Schiit Eitr impression and USB-SPDIF converters discussion

[Puma Cat]

Ah I see, thanks! Maybe this is why it outperforms the F1 since the F1 uses the power from the USB port?

Comparing them may seem a bit unfair seeing that the use case for both are slightly different to begin with

This is certainly part of the reason, but not the entire reason. Schiit did considerable work to isolate both the USB and S/PDIF circuits from RF and EM noise, as well as using an ultra-low jitter oscillator.As a consequence both the USB AND the S/PDIF circuits have separate linear power supplies, and each are isolated independently and from each other, using transformers instead of optocouplers.

They basically pulled out all the stops in making Eitr the best possible product it could be. For more detail, I recommend you read the Chapter entitled "Skipping a Generation" in the "Schiit Happened" e-book that is here in it's own forum on Head-Fi. There you can read in detail about the lengths they went to with Eitr. IMHO, it's a blockbuster product when you consider the level of performance and functionality at the price.

 

[dmhenley]

After two weeks with the Eitr in my system, I am at a point where I'm calling the digital chain done. For now
Time to enjoy the music - and, it does sound more like music than ever. The Eitr is an easy recommendation.

 

[exdmd]

This is certainly part of the reason, but not the entire reason. Schiit did considerable work to isolate both the USB and S/PDIF circuits from RF and EM noise, as well as using an ultra-low jitter oscillator.As a consequence both the USB AND the S/PDIF circuits have separate linear power supplies, and each are isolated independently and from each other, using transformers instead of optocouplers.

They basically pulled out all the stops in making Eitr the best possible product it could be. For more detail, I recommend you read the Chapter entitled "Skipping a Generation" in the "Schiit Happened" e-book that is here in it's own forum on Head-Fi. There you can read in detail about the lengths they went to with Eitr. IMHO, it's a blockbuster product when you consider the level of performance and functionality at the price.

If you are still looking for "Skipping a Generation" (like I was) here is the direct link.

 

[Puma Cat]

After two weeks with the Eitr in my system, I am at a point where I'm calling the digital chain done. For now
Time to enjoy the music - and, it does sound more like music than ever. The Eitr is an easy recommendation.

Yeah, it's really a great product.

Killer, IMHO.

 

[exdmd]

Customer service told me today that Eitr will be on back order for a few more weeks they are waiting on parts. If you want the Gen 5 USB right away you would have to buy Bifrost. A Bifrost Multibit is $599 while the combination of Eitr and Modi 2 Multibit is $428 which seems very good value compared to the Bifrost Multibit if you don't mind waiting for Eitr to be back in stock.

Puma Cat do you think the Bifrost Multibit is sonically superior to the Eitr / Modi 2 Multbit stack? Enough to justify the extra cost for the Bifrost Multibit?

 

[NHSkier]

Has anyone compared the Eitr to the Bryston BUC-1 USB converter?

 

[Ghosthouse]

Folks - I'm curious what USB cables into the Eitr owners are using. Am running an Aries Mini into Eitr using a 2 meter length of Kimber silver something or other. It wasn't too expensive when I got it several years ago from Audio Advisor, so thinking it is silver plated copper and not pure silver. It does not look to have much shielding at all. The body is maybe 3/8" - <1/2" diameter and almost transparent. Sort of red/brown colored.

For house-keeping if nothing else, I'd like to get a shorter length (e.g., 0.75 - 1.0 meter). Don't want to spend a lot. Under $100, preferably. Looking at the Pangea AG or the Pangea Premier SE. Wireworld Starlight 7 is another candidate though right at the $100 mark.

If this has already been discussed w/ref to Eitr, my apologies. I searched but couldn't find much. Please direct me to that HeadFi discussion if it exists or please provide me with your experience.

Thanks in advance.

Folks - a quick update. I ended up going with intuition and my curiosity and ordered a Pangea USB AG from Audio Advisor. For $29.99 and 30 days to return it if unhappy, it seemed a safe bet compared to some of the higher priced options. Those could have been auditioned courtesy of the Cable Co. so factor in some impatience on my part to hear the new thing. Thanks to all that made suggestions. No offense intended by not following your various recommendations.

What I can say is that the Pangea AG is excellent in my system. I belatedly read some on-line comments about it being bright. Happy to report, it doesn't sound that way to me. The sound is full and neutral with very nice detail. Bass is very strong. Soundstage depth is more evident. It's certainly a step up from the slightly more expensive Kimber B Bus USB and a "generic" USB that came with the TEAC CDP I have (which generic USB I actually liked better than the Kimber). I think there is definitely something special about solid silver. Bottom line: very Happy with how things are sounding. Black Cat Silverstar 75! digital coax, Eitr, Pangea AG USB, Gungnir w/MB upgrade have transformed the system. Listening to recordings I'm very familiar with is almost like hearing them for the first time.

