[hifin00b117]

   
I think warm up does make a difference in all of the DACs I have owned. I normally leave my Bifrost on 24/7, from the posts I have read this is what people at Schiit do as well. The Bifrost doesn't produce much if any heat and shouldn't have any problems being left on all the time. I wouldn't leave an amp on 24/7,especially not a tube amp, but in the case of most DACs it shouldn't be a problem.

okay, yea thats what i thinking. and i see you have the "wyrd" in your audio chain. does that make a difference even with discrete powered amp like bifrost?

 

[Spiral Out]

 
okay, yea that's what i thinking. and i see you have the "wyrd" in your audio chain. does that make a difference even with discrete powered amp like bifrost?

Yes, the Wyrd definitely made a nice difference in my chain. I run audio to my headphone setup from a decent Lenovo L440 laptop. I bought the Wyrd on a whim just to try it out, thinking that laptops in general are more prone to noise from their usb ports. I was skeptical as the bifrost only uses usb power for the usb receiver.
 
I found with the Wyrd in the chain the sound of my system flowed more smoothly overall and was a bit more dynamic. It made a pretty large difference, not quite night and day but noticeable. About a month later I tried an Audioquest Jitterbug. My chain was laptop->jitterbug->wyrd->bifrost->amp. It definitely changed the sound but I didn't think in a good way. Everything became too dynamically compressed and overly warm. I listened to this configuration for a day or two and decided to put the Jitterbug after the Wyrd. Made a huge difference. The dynamics had returned and improved and the overall presentation became very clear but smooth at the same time.
 
I bought a second Jitterbug to connect to my external USB 3.0 hard drive which holds all my audio files. The hard drive is bus powered so I run it off a externally powered 3.0 hub. USB 3.0 bus powered hard drives are notoriously noisy and can inject a lot of noise back into the usb bus. So hooked the USB hub into the second Jitterbug and got another decent boost in sound quality.The only downside is it kills the transfer rate of data to the hard drive. I have to unplug the jitterbug from the hub and hook directly into the laptop to get any kind of decent transfer rate when I add new music to my hard drive.
 
Sorry for the long winded post, you asked about the Wyrd and I ended up writing more about the Jitterbug than the Wyrd. I guess to answer your question directly, yes, the wyrd made a nice difference but I found the combination of the Wyrd and the Jitterbug to make an even bigger improvement.

 

[cyberridz]

Finally got my Bifrost 4490 board in the mail today. This is what it looks like:
 
 

 
It has a new AKM 4490 chip, apart from one component on the board, it looks almost identical to the older Uber board. Build quality is similar.
 

 
This is the Bifrost board with the older Uber card.
 

 
The Bifrost board with the new 4490 card installed.
 
 
First impressions:
 
Sounds nothing like the old Bifrost and Bifrost Uber.
 
Some initial impressions:
 
- Much wider soundstage and a more "airy" presentation than the older Bifrost. This is by far the biggest improvement from the two older boards.
- More relaxed character but doesn't sacrifice detail.
- I would also say that the timing feels a little "faster" - but not at all fatiguing and does not affect it's relaxed character.
- Sounds warmer and less fatiguing. In my opinion, it is not neutral.
- It has a very analogue feel to the sound, very natural and vocals are very pleasant to listen to.
- The vocals take center-stage. It is quite forward in terms of (vocal) presentation (but still retains that airy presentation, but not as close and intimate as some DACs such as the HRT Music Streamer II).
- There is also more sparkle to the voices - especial women's voices.
- Bass is tighter and more coherent than the older Uber. Kind of reminds me of the Asgard 2's bass.
- I wouldn't say it has more bass performance, but the bass is cleaner, clearer and more defined - and very well balanced.
- Everything sounds well balanced, from the lows, mids and all the way up to the highs.
- It also has a tad more gain, it also sounds as if it is slightly "louder".
- Good emphasis on micro-detail, especially things like echoes (of vocals) during live performances in large concert halls. It conveys a good sense of space (e.g. Diana Krall Live in Paris album).
 
Downsides:
 
- Voices can sound a little "grainy" but not really a problem.
- Not as full-bodied as I would like it to be. Vocals do sound a little thin at times.
- Vocals can be "shouty".
 
 
All in all, a very fine DAC and a worthy replacement for the original Bifrost and Bifrost Uber and well worth the upgrade.
Very happy with it to be honest.
 

 
Hope this helps.

 

[hifin00b117]

  Finally got my Bifrost 4490 board in the mail today. This is what it looks like:
 
 

 
It has a new AKM 4490 chip, apart from one component on the board, it looks almost identical to the older Uber board. Build quality is similar.
 

 
This is the Bifrost board with the older Uber card.
 

 
The Bifrost board with the new 4490 card installed.
 
 
First impressions:
 
Sounds nothing like the old Bifrost and Bifrost Uber.
 
Some initial impressions:
 
- Much wider soundstage and a more "airy" presentation than the older Bifrost. This is by far the biggest improvement from the two older boards.
- More relaxed character but doesn't sacrifice detail.
- I would also say that the timing feels a little "faster" - but not at all fatiguing and does not affect it's relaxed character.
- Sounds warmer and less fatiguing. In my opinion, it is not neutral.
- It has a very analogue feel to the sound, very natural and vocals are very pleasant to listen to.
- The vocals take center-stage. It is quite forward in terms of (vocal) presentation.
- There is also more sparkle to the voices - especial women's voices.
- Bass is tighter and more coherent than the older Uber. Kind of reminds me of the Asgard 2's bass.
- I wouldn't say it has more bass performance, but the bass is cleaner, clearer and more defined - and very well balanced.
- Everything sounds well balanced, from the lows, mids and all the way up to the highs.
- It also has a tad more gain, it also sounds as if it is slightly "louder".
 
