[johndean]

I use 5 Gungnirs in my active system. One of them is hooked up to a single-ended amplifier. I use the balanced outputs for that amplifier with a pair of simple XLR to RCA connector adapters. The amplifier has a volume control (input gain attenuator), but because the adapter is throwing away half the signal anyway, the inverted signal, the output levels are relatively safe for single-ended gear. I have never used converters. Soem of these convereters look like they are simply using a transformer to lower the output voltage, but then you are still going through a transformer. The balanced output stages of the Gungnir and Gungnir multibit are very good. I prefer them. If you feel the need to use the RCA single-ended outputs, by all means use them, but I feel the sound quality of using an XLR to RCA adpater is better because you are not listening to the summing circuit that is in the RCA output stage.

-TRQ

Thanks for your input . What xlr to rca adapter would you recommend . My integrated amp has only rca inputs and I would like to check out the xlr outputs of my Gungnir .

 

[TubemanRQ]

Thanks for your input . What xlr to rca adapter would you recommend . My integrated amp has only rca inputs and I would like to check out the xlr outputs of my Gungnir .

I simply use the XLR/RCA adapters from Guitar Center, here locally. It is the female XLR on one end, obviously, and the female RCA on the other end.
Frys Electronics also has them, or you can purchase them online. There are a few companies that make them. You can also make one from actual XLR connectors, then terminate the other end in RCA, then you won't be listening to an extra adapter! That should sound even better!

P.S. All they do is tie the inverted signal and ground together at the RCA ground. Pretty simple.

 

[Ableza]

"Why would you want to travel with a Gungnir?" Because I have a house in California and a house in the Philippines.

Ah.  Well that's different from "traveling" in my book.  I travel half the time for my work, which means flights and hotels and on the move and yes, all over the world.  I would never think of lugging along something as large and non-portable as a Gungnir. 

 

[Peaceofmind]

If I go to Schiit website and look at the a close up picture of the Gungnir circuit board, I can read this "6A 120V/250V, 50-60HZ" where the power cord connects to the board. And what I see that appears to look like a rectangular black jumper right next to each large transformers. It would make sense financially for Schiit to use power supply transformer with multiple 120V or 250V taps rather then to built two voltage specific power supplies.

 

[MattTCG]

Update on my problems with drop out over usb. I received the Wyrd this morning and the music has been playing for about four hours with perfect playback. Also, call me crazy but resolution is better and the noise floor is noticeably lower. 

  I know that there are bias involved here but I swear I hear an improvement using the Wyrd. 
 
Even with a new pc built from scratch with a high end Corsair psu, I still got drop prior to adding the Wyrd. I'm not sure how I feel about a $1250 dac that drops out at least once an hour over usb. My something is wrong with the usb board in my GMB and the Wyrd is able to alleviate the problem. Not sure. I do know that the sound is the GMB is the real deal and the best improvement I've made to my chain in a long time. 
 
At this point I'm glad to be listening and enjoying music again frustration free. 

 

[KarlMoody]

Hello to everybody! 
 
My first post on Head-Fi.
 
Has anyone compared the Schiit GMB to the Exasound E12/22? I'm looking to get a new DAC and would love to hear about your impressions. 
 
I'm running a HE-560/Lyr2 combo right now. ( My current DAC is the tiny M2Tech Hiface DAC ).
 
Thanks
Charles

 

[TubemanRQ]

  Update on my problems with drop out over usb. I received the Wyrd this morning and the music has been playing for about four hours with perfect playback. Also, call me crazy but resolution is better and the noise floor is noticeably lower. 

  I know that there are bias involved here but I swear I hear an improvement using the Wyrd. 
 
Even with a new pc built from scratch with a high end Corsair psu, I still got drop prior to adding the Wyrd. I'm not sure how I feel about a $1250 dac that drops out at least once an hour over usb. My something is wrong with the usb board in my GMB and the Wyrd is able to alleviate the problem. Not sure. I do know that the sound is the GMB is the real deal and the best improvement I've made to my chain in a long time. 
 
At this point I'm glad to be listening and enjoying music again frustration free. 

Hi Matt!
 