Prior to installation of the Pangea AG USB, I did go back and listen with the V-Link 192 connected via Douk Mall split USB (5V Enercell power supply). Tonally the Eitr and V-Link seem the same but what I did notice with the V-Link is that the sound stage seemed to flatten and instrument/sound location horizontally became less precise. Eitr w/the Pangea AG is like that final lens tried at the eye doc where things just snap into perfect focus. Really enjoying the system now more than ever.

Apologies to NHSkier for stepping on their inquiry. Re-posting it below:

Has anyone compared the Eitr to the Bryston BUC-1 USB converter?

 

[darkarn]

This is certainly part of the reason, but not the entire reason. Schiit did considerable work to isolate both the USB and S/PDIF circuits from RF and EM noise, as well as using an ultra-low jitter oscillator.As a consequence both the USB AND the S/PDIF circuits have separate linear power supplies, and each are isolated independently and from each other, using transformers instead of optocouplers.

They basically pulled out all the stops in making Eitr the best possible product it could be. For more detail, I recommend you read the Chapter entitled "Skipping a Generation" in the "Schiit Happened" e-book that is here in it's own forum on Head-Fi. There you can read in detail about the lengths they went to with Eitr. IMHO, it's a blockbuster product when you consider the level of performance and functionality at the price.

Ah I see, this convinces me! Helps that I have and am enjoying a Mimby right now. Looks like I will be getting an Eitr soon! Thanks!

And yeah, gonna catch up on the ebook, it is a bit difficult since the Head-fi revamp

If you are still looking for "Skipping a Generation" (like I was) here is the direct link.

Thanks for the link!

 

[Puma Cat]

Customer service told me today that Eitr will be on back order for a few more weeks they are waiting on parts. If you want the Gen 5 USB right away you would have to buy Bifrost. A Bifrost Multibit is $599 while the combination of Eitr and Modi 2 Multibit is $428 which seems very good value compared to the Bifrost Multibit if you don't mind waiting for Eitr to be back in stock.

Puma Cat do you think the Bifrost Multibit is sonically superior to the Eitr / Modi 2 Multbit stack? Enough to justify the extra cost for the Bifrost Multibit?

Hi exdmd,
It really comes down to how you define which product provides the biggest "value proposition". I would imagine Modi 2 Multibit with Eitr would sound quite good and be a worthwhile value propositon at the price. I haven't heard or compared either of these Multibit DACs but I did own one of the original version rev1 Bifrosts, and I can tell you that a Rev 1 Bifrost sounds better than a Modi 2 Uber, so its a logical presumption that a Gen 5 equipped Bifrost MB would sound better than a Modi 2 MB/Eitr combination and also for me, it would be a better value proposition. Here's why I say that: in my comparison with my Gen 5 Gumby and Gumby Eitr, while both sounded excellent, and significantly better than Gen 2 USB, personally I prefer the Gen 5 USB on Gumby slightly to using Eitr; Gumby has a bit more presence and immediacy than Gumby/Eitr S/PDIF, which is a bit smoother but more laid-back sounding. On my tube-based amplification, I'm getting a really good synergy because the tubes provide a very nice, smooth and liquid presentation.

Also: Bifrost has a considerably better power supply than Modi 2 MB,*and* it can be powered with an aftermarket power cord, e.g. a Shunyata Venom, for example. And IMO, one cannot overstate the importance of a superior power supply and clean AC power in the sound performance of component; it's a *big* deal. Companies like NAIM have staked their reputations on PS upgrades for their source components, preamps and amps. Improving the engineering specification of a power supply in a given component always brings benefits, all other factors being equal. The ability to use an aftermarket power cord that is really quiet and shielded brings another level of performance and lowers the noise floor still further. Additionally both the the DAC module and the USB ports of a Bifrost can be upgraded when and if meaningful improvments in either become available. so for me that is an additional value-add. So, I would personally opt for Bifrost MB Gen 5. Hope this helps.

 

[exdmd]

Hi exdmd,
It really comes down to how you define which product provides the biggest "value proposition". I would imagine Modi 2 Multibit with Eitr would sound quite good and be a worthwhile value propositon at the price. I haven't heard or compared either of these Multibit DACs but I did own one of the original version rev1 Bifrosts, and I can tell you that a Rev 1 Bifrost sounds better than a Modi 2 Uber, so its a logical presumption that a Gen 5 equipped Bifrost MB would sound better than a Modi 2 MB/Eitr combination and also for me, it would be a better value proposition. Here's why I say that: in my comparison with my Gen 5 Gumby and Gumby Eitr, while both sounded excellent, and significantly better than Gen 2 USB, personally I prefer the Gen 5 USB on Gumby slightly to using Eitr; Gumby has a bit more presence and immediacy than Gumby/Eitr S/PDIF, which is a bit smoother but more laid-back sounding. On my tube-based amplification, I'm getting a really good synergy because the tubes provide a very nice, smooth and liquid presentation.

