[Tsunzo]

It should. I know mine did and I have the same stack.

How long did it take for you to notice a difference for the break in?

 

[hikaru12]

So here's my brief impressions of the Pavane and Bifrost (keeping in mind their enormous price difference and one being multibit and the other NOS)

Even though the Pavane is NOS (and admittedly one of the warmer ones) it tends to have more clarity than the Bifrost. The Bifrost actually seems warmer in some regards. The Pavane can be described as a more neutral to warmish version of NOS. At first during the first three hours of warmup I thought it sounded overly warm and rolled off. Now after three days the mid range detail is coming back that I know from my Eikons. The slam and the detailed bass notes is incredible, it slammed harder than my Yggy GS which is quite a feat. The Bifrost has great slam as well too but it can kind of sound one notish at times during busy passages.

Layering is excellent, imaging is really good as well. I actually find the Bifrost almost as detailed as the Pavane. The microdetails are more buried but more nuanced with the Pavane. The Morpheus would be a better comparison if detail was my be all, end all and more direct of a comparison against the Bifrost.

Where does that leave the Bifrost? The BF2 actually has more treble bite and a more thicker, wall of sound kind of slam. It actually paired really well with my Eikons in this regard as it could help out their slam. It's only till I transitioned to the Pavane that I noticed I was missing out on some soundstage and instruments could breathe more. I think the Bifrost works well either with amps that slam or for a more balanced sound, something more relaxed and laid back. For me, I think the Pavane does well with either but I suspect I will enjoy it a bit more with an amp that leans neutral/warm.

Ultimately, I think what the BF2 and Pavane share are excellent, real to life tonality and great dynamics. The BF2 is more in your face while the Pavane is a bit more symphonic in that it gives you a lot more space to breathe and the smoothing affect is a little less fatiguing than the Bifrost despite the BF2 still being an easy all day listen. NOS isn't for everyone, I really wasn't convinced. I tried HQPlayer and while it gave me more detail and air, it sounded artificial. To my ears, NOS sounds like real life and the closest I've heard to vinyl. My Pavane is still warming up and I still have some work to do to bring it to it's best form but it goes a long way to say that Schiit can still hang in there, possibly as a secondary system. Schiit's warmer DACs (BF2/Yggy A2) actually give me a sense of listening to NOS with more air and forefront detail.

You really can't go wrong with either system and there's a huge loss of dollar to performance as you go up even in Schiits lineup. The Bifrost is an incredible value, brand new or used. I would be happy to put it in both a speaker or headphone system. It's possibly my most favorite DAC I've heard - there's nothing it really does wrong. The main caveat for most folks is you have to be willing to like it's tonality - if you're a detail above all or D/S fan than you probably won't like it. I suspect you would hate the Pavane as well. I have always enjoyed a more warmer tone and have steered myself towards warmer cans (LCD 2, Stellia, Atticus, Eikon, Aeolus) so pairing it with the BF2 was only a natural fit.

If you have the money, highly suggest you look at Metrum or Sonnet especially in the used market otherwise just get the Bifrost. It's a no brainer. It sells like hotcakes in the Classifieds too if you're ever worried about losing value during an upgrade.

 

[dougq]

I received my Bi-frost 2 yesterday, pairing it with Jot 2 and so far I am happy with it. I hope for it to get even better with break in!

I did not find there to be any break in differences. It sounded the same cold as it did sitting on over a weekend.

 

[hikaru12]

I did not find there to be any break in differences. It sounded the same cold as it did sitting on over a weekend.

I disagree even though it's not a huge change. The Yggy is an enormous change from cold to on for a few days to on for a few weeks but it still benefits from some warm up. It's actually one of the fastest warm up times for a mid range R2R DAC - only a day/two days tops (similar to Soekris's DACs).

 

[LittleJoe919]

How long did it take for you to notice a difference for the break in?

How long did it take for you to notice a difference for the break in?

