[theveterans]

Oh dang, I didn't realize the Bifrost had the NOS mode. I've already been repeatedly blown away after upgrading from an AKM Modius. I'm gonna have to experiment and see what other tricks this thing has up its sleeve!

Having that NOS mode is very versatile that it lets you put whatever OS filter you want up to 4x OS on USB, or just use straight up NOS

IMO, the point of trying out different filters is to allow for better synergy on your downstream components and your headphones. MCB can be a tiny bit grating on some headphones and using a 2x or 4x minimum phase IIR filter can smoothen those treble without the usual NOS Roll off

 

[skeeb23]

Well, happy to report that I am the upcoming owner of the BF2/64. About a year ago I was torn between that and the ADI2DAC. Sadly I'll be selling the 2DAC to compensate the purchase of the BF2. Well...kinda sadly. I'm more excited then anything as the R2R aspect is more up my alley of sound. I've always been a Schiit fan as well and feel like I'll be back where I belong ha!

 

[dolph99]

Well, happy to report that I am the upcoming owner of the BF2/64. About a year ago I was torn between that and the ADI2DAC. Sadly I'll be selling the 2DAC to compensate the purchase of the BF2. Well...kinda sadly. I'm more excited then anything as the R2R aspect is more up my alley of sound. I've always been a Schiit fan as well and feel like I'll be back where I belong ha!

There's definitely some magic in the bifrost 2. I do not pretend to be technical enough to know why this is. I just know that my ears can hear it.

 

[HeyWaj10]

As a newer owner of the BF 2/64 as well, I'm so glad that I can finally close this DAC hunt chapter of my life for a good while. For context, I've listened to/auditioned the following DACs that were in contention over the past year or so (which the BF 2/64 ended up winning over, for reasons):

• Chord Mojo 2
• ifi Audio Zen Dac Signature v2
• ifi Audio Neo iDSD
• Schiit Lyr 3 (internal ES9028)
• JDS Labs Element II (internal AKM chip, apparently same as EL Dac II)

As you can see, the prior DACs I listened to were a mix of different delta sigma designs. In each of these, to my ears, there was always a digital glare/hardness in play and some times a plastic-like aspect to the sound. I'm also very sensitive to treble, and am very quickly distracted by how "digital" the treble response is. The most simple way I can put it is that it just doesn't sound natural to my ears, and always draws attention to itself and takes me out of the music - no matter how detailed, airy, or sparkly the presentation is.

The biggest offenders that would be problematic here, for me, are in percussion instruments. Cymbals are supposed to sound like the individual cymbals they are when struck. Likewise, other percussion instruments should have their own tone and timbre, like triangle and chimes. However, with most of these DS-based DACS, there was often times a hard, cold, one-note element to that region.

The best of the prior DACs I tried was the ifi Audio Neo iDSD. With their Burr Brown chips, this was the closest I got to the BF2's more natural tone and timbre. I'd even go as far as to say, in a blind test, I might not be able to tell a difference. However, the BF2 still wins over in other areas beyond just the treble quality and smoothness - including aesthetics.

At this stage, I feel like I'd have to make the jump to something like the Yggdrasil in order to gain a significant improvement above what the BF 2/64 offers. So in that sense, I'm truly content for a while ahead - my wallet (and wife) appreciate that!

 

[oozy2007]

hi guys i'm considering BF 2/64 do you guys know if the USB input is good for pc gaming and movies and there is no latency video/audio lip sync issues?

 

[theveterans]

hi guys i'm considering BF 2/64 do you guys know if the USB input is good for pc gaming and movies and there is no latency video/audio lip sync issues?

Using USB with Netflix from app store on Windows 10 PC, I get no sync issues, and that's with iFi iUSB 3.0 hub in between PC and Unison USB. Not sure about gaming though. For gaming, I still recommend to use the default OS mixer and not go WASAPI or any exclusive mode to eliminate sync issues

 

[Daniel Johnston]

As a newer owner of the BF 2/64 as well, I'm so glad that I can finally close this DAC hunt chapter of my life for a good while. For context, I've listened to/auditioned the following DACs that were in contention over the past year or so (which the BF 2/64 ended up winning over, for reasons):

• Chord Mojo 2
• ifi Audio Zen Dac Signature v2
• ifi Audio Neo iDSD
• Schiit Lyr 3 (internal ES9028)
• JDS Labs Element II (internal AKM chip, apparently same as EL Dac II)

As you can see, the prior DACs I listened to were a mix of different delta sigma designs. In each of these, to my ears, there was always a digital glare/hardness in play and some times a plastic-like aspect to the sound. I'm also very sensitive to treble, and am very quickly distracted by how "digital" the treble response is. The most simple way I can put it is that it just doesn't sound natural to my ears, and always draws attention to itself and takes me out of the music - no matter how detailed, airy, or sparkly the presentation is.

The biggest offenders that would be problematic here, for me, are in percussion instruments. Cymbals are supposed to sound like the individual cymbals they are when struck. Likewise, other percussion instruments should have their own tone and timbre, like triangle and chimes. However, with most of these DS-based DACS, there was often times a hard, cold, one-note element to that region.

