Schiit Audio Bifrost 2

[Blindranger]

...similar to the gungnir a2 which I consider the bifrost 2/64 to be roughly on par with when fully warmed up/stabilized

I want to smooth out the sound profile of my current Rag2 x Modius E pairing and make it sound richer and lusher. I have a Gungnir A2 in my office system and love it, and I am curious if the Bifrost 2/64 would get me what I want with the Rag2. I would love any feedback from anyone who has had both a Gungnir A2 and current-gen Bifrost. Do they have similar sonic characteristics? If I love my Gungnir, will I be happy with the Bifrost?

 

[roderickvd]

Not so sure about that. Though I’ve owned a BF2 OG and 2/64, but not a Gungnir, is the Gungnir A2 not supposed to be warmer than the A1 was? Because the BF2/64 is less warm than the OG. So you’ll lose warmth and not sure if that’s what you want.

Also, the Gungnir is “higher tier” than the Bifrost is.

Regarding the comments before: definitely leave on the Bifrost 24/7. Wayyy better warmed up.

 

[pure5152]

@pure5152 Do you mean that you leave it on all that time, and that after a week of being on all the time it stabilizes into its best performance? I think that's what you mean but just want to be sure. I've never actually tried that.

yep as in leave it on all the time! schiit actually used to officially recommend leaving their dacs on all the time way back in older yggdrasil manuals:

I want to smooth out the sound profile of my current Rag2 x Modius E pairing and make it sound richer and lusher. I have a Gungnir A2 in my office system and love it, and I am curious if the Bifrost 2/64 would get me what I want with the Rag2. I would love any feedback from anyone who has had both a Gungnir A2 and current-gen Bifrost. Do they have similar sonic characteristics? If I love my Gungnir, will I be happy with the Bifrost?

If you have a gungnir a2 and love it, I'd stick with it. The gungnir a2 is more a true neutral, whereas the bifrost 2/64 is pretty neutral overall but slightly v-shaped, which may or may not work for you. The gungnir a2 sounds very very good from balanced outs, but can sound a little "greyer" in the background compared to the bifrost 2/64, which has a blacker background from memory. I think they have similar levels of engagement, microdynamics, and nuance, but the gungnir a2 may just slightly edge out the bifrost 2/64 there when using balanced outs. hard to tell though since I used the gungnir a2 and bifrost 2/64 with different equipment-- I think they're more on par than anything

While I would not describe the gungnir a2 or the bifrost 2/64 as "rich/lush", I do think that both will have smoother treble than the modius E after warmup if that's what you're looking for. If you're looking for a warmer sound and want to stick with schiit multibit stuff, the bifrost 2 OG and gungnir a1 could are richer/lusher but at the cost of some technical performance/engagement vs the newer versions. On another hand, the yggdrasil LIM would probably be the best of all worlds with better technical performance and a smoother sound, if you have the funds for it.

 

[Blindranger]

Yeah, I am actively looking for a clean Gungnir A2. Interestingly, used Bifrosts are going for the same money as used Gungnirs. I think Biforst's upgradability could be a solid value proposition in the long term. As to the Yggdrasil LIM, I have had it in my cart multiple times, but I can't pull the trigger; I would instead buy more headphones and amps at the moment before I buy my first Yggy.

 

[STEVEN DAVIS]

Yeah, I am actively looking for a clean Gungnir A2. Interestingly, used Bifrosts are going for the same money as used Gungnirs. I think Biforst's upgradability could be a solid value proposition in the long term. As to the Yggdrasil LIM, I have had it in my cart multiple times, but I can't pull the trigger; I would instead buy more headphones and amps at the moment before I buy my first Yggy.

You hit it right on the head. Before I brought the bifrost 2/64 I was in the market for a audio cyan 2. (I ended up getting scammed by a headfi user). Long story short , after paypal refunded me my money I decided to follow my first mind and go for bifrost 2/64. The upgradablity makes it a very interesting piece and for 2 it's alot more desk friendly as I do all of my listening on my gaming setup. I don't have those really nice audiophile setups like most people here. Just straight from my gaming pc via USB

 

[dstarr3]

yep as in leave it on all the time! schiit actually used to officially recommend leaving their dacs on all the time way back in older yggdrasil manuals:






If you have a gungnir a2 and love it, I'd stick with it. The gungnir a2 is more a true neutral, whereas the bifrost 2/64 is pretty neutral overall but slightly v-shaped, which may or may not work for you. The gungnir a2 sounds very very good from balanced outs, but can sound a little "greyer" in the background compared to the bifrost 2/64, which has a blacker background from memory. I think they have similar levels of engagement, microdynamics, and nuance, but the gungnir a2 may just slightly edge out the bifrost 2/64 there when using balanced outs. hard to tell though since I used the gungnir a2 and bifrost 2/64 with different equipment-- I think they're more on par than anything

While I would not describe the gungnir a2 or the bifrost 2/64 as "rich/lush", I do think that both will have smoother treble than the modius E after warmup if that's what you're looking for. If you're looking for a warmer sound and want to stick with schiit multibit stuff, the bifrost 2 OG and gungnir a1 could are richer/lusher but at the cost of some technical performance/engagement vs the newer versions. On another hand, the yggdrasil LIM would probably be the best of all worlds with better technical performance and a smoother sound, if you have the funds for it.

