[Topo47]

Simply NOS, until I switch. great to have a choice

 

[roderickvd]

For single ended I almost feel like Bifrost 2 OG has higher resolution. Is it because Bifrost 2 OG is natively single ended while Bifrost 2/64 is natively balanced?

This is a key point to note in my book. On page 323 I asked this forum's advice on whether I should get an Yggy or a BF2. Thanking you all for your input, I ended up ordering a BF2/64 from Schiit's B-Stock. All my headphone amps are SE, so having native SE is great -- something the BF2/64 nor the Yggies have.

In parallel I snatched an OG BF2 card off eBay. Yes it's got 2x 18-bit AD5781's instead of 4x 20-bit AD5791's. Still, measured linearity of the OG BF2 is like 106 dB (17.6 bits) which exceeds the 96 dB of the 16/44 FLACs that I most always listen to.

Also tell no-one of my cunning plan to roll AD5781BRUZ in place of the stock AD5781ARUZ ICs. The BRUZ ICs are the higher spec ones used in the Gungnir, and should improve linearity.

I'm sure FOMO on an Yggy will get me in its grips sooner or later, but let's cross that bridge when I've got a balanced setup and/or 24-bit audio becomes mainstream. No doubt an Yggy would also bring improve my current SE setup compared with a BF2, but as laws of diminishing returns start to hit hard, I'll be looking into other parts of my chain first.

So I have two BF2 OGs, one with red PCB and the other with green PCB. Maybe it's my brain but I found the green PCB BF2 to sound a bit brighter and a bit less warm than the red one. The green PCB has all Würth Elektronik capacitors while the red one is using Nichicons. I feel like they're two different DACs.

Hope it's OK to necro this post above. While researching my modding options, I'm pretty sure any changes in sound will not be caused by the caps, but the voltage regulators.

The capacitors here just function as energy reservoirs to the ICs and relays. They are not in any of the signal paths. The red ones are Würths. They may be less known than Nichicons, but are well-regarded in smaller circles, sometimes even considering them as "hidden treasure".

The more interesting part is on the top right of the boards as pictured. On the older red board (BFM3) there's a TPS7A39 LDO for voltage regulation. It's got a PSRR (higher is better) of 69 dB at 120 Hz and over 50 dB from 10 Hz to 2 MHz. Output voltage noise (lower is better) is 21 μV(rms). The newer green board (BFM4) has got a more discrete implementation with two LT1236 voltage references controlling two separate FETs. Now typical output voltage noise is 2.2 μV(rms) and PSRR over 100 dB at 120 Hz, linearly decreasing to 60 dB at 10 kHz.

TL;DR: the new voltage regulation section is over 10x better and the caps shouldn't matter.

 

[Hyde00]

All my headphone amps are SE, so having native SE is great -- something the BF2/64 nor the Yggies have.

In parallel I snatched an OG BF2 card off eBay.

How did you find the BF2 OG vs BF2/64 in single ended?

That was one of my struggle before since most higher end DAC are all natively balanced and have poorer single ended performance.

TL;DR: the new voltage regulation section is over 10x better and the caps shouldn't matter.

Lol so the best of both worlds is to get the unicorn BFM4 green PCB Bifrost 2 OG board?

 

[roderickvd]

How did you find the BF2 OG vs BF2/64 in single ended?

I will let you know when I’ve got everything in. I’m in the EU and ordered everything from the US, so expect about a week’s time of delivery.

Lol so the best of both worlds is to get the unicorn BFM4 green PCB Bifrost 2 OG board?

Seems so… and guess what I snatched off eBay? hasn’t been sent yet though, hope the seller will soon. So looks like I’ll be starting my journey with the 2/64 and then put in the OG later.

 

[dsdfan]

I purchased the BiFrost 2/64 two months ago and carefully compared the MCB filter to NOS mode.

Eventually, I chose to listen in NOS mode because the music sounds most whole, unconstricted, unprocessed, untainted, three-dimensional and integrated when the oversampling and reconstruction filter stage is bypassed.

Ultimately, thats what multibit DACs are about - listening to digital files in the most pure, unadulterated and direct form possible.

Compared to my other DAC, the EMM Labs DA V2 (a bitstream design), the multibit Bifrost 2/64 reveals a new aspect of the music .

 

[MacMan31]

I have the BF 2 (not 2/64) and I'm comparing it with the internal DAC of my Marantz CD6006 CD player (Cirrus Logic CS4398). I'm using my Singxer SA-1. The BF2 is feeding the amp via XLR and the CD player is feeding the amp via RCA. I'm using the coax digital out from the CD player into the BF2. I'm using the switch on the front of the amp to flip back and forth between XLR and RCA. I cannot hear any difference between the two DACs.

Also how do I flip between the filter modes on the BF2? Just hold the input button?

 

[Dr. Cube]

Also how do I flip between the filter modes on the BF2? Just hold the input button?

Yes, just hold down the input selection button for about three seconds and then release it. The LED for the selected input will be on continuously when the digital filter is enabled, and it will slowly fade on and off when in NOS mode.

 

[morpheus69]

Yes, just hold down the input selection button for about three seconds and then release it. The LED for the selected input will be on continuously when the digital filter is enabled, and it will slowly fade on and off when in NOS mode.

You need to update the firmware on the Bifrost 2 OG if you want NOS mode. https://www.schiit.com/firmware

 

[Quiz]

Just ordered a Bifrost 2/64 and an AudioQuest Cinnamon USB-B to USB-C 0.75 meter cable. Will be used with my MacBook Pro 14" and 2 x JBL LSR305 monitors + 1 x JBL LSR310S subwoofer. Can't wait to get it.

 

[dsdfan]

Bifrost 2/64 in NOS mode past six weeks. No inclination to switch out of NOS.

This reiterates that

1) Our ears hear things in the music that scientific instruments can never measure.

2) Things that scientific instruments measure may not matter at all to how we hear the music.

 

[feverfive]

This reiterates that

1) Our ears hear things in the music that scientific instruments can never measure.

2) Things that scientific instruments measure may not matter at all to how we hear the music.

Yep...what an amazing and sometimes frustrating (if one is inclined to "search for answers") hobby! It'll never cease to amaze me how differently we all hear. I've tried NOS mode on my BF 2/64 and I've never found that I prefer it over Mega combo burrito. YMM-most-definitely-V.

 

[roderickvd]

Anyone upgraded to the 2/64 and have an OG card around? Looking for one so so don’t hesitate to reach your by PM.

 

[Xerosnake90]

Anyone upgraded to the 2/64 and have an OG card around? Looking for one so so don’t hesitate to reach your by PM.

@SolaVirtus

Might have one for ya

 

[Topo47]

Bifrost 2/64 in NOS mode past six weeks. No inclination to switch out of NOS.

switched out of NOS last evening. this morning can not tell the difference.

 

[Xerosnake90]

switched out of NOS last evening. this morning can not tell the difference.

I find MCB filter sounds smoother. Like going from a stepped sinewave to a smooth one, tough to describe but it's more RAW