[TJ Max]

   
What's the clock light doing?

 
It's not lit.
 

 
​My guess is it is trying to lock onto a sampling rate, and the CD player is sending either nothing or garbage when in pause so the Gungnir does not know what sample rate to use.  My advice is don't use pause.

 
Don't use pause!? Um well it is what it is, but shouldn't. I have far cheaper DACs that have no issues with pausing with this same CD player. Not something expected from a $1250 piece of equipment. I'd rather route the audio to my receiver rather than just not pause it.
 
 

 
My Gungnir does the same thing with Linn Genki CD player. As suggested below, the Gungnir is either not getting a signal to lock to, or it's getting garbage. This will NOT damage the Gungnir, but it makes pausing CD's an aurally painful endeavor.

 
Yeah I tried another coax cable and I also tried it with a toslink optical. same same issue. I wonder of the Schiit dacs are firmware upgradeable.
 
 
Update: ok this is documented on Schiit's website already,
 
Clicking When Changing Sample Rates/Pausing/Etc.
 
1. It’s totally normal for our Bifrost and Gungnir DACs to click (mechanically, from the chassis) during normal operation. That’s the muting relay, doing its job. It clicks whenever the SPDIF datastream is interrupted. 
 
2. If it’s clicking excessively on a Mac or PC, you can reduce it by routing system sounds to the speaker on a Mac, rather than to the Schiit USB Audio Device output. On a PC, you can set system sounds to "no sounds." In both cases, using USB largely eliminates it.
 
3. If it’s clicking excessively on a CD transport when in pause, the CD transport has a cycling interruption in the datastream. There’s no real fix for this, except getting another CD transport. It won’t hurt the Bifrost or Gungnir, though—the relays are rated for several million cycles.
 
So basically they want me to buy a new CD player. So how does one know if a CD player has a cycling interruption in the data stream before they buy it?

 

[Baldr]

   
The only time my GMB clicks is when the incoming data rate is changed, like between 16/44.1 to 24/96.  Other than that, it does not click between tracks (of the same bit rate) or when re-starting a track.  It does not click when I pause the music.  My upstream feed is MacPro - JRMC22 - Wywires Platinum USB cable - GMB.  I agree with other posts that, if the GMB can't lock on to a signal it will keep trying, hence the clicking.
 
Perhaps Mike @Baldr could chime in...
 
FWIW,
RCBinTN

 
What he said!

 

[Ableza]

  So basically they want me to buy a new CD player. So how does one know if a CD player has a cycling interruption in the data stream before they buy it?

Yes, the problem is your CD player is not outputting a steady bit rate signal in pause, so the mechanical relays inside the Gungnir are switching through every possible setting trying to find a signal to lock onto.  You need a better CD player.

 

[franzdom]

   
It's not lit.
 
 
Don't use pause!? Um well it is what it is, but shouldn't. I have far cheaper DACs that have no issues with pausing with this same CD player. Not something expected from a $1250 piece of equipment. I'd rather route the audio to my receiver rather than just not pause it.
 
 
 
Yeah I tried another coax cable and I also tried it with a toslink optical. same same issue. I wonder of the Schiit dacs are firmware upgradeable.
 
 
Update: ok this is documented on Schiit's website already,
 
Clicking When Changing Sample Rates/Pausing/Etc.
 
1. It’s totally normal for our Bifrost and Gungnir DACs to click (mechanically, from the chassis) during normal operation. That’s the muting relay, doing its job. It clicks whenever the SPDIF datastream is interrupted. 
 
2. If it’s clicking excessively on a Mac or PC, you can reduce it by routing system sounds to the speaker on a Mac, rather than to the Schiit USB Audio Device output. On a PC, you can set system sounds to "no sounds." In both cases, using USB largely eliminates it.
 
3. If it’s clicking excessively on a CD transport when in pause, the CD transport has a cycling interruption in the datastream. There’s no real fix for this, except getting another CD transport. It won’t hurt the Bifrost or Gungnir, though—the relays are rated for several million cycles.
 
