[pavement714]

Hey everyone, just wanted to say that I recently went from the Bimby to the Gumby for my HE1000 and it was absolutely worth the upgrade. I honestly wasn't expecting the upgrade to be as big as it was, as I loved the sound of the Bimby. It's the most "holographic", accurate sound I've ever gotten from a digital source into a pair of headphones. It's incredible, to be honest. Highly recommended.

 

[DWbirdseye]

 
 It's the most "holographic", accurate sound I've ever gotten from a digital source into a pair of headphones. It's incredible, to be honest. Highly recommended.

^ +++++

 

[joeexp]

I did exactly the same: Bimby>Gumby>Bliss
 
Nothing wrong with the Bimby though! 

 

[theaterdesign]

Wanted to share impressions, having taken delivery of the Gungnir Multibit just this Thursday! It went in my main 2.1 setup with MK Sound S-300 mains, MK X-10 sub, Wireworld interconnects with Parasound Halo pre/A-21 power amp fed by J River bit perfect WAV. Was previously using the onboard USB DAC in the P5 pre, which is a great DAC that we have enjoyed very resolving/musical results with, an amazing value to get that great of DA conversion in that nice pre and it has been enjoyed. 
 
Unpacked Gungnir, downloaded USB drivers and installed per instructions- was painless and I had playback on the first try. Just went with the WASAPI that J River presented, as had gotten home late and just wanted to get it running for the "cook dinner" playlist. Had the same report as many others, Gungnir sounded good, but not mind-blowingly so: soundstage was immediately different dimensionally, vocals sounded great, detailed and the biggest immediate benefit heard was a tightening of the bass and an improved sense of rhythm/motion in the low end. It also sounded overly dense and a touch hard/brite/slightly strident/intense? A few times we commented among ourselves that it sounded correct, cymbals nice, we were wondering if we liked it better than the Parasound...........
 
As the music listening progressed, you did have to admit the vinyl-ness others have talked about with this DAC, a song like the Stone's Brown Sugar that you maybe first heard on vinyl presented like that...... enjoyable! The big surprise was just from streaming an episode of Vikings on Roku via PCM stereo over optical though. It was a freaking amazing connected huge, huge, huge soundstage rich with spatial cues and scary good!! Left J River shuffling bits into Gungnir next 24 hr while sleeping, working etc, can't wait to get home!!
 
Good 1st day, for my sensibilities/life and the price of this DAC, Gungnir MB will have to be very good to justify not taking advantage of Schiit's 15 day return window. But if it lives up somewhat to the legend many claim it to be, they will have me very gladly paying about twice what I would really want to spend in this area as an investment in enjoyment.....   

 

[nordkapp]

Wanted to share impressions, having taken delivery of the Gungnir Multibit just this Thursday! It went in my main 2.1 setup with MK Sound S-300 mains, MK X-10 sub, Wireworld interconnects with Parasound Halo pre/A-21 power amp fed by J River bit perfect WAV. Was previously using the onboard USB DAC in the P5 pre, which is a great DAC that we have enjoyed very resolving/musical results with, an amazing value to get that great of DA conversion in that nice pre and it has been enjoyed. 

Unpacked Gungnir, downloaded USB drivers and installed per instructions- was painless and I had playback on the first try. Just went with the WASAPI that J River presented, as had gotten home late and just wanted to get it running for the "cook dinner" playlist. Had the same report as many others, Gungnir sounded good, but not mind-blowingly so: soundstage was immediately different dimensionally, vocals sounded great, detailed and the biggest immediate benefit heard was a tightening of the bass and an improved sense of rhythm/motion in the low end. It also sounded overly dense and a touch hard/brite/slightly strident/intense? A few times we commented among ourselves that it sounded correct, cymbals nice, we were wondering if we liked it better than the Parasound...........

As the music listening progressed, you did have to admit the vinyl-ness others have talked about with this DAC, a song like the Stone's Brown Sugar that you maybe first heard on vinyl presented like that...... enjoyable! The big surprise was just from streaming an episode of Vikings on Roku via PCM stereo over optical though. It was a freaking amazing connected huge, huge, huge soundstage rich with spatial cues and scary good!! Left J River shuffling bits into Gungnir next 24 hr while sleeping, working etc, can't wait to get home!!

