[KLJTech]

I'm running the Gungnir single ended rather than balanced and it STILL beat out the Bryston DAC (and the Bryston is very good) in my system. I wouldn't worry about it at all, if your system can be run with all balanced cables then give it a try and see which way YOU prefer it, if not, don't worry about it. Enjoy your music and try to forget about the gear, easier said than done I know, but too much focus on the gear (once you have your system together) can steal some of that enjoyment you'd be having with your music and its supposed to be about the music. Go online and order yourself a new album, CD or High-Rez download and enjoy the music. 
Good luck! 

 

[dailydoseofdaly]

When my rig was Gungnir>Mjolnir>lcd3 a little while back I swapped out the bal interconnects for se out of curiosity. The changes where not super obvious. If I was to do a blind test I don't think I would fair too well. Like KLJTech was saying, how your hooked up to your amp shouldn't have bearing on your musical enjoyment.

 

[hodgjy]

My amp outputs dual mono into a single 1/4" jack, but it is capable of receiving either a balanced or unbalanced signal.  Currently, my DAC is the Bifrost Uber, and since I recently picked up the LCD-2.2F, the itch to upgrade my DAC has arisen.  I'm trying to squash that temptation.
 
My question is: will the Gungnir be a noticeable upgrade over the Bifrost?  Also, would I receive any benefit of using the balanced connections from the Gungnir over the SE outputs since my amp converts to dual mono output?
 
I'm not too familiar with the Gungnir sound and the conversion process of dual mono.

 

[Solude]

Sounds like your amp just has XLR inputs for convenience and that only the + taps are used internally.  What is it?
 
And yes the Gungnir is better than the Bifrost Uber.

 

[hodgjy]

  Sounds like your amp just has XLR inputs for convenience and that only the + taps are used internally.  What is it?
 
And yes the Gungnir is better than the Bifrost Uber.

 
TEAC HA-501.  Dual mono.

 

[Solude]

Dual mono is pure marketing is this case and yes internally it is single ended.  It is dual mono in the same way every two channel amp that shares a pot and power supply is which is to say... not.

 

[hodgjy]

  Dual mono is pure marketing is this case and yes internally it is single ended.  It is dual mono in the same way every two channel amp that shares a pot and power supply is which is to say... not.

 
I didn't get it because it was labeled as dual mono.  I got it because it sounds awesome.  Great pair with the LCD-2.2F.

 

[Solude]

Didn't say it didn't.

 

[hodgjy]

  Didn't say it didn't.

I know. Sometimes meanings are hard to convey over messages. I knew it wasn't "true" dual mono since it didn't have two separate power supplies. 

 

[fishski13]

i've owned my Gung now for nearly a year. i recently had a Wyrd on loan and decided to buy one yesterday. fed via a newer Lenovo laptop with W8.1, i found my rig to be more resolving and detailed. messing around with different amps and HPs, this definitely falls under the category of "YMMV".

 

[bwmarrin]

Just moving a discussion here, since it seems more appropriate.  I've been discussing with conquerator2 rather it's "normal" for the Gungnir DAC to generate any static noise into an amp at 80-100% volume when no music is playing.  In my example, connecting my new Gungnir > Lyr 2 > HE-500 headphones I'm getting static/hiss/noise at about 65% volume and it progressively gets worse all the way up to 100% volume.   Maybe members of this thread would have an idea if that's at all normal, or not.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/736294/gustard-u12-usb-interface-8-core-xmos-chip/555#post_11289668
 

Ok. I have not really tested it before because I never reached those volumes before. I have some real quiet tracks myself and I never go above 60 on them, especially since the Gungnir puts through a bit more voltage than my previous DAC.
Regardless, we both have orthos, which are even more insensitive to noise. If I put them on at 80% and started playing, both the drivers and my ears would be toast.
Do test different sources if you can and report back. I have no other sources for testing and the PS4 is esentially a small PC.
I have it on 35 via PS4 and it is silent untill 80. My amp has a very high gain (custom 6db low , high 26db) and it stays at 30 - 35 most of the time with all sources on high gain. That is about 40% to 80

 
I'll try to do a bit more testing if I can.  Another issue I had with the Gungnir is very specific and also rather odd.
 