I have to wonder, if it's just a matter of components coming up to operating temperature after voltage is applied, exactly how long does it take for said components to reach optimal temperature. Because I highly doubt it's any more than, say, 30 minutes. Likely more like 10. I'll go ahead and save my $50-$100/yr in electricity as they claim the cost is.

 

[pure5152]

I have to wonder, if it's just a matter of components coming up to operating temperature after voltage is applied, exactly how long does it take for said components to reach optimal temperature. Because I highly doubt it's any more than, say, 30 minutes. Likely more like 10. I'll go ahead and save my $50-$100/yr in electricity as they claim the cost is.

You’re free to do what makes you happy, but small clarification though: that $50-100 per year quote was for the 45W Yggdrasil— the bifrost 2/64 operates at 15W, so it’ll be more like $15-33 a year if you leave it on. Not much at all imo, and worth trying for yourself to see if makes a difference at all, very little reason not to at least try I think

 

[hk29]

I recently picked up a Bifrost 2 (not 2/64) to replace Mimby v1 (OG) in my stereo system. BF2 -> Schiit Saga+ -> Schiit Aegir -> Harbeth c7es3 - Yes! its a very warm, voice forward setup. I'm a pop/vocal listener. I can echo most of the folks here what they think of the BF2 which is why I picked but the 2 and not the 2/64.

Right off the back, I noticed a significant thickness/weight/body to the sound, more details, and more bass. It's like I've moved my room into that small venue smoky jazz club where the singer is right up close the mic. I didn't realize you could tune DACs this much! The vocal are still natural and smooth. I had a yggy (A2) in the past, I don't recall the yggy being this thick/weighty but much more neutral; but it was in a different system and it was awhile ago.

Did I do "too much of a good thing" and go overboard with the warmer signature? Would I have been better off with 2/64? Not sure yet, I'm still letting my brain burn into the new sound; but for now I'm enjoying it and learning how sounds can be so different ...

 

[hk29]

It's been a few days and my ears are adjusting (and also kept it on). I dont feel like it's as weighty and thick as I originally heard. I feel like the whole sound is more balanced. the first words that I would describe them is no longer weighty but natural, balanced, and full body.

 

[cgb3]

I'd like a double stack yggdrasil in the bifrost chassis size. I want the best, but not the largest on my desktop.

I ordered a Gungnir 2, delivery Monday.

One doesn't need to adjust a DAC. It's either on, or off. I plan to hang the Gungnir 2 vertically in a wooden cage off the side of my Grandfathers Lawyer's desk.

No desktop needed.

 

[myoda]

Soooo. After ~2 years of suffering with Bifrost 2 disconnecting randomly when connected via USB..... (tried everything, new PC, new power supply, different USB cables, powered hub, physical isolation and nothing worked)....

I finally got around to updating firmware... and like magic, it's connecting fine without issue so far.

I'm hoping it was a bitrate detection issue that was fixed in the firmware. Also very much hoping there's no further issues and many years of happy high fidelity USB connected PC audio....

 

[j0val]

Has anyone had any sibilance issues with their BF2/64 card?

I was getting sibilance on my BF2 that went away once I switched back to the OG BF2 card. Was just wondering if anyone has experienced the same. I purchased the card when it came out, so it has been a couple years.

 

[roderickvd]

The BF2/64 does have a treble edge that can make sound it sibilant. On the upside, I find it more holographic and detailed than the OG.

 

[theeclone]

The BF2/64 does have a treble edge that can make sound it sibilant. On the upside, I find it more holographic and detailed than the OG.

This.

Interestingly just yesterday I was going crazy trying to figure out why I was hearing so much distortion in the sibilance frequencies from a new moving coil phono cartridge. Checked and rechecked all the alignments, swapped out headshells and mats, etc, until finally I tried turning the gain down on my Schiit Skoll. Problem solved!

Could be a similar gain staging issue going on with the BF 2/64. Might be worth seeing if there's a difference between XLR and RCA outs.

 

[j0val]

The BF2/64 does have a treble edge that can make sound it sibilant. On the upside, I find it more holographic and detailed than the OG.

I definitely agree it’s more holographic and detailed. It’s just that the sibilance sounds very scratchy, which is something I had not heard or noticed before in the 2+ years of listening. Kind of like a bad mobile phone signal on “s” sounds.

This.

Interestingly just yesterday I was going crazy trying to figure out why I was hearing so much distortion in the sibilance frequencies from a new moving coil phono cartridge. Checked and rechecked all the alignments, swapped out headshells and mats, etc, until finally I tried turning the gain down on my Schiit Skoll. Problem solved!

Could be a similar gain staging issue going on with the BF 2/64. Might be worth seeing if there's a difference between XLR and RCA outs.

Thanks for the tip. Hadn’t tried turning the gain down on my Lyr+.