Good 1st day, for my sensibilities/life and the price of this DAC, Gungnir MB will have to be very good to justify not taking advantage of Schiit's 15 day return window. But if it lives up somewhat to the legend many claim it to be, they will have me very gladly paying about twice what I would really want to spend in this area as an investment in enjoyment.....   

A+++. Great stuff.

 

[rnros]

  It's the most "holographic", accurate sound I've ever gotten from a digital source into a pair of headphones. It's incredible, to be honest. Highly recommended.

Oh yeah. Keeps me smiling. Makes you wonder about Yggy, but really, no rush.

 

[mikoss]

  Hey everyone, just wanted to say that I recently went from the Bimby to the Gumby for my HE1000 and it was absolutely worth the upgrade. I honestly wasn't expecting the upgrade to be as big as it was, as I loved the sound of the Bimby. It's the most "holographic", accurate sound I've ever gotten from a digital source into a pair of headphones. It's incredible, to be honest. Highly recommended.

Just don't ever listen to the Yggdrasil and I'm sure that statement will remain true... 

 

[theveterans]

Does Yggy's or Gumby's single ended output sound much better than Bimby's? Or Yggy and Gumby are not worth it unless all of analog chains are balanced? I could've gotten the Yggy, but decided to stay with SE since I like my AKG headphones a lot and I cannot use speakers due to volume constraints.

 

[joeexp]

  Does Yggy's or Gumby's single ended output sound much better than Bimby's? Or Yggy and Gumby are not worth it unless all of analog chains are balanced? I could've gotten the Yggy, but decided to stay with SE since I like my AKG headphones a lot and I cannot use speakers due to volume constraints.

Yggy/Gumby does sound better then the  Bimby. It doesn't matter what output you are using.
The downside is that they take a long time to warm up to sound their best.

 

[theaterdesign]

DAY 2 Gungnir MB-
 
I found other Head-Fi'ers commentary to be very helpful in the recent DAC upgrade decision, so am attempting to add to the discussion:
 
Ah, day 2 sucked! Was supposed to be a home office day where there would be a few opportunities for critical listening while working with a quiet background. Instead I was onsite at a client's till late trying to fix the quirkiest network issues ever know to man! Could not wait to get home and hear some good Schiit!
 
Got home, was at least a decent human being and said hi/hugged my beautiful wife before turning on the amps! That was hard as you have to walk right by the system as you walk in the door..................
 
Immediately noticed a more balanced presentation, tons of detail and HUGE soundstage, the slight over-intensity/slight glare had burned away and music sounded very correct/accurate in the top to bottom spectrum. It is very musical, and dare I say analog/vinyl-like, even though I want to stop short of saying it sounds like a TT setup. Lesser recordings sound lesser as they are, but it's not really annoying/disappointing you just hear what they really did. No critical listening tonight, all listening was done with dinner cooking and the normal family background noise of all types. Comments from the fam when discussing: "You can really hear what the musicians are going for with this" I agree. The previously mentioned bass pace and tightening was even nicer, more cohesive.
 
Then the TV, had plugged optical back into normal signal chain to see if anyone noticed. They did, it was still nice, warm, natural; the Parasound DAC is very listenable you know. Asked everyone if they wanted me to pause a sec and switch to Gungnir just to see? I did and the difference was amazing, my wife later commented, "It's really clear that is a significant improvement". I agree, we're mostly music listeners around here, don't even have cable as we hate the "programming" and the way Gungnir enhances the AV experience is an unexpected surprise.......
 
Later as everyone is going to bed had a bit of time to work on things. Setup Gungnir for ASIO instead of WASAPI in J River as previous non-scientific testing showed that as the way to go. You could hear the difference immediately, some of the boldness had transformed to warmer, liquid musicality. That was listening quiet with people asleep + still quite a few background noise events from one person or another doing their life things. Looking forward to day 3 with a few opportunities to really listen with quiet background at more engaging levels.................... Seems like my experience mirrors others, that the Gungnir really does require a long burn in times. Can you tell that it is getting less and less likely that the Schiit boys will need to process a return from me???????????    