The best of the prior DACs I tried was the ifi Audio Neo iDSD. With their Burr Brown chips, this was the closest I got to the BF2's more natural tone and timbre. I'd even go as far as to say, in a blind test, I might not be able to tell a difference. However, the BF2 still wins over in other areas beyond just the treble quality and smoothness - including aesthetics.

At this stage, I feel like I'd have to make the jump to something like the Yggdrasil in order to gain a significant improvement above what the BF 2/64 offers. So in that sense, I'm truly content for a while ahead - my wallet (and wife) appreciate that!

The jump to Yggdrasil is worth it. Keep an eye out on the closeout page or the classifieds if you want to save a few $$$. The prices aren't going to ever go down. Especially with the OG Yggdrasil, once the AD chips it uses are gone, it will go as well.

That being said, if you haven't dipped your toe into Yggy territory, the BF 2/64 is truly excellent.

 

[theveterans]

At this stage, I feel like I'd have to make the jump to something like the Yggdrasil in order to gain a significant improvement above what the BF 2/64 offers. So in that sense, I'm truly content for a while ahead - my wallet (and wife) appreciate that!

If going from BF2 OG to Yggdrasil A2 OG, you get a very similar tonal balance, but from a 2/64 to A2 OG, you get back the BF2 OG tonality in the bass and lower mids but with 2/64 treble that's more refined and palpable, but at the cost of losing the black background trait of the BF 2/64. If you go with LIM, you get closer to the classic R2R sound with more note density (not harmonic richness which is the trademark of the OG Yggy and BF2 OG) and black background of 2/64 while with MIB you get closer to Delta Sigma neutral tonality plus a small dose of classic R2R note density (it's 4x oversampling as opposed to 8x with BF2 and other Yggy flavors so it will have that NOS tonal density (maybe equal to LIM) and it will stage closer but with more 3D imaging than the other Yggys or even BF2 OG or 2/64 in my prediction) without the negative aspects associated with poor D/S implementation

 

[PopZeus]

Yeah, at this point upgrading from the BF2/64 is going to require a jump to something in the multi-kilobuck range. But it’s only worth it if your downstream devices can really show what that top-tier DAC can do.

 

[theveterans]

Yeah, at this point upgrading from the BF2/64 is going to require a jump to something in the multi-kilobuck range. But it’s only worth it if your downstream devices can really show what that top-tier DAC can do.

Even going from BF 2/64 to any multi-kilobuck DAC you gain some and you lose some. It's all about synergy from BF2 or 2/64's in the DAC choices since these DACs are that great already. Even going to Chord DAVE you still lose some traits that are good with BF2/64 and it's all up to your system and your ears if the change was worth the expense or not. You must not chase the dragon though if that DAC swap isn't synergizing well

 

[PopZeus]

Even going from BF 2/64 to any multi-kilobuck DAC you gain some and you lose some. It's all about synergy from BF2 or 2/64's in the DAC choices since these DACs are that great already. Even going to Chord DAVE you still lose some traits that are good with BF2/64 and it's all up to your system and your ears if the change was worth the expense or not. You must not chase the dragon though if that DAC swap isn't synergizing well

I’m assuming any upgrade comparison is apples to apples in terms of sound profile. Yes, DACs tend to sound less colored and more neutral as you go up the price range, but there are some DACs that make more sense as an upgrade from the BF2/64 than others. And no, I wasn’t considering the Chord Dave anyways, since it is not a good synergistic match for my gear or taste.

 

[raindownthunda]

I am curious if anyone has upgraded from the BF2/64 to the Yggy (any) and regretted it / felt like something was missing.

 

[theeclone]

I am curious if anyone has upgraded from the BF2/64 to the Yggy (any) and regretted it / felt like something was missing.

I upgraded to the LIM (same chips) and didn't regret it one bit. The LIM is on a whole 'nother level.

 

[Daniel Johnston]

I am curious if anyone has upgraded from the BF2/64 to the Yggy (any) and regretted it / felt like something was missing.

I did as well. BF2/64 to Yggy OG. No regrets. Nothing is missing--everything is just better.

But, I did snag one on closeout. That made the decision easy.

 

[Currawong]

I guess the only other question is : are there differences in quality with other Coaxial cables? Also : does the extended length of the cable pose a hindrance, like the USB? Ie: must be less than 6 feet. Or is that irrelevant with coax?

Mainly, they have to have the proper 75 Ohm characteristic impedance. Beyond that, there may not be much difference. There are two schools of thought: One that they should be as short as possible, and the other that they should be a few feet long. The latter might knock out some high-frequency noise.

I've just been using those very thin SD video cables you can get on Amazon. However, half of them have the 50 Ohm termination instead of the 75 Ohm one. The 50 Ohm ones are easy to tell, as you can see the white plastic around the contacts. I use these cables with RCA to BNC adaptors, as I have gear with both connections.

I'm making a decision between purchasing the MMB2 and the Bifrost 2/64. If there are any members that have listening experience with both, I'd relish the sonic differences that you heard between the two.

I run a 2 channel system: computer > dac > integrated.

Thanks

The sound with Mimby is a bit mushier, actually, rather like the previous Bifrost 2. The 2/64 has more clarity than the Mimby, but you'd probably want to be using the balanced output for best results.