So basically they want me to buy a new CD player. So how does one know if a CD player has a cycling interruption in the data stream before they buy it?

 
I wonder how Yggy is different. I have a Bimby, I can test it with Cambridge CX-C and report back. It's not crazy expensive but it is really well built, and you aren't paying for another DAC because it's a transport only.

 

[Ableza]

Yggdrasil uses mechanical relays to lock onto a sampling rate as well.

 

[TsKen]

I'm not a technical expert so I wanted to get your advice on setting up the Gumby...
 
So my Gumby has no USB function and from what people have recommended here, optical is better than through USB.
 
But in order to use optical, I have to either get a soundcard or a receiver to create a optical output to connect to my Gumby.
 
So depending on the quality of my soundcard or receiver, wouldn't it affect the sound quality that gets transmitted to my DAC?
 
For example, I tested the output of my laptop and my phone and they both sound completely different from each other. In that case I have a few questions.
 
1. is the DAC(Gumby) even doing anything about the SQ?
 
2. Does the source(laptop/phone/soundcard/receiver) have a large impact on the SQ?
 
3. I'm using 3.5mm to RCA cable > receiver > output optical. Is that not a proper setup? Should I get a receiver with USB function instead?
 
Thank you to anyone that can answer these questions, I have a feeling I might be setting it up wrong.

 

[watchnerd]

   
3. I'm using 3.5mm to RCA cable > receiver > output optical. Is that not a proper setup? Should I get a receiver with USB function instead?
 

 
What's the source in that scenario?
 
As for the quality of optical sources -- yes, they can vary.  Some have very high jitter, some have very low jitter (recent Macs, for example, have 20 ps jitter).  Whether this difference is audible depends on how bad it is.
 
That being said, which of the clock lights is coming on with your Gumby?  That should be an indicator.

 

[TsKen]

   
What's the source in that scenario?
 
As for the quality of optical sources -- yes, they can vary.  Some have very high jitter, some have very low jitter (recent Macs, for example, have 20 ps jitter).  Whether this difference is audible depends on how bad it is.
 
That being said, which of the clock lights is coming on with your Gumby?  That should be an indicator.

 
I guess my source would be coming out of my laptop?
Laptop > 3.5mm to RCA output > receiver > optical output > Gumby(optical input) > Mjolnir 2
 
I have a conversion table of 3.5mm to RCA which then converts the RCA to optical into the Gumby.
 
On my Gumby, the light is on for optical input(2nd light) from the left.
 
I do notice a different in the sound when I change laptop to my phone so I wonder if the receiver is affecting the SQ.
 
I'm also usin a really cheap receiver.
 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HERN6EI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
so I am wondering if this set up affects the SQ that's going into my Gumby. Does my Gumby even do anything then?

 

[artur9]

   
I guess my source would be coming out of my laptop?
Laptop > 3.5mm to RCA output > receiver > optical output > Gumby(optical input) > Mjolnir 2
 
....
 
so I am wondering if this set up affects the SQ that's going into my Gumby. Does my Gumby even do anything then?

You gotta get the digital out from that laptop somehow.  All you're doing now is playing whatever-the-laptop SQ into the receiver which digitizes it.  So, it's whatever your laptop sounds like.
 
You really want 
         laptop (digital output) -> Gumby -> receiver analog input
for the best sound.
 
The laptop might have a combo-headphone optical jack.  Macs do  that except for the most recent ones.  If not, pick up a cheap USB->SPDIF converter (cheapest one I saw). eBay has some good ones for cheap, too.  Sky's the limit on the pricing for those but if that doesn't make any difference then your receiver is the next weak link.

 

[TsKen]

  You gotta get the digital out from that laptop somehow.  All you're doing now is playing whatever-the-laptop SQ into the receiver which digitizes it.  So, it's whatever your laptop sounds like.
 