Also: Bifrost has a considerably better power supply than Modi 2 MB,*and* it can be powered with an aftermarket power cord, e.g. a Shunyata Venom, for example. And IMO, one cannot overstate the importance of a superior power supply and clean AC power in the sound performance of component; it's a *big* deal. Companies like NAIM have staked their reputations on PS upgrades for their source components, preamps and amps. Improving the engineering specification of a power supply in a given component always brings benefits, all other factors being equal. The ability to use an aftermarket power cord that is really quiet and shielded brings another level of performance and lowers the noise floor still further. Additionally both the the DAC module and the USB ports of a Bifrost can be upgraded when and if meaningful improvements in either become available. so for me that is an additional value-add. So, I would personally opt for Bifrost MB Gen 5. Hope this helps.

Thanks for your reply very helpful; I am going with the Bifrost MB Gen 5. The aftermarket power cord option is new to me looking into it.

 

[Puma Cat]

Folks - a quick update. I ended up going with intuition and my curiosity and ordered a Pangea USB AG from Audio Advisor. For $29.99 and 30 days to return it if unhappy, it seemed a safe bet compared to some of the higher priced options. Those could have been auditioned courtesy of the Cable Co. so factor in some impatience on my part to hear the new thing. Thanks to all that made suggestions. No offense intended by not following your various recommendations.

What I can say is that the Pangea AG is excellent in my system. I belatedly read some on-line comments about it being bright. Happy to report, it doesn't sound that way to me. The sound is full and neutral with very nice detail. Bass is very strong. Soundstage depth is more evident. It's certainly a step up from the slightly more expensive Kimber B Bus USB and a "generic" USB that came with the TEAC CDP I have (which generic USB I actually liked better than the Kimber). I think there is definitely something special about solid silver. Bottom line: very Happy with how things are sounding. Black Cat Silverstar 75! digital coax, Eitr, Pangea AG USB, Gungnir w/MB upgrade have transformed the system. Listening to recordings I'm very familiar with is almost like hearing them for the first time.

Prior to installation of the Pangea AG USB, I did go back and listen with the V-Link 192 connected via Douk Mall split USB (5V Enercell power supply). Tonally the Eitr and V-Link seem the same but what I did notice with the V-Link is that the sound stage seemed to flatten and instrument/sound location horizontally became less precise. Eitr w/the Pangea AG is like that final lens tried at the eye doc where things just snap into perfect focus. Really enjoying the system now more than ever.

Apologies to NHSkier for stepping on their inquiry. Re-posting it below:

Congrats on the new USB cable! As I mentioned a while back, I didn't buy into digital cables had an influence on sound quality, but found out quite differently. Glad you found found a solution that lets everything come fully together. Cheers.

 

[Puma Cat]

Thanks for your reply very helpful; I am going with the Bifrost MB Gen 5. The aftermarket power cord option is new to me looking into it.

I'd recommend something along the lines of a $95 Shunyata Venom 14 power cord (no affiliation) for your DAC. You will be very pleasantly suprised at the improvement it will bring. I was skeptical but bought two Shunyata Copperhead PCs on sale for the price of one and did a controlled experiment some years back and was "gobsmacked" at the improvement. I then did a demo experiment for an audio buddy who was as very skeptical, and his mouth literally dropped open at the improvement from installing *one* power cord.

Here's an example: Here's an AC probe showing electromagnetic radiation (aka "noise") leaking out from a HD TV power cord with the TV turned OFF. All this radiation is picked up by the red thin speaker wire (which literally acts like an antenna) you see to the right and can be fed back into the AVR amplifier as noise, adding grunge and hash to the sound presentation.

Here is a Shunyata power cord driving a Conrad-Johnson tube power amp pulling major current driving loudspeakers to a fairly loud volume: no leakage of AC EM radiation whatsoever. There's no noise in the form of RF and EM radiation leaking out of this cord, nor is there any getting into it while pulling current.

 

[ScareDe2]

Thanks for your reply very helpful; I am going with the Bifrost MB Gen 5. The aftermarket power cord option is new to me looking into it.

The Bimby Gen 5 is a very good product but do not forget: Cleaning the source is the most important, and hardest, thing to do in audio. Using a PC will provide more sound resolution but also more jitter, noises, interferences or whatever it is called. The Gen 5 do help in that regard but it doesn't solve everything.

Other thing to consider in my opinion:
replacing hard disk drive by solid state drive.
getting fanless cooling system
ground lifting the amplification with a ebtech hum exterminator
upgrading RCA cables if you are using cheap ones
among other things.
etc etc

 

[winders]

upgrading RCA cables if you are using cheap ones

What RCA cables do you like?

 

[ScareDe2]

What RCA cables do you like?

I have no personnal preference. I went to my nearest audio expert store and they have suggest me some kimber kable PBJ RCA cables. They costed me about $100 USD. I find they have increase the sound quality by 5%. 5% is very welcome. They are about two feet long. Do not buy longer cables because they tend to catch more interferences.