[automojo]

If you're talking about the Gungnir Multibit, let me know where you can get one for around $500. That would be sweet!

You have to do some lengthy searching and be patient. I picked up a silver gen 5 at the beginning of the year off Cl for $450. It's on loan to a friend. There was another @Savers for around the same price. If you buy them of Epay/etc you paying higher obviously.
I will have to get it back sometime and compare to the BF2.
There is more then just a casual difference between the two-certainly image depth-but more then just that.
Also it does not have the TI chip signature sound.
Whether it's worth the difference-IMHO isn't a universal thing.

 

[automojo]

The one thing I will do at some point is do the Unison Board.
The Gen 5 isn't very good-IMHO.

 

[twigfarm]

You have to do some lengthy searching and be patient. I picked up a silver gen 5 at the beginning of the year off Cl for $450. It's on loan to a friend. There was another @Savers for around the same price. If you buy them of Epay/etc you paying higher obviously.
I will have to get it back sometime and compare to the BF2.
There is more then just a casual difference between the two-certainly image depth-but more then just that.
Also it does not have the TI chip signature sound.
Whether it's worth the difference-IMHO isn't a universal thing.

What is CI and are you talking about the Savers Thrift Stores? Never heard of these sources for pre-owned gear.

 

[automojo]

What is CI and are you talking about the Savers Thrift Stores? Never heard of these sources for pre-owned gear.

Craigslist
Yes savers thrift stores you never know what shows up there
It’s not a specific source for use high-end audio gear
Stuff like that probably wouldn’t stay very long because people buy it and flip it on eBay
The one I am referring to at savers was purchased by an audio friend of mine
He still using it I’m pretty sure it was like $200 at the most
Obviously not a normal occurrence but I think if you spend some time poking around you be surprised what you come up with
If you’re in a hurry for something that’s obviously not going to work
I’m always looking because I’m curious
I don’t need much audio gear now but if a bargain comes up I’ll snap it up,
And like the Gungnir, let another friend borrow it.
Just to add-another buddy of mine just bought a Gungnir from the The Music Room.
Made them a offer $280 less then the asking price and it was accepted._$600.
Most people bump the prices up-because you usually get offers for less.

Again-my original point was if you want to expand on the OGBF2 sound-IMHO your better of looking at a Gungnir MB, or a Yiggy non TI chip version.
The BF 2/64 seems to be going a different direction.
Either might not be a inexpensive proposition-but no one ever claimed this hobby was inexpensive.

 

[RickB]

For a little while now I've been having a very infrequent problem on my OG Bifrost 2 where the left channel will cut out. It always happens when I pause playback and when I unpause the left channel is dead. This happens very rarely, and cycling through the B2's inputs always brings back the left channel again.

This started happening after installing the latest firmware update. Does this sound like a firmware or hardware problem?

 

[automojo]

For a little while now I've been having a very infrequent problem on my OG Bifrost 2 where the left channel will cut out. It always happens when I pause playback and when I unpause the left channel is dead. This happens very rarely, and cycling through the B2's inputs always brings back the left channel again.

This started happening after installing the latest firmware update. Does this sound like a firmware or hardware problem?

I would shoot them an email- 5 year warranty

 

[FellowTraveller]

Hi Everyone, I'm quite new to this particular online space. I'm here because I have a Bifrost 2 (OG) in a speaker-based setup that I purchased for my classroom, which I run in Thailand. And I really love the overall sound. I would say it's really a mid-fi system, but it sounds great to me, and it's good for many kinds of music as well as for a two-channel home theater for films, which are an important part of the course that I use my classroom for. I have an IOTAVX SA3 integrated amp, Triangle BR08 speakers, and the Bifrost 2, running mostly through my Macbook via the Unison USB but also through a CD and blu ray player. At the same time, I'm trying to decide, like many others, whether to buy the new card. I'm still undecided. What seems clear to me, especially from the great review by Wave Theory, but also from many comments, is that some people genuinely and definitively like the BF 2/64 sound better in their systems than the OG, and some people genuinely and definitively prefer the BF OG card. I doubt this will be resolved into full agreement, and it doesn't need to be. As others have pointed out, system synergy is a very big deal, as is personal taste. I would like to add that I think we sometimes underestimate the power of our own adaptation to a particular sound signature. In the larger scheme of things these decisions are pretty minor, I would say. At the same time I appreciate hearing people's thinking about what makes for the best kind of audio experience. I totally get the fascination with this side of life. I too want to find the best sound for the dollar. I also hope to eventually step more into the world of headphones, and to learn more about what would make for a reasonably good sounding headphone-based system. That will take a little time. Thank you for the learning your comments and shared experiences make possible. Reading them, I am able to make my own decisions a little more wisely.

 

[automojo]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlNLr4aBKs8
This is a bit crude-but it brings back some recollection from me when I compared the 2.
If you listen carefully-you get the jest of it.
Frankly-never got the SE 'gimped' issue.
A slight level increase sure-as many preamps with XLR inputs have vs SE.

