[Crowbar44]

So my Bifrost 2 is on extreme 4-6 week backorder at Schiit (the global chip shortage seems to have affected their MB offerings now...which is funny as their AKM DACs are still shipping even though the fab burned down!)

Does anyone have a rec for a DAC that sounds similar to the Bifrost 2 with balanced outs?

I was thinking Chord Qutest...but it's not balanced...anything else out there?

 

[kumar402]

So my Bifrost 2 is on extreme 4-6 week backorder at Schiit (the global chip shortage seems to have affected their MB offerings now...which is funny as their AKM DACs are still shipping even though the fab burned down!)

Does anyone have a rec for a DAC that sounds similar to the Bifrost 2 with balanced outs?

I was thinking Chord Qutest...but it's not balanced...anything else out there?

And Qutest doesn’t sound anything like BF2
May be check out old gen Gungnir in used market or Ares2. Haven’t heard Ares personally but may be somewhere close to BF2

 

[RickB]

Sorry if this has already been posted, but this video resolved all doubt in my mind that USB cables can sound different.

 

[Crowbar44]

And Qutest doesn’t sound anything like BF2
May be check out old gen Gungnir in used market or Ares2. Haven’t heard Ares personally but may be somewhere close to BF2

I'm assuming Qutest has that dry DS sound? If you've heard it I'd love some specifics on how it differs from BF2...

 

[Jon L]

this video resolved all doubt in my mind that USB cables can sound different.

This sentence can be ambiguous. Do you believe USB cables CAN sound different or CANNOT sound different?

 

[RickB]

This sentence can be ambiguous. Do you believe USB cables CAN sound different or CANNOT sound different?

I meant, that video convinced me that USB cables CAN sound different.

 

[Tralfaz]

Hooray for grammar!

 

[Ripper2860]

I meant, that video convinced me that USB cables CAN sound different.

And this video convinced me that the Earth IS Flat!

 

[RickB]

And this video convinced me that the Earth IS Flat!

The earth cannot be flat, because cats would've pushed everything off it by now.

 

[Ripper2860]

Well, hell!! That makes perfect sense. Gotta say that I'm feeling a bit foolish for ever thinking it was flat.

 

[Smoothstereo]

I personally believe digital, analog, speaker, and power cables do sound different. Whether that difference is an improvement depends on the system synergy and one's preference and hearing.

I also believe not all high priced cables are good nor all lower priced cables are bad. It's the crazy overpriced 4 or 5 digit cables that make the nonbelievers against the idea of cables matter.

I had positive results using AQ USB Carbon cable, not night and day difference, but noticeable enough for me to keep it. Otherwise, it would have been returned. Trust your ears, if you like what you hear and if the price is not outrageous, no shame in believing in cables matter is what I say to folks. YMMV.

 

[Guidostrunk]

I personally believe digital, analog, speaker, and power cables do sound different. Whether that difference is an improvement depends on the system synergy and one's preference and hearing.

I also believe not all high priced cables are good nor all lower priced cables are bad. It's the crazy overpriced 4 or 5 digit cables that make the nonbelievers against the idea of cables matter.

I had positive results using AQ USB Carbon cable, not night and day difference, but noticeable enough for me to keep it. Otherwise, it would have been returned. Trust your ears, if you like what you hear and if the price is not outrageous, no shame in believing in cables matter is what I say to folks. YMMV.

I have a carbon on the way. Do you still use yours or have you moved on? If so what are you using now.

Cheers!

 

[Smoothstereo]

I have a carbon on the way. Do you still use yours or have you moved on? If so what are you using now.

Cheers!

I still use my AQ Carbon usb cable. Been very satisfied with it for the past 3 years and only minor gripe is its a little stiff vs the freebie stock usb cables. But not a deal breaker for me. Hope it works out for you.

 

[ColdsnapBry]

So my Bifrost 2 is on extreme 4-6 week backorder at Schiit (the global chip shortage seems to have affected their MB offerings now...which is funny as their AKM DACs are still shipping even though the fab burned down!)

Does anyone have a rec for a DAC that sounds similar to the Bifrost 2 with balanced outs?

I was thinking Chord Qutest...but it's not balanced...anything else out there?

What do you mean the 'extreme' 4-6 week back order? I ordered mine a few weeks ago and now wondering if it will be longer of a wait.

 

[Arcayne]

Sorry if this has already been posted, but this video resolved all doubt in my mind that USB cables can sound different.

There are some issues with this test, like the absence of control groups to verify if randomized noise shaping/dither isn't responsible for differences between each recording.