I had my Bifrost for a couple of weeks before my Jot showed up, so it was settled. The Jot, maybe a week? Depends on how much time you can get a chance to listen to it. I get to listen 2-3 hrs. a day. But, I never turn anything off. ymmv

 

[WhiteFox01]

How do people like this when paired with a utopia?

 

[schneiderdn1974]

How do people like this when paired with a utopia?

I noticed you asked this same question on the Jot2 thread. I haven't had a chance to listen to Utopias yet; however, my Focal Clears paired with BF2+Jot2 are a really solid/enjoyable match. If you haven't already seen them, the following reviews may provide some additional insight into what you can expect:

 

[theveterans]

How do people like this when paired with a utopia?

Depends on the amp chain more than the BF2 itself. One pairing that I wouldn't recommend with Utopia if BF2 is the DAC would be the GS X mini. Too laid-back for my taste. Utopia sings with SET amps that I've demoed (Mogwai SE, Stellaris), and BF2 + SET amp + Utopia = IMHO

 

[singularitykid]

(deleted)

 

[kumar402]

Long time lurker here. Also the owner of a new Jotunheim 2 + Bifrost 2 stack. I bought both to power my most recent purchase, the HEDDphone. I'm pretty happy with the result but I feel something is lacking. One the one hand, I absolutely love the smooth, natural, organic nature of the sound I'm getting. I didn't know I had digital glare until I got this combo. On the other hand, I feel I've had to sacrifice more detail than I was expecting based on the reviews, separation is not as good as I would have liked, there's a bloominess I'm not crazy about, and in music where lots is going on everything gets smushed together somewhat (I guess that's also separation).

With the right music the BF2 sounds ridiculously good. But too often I feel like it's taking too much away from the gorgeous sound and resolution the HEDDphone can offer. Before this stack I was using a JDS Labs Element II dac/amp. While not powerful enough to take proper command of the HEDDphone, it was still surprisingly good at driving them, and it was actually better at detail, air and separation than the Schiit stack.

So now I'm in two minds: keep the BF2 to enjoy the types of music where it works well (because when it does, man, it's good), and maybe add a slightly cheaper delta-sigma DAC like the upcoming Topping D30pro to satiate my detail cravings, or just replace the BF2 with a single DAC that can give me both the detail, air, etc I'm looking for AND the smooth, natural experience of the BF2. I'm tending towards the latter. I'm not a collector. I'd rather have one piece of kit that works most of the time, than several pieces to fill each gap. I'm also thinking that because the Jotunheim 2 is fairly smooth as far as amps go, it might allow me to buy a more clinical DAC (D90?) and still end up with a pleasingly smooth end result.

Anyone have any recommendations? Ideal price range would be up to $1000, but if my criteria can't be met I'd be willing to go up a bracket and consider something like the Chord Qutest (?).

If detail and separation is top priority for you then get a used Chord qutest and you won't be disappointed. However its only single ended but offer the sound signature that you are looking for.

 

[2ndWedge]

Long time lurker here. Also the owner of a new Jotunheim 2 + Bifrost 2 stack. I bought both to power my most recent purchase, the HEDDphone. I'm pretty happy with the result but I feel something is lacking. One the one hand, I absolutely love the smooth, natural, organic nature of the sound I'm getting. I didn't know I had digital glare until I got this combo. On the other hand, I feel I've had to sacrifice more detail than I was expecting based on the reviews, separation is not as good as I would have liked, there's a bloominess I'm not crazy about, and in music where lots is going on everything gets smushed together somewhat (I guess that's also separation).

With the right music the BF2 sounds ridiculously good. But too often I feel like it's taking too much away from the gorgeous sound and resolution the HEDDphone can offer. Before this stack I was using a JDS Labs Element II dac/amp. While not powerful enough to take proper command of the HEDDphone, it was still surprisingly good at driving them, and it was actually better at detail, air and separation than the Schiit stack.