Double the voltage like XLR's are.
If you use good cables-in my experience the issue is moot - XLR cables… it’s much harder to tell differences between them.
With SE cables this isn't the case.
(I have to think most of this is the right balance of shielding-but I'm not a expert.)
The main advantage of XLR is less noise-especially over long cables runs.
(Maybe with head gear it's more noticeable?)
Nothing magic about them.
But it would be nice if home audio had made them a standard-because-IMHO you would not need the investment in expensive SE cables.
If the ‘gimped’ thingy bothers someone-Hosa makes $10 XLR-to RCA adapters.

 

[TheFrator]

I have a Bifrost 2 (OG) in a speaker-based setup that I purchased for my classroom, which I run in Thailand.

Are you a music teacher? Regardless I wish I had a teacher like you!

 

[FellowTraveller]

Are you a music teacher? Regardless I wish I had a teacher like you!

Haha. Thank you! That's kind of you to say. I'm an anthropologist who came to Thailand years ago to study the work of Buddhist social activists. Recently I created a three-month English and leadership course sponsored by one of the international Buddhist groups based in Thailand. The course is for young leaders around Asia who are working for change in their countries. I've always loved hifi, but never really had that much experience of it, and couldn't usually pay for it or justify the cost. But in the classroom with like 18 wonderful students, you realize that with a high quality sound system, every song you play and every movie you show is that much clearer (hearing dialog, hearing the instruments) and has that much more impact. So it makes for a lovely experience, as we all know. Buying the Bifrost 2 was a huge step for me, but I think it was the first time I truly experienced what people talk about as sound stage depth, instrument separation, and all of that. Instead of a wall of sound where you hear the melody and it's nice, it becomes a truly immersive experience. So what I'm describing is nothing new for all of you. But that's what I experienced when I included the BF 2 in my system.

 

[cgb3]

I read a review of another DAC. The part I remember, "a great DAC isn't for superlative playback of high resolution music files, it's for superlative playback of standard (16/44) and lessor files".

I've noticed superior audio from YouTube videos (especially music videos from the 80's and 90's) with the new 64 card. That alone warrants the purchase, sounding better on the UHD files is gravy.

 

[kumar402]

I read a review of another DAC. The part I remember, "a great DAC isn't for superlative playback of high resolution music files, it's for superlative playback of standard (16/44) and lessor files".

I've noticed superior audio from YouTube videos (especially music videos from the 80's and 90's) with the new 64 card. That alone warrants the purchase, sounding better on the UHD files is gravy.

I don't agree with the statement. It's never about Hi Res or CD Quality. A good DAC will make good recordings sound good but will not make bad recordings sound good. A DAC which has lot of sins of omission will make bad recordings sound good.

 

[automojo]

Haha. Thank you! That's kind of you to say. I'm an anthropologist who came to Thailand years ago to study the work of Buddhist social activists. Recently I created a three-month English and leadership course sponsored by one of the international Buddhist groups based in Thailand. The course is for young leaders around Asia who are working for change in their countries. I've always loved hifi, but never really had that much experience of it, and couldn't usually pay for it or justify the cost. But in the classroom with like 18 wonderful students, you realize that with a high quality sound system, every song you play and every movie you show is that much clearer (hearing dialog, hearing the instruments) and has that much more impact. So it makes for a lovely experience, as we all know. Buying the Bifrost 2 was a huge step for me, but I think it was the first time I truly experienced what people talk about as sound stage depth, instrument separation, and all of that. Instead of a wall of sound where you hear the melody and it's nice, it becomes a truly immersive experience. So what I'm describing is nothing new for all of you. But that's what I experienced when I included the BF 2 in my system.

Thanks for sharing.
I totally agree, the Bifrost 2OG is one of those rare and unique audio components that transcends its digital category.
Pretty cool stuff!

I don't agree with the statement. It's never about Hi Res or CD Quality. A good DAC will make good recordings sound good but will not make bad recordings sound good. A DAC which has lot of sins of omission will make bad recordings sound good.

I agree with that for most Dacs/ components
The exception here is the BF2OG.
While I have to admit I don’t critically listen with this DAC.. I can’t recall hearing anything bad through it XM, YOUTUBE… what have you.
Sure you can tell the differences between the qualities of the source, but everything is very listenable.
I can’t recall the time where I wanted to turn something off or “change the channel” because the quality was so miserable to listen to.

 

[MacMan31]

So I bought a micro SD card (with adapter) to do the firmware update on my BF2. Finally got the card to mount on my Mac after I realized the micro SD card was not completely into the adapter. But now I cannot get the card out of the adapter. It's stuck in there and it's smooth so there's no grip to pull it out. It's crappy design like this that makes me seriously question if we really went to the moon. Why could Schiit not make it so the firmware just passes via the USB cable??

 

[automojo]

So I bought a micro SD card (with adapter) to do the firmware update on my BF2. Finally got the card to mount on my Mac after I realized the micro SD card was not completely into the adapter. But now I cannot get the card out of the adapter. It's stuck in there and it's smooth so there's no grip to pull it out. It's crappy design like this that makes me seriously question if we really went to the moon. Why could Schiit not make it so the firmware just passes via the USB cable??

Thats sucks-I would assume because it makes the main board more complicated.
Micro sd cards are a POA no matter where you apply them. Regular SD cards are usually not a issue.
They should make a card holder with a 6 inch cable with a end that matches the card.