[Br777]

Quote:

All good points Kremer.
 
FWIW, I have two DACs - the EE MiniMax and Jan's StageDAC - that cost more and I suppose might arguably be considered 'higher end'.
 
Yet I preordered the bifrost anyway, because (a) what a good price and (b) I like the Lyr, let's see what their DAC can do.
 
Anyway, I'm not sure my order (#101) is still in the works - the cc I use with Paypal expired two months ago. Although I updated it Paypal's message indicates the order's lapsed and I need to contact Schiit. Not a high priority ATM...

I used to own the Eastern Electric minimax - it was a great dac, and went for around $800 when i bought it.  I'll be very curious to see what happens if you compare it to the bifrost. 
 
If the bifrost performed at that level.. wow.  though dont know if it could be expected to or not. 

 

[Argo Duck]

Br777 - I think highly of the MiniMax too. It's my preferred headphone DAC ATM, with the StageDAC preferred with my speaker rig. I actually think the MM pairs better with Jan's Concerto than the StageDAC (hope he's not reading this <grin>).
 
I'll certainly post a comparison once I get the bifrost - but that might be a while...hmm, maybe I'll contact Schiit and tell them to go ahead and re-charge if they have to

 

[shack]

Quote:

 
James Blake - James Blake:  ...There are even passages where you can hear he's been recording in his home (I think) as there's an ever so faint street noise / chatter in the background. 
 

Hey hp300plus thanks for the review, I'm also a huge fan of that album. I was just wondering which song was it that had you notice this background noise? I've never noticed it myself and I'd love to see if I can hear it just for fun.
 
Thanks
 

 

[wiinippongamer]

Quote:

how come all the early reviews are people coming from MUCH lesser dacs? marketing scheme? of course all initial reviews are glowing if theyre comign from portable/sub 150$ dacs. if it is marketing... its genius.  people im sure always talk to schiit about their gear and how theyre excited, etc.  if i were a company, id take that to my advantage.  ship out early units to early orders with much lesser gear.. get the early word + extra sales out. then send the rest. 
 
make any sense? or just over thinking things... u be the judge.

 

[Elysian]

The Bifrost is a direct upgrade for folks using Fiio DACs and such.  I don't think you're going to be seeing people with Benchmarks, W4S DAC2, and PerfectWaves purchase the Bifrost unless it's for secondary systems.
 
I'm interested in how the Bifrost performs for work and a possible gift for friends getting into audio.

 

[tim3320070]

I was suggesting a sounder course for upgrading of his system- if you people think $400 worth of (useless IMO) cables is better than top end headphones for listening I guess there's nothing to say. Calling me a troll was ignorant. I have tried quite a bit in the way of cables and there is essentially no difference between $4 Monoprice power cables (5 in my system) and $1000 power cables (other than being able to fend off a robber with the $1000 one more effectively). My electrical engineering friend laughs at the prospect.
 
Good review.
 
Back on topic now................................

 

[ecohifi]

Quote:

All good points Kremer.
 
FWIW, I have two DACs - the EE MiniMax and Jan's StageDAC - that cost more and I suppose might arguably be considered 'higher end'.
 
Yet I preordered the bifrost anyway, because (a) what a good price and (b) I like the Lyr, let's see what their DAC can do.
 
Anyway, I'm not sure my order (#101) is still in the works - the cc I use with Paypal expired two months ago. Although I updated it Paypal's message indicates the order's lapsed and I need to contact Schiit. Not a high priority ATM...

I will be interested in your findings cause I have a mini max plus and have expressed interest in this dac
 

 

[Br777]

Well the bifrost certainly seems to pack in a lot more for the money than most dacs do, so any comparisons to higher end dacs that can be made will be very welcome.
 
comparing dacs is quite difficult though, unless there are vast differences in quality between the two.  Of course any time you cant instantly a/b the job becomes harder as well.
 

 

[Kremer930]

AiDee. I would have loved to have seen a review comparing to minimax and the Bifrost. 
 
And for what it is worth...I do think that there will be cases of people upgrading from more expensive dacs just as there was with the Lyr. Time will tell. 

 

[Maxvla]

how come all the early reviews are people coming from MUCH lesser dacs? marketing scheme? of course all initial reviews are glowing if theyre comign from portable/sub 150$ dacs. if it is marketing... its genius.  people im sure always talk to schiit about their gear and how theyre excited, etc.  if i were a company, id take that to my advantage.  ship out early units to early orders with much lesser gear.. get the early word + extra sales out. then send the rest. 
 
make any sense? or just over thinking things... u be the judge.

Not true.2 of the very earliest impressions were from DacMagic owners. The Dacmagic while, technically inferior due to the design's age, is more expensive. Sound wise the Bifrost spanks the Dacmagic.

 

[hp300plus]

@shack - it was track 7 "Give Me My Month" at around 1:45 (as the song is ending) you can hear it.  After hearing it a couple times again, it sounds like a TV or something, but muffled as if it's in another room.  You can also hear something similar at the beginning of the track with some footsteps too.  It just comes in super clear for me and it didn't before with the uDac2 - even the piano key presses (not the actual chords) come through super clear.
 
To all the other Head-fi'ers providing thanks, your very welcome.  Glad I could do it.
 
P.S. No conspiracies here. I still really like my uDac2 and it will find a new home at work now.
 
 

 

[grokit]

 
Quote:

Not true.2 of the very earliest impressions were from DacMagic owners. The Dacmagic while, technically inferior due to the design's age, is more expensive. Sound wise the Bifrost spanks the Dacmagic.

Comparing apples to apples (including the USB option on the Bifrost), the DacMagic is actually $20 cheaper. But considering the difference between the USB receivers alone, you get a lot for that $20.

 

[Maxvla]

 

Comparing apples to apples (including the USB option on the Bifrost), the DacMagic is actually $20 cheaper.

True but with the Dacmagic only coming in one configuration you are forced to buy the whole thing even if you won't use USB like I have not for a while. You can get a good sounding Bifrost in your hands for cheaper.

 

[Butler]

The Bifrost is a direct upgrade for folks using Fiio DACs and such.  I don't think you're going to be seeing people with Benchmarks, W4S DAC2, and PerfectWaves purchase the Bifrost unless it's for secondary systems.
 
I'm interested in how the Bifrost performs for work and a possible gift for friends getting into audio.

A possible gift for friends?

Dang man, we need to be friends if you're dropping money like this on housewarming presents.

Granted your housewarming gifts may be going to people in your neck of the woods, ie orange county/beverly hills.

 

[Elysian]

Those folks (OC/Beverly Hills) live down there with the Real Housewives   The Bay Area is Northern Cali.  Very different cultures and attitudes, along with 400 miles of separation.
 
Not a surprise to hear that the Bifrost has advanced the price-performance ratio appreciably.  DACs are probably the part of the chain that technologically advances quicker than any other part of a setup.  I wouldn't recommend that most people drop more than $1-2k on a DAC except for a few rare exceptions.  It's encouraging to hear that so many think the Bifrost is a step ahead of the DacMagic.