So now I'm in two minds: keep the BF2 to enjoy the types of music where it works well (because when it does, man, it's good), and maybe add a slightly cheaper delta-sigma DAC like the upcoming Topping D30pro to satiate my detail cravings, or just replace the BF2 with a single DAC that can give me both the detail, air, etc I'm looking for AND the smooth, natural experience of the BF2. I'm tending towards the latter. I'm not a collector. I'd rather have one piece of kit that works most of the time, than several pieces to fill each gap. I'm also thinking that because the Jotunheim 2 is fairly smooth as far as amps go, it might allow me to buy a more clinical DAC (D90?) and still end up with a pleasingly smooth end result.

Anyone have any recommendations? Ideal price range would be up to $1000, but if my criteria can't be met I'd be willing to go up a bracket and consider something like the Chord Qutest (?).

If you can obtain an Eitr for the spdif input this might Give you the alternative sound you are looking for. Then switch back to the Unison for super smooth depending on the music.

 

[Smoothstereo]

Long time lurker here. Also the owner of a new Jotunheim 2 + Bifrost 2 stack. I bought both to power my most recent purchase, the HEDDphone. I'm pretty happy with the result but I feel something is lacking. One the one hand, I absolutely love the smooth, natural, organic nature of the sound I'm getting. I didn't know I had digital glare until I got this combo. On the other hand, I feel I've had to sacrifice more detail than I was expecting based on the reviews, separation is not as good as I would have liked, there's a bloominess I'm not crazy about, and in music where lots is going on everything gets smushed together somewhat (I guess that's also separation).

With the right music the BF2 sounds ridiculously good. But too often I feel like it's taking too much away from the gorgeous sound and resolution the HEDDphone can offer. Before this stack I was using a JDS Labs Element II dac/amp. While not powerful enough to take proper command of the HEDDphone, it was still surprisingly good at driving them, and it was actually better at detail, air and separation than the Schiit stack.

So now I'm in two minds: keep the BF2 to enjoy the types of music where it works well (because when it does, man, it's good), and maybe add a slightly cheaper delta-sigma DAC like the upcoming Topping D30pro to satiate my detail cravings, or just replace the BF2 with a single DAC that can give me both the detail, air, etc I'm looking for AND the smooth, natural experience of the BF2. I'm tending towards the latter. I'm not a collector. I'd rather have one piece of kit that works most of the time, than several pieces to fill each gap. I'm also thinking that because the Jotunheim 2 is fairly smooth as far as amps go, it might allow me to buy a more clinical DAC (D90?) and still end up with a pleasingly smooth end result.

Anyone have any recommendations? Ideal price range would be up to $1000, but if my criteria can't be met I'd be willing to go up a bracket and consider something like the Chord Qutest (?).

I have the same Jot2/BF2 combo, but different hp. On my Denon D5200 and Sundara, detail and separation are not lacking, actually find these attributes to be stunning. Are you using Balance input and output on the Jot2/BF2 combo? That will give you maximum detail and separation vs using SE input and output (least detail and separation in this manner). If using SE input with Bal output or Bal input with SE output, takes the middle ground on detail and separation. At least that's how I hear it on my set up.

 

[singularitykid]

If detail and separation is top priority for you then get a used Chord qutest and you won't be disappointed. However its only single ended but offer the sound signature that you are looking for.

 

[singularitykid]

If you can obtain an Eitr for the spdif input this might Give you the alternative sound you are looking for. Then switch back to the Unison for super smooth depending on the music.

 

[singularitykid]

I have the same Jot2/BF2 combo, but different hp. On my Denon D5200 and Sundara, detail and separation are not lacking, actually find these attributes to be stunning. Are you using Balance input and output on the Jot2/BF2 combo? That will give you maximum detail and separation vs using SE input and output (least detail and separation in this manner). If using SE input with Bal output or Bal input with SE output, takes the middle ground on detail and separation. At least that's how I hear it on my set up.