Ummmmmmmmm, you are NOT crazy! The digital data signal rides on an analog waveform, and the analog waveform is susceptible to noise. Even a "high-end" Corsair power supply is still a digital switching power supply, and those are just NOISY! Also, I would venture to say that my experience with the WYRD proves out that MOST consumer grade PC motherboards have VERY noisy USB outputs, along with mediocre capacitors, regulators, etc. Your GMB was trying to lock onto a signal and probably was getting overwhelmed with dirty power. There was probably a TON of data jitter on the USB output, which the WYRD has cleaned up considerably.
 
Do you use a power conditioner in your system also? If not I would HIGHLY recommend one. I use 4 Powervar power conditioners, 2 are 16-amp rated and 2 are 20-amp rated, and wouldn't listen to my system without  them!
 
Cheers!
 
P.S. There's a REASON I use THREE WYRDs in my system back to back. It sounds better!

 

 

[Shembot]

  P.S. There's a REASON I use THREE WYRDs in my system back to back. It sounds better!

 

 
I'm having trouble understanding why this would improve the sound quality based on how the Wyrd works. The Wyrd simply replaces the incoming dirty USB power and replaces it with its own linear power, and it reclocks in the incoming signal with a high-precision crystal oscillator. Once the power and signal come out of the Wyrd, they're already cleaned and reclocked...doing it again would just be throwing away clean power and replacing it with equally clean power and then reclocking an already precisely clocked signal. 

 

[thomascrown]

If I go to Schiit website and look at the a close up picture of the Gungnir circuit board, I can read this "6A 120V/250V, 50-60HZ" where the power cord connects to the board. And what I see that appears to look like a rectangular black jumper right next to each large transformers. It would make sense financially for Schiit to use power supply transformer with multiple 120V or 250V taps rather then to built two voltage specific power supplies.

I have your same problem, so I asked schiit for a solution,they suggested me to buy a transformer or buy another brand.

 

[Peaceofmind]

It's easy enough to buy a 220V to 110V transformer in a foreign country and plug your 115V Gungnir into that. Most companies that have a jumper to switch a component between foreign and domestic input voltage are reluctant to say so because they're afraid their component can be bought domestically then changed to a foreign voltage and sold oversea on the black market.

 

[Peaceofmind]

If these are jumpers, the plastic rectangular things right next to each transformer on the Gungnir circuit board then it should be easy to pull straight off the the circuit board. On the circuit board itself, under where the jumper was removed, you should see 4 pins sticking straight up. Now with the small plastic jumper in your hand test each connection on the jumper itself with a multimeter set to Continuity Beep. I only speculating now but I think you will find for 120V usage, pins 1-2 are shorted or beeping on the multimeter as well as pins 3-4 are shorted on the jumper. Again this is only speculation, for 230V usage, on those small plastic jumpers probably only the middle pins 3-4 are shorted.

We will never know until someone here removes the metal casing, removes the jumpers (if they are jumpers) and test for continuity. Schiit is not going to release that information.

 

[Peaceofmind]

So much bull of Schiit Audio being the people DAC or a populist audio company. They can tell you to look elsewhere because they know they have a hot product. Sorry Schiit Audio wasn't more helpful in your asking for a solution to your foreign and domestic input voltage usage.

 

[wahsmoh]

I have your same problem, so I asked schiit for a solution,they suggested me to buy a transformer or buy another brand.

Nothing wrong with that idea. I use a Goldsource 220V-120V step down transformer for my 1995 EAD CD-1000 Series III (240V) that I bought from Europe. It's better than going through the effort to get it modified and switched.

 

[cskippy]

Schiit is just doing like any company and covering their butts.  It's also better for you, the customer, so you don't accidentally damage your Gungnir.  Just buy a step up or step down transformer.  Like $30.

 

[Argo Duck]

^ +1 to cskippy's post.

And...where and when has Schiit claimed they produce the "people DAC" or that they are "populist". They claim (paraphrasing) to provide good engineering at sensible prices, produced in the USA. If others have used terms like "people DAC" and "populist" of Schiit, that's other people. Don't confuse the two.

Reading Jason's very revealing 'story of Schiit' thread, they (sometimes) suggest to some potential customers to consider another product because they don't believe any company can be all things to all people and survive. Reduced options keep costs down.

This has nothing to do with thinking either they or their products are "hot".