[joebobbilly]

Yea, I could see how that would be the case. I had done some A/B comparisons when I had upgraded from my Fiio E09K/E17 to the balanced Schiit stack. I made a point or feeding both the E09K and Mjolnir with the same DAC (either E17 or Gungnir) and the sound signature difference was quite noticeable. Switching amps from E09K to Mjolnir gave more authority to the sound, more control and a backer blackground (along with the soundstage/imaging improvement of going balanced). However, in terms of just tonal signature and detailing... the DAC definitely made a bigger difference to my ears.

 

[m50man]

Any suggestions on the best amp to pair with the Gungnir??  
 
Right now I am looking at the Lyr 2 - my heart was set on the Mjolnir, but I am unable to use with my AKG K712 Pro's as those headphones are unbalanced, they just use a regular headphone jack....
 
I have a couple concerns with the Lyr 2 - it isn't solid state.  I don't like the fact that you have to change the tubes, and I have no idea how to do this.  I also am concerned with the sound quality of the Lyr 2 - I hear it is noticeably a step down from the Mjlonir. 
 
I don't mind spending around $1,000 for a top quality amp to use with my Gungnir. Most important things to me are soundstage, audio quality (detail retrieval, airiness, etc), but a strong low end is also extremely important to me...

 

[Solude]

Burson Soloist or Schiit Asgard 2.

 

[joebobbilly]

Yea, an Asgard 2 should give you a nice clean sound if you're not into rolling (trying various) tubes.
 
Lyr though is no slouch at all and it is a wonderful amp. It gives the flexibility of being able to roll tubes to fine-tune your sound signature. Depending on what tubes you roll in... it can sound very clean, or buttery, etc. Don't be afraid of tubes... they are easy to remove and swap (basically they just plug in via some pins) and there are plenty of people here who could advise you on how to do it and what tubes are good to try. Tubes do need to be changed eventually, but they usually last thousands of hours.
 
I would seriously recommend you give both a listen if possible (via a meet or a local store).

 

[m50man]

I think I've settled on the Gungnir DAC and the Lyr 2 for my amp.  I realize I could just go with the 2nd gen Bifrost for my DAC, but I want to be futureproof.  I may have an amp or headphones in the future that use balanced so the Gungnir provides me with that flexibility.
 
Wondering though if there is some kind of EQ system (on the interface on the computer perhaps) where you can adjust the sound settings, for instance if you wanted to add more bass or treble to the setup

 

[joebobbilly]

I'm personally not a believer of EQing... tube rolling would be the way I would rather do it.
 
However, if you must... you can do it through your media player. The resulting sound quality will then be dependent on how good your media player software is. I'd recommend JRiver or Foobar2000 as they seem to be the most trusted media players around here.

 

[m50man]

  I'm personally not a believer of EQing... tube rolling would be the way I would rather do it.
 
However, if you must... you can do it through your media player. The resulting sound quality will then be dependent on how good your media player software is. I'd recommend JRiver or Foobar2000 as they seem to be the most trusted media players around here.

Thank you.  I agree with your first statement, just wanted to see my options.  Will look into those media players as well. thanks!

 

[m50man]

I was reading an old Gungnir thread where they mentioned A V-link 92 and how much it improved the Gungnir performance.  Anyone know what that is and what it's purpose is ?

 

[Solude]

VLink 192 is a XMOS based usb to spdif converter.  Basically replaces the internal usb input.  Money wasted with the v2 usb card Schiit now has.

 

[m50man]

How big is the difference in sound quality between the Gungnir and the Bifrost Uber with gen 2 USB upgrades?
 
I have ordered myself a Lyr 2 and a Gungnir, but I've waited 3 weeks now and there is no end in sight for the wait on the Gungnir.  I just spoke with Schiit customer service about switching the Gungnir for a Bifrost with the upgrades I listed above.  
 
At this point in time, I do not have a balanced amp nor balanced headphones so I am wondering if I would be pretty much just as good with the Bifrost (saving myself around 300 as well).  Primarily going to use via USB.  I did like how the Gungnir provided me options in case I wanted to upgrade to balanced in the future, but it really isn't necessary at this moment.  Does the Gungnir provide noticeably better separation, sound staging, detail retrieval etc?
 
By the time I may need balanced, they may have a new DAC entirely or there might be something better.
 
So what's the verdict on the Bifrost 2nd gen usb + uber analog upgrade compared with the Gungnir (2nd gen usb) with a Lyr 2???  Is it worth the extra $ and wait??

 

[madwolfa]

I think that Gungnir would make the most sense in pair with similarly balanced Mjolnir. With Lyr 2 you'd be 100% fine using Bifrost.

 

[Solude]

  How big is the difference in sound quality between the Gungnir and the Bifrost Uber with gen 2 USB upgrades?
 
Does the Gungnir provide noticeably better separation, sound staging, detail retrieval etc?

 
Think PS Audio PWD, good dac, to PS Audio PWD2, world class.  In that case only the digital board changes.  In Schiit's case, while sharing an analog section is important, not sharing a power supply or digital section is also important.  In cars it would be like comparing the Camaro and Corvette in the years they shared an engine and transmission.  Up to you whether the better performance is worth it for you.  It is for me.

 

[m50man]

   
Think PS Audio PWD, good dac, to PS Audio PWD2, world class.  In that case only the digital board changes.  In Schiit's case, while sharing an analog section is important, not sharing a power supply or digital section is also important.  In cars it would be like comparing the Camaro and Corvette in the years they shared an engine and transmission.  Up to you whether the better performance is worth it for you.  It is for me.

So using the fully upgraded Gungnir in non-balanced mode is still better than the Bifrost?  IE: A fully upgraded Gungnir in non-balanced mode isn't exactly the same as a Bifrost right?  Because if it is the EXACT same, I may just go with the Bifrost (since I am not using balanced amp or headphones)

 

[madwolfa]

  So using the fully upgraded Gungnir in non-balanced mode is still better than the Bifrost?  IE: A fully upgraded Gungnir in non-balanced mode isn't exactly the same as a Bifrost right?  Because if it is the EXACT same, I may just go with the Bifrost (since I am not using balanced amp or headphones)

 
With Lyr 2 it's kinda pointless to go with Gungnir. They also don't stack nicely.

 

[Defiant00]

  So using the fully upgraded Gungnir in non-balanced mode is still better than the Bifrost?  IE: A fully upgraded Gungnir in non-balanced mode isn't exactly the same as a Bifrost right?  Because if it is the EXACT same, I may just go with the Bifrost (since I am not using balanced amp or headphones)

 
Correct, Gungnir using either of its outputs is still better than Bifrost.