[llkmi]

 

 

 
Some more details please:
- examples of recordings you're hearing this with
- amp(s) used
- cables
- headphones
 
The Yggdrasil is very detailed. Sibilant recordings will sound sibilant. This is perfectly normal and always the price to pay for better accuracy and resolution combined with less impressive recordings or other rig elements. But I am interested to hear the same recordings and relate to your actual gear if I can, to understand better where you're coming from.

Thanks for taking the time - I think partly my ears and my mind are at listening overload now as I had an unusual 3 weeks working from home office and have been marathon listening non stop. I also found it easy to turn up the volume with the Yggy in the system so my ears are fatigued and a little more sensitive than usual. What you say does make sense as it is not prominent across the board - what I find is a much bigger disparity between recordings - some audiophile recordings I found not to sound as improved as I expected and then I will listen to something I previously did not give a second though to and am taken aback at the new found sound (in a positive way) and yet other are still just bad. I do have to go through my list to recall which recordings in particular stood out with the issue - one that comes to mind is Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars. Of courese not all recordings have a lot of energy in the region I am referring to - piano for instance universally sounds amazing.
 
It was most prominent on my vintage rig, which is also the more ruthlessly revealing (but can also be more rewarding) consisting of a Krell KSP-7b pre and Luxman M-12 amp. It is a little less prominent on the Primare I-30 integrated and Jolida JD102-CRC (although I need to do more listening with the Jolida). Speaker cables are an old set of Audioquest Green. Interconnects are either AQ Emerald or Mogami gold for balanced (I can only use on Primare - they are also relatively new cables without a lot of hours on them).
 
No decent headphones for home listening at this time, just my Shure SE535 for travel. I have no amp to power them at home. A good set is on my wish list though - any suggestions on parings? 
 
Thx!!

 

[yage]

  It was most prominent on my vintage rig, which is also the more ruthlessly revealing (but can also be more rewarding) consisting of a Krell KSP-7b pre and Luxman M-12 amp. It is a little less prominent on the Primare I-30 integrated and Jolida JD102-CRC (although I need to do more listening with the Jolida). Speaker cables are an old set of Audioquest Green. Interconnects are either AQ Emerald or Mogami gold for balanced (I can only use on Primare - they are also relatively new cables without a lot of hours on them).

Apologies if I missed it in previous posts - what speakers are you using and how do you have them set up in your room?

 

[45longcolt]

Was interested to see those temperature measurements, which are pretty much what I've experienced. With summer brown-out season just around the corner, I've powered down my Ygg after 1K hours juiced up, and now only turn it on when I want music. And guess what - it still doesn't suck.

 

[Synergist969]

Dear llkmi:
 
  I am just getting around to checking on this forum, and read your note from a couple of days ago, and hope that my response is still timely.  
 
    I am one of those who in prior submissions had expressed my concerns regarding the Yggdrasil's upper frequency sonic characteristics.  I had had my "Yggy" on and processing a digital signal for in excess of the 6 or 7 days that most others had indicated allowed their "Yggy" to reach thermal equilibrium and therefor sound really great.   For whatever reason, it appeared to take nearly twice as long for mine to "click" into that sonic sweet-spot.  (Perhaps, unbeknownst to me there had been a power outage that forced a "re-start" process with "Yggy"?).  What I CAN tell you is that once "Yggy" DID reach that sweet-spot, my auditory perceptions regarding harshness, sibilance, digital glare, glassiness, over-emphasized upper-treble etched detail, etc., (call it what you wish), vanished...and YES, I was beginning to consider replacing other components, including interconnects and speaker wire at the very least in order to ameliorate those issues, not to mention more than a touch of buyers remorse...lol...
 
   So, do see if Schiit Audio might be willing to extend their audition/free return period as this is certainly a component that seems to demand an extended "burn-in" period of time in the first place, and if so, try to hang-in there with it...I hope this helps you and your decision-making process.    T.A.K.
   

 

[Ableza]

My Yggdrasil is in my home theater to process 2-channel music from a Vortexbox-based server in the main house.  It is fed via USB, and outputs to a Marantz AV7005 feeding a Butler Audio 5150.  The speakers are my own design, open baffle, with multiple subwoofer reinforcement.  I played my system for six hours yesterday with the server on random play.  I listened to everything from rap to country to metal to pop, jazz and classical.  The system has never sounded so good, and it rivals the enjoyment I get from my dedicated 2-channel system or my headphone setup.  This same system using a Wavelength Brick DAC was never nearly so enjoyable as it is now with the only change being the Schiit.  You'll hear no audiophile nonsense from me: all I can say is it sounds much much better, more like real music than like digital music, and I love it.  If you can afford to try one, do.

 

[Ableza]

I just snapped the photo below of my living room HT.  Find the Yggdrasil. 

 
I wanted a black one, so I made mine black with some stick-on black vinyl.  It's on the bottom right on top of the Belkin power conditioner.
 

 

[llkmi]

  Dear llkmi:
 
  I am just getting around to checking on this forum, and read your note from a couple of days ago, and hope that my response is still timely.  
 
    I am one of those who in prior submissions had expressed my concerns regarding the Yggdrasil's upper frequency sonic characteristics.  I had had my "Yggy" on and processing a digital signal for in excess of the 6 or 7 days that most others had indicated allowed their "Yggy" to reach thermal equilibrium and therefor sound really great.   For whatever reason, it appeared to take nearly twice as long for mine to "click" into that sonic sweet-spot.  (Perhaps, unbeknownst to me there had been a power outage that forced a "re-start" process with "Yggy"?).  What I CAN tell you is that once "Yggy" DID reach that sweet-spot, my auditory perceptions regarding harshness, sibilance, digital glare, glassiness, over-emphasized upper-treble etched detail, etc., (call it what you wish), vanished...and YES, I was beginning to consider replacing other components, including interconnects and speaker wire at the very least in order to ameliorate those issues, not to mention more than a touch of buyers remorse...lol...
 