While playing the Diana Krall The Look Of Love Bluray on my Oppo 105D > Gungnir (coax) > Lyr2 > HE-500:
 
On the second song the Gungnir is doing something really odd.  There's a background tambourine playing and at about 1:13 into the song the Gungnir makes that sound into a really harsh and distorted sound.  Almost hurts the ear.  It does it again at 1:16, and a few other times thoughout the disc but I didn't pay attention to the times on all of them.  I switched back and forth to the Oppo/Gungnir as the DAC to make sure and it never happens when using the Oppo as the DAC > Lyr2 > HE-500.

 

[conquerator2]

  Just moving a discussion here, since it seems more appropriate.  I've been discussing with conquerator2 rather it's "normal" for the Gungnir DAC to generate any static noise into an amp at 80-100% volume when no music is playing.  In my example, connecting my new Gungnir > Lyr 2 > HE-500 headphones I'm getting static/hiss/noise at about 65% volume and it progressively gets worse all the way up to 100% volume.   Maybe members of this thread would have an idea if that's at all normal, or not.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/736294/gustard-u12-usb-interface-8-core-xmos-chip/555#post_11289668
 
 
I'll try to do a bit more testing if I can.  Another issue I had with the Gungnir is very specific and also rather odd.
 
While playing the Diana Krall The Look Of Love Bluray on my Oppo 105D > Gungnir (coax) > Lyr2 > HE-500:
 
On the second song the Gungnir is doing something really odd.  There's a background tambourine playing and at about 1:13 into the song the Gungnir makes that sound into a really harsh and distorted sound.  Almost hurts the ear.  It does it again at 1:16, and a few other times thoughout the disc but I didn't pay attention to the times on all of them.  I switched back and forth to the Oppo/Gungnir as the DAC to make sure and it never happens when using the Oppo as the DAC > Lyr2 > HE-500.

I don't think generate is the right term... Rather transmits, It has to do with the noise floor, source and the amplifier [amp's gain] to a degree as well.
Still, am curios what others think.
Mine does not transmit any noise floor or noise until 70 - 80%, but my HE-560 is harder to drive and might be slightly more insensitive to such noises than bwmarin's HE-500.
Certainly interesting to see what others think. I wish a had another desktop DAC to test whether Gungnir is more sensitive to this.
 
I am very happy with the Gungnir myself. Excellent value for the price, IMO. Love it so far, form tis brilliant USB implementation to the authoritative drive and musicality it brings to my music.

 

[bwmarrin]

  I don't think generate is the right term... Rather transmits, It has to do with the noise floor, source and the amplifier [amp's gain] to a degree as well.
Still, am curios what others think.
Mine does not transmit any noise floor or noise until 70 - 80%, but my HE-560 is harder to drive and might be slightly more insensitive to such noises than bwmarin's HE-500.
Certainly interesting to see what others think. I wish a had another desktop DAC to test whether Gungnir is more sensitive to this.
 
I am very happy with the Gungnir myself. Excellent value for the price, IMO. Love it so far, form tis brilliant USB implementation to the authoritative drive and musicality it brings to my music.

 
Actually, the HE-560's are easier to drive.

 

[David Aldrich]

I've noticed non-descript noise when set to an active input with nothing playing and the amp volume very high. I'll give that track a listen tonight and see if I notice anything. I would be surprised if the Gungnir was causing a specific sound in a song to be distorted but otherwise perform normally.

 

[conquerator2]

   
Actually, the HE-560's are easier to drive.

They're about on par in reality. As someone who's been following the HE-560 thread from the start, many even seem to agree that the HE-560 is harder to drive in the end. But case in point, the difference is not major either way