Downsides:
 
- Voices can sound a little "grainy" but not really a problem.
 
 
All in all, a very fine DAC and a worthy replacement for the original Bifrost and Bifrost Uber and well worth the upgrade.
Very happy with it to be honest.
 

 
Hope this helps.

Almost exactly my first impressions. I received mine yesterday and I'm loving every bit of it. will there a burn-in time to get ultimate sound?

 

[Torq]

 
Almost exactly my first impressions. I received mine yesterday and I'm loving every bit of it. will there a burn-in time to get ultimate sound?

While my upgrade was from the original Bifrost (non-uber) to the 4490 (I have an Yggy for primary listening and multi-bit duties), I haven't noticed any real change in how it sounds over the last month or so.  YMMV

 

[cyberridz]

I seem to be noticing some very tiny amounts of pops on some songs. Don't know if it is my source files on iTunes? Has anyone noticed this?

 

[cishida]

  Yes, the Wyrd definitely made a nice difference in my chain. I run audio to my headphone setup from a decent Lenovo L440 laptop. I bought the Wyrd on a whim just to try it out, thinking that laptops in general are more prone to noise from their usb ports. I was skeptical as the bifrost only uses usb power for the usb receiver.
 
I found with the Wyrd in the chain the sound of my system flowed more smoothly overall and was a bit more dynamic. It made a pretty large difference, not quite night and day but noticeable. About a month later I tried an Audioquest Jitterbug. My chain was laptop->jitterbug->wyrd->bifrost->amp. It definitely changed the sound but I didn't think in a good way. Everything became too dynamically compressed and overly warm. I listened to this configuration for a day or two and decided to put the Jitterbug after the Wyrd. Made a huge difference. The dynamics had returned and improved and the overall presentation became very clear but smooth at the same time.
 
I bought a second Jitterbug to connect to my external USB 3.0 hard drive which holds all my audio files. The hard drive is bus powered so I run it off a externally powered 3.0 hub. USB 3.0 bus powered hard drives are notoriously noisy and can inject a lot of noise back into the usb bus. So hooked the USB hub into the second Jitterbug and got another decent boost in sound quality.The only downside is it kills the transfer rate of data to the hard drive. I have to unplug the jitterbug from the hub and hook directly into the laptop to get any kind of decent transfer rate when I add new music to my hard drive.
 
Sorry for the long winded post, you asked about the Wyrd and I ended up writing more about the Jitterbug than the Wyrd. I guess to answer your question directly, yes, the wyrd made a nice difference but I found the combination of the Wyrd and the Jitterbug to make an even bigger improvement.

I second this comment about the wyrd + jitterbug + bifrost. Surprisingly big improvement

 

[resonate]

I just ordered the 4490 Bifrost today and I am looking forward to comparing it to my Musical Fidelity V90-DAC (which will hopefully get replaced by the Bifrost!).

 

[cyberridz]

After a few days of listening to the 4490, my conclusion is that it is a superb DAC, surpassing many in it's price range. When paired with the right headphone, it can be sublime. I have been listening to it with my Grado SR80i and a pair of Hifiman HE-400 headphones. Been listening to stuff like Diana Krall and Sade and the vocals are amazing. A really good DAC in my opinion!

 

[cyberridz]

  I just ordered the 4490 Bifrost today and I am looking forward to comparing it to my Musical Fidelity V90-DAC (which will hopefully get replaced by the Bifrost!).

 
I would be interested in that comparison too

 

[hifin00b117]

So, what are everyone's impressions?

 

[raysay]

So, what are your impressions?

 

[youngbell]

Thanks for the impression! Owning Bifrost Uber and pretty curious about the sound of 4490.

 

[crazychile]

I'm a former owner of the original Bifrost Uber. I have since had it upgraded to multibit and am enjoying the improvement. I haven't heard a '4490, but it's supposed to be better than the original Bifrost Uber. If this is the case, it is an absolute steal at $399 and I would recommend anyone considering a first DAC to look at it seriously. I had upgraded from a Modi to the Bifrost Uber and it was a bigger jump in performance than when I upgraded my amp from a Vali to the Lyr 2.
 
So while not much of an impression, but more of an opinion, you can't really go wrong with the '4490. I would be surprised if anything less than $500-600 sounds any better, but that's speculation. I welcome hearing comparisons between the '4490 and other DACs in this price range.

 

[resonate]

   
I would be interested in that comparison too

 
Well I've had the Bitfrost for two weeks now and haven't once felt the desire to go back to the V90-DAC.  So I’m going to be giving my thoughts on the V90 based on what I remember.  I never upgraded the PSU on the V90 so this comparison is with the small stock power supply it came with.   One of the big things I noticed that I didn't like initially with the V90-DAC was that its sound was really laid back and it took some time to get used to.  Also, after getting my loudspeakers completely restored a few months ago (KEF 104/2s) I started to notice that there was also an upper mid shrillness to everything being streamed digitally which I didn't enjoy.  All my audio files are 16bit 44.1khz lossless or better. 

 
The Bitfrost definitely solved both of those issues for me.  I immediately noticed with the Bitfrost that overall the sound I started getting wasn't as laidback as the V90-DAC and the upper mid band shrill quality was completely gone (yay Michael Stipe’s voice is no longer hard to listen to!).  Other differences seemed more subtle at first, but over a few listening sessions I noticed that with the 4490 the sound is more concise and focused, the highs are smooth yet more forward, I hear more detail, everything has a bit more presence to it, not as much 'smear' going on, and the bass has a nice tight deep sound (better than the w/ the V90).  The only positive I remember with the V90 was that vocals seemed to ‘pop’ out of the mix a bit more, which I liked, but overall I personally like the 4490 better.  I have no intentions of going back to the V90.