usb input). But alot of these DAC's are meant to be built into a floor standing setup where usually there is a pre-amp with possible EQ to do room adjustments due to walls being too close to one loudspeaker vs the other one. The Hegel HD30 was just too crisp and too accurate to be used in a HP system with less components than a floor standing system.
 
Dont forget the Yggdrasil is operating in 21 bits digital domain which has a noise floor of -125db to -110db depending on the frequency. This dynamic noise floor is way way below most recordings unless you pump digital music with no recording between instruments. For 99.9999% of the music being played back, the dynamic range of Yggdrasil covers all that music, and Yggdrasil are sample correct with its filters operating in 21 bits.
 
To me the Yggdrasil is more musical for what it does than the Hegel HD30 which is a 5000 dollar dac, and damn accurate too like the HD30. And thats exactly what were talking about here, the musicality of the system you have built to enjoy all these hours of great music!
 
An Yggdrasil can easily be complemented with different headphones that sound different. For me, I would love to complement my LCD4 with Focal Utopia as it sounds different than the LCD4. There are just some types of music I would love to sit back and relax with Focal Utopia, or Abyss, or Stax 009, etc.. For me its definetely going to be different sounding headphone thats next step once I have saved up some cash to do the next investment.

 

[winders]

  There are specific upgrades to the yggdrasil that can be auditioned like USB galvanized + reclocker mechanism on the USB, or a superb usb-Spdif converter to feed the Yggdrasil.

 
My plan is to use the new ISO Regen unit from UpTone Audio which is a galvanic isolator and reclocker. I will power it with their LPS-1 linear power supply, and feed that USB signal to a Singxer F-1 USB>SPDIF DDC which will feed my Yggdrasil via coax. This setup will completely isolate the computer from the DAC and provide a very clean and properly clocked signal to the DDC. The DDC will provide the DAC with a clean low jitter signal via SPDIF coax.
 
Of course I will do testing with and without the DDC and with and with out the ISO Regen/LPS-1 setup to hear what differences there might be.

 

[manpowre]

   
My plan is to use the new ISO Regen unit from UpTone Audio which is a galvanic isolator and reclocker. I will power it with their LPS-1 linear power supply, and feed that USB signal to a Singxer F-1 USB>SPDIF DDC which will feed my Yggdrasil via coax. This setup will completely isolate the computer from the DAC and provide a very clean and properly clocked signal to the DDC. The DDC will provide the DAC with a clean low jitter signal via SPDIF coax.
 
Of course I will do testing with and without the DDC and with and with out the ISO Regen/LPS-1 setup to hear what differences there might be.

Exactly what I would like to audition too, but different equipment (Berkeley usb to spdif). However I am curious about the Uptone regen after the Intona galvanized USB unit I use together with LPT-1. But its too expencive to order just for a review! hehe.. mabye one day Ill be lucky enough to audition this. 
 
I have tried AES to Yggdrasil from my Tascam UH-7000 which sucked bigtime. messy soundstage and instrument separation due to probably not so high end clock unit on the tascam unit (even with Intona galvanized USB towards the Tascam unit).

 

[winders]

  Exactly what I would like to audition too, but different equipment (Berkeley usb to spdif). However I am curious about the Uptone regen after the Intona galvanized USB unit I use together with LPT-1. But its too expencive to order just for a review! hehe.. mabye one day Ill be lucky enough to audition this. 
 
I have tried AES to Yggdrasil from my Tascam UH-7000 which sucked bigtime. messy soundstage and instrument separation due to probably not so high end clock unit on the tascam unit (even with Intona galvanized USB towards the Tascam unit).

Yeah, I thought about selling the Singxer F-1 and getting a Singxer SU-1. It is supposed to have a great AES output. But, it has its own power supply unlike The F-1, so I would have to worry about cleaning up that signal too. The setup I propose is super clean power and signal wise and the SPDIF coax input on Yggy is supposed to be great.
 
Without the ISO Regen/LPS-1 setup in my computer to DAC chain, I am getting some great sound. My Yggy/F-1 setup only has 170 hours on it so stuff is still burning in.I figure the sound won't get worse!

 

[winders]

  However I am curious about the Uptone regen after the Intona galvanized USB unit I use together with LPT-1.

 
UpTone is coming out with the ISO Regen. It combines the functions of an isolator like the Intona with the functions of their Regen unit. Having both in one unit should be a killer solution especially if you power it with a good LPS.

 

[manpowre]

   
UpTone is coming out with the ISO Regen. It combines the functions of an isolator like the Intona with the functions of their Regen unit. Having both in one unit should be a killer solution especially if you power it with a good LPS.

 
Actually the Intona has a reclocker, a high end oscillator, but some people have reported the Regen reclocker is "better" when placed after the Intona, but the LPS to power the Regen is somehow confusing in some people's review if you ask me.
 
I do wish Schiit addressed the USB input in an upgrade to people. Its an easy upgrade technically as a field upgrade as the USB board sits inside Yggdrasil separately from the other parts!. On the driver side its probably not so easy as the 5v leads are cut with the galvanized usb input which eg. Hegel has and the issue the Hegel driver has is that when you disconnect the cable, it doesnt reconnect when you plug it back in, unless you restart the driver. I guess the 5v disconnection might be the reason why the driver doesnt restart when plugging it back in.
 
Also a streamer board to Yggdrasil would be AWESOME. even a paid upgrade which they could make money on with high end clock with direct connection to the DAC board with no PC interference at all!