   So, do see if Schiit Audio might be willing to extend their audition/free return period as this is certainly a component that seems to demand an extended "burn-in" period of time in the first place, and if so, try to hang-in there with it...I hope this helps you and your decision-making process.    T.A.K.
   

Hi Synergist969 (and the others gracious enough to reply to my earlier posts). Thanks so much for taking the time. Your post was very timely. After running the Yggy through different components and speakers I was still hearing the same thing through the weekend. My regular speakers are ACI Sapphire XL which is detailed thanks to the Scan Speak tweeter and revelator woofer - but voiced to be a little laid back in the treble. Coupled with the classic tube sound of the Jolida - and I was still irritated by the sound so I knew something was wrong. I even asked my son if he heard it (figuring 16 year old ears would help) and I am not sure he knew what I was talking about but he said something was making his ears uncomfortable - so I assume he was hearing the same thing.
 
So long story short - the Yggy sound I liked very much a few days ago came back early this evening. I think I know what happened thanks to your post - although I never would believe it if someone told me. I did hear the major improvement at the 6 1/2 - 7 day mark as others did. I was waiting for that before trying Yggy out on my other components. Well during the switch I accidentally knocked the power cord out of the Yggy - it was only a few minutes before I realized it came out so I thought nothing of it. 
 
I have to admit that although I am a firm believer in break in periods, I thought others were a bit crazy to think that unplugging for a few minutes would set it back so dramatically. This has definitely been the most bizarre break-in I have ever encountered. Can I say for certainty that the brief unplugging was the cause? - I have no idea - but my ears don't hurt any more and I am relaxing and enjoying the music again as I did a few days ago. So I guess take this as a data point for consideration.
 
If it is the cause - I have no idea why as it really does not make sense to me. I can't believe a few minutes off would cause temperatures to flux that much. If temperature makes that much of a difference, what will it sound like in the winter when my room is much colder? As a side bar, I still think the Yggy is a bit treble forward so the sound profile did not change dramatically, just the painful glare, ringing, whatever we are all calling it sound that was unsettling. 
 
Needless to say, I won't be trying out the Yggy in another room any time soon. It may be crazy but I am not taking any chances.
 
Regarding the 2 week trial period from Schiit -  I understand their view that you are not likely to get a 2 week trial from a local dealer (although I suspect that is a possibility). However, I suspect a local dealer would loan out an already broken in component in most cases. In reality the evaluation time after breakin (partial breaking according to many) is very short. So a longer trial period would be appreciated to relieve some anxiety. After all, Music Direct and Audio Advisor both offer long 30 days. (I am keeping mine btw )
 
I am now curious for those who have had theirs for a bit longer - has anyone had theirs off after more extensive burn in and if so did it still take time to get back to normal?
 
Thanks again for all the great posts so far. (someone asked a few days ago why Yggy is not getting as much talk in the non-headphone forums - I have listened exclusively on speakers but am here because this is where all the great info resides)

 

[llkmi]

  I just snapped the photo below of my living room HT.  Find the Yggdrasil. 

 
I wanted a black one, so I made mine black with some stick-on black vinyl.  It's on the bottom right on top of the Belkin power conditioner.
 

Awesome - MSB charges $699 for custom colors (I've seen other color options going for thousands) - I bet you could start a business making custom high end audio vinyl slip covers for half the price 

 

[1adam12]

  I just snapped the photo below of my living room HT.  Find the Yggdrasil. 

 
I wanted a black one, so I made mine black with some stick-on black vinyl.  It's on the bottom right on top of the Belkin power conditioner.
 

 
Sweet looking open baffled speakers. Are they DIY?

 

[Ableza]

Sweet looking open baffled speakers. Are they DIY?

Thanks. Yea I put them together as an experiment a few years ago and ended up liking them.

 

[AudioBear]

It's really OT and I don't want to hijack the thread but how do you cross them over and what drives them?
 
Nice job on the speakers and layout. 

 

[prot]

I just snapped the photo below of my living room HT.  Find the Yggdrasil. 

I wanted a black one, so I made mine black with some stick-on black vinyl.  It's on the bottom right on top of the Belkin power conditioner.

Very curious about that Butler amp ... would you mind opening a thread with your impressions ?

 

[Ableza]

  It's really OT and I don't want to hijack the thread but how do you cross them over and what drives them?
 
Nice job on the speakers and layout. 

Thank you.  I've been designing speakers both commercially and as a hobby since the 70's.  Since I know how much Currawong hates off-topic posts, I'll PM you.

 

[Ableza]

Very curious about that Butler amp ... would you mind opening a thread with your impressions ?

Here you go:  http://www.head-fi.org/t/771565/butler-tbd-5150#post_11690144

 

[Musica Amantem]

Can anyone tell me if one can connect the USB cable from the 'live stand-by' Yggy to a laptop even if the laptop is off and then power on the laptop? I ask because in Audio Gd realm, the laptop goes ON first and then the DAC. If the Yggy needs to be ON all the time, this cannot be done and the USB from the live Yggy has to be plugged to the laptop (either running or OFF) every time one wants some music. Would there be any USB issues this way?
 
Thanks for any help (my Yggy is prone to be shipped by the middle of July now, Bum!)