[Puma Cat]

Hey there Puma...
Enjoyed reading your well-written review. Found your digital photog. and EL-34 vs KT120 tube analogies helpful.

Thank you. I'll update my impressions as I go back and forth a bit more over time....

 

[ScareDe2]

I received the GEN 5 bimby. It sounds better, but there is still room for improvement. The groove is still lacking. If I had to put exact numbers on how it sounds, I would say it grooves only to 50% of what you would feel when you listen to the music in a club, in your car or with your headphone plug in a portable CD. Even a mp3 player like my samsung galaxy give me more feel of the music. On the other hand, the depth, details, well, the "digitalness" of the sound is improved. the image, stage, richness is improved. This is exactly what you would expect and what you pay for.

This is not an endgame for USB but an interesting step.

 

[winders]

I received the GEN 5 bimby. It sounds better, but there is still room for improvement. The groove is still lacking. If I had to put exact numbers on how it sounds, I would say it grooves only to 50% of what you would feel when you listen to the music in a club, in your car or with your headphone plug in a portable CD. Even a mp3 player like my samsung galaxy give me more feel of the music. On the other hand, the depth, details, well, the "digitalness" of the sound is improved. the image, stage, richness is improved. This is exactly what you would expect and what you pay for.

This is not an endgame for USB but an interesting step.

Your CD player or phone do not have a better DAC than Bimby or even Mimby. So, if you aren't getting the sound you think you should, it's time to look at other components in the chain.....

 

[ScareDe2]

Your CD player or phone do not have a better DAC than Bimby or even Mimby. So, if you aren't getting the sound you think you should, it's time to look at other components in the chain.....

A $50k DAC did not solve the USB problem. CD players and mp3 players are not USB so they don't have this issue.

I also think, since those companies are in the business of selling decrapifiers and improved USB receivers, it's fair to compare what they actually do, since that is what we pay for.

I have 3 PC at home. All the same result.

 

[theveterans]

I received the GEN 5 bimby. It sounds better, but there is still room for improvement. The groove is still lacking. If I had to put exact numbers on how it sounds, I would say it grooves only to 50% of what you would feel when you listen to the music in a club, in your car or with your headphone plug in a portable CD

Maybe you just prefer those sounds instead of the smooth sound from Bimby. Anyways, Bimby to me never sounded flat and doesn't fail to give a smile to my face every time I listen to my tunes

 

[ScareDe2]

I think the Bimby is capable of neutrality. I am not a technician but I will not be surprised if Schiit keep improving their USB input board.

 

[JoeKickass]

I think the Eitr is fantastic!

I could never use my Modi Multibit with my usb hub because of a nasty buzz caused by my mouse/keyboard in the same hub.
I had to plug the Modi directly to my laptop, which meant I couldn't share it with my other computer.

But with the Eitr I can go through my hub, a usb switch, and it's quieter than the Modi directly connected to my laptop!

 

[Puma Cat]

I think the Eitr is fantastic!

I could never use my Modi Multibit with my usb hub because of a nasty buzz caused by my mouse/keyboard in the same hub.
I had to plug the Modi directly to my laptop, which meant I couldn't share it with my other computer.

But with the Eitr I can go through my hub, a usb switch, and it's quieter than the Modi directly connected to my laptop!

Yes, it is. It completely transformed the sound of my Modi 2 Uber from a DAC that was "okay" to one that I really enjoyed listening to. And yes, not having your DAC directly connected to a computer will definitely make it quieter, which is always a good thing. Computers and computer USB ports are very noisy, grungy, hashy-sounding devices.

 

[jdev]

Why would anyone choose Eitr over a RCA SPDIF PCIe card?? If your USB ports are dirty/laggy, then the best solution is to cut them out of the chain. This product makes no sense to me.

 

[jseymour]

Because the PC card is using the same power as the USB ports. I started with a PC based music system a decade ago. Between Computer Audiophile touting the benefits of their C.A.S.H. PC build and The Absolute Sound reviewing 10 PCI sound cards and their choosing the ESI juli@ as #1, I was off. I have upgraded every component, except for the PC in the last 10 years. I upgraded my DAC to a Schiit Yggy. I upgraded my PC out to a Yellowtec PUC2 Lite (USB to AES) and fed it separate linear DC power. Big improvement over the ESI sound card. Recently, I replaced the Yellowtec with a Schiit Eitr and again it was an improvement. Another slight improvement is I convert the SPDIF to AES with a Neutrik transformer. Bottom line, you want to isolate/regenerate the digital signal from the PC and introduce separate clean power.

 

[jdev]

What about a brand new TOTL Seasonic titanium PSU? For 179 you can get clean power to your whole PC and not just one port.

 

[jseymour]

You don't want power supplies with fans in your PC.. They generate electrical noise (RFI & EMI). I think them in the same terms as Clean Coal.

 

[JoeKickass]

Why would anyone choose Eitr over a RCA SPDIF PCIe card?? If your USB ports are dirty/laggy, then the best solution is to cut them out of the chain. This product makes no sense to me.

The Eitr gives you a high quality connection even through really noisy usb hubs and other usb gadgets; now I can use a usb switch to alternate between two (or more) computers in an instant!

 

[jdev]

You don't want power supplies with fans in your PC.. They generate electrical noise (RFI & EMI). I think them in the same terms as Clean Coal.

Not sure how much that matters, but the fan won't kick on until you're at like 70% load, which would only happen MAYBE during production, never just listening.

 

[jseymour]

I looked at the Seasonic Titanium power supplies and they all take an AC input. Ideally, your AC to DC conversion is done external to the PC. A purist music PC would never have had a direct AC input. How much difference this all makes, particularly with the latest generation of USB converters I have no idea? Perhaps it;s all moot now with products like the Eitr. But a Seasonic power supply and a sound card. I wouldn't. Any C.A.S.H. PC with an Eitr would be better.