You really want 
         laptop (digital output) -> Gumby -> receiver analog input
for the best sound.
 
The laptop might have a combo-headphone optical jack.  Macs do  that except for the most recent ones.  If not, pick up a cheap USB->SPDIF converter (cheapest one I saw). eBay has some good ones for cheap, too.  Sky's the limit on the pricing for those but if that doesn't make any difference then your receiver is the next weak link.

Nevermind, what you said makes a lot of sense.
 
Thank you for the help!!

 

[RCBinTN]

Need some advice from the GMB folks.  I have a MacPro (mid-2014) running JRMC22.  I had been using a toslink optical cable (AQ Cinnamon) between the Mac and the GMB.  In my quest for better SQ, I recently changed to USB.
 
Now, I am experiencing music drop-outs.
 
The drop-outs appear to be random.  They don't happen between songs, or when changing to different bit-rate music, or even every day.  The music will just be playing along, then it will stop, the GMB will click once, and JRMC will freeze up.  The "buy better gear" light on GMB does not come on.  I have to close JRMC, then re-open it and can again play music.  I often will replay the same song w/o an issue.  The freeze has also happened at times when I pause the music (for another beer), then come back after two minutes and JRMC is frozen up.
 
I never experienced issues like this with the AQ Cinnamon connection.
 
The USB is a high-quality cable.  It's direct from the Mac to the GMB, no Wyrd or other powered hub in-between.  The USB's on the Mac are USB3 and seem (according to the Mac data) to have plenty of reserve power to drive the GMB.
 
Thanks in advance for your help!
 
All the Best,
RCBinTN

 

[watchnerd]

  Need some advice from the GMB folks.  I have a MacPro (mid-2014) running JRMC22.  I had been using a toslink optical cable (AQ Cinnamon) between the Mac and the GMB.  In my quest for better SQ, I recently changed to USB.
 
Now, I am experiencing music drop-outs.
 
The drop-outs appear to be random.  They don't happen between songs, or when changing to different bit-rate music, or even every day.  The music will just be playing along, then it will stop, the GMB will click once, and JRMC will freeze up.  The "buy better gear" light on GMB does not come on.  I have to close JRMC, then re-open it and can again play music.  I often will replay the same song w/o an issue.  The freeze has also happened at times when I pause the music (for another beer), then come back after two minutes and JRMC is frozen up.
 
I never experienced issues like this with the AQ Cinnamon connection.
 
The USB is a high-quality cable.  It's direct from the Mac to the GMB, no Wyrd or other powered hub in-between.  The USB's on the Mac are USB3 and seem (according to the Mac data) to have plenty of reserve power to drive the GMB.
 
Thanks in advance for your help!
 
All the Best,
RCBinTN

 
What happens if you don't use JRMC?
 
Does it do it in other players?
 
Fairly likely it's a software-side problem, not cables of Gumby related.

 

[RCBinTN]

My only other player option would be the AK240, not sure I have a cable that would connect it to the GMB.  As for the Mac, the only player is JRMC.

 

[sheldaze]

My response may not be helpful unless you recall a setting you may have changed in JRMC - I'm not familiar with it as my preferred player software is Audirvana+. However I noticed, when using the digital output from my Mac, the A+ software did not make as much of a change in sound. It was as-if my Mac or MacOS software were already optimized to send audio via the digital output. But when using the USB output, A+ software was almost a "must have". That is the A+ optimizations (I turned on a few) were making a significant difference when output was sent via USB.
 
Also, I try to find a USB with fewest devices. I saw something about this in the Mac software playback thread. Hope you know how to follow through the steps, About this Mac, to find what's being shared on the USB.

 

[watchnerd]

  My only other player option would be the AK240, not sure I have a cable that would connect it to the GMB.  As for the Mac, the only player is JRMC.

 
You can't try iTunes?
 
Or download another player?