 

[theaterdesign]

Gungnir MB Day 3, always on with music playback streaming 24/7 even if amps are off..........
 
Engaging, spacious, musical. That's it, no more descriptors. The experience with this DAC and it's ability to deliver a fully engaging music experience on this system is truly beyond words on Day 3. I'll talk about a few observations, but really words cannot express! It is no longer that I have a really cool reference system that is very tactile. You just have music and you are there in it! And it takes you beyond the room, if you wanted a dangerous obsession.................... this is it. That is how dramatic the Gungnir MB experience is on a system that will deliver that resolution to the physical realm. So a few things:
 
Mike and Jason's multibit theory- was very interesting to read/learn about and it made enough sense that it really made me curious as to how much of a point they had. I have done computer audio since my pro audio days in 1990, so have a fair amount of experience in the accurate handling of audio and how sometimes the smallest computer config setting can affect fidelity. What they say makes a lot of sense. Having now experienced their theories in action I must say: I can't F'ing believe how much detail, inner dynamics and musical information is present in the 44.1/16bit format when it is accurately retrieved and presented like this. Every song, regardless of genre, is a complete new experience unto itself. Haven't even played an HD track yet, 44.1 is so satisfying and I agree with others who have stated this. Glad the Schiit boys and others doing multibit are getting great reception and market penetration, I think that they are supporting the superior digital audio theory.
 
The warm thing must be clarified: to read whole/organic/complete. IMO, Gungnir is not warm tonally as there is loads of pure high frequency detailed info. It just sounds right at this point. 
 
Turned on the amp this AM to whatever was shuffling, was Black Sabbath listened for a second and hit skip. Next up Rush's LaVillaStrangiato, an old favorite for a Rush head like me. OMG, it was startling and I got a whole other perspective of how skilled of a bassist Geddy really is. That is one of the Gungnir's best qualities is the way it presents inner dynamics/pace, especially the detailed play between bass and drums in a way most have not gotten to hear.
 
Jackson Browne- makes some great recordings and I was trying a few of his to get a greatly recorded grand piano sound to hear. Oddly enough, most of the tracks I played for a sec weren't the right choice and I ended up on Lives in the Balance, a very layered dynamic track with of course no grand! It sure put you there, and you could sure tell that it was a studio recording. The amount of detail and care and musicianship that went into this production + the skill level of the engineers to present like this was stunning! Fluid, layered audio-musical bliss! 
 
Then I wanted to hear detail in a very dense soundscape, King Crimson's "Level 5" was a nearly overwhelming sonic landscape where the now un-missing inner detail really amazed at these boy's virtuosity and care in their arrangements.
 
Next up: Man Needs A Maid/Heart of Gold from Neil Young's live at Massey Hall. Damn I am glad they released this record! It seems like a field recording done right, with nice hall ambiance and a magical performance. In the wandering, rambling intro I heard every word Neil said for the first time, which gave a cooler backstory to the tune that before had always escaped notice, you were just waiting for him to start to sing! The incredible dynamic context with detail that this performance was presented in is not something I will soon forget. Guess I have seen Neil Young live now after all!!
 
Old and In The Way Title track from the self titled gem recorded on a 2 track Nagra. It's such a unique, honest and endearing performance and it was wonderful to hear it presented in the type of scale that made it seem even more like you were there! The revealed dynamics in the performance were all the more natural like I said, levels of detail + range I did not know 44.1/16 could do.
 
Pink Floyd Welcome to the Machine. Well, if you like it, sounds cool as hell on almost any system. In this rendition I was treated to an inner-dynamic fest of detail I had never heard, including spoken word and musical parts I did not know were there.
 
Still missing: experience of all the other genres, Mile Davis sextet era, more of some of the wonderful live recordings collected over the years, awesome fusion like DiMeola and Return to Forever, Classical and some ethnic stuff like Chieftains, etc. Well, this will be a fun assignment! 
 
Oh, and the music emerging out of a black background thing others rave about? I agree, totally true and something to enjoy.
 
Well clearly it only took three days to brainwash me into becoming a ridiculously gushing fanboy member of the Schiit cult! It will certainly not be a return to them: "You can take my Schiit when you pry it out of my cold, dead hands........boy".
 
Seriously, I hope this rambling bunch of info is helpful to others researching just like other Head Fi'ers possibly more coherent and detailed postings is a great resource to me,
 
I was originally going to go the used route and get a deal on a DS Gungnir and upgrade, but they sell really quick. I am very glad that I was "forced" to buy new, sprung for MB as well.  Thanks.

 

[captblaze]

I agree with not only your observations, but with your choice in music. I am running a Gumby/Rag combo and am amazed at how every detail of the music is presented to you and not just thrown at you. Some DACs have a harsh tone to them for my hearing and my current rig doesn't have that issue no matter which set of headphones I am listening with. I only have one curiosity... Can Yggy be an even better experience and will my aging ears even be able to tell?
 
I think that question will have to wait until my headphone collection grows by a few. As for right now... the HD650 and 800S along with a set of LCD2s will suffice.
 
thanks for the interesting take on your experience it seems to mirror mine in many ways
 
 
Quote:

 
 
Seriously, I hope this rambling bunch of info is helpful to others researching just like other Head Fi'ers possibly more coherent and detailed postings is a great resource to me,
 
I was originally going to go the used route and get a deal on a DS Gungnir and upgrade, but they sell really quick. I am very glad that I was "forced" to buy new, sprung for MB as well.  Thanks.

 

[theaterdesign]

Thanks Captblaze-
 
Yes I have wondered the same if should have just went no holds barred with Yggy. It's sort of weird how experiencing a presentation at this level of amazing on one hand makes you feel that you are at a suitable pinnacle of enjoyment forever and on the other hand you are still wondering "what would better be like??" Guess that's why they warn you to watch your wallet when you sign up for HeadFi!
 
It's unbelievable to me, but in the days from the last post seems that we still have been noticing subtle/meaningful improvements from burn in still. Which doesn't seem possible, but I'll take it!! I totally agree: "music is presented to you, not thrown at you." And continue to be amazed at the level of detail/dynamics/musicality available at CD resolutions. A few of the first tracks added to library, non bit-perfect rips, are very disappointing.You could hear that easily before too but now the bad, interpolated math on those rips makes you wanna re-buy/re-rip important albums. Have a good one!  

 

[captblaze]

  A few of the first tracks added to library, non bit-perfect rips, are very disappointing.You could hear that easily before too but now the bad, interpolated math on those rips makes you wanna re-buy/re-rip important albums. Have a good one!  

 
I have been happily re ripping my entire CD collection as a result of Gumby exposing more detail in the music. I have been chasing an audio experience like this since I was a young man and now that technology has progressed my journey might possibly go from a chase to a long stop over until the next "eureka" moment in digital sound reproduction. As much as I want Yggy to round the system out, Gumby is going to do the heavy lifting for the near term and my budget is being pointed toward some more headphones.
 
btw... if you haven't already, check out Beck's Mutations. The entire album is a mix of acoustic / psychedelic sounds with Beck's voice doing an occasional tremble. (I never noticed it before my current setup)

 

[RCBinTN]

Just wondering...
 
If I connect my AK120ii via toslink into the GMB's optical input, will the digital signal from the AK simply pass through the Gumby to the amp, or will the Gumby transform the AK's input in some (magical) way?  I have the rig connected this way at the moment, and the SQ is really damn good!  Most of the time, I'm using my Macbook Pro as the digital source to the Gumby.
 
The rig is:  AK120ii - AQ evergreen optical - GMB - BHA-1 - HD800
 
The SQ seems to be better when connected this way.  Is there a chance that now the Mac apps aren't getting in the way of true digital bliss?
 
@Baldr 
 
Thank you -
RCB