[jimmypowder]

Two Questions:

1. Would the Gungnir MB benefit from the addition of a Wyrd into the chain?
2. Has anyone compared the MB against the Chord 2Qute? $1250 vs. $1800... $550.00 is not a lot for for the build quality, brand reputation, etc. of a Chord product, IMO. We also know which one would better hold resale value. But what about SQ?

I can tell you that the Chord 2qute is significantly better than the delta sigma Gungnir . I have sent the Gungnir in for the MB upgrade and will reevaluate and give my impressions hopefully this upcoming week .

 

[Stillhart]

Two Questions:

1. Would the Gungnir MB benefit from the addition of a Wyrd into the chain?
2. Has anyone compared the MB against the Chord 2Qute? $1250 vs. $1800... $550.00 is not a lot for for the build quality, brand reputation, etc. of a Chord product, IMO. We also know which one would better hold resale value. But what about SQ?

I would also like to know this.

People on another forum have said the Wyrd does help the GMB

The benefits of the Wyrd are dependent on how crappy your USB is, not the DAC.

FWIW tho, I found the GMB to be very sensitive to bad USB. More so than any of my other DAC's.

 

[Erukian]

I only turn on my Gungnir when I use it, and don't run int 24/7 like what seems like some of you folks do.
 
Are there any solid reasons on why running it warmed up makes a difference? Someone earlier said Mike Moffat said to leave it on, this is news to me.

 

[MattTCG]

  I only turn on my Gungnir when I use it, and don't run int 24/7 like what seems like some of you folks do.
 
Are there any solid reasons on why running it warmed up makes a difference? Someone earlier said Mike Moffat said to leave it on, this is news to me.

 
If Moffat said to leave it on, then it's for a good reason. Most likely being that as the components come up to operating temperature the sonics improve. 

 

[schneller]

I can tell you that the Chord 2qute is significantly better than the delta sigma Gungnir . I have sent the Gungnir in for the MB upgrade and will reevaluate and give my impressions hopefully this upcoming week .

 
Thanks. Looking forward to that.

 

[deadie]

Originally Posted by jimmypowder 
I can tell you that the Chord 2qute is significantly better than the delta sigma Gungnir . I have sent the Gungnir in for the MB upgrade and will reevaluate and give my impressions hopefully this upcoming week.
 
Originally Posted by schneller /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Thanks. Looking forward to that.

 
Same here -- as a Hugo owner now looking for a standalone DAC, I look forward to the comparison between the 2Qute and the GMB.

 

[Jozurr]

Well once you spend another $550 and go for the Chord, then it's another $600 away to the Yggy. Slippery slope really..

 

[PATB]

Weird, the warm sound is now gone after 24+ hours of burn-in.  The treble has opened up, and is now quite resolving.  But I am not sure I like the change.
 
I A/B with my lowly TEAC UD-301 and I am beginning to appreciate the warmer, thicker sound of the TEAC; the TEAC is definitely not in the same league as the GMB in terms of resolution, but the TEAC is more fun to listen to.  
 
The GMB may not be the best pairing with my KGSSHV-SR009 after all -- most of my CDs are not perfect, so the GMB accentuates the hiss and other artifacts.  I hear the artifacts even on recordings that I thought were good; the artifacts are also there with the TEAC (I had to double check), but I never noticed them until now.  With the GMB, the artifacts get annoying. Too much of a good thing, I guess.

Also, there is no GEN 2 USB driver for my Windows Vista laptop, so I have to use the GEN 1 USB driver, which does not support WASAPI event style. The TEAC UD-301, by comparison, has an excellent ASIO driver that works on all Windows versions.  So I am mainly using optical with my GMB, using a TASCAM CD-200 as a transport.  I hope Schitt offers the GEN 3 USB as an upgrade later on, and provide better drivers.
 
I still have a couple of days to decide whether to ship this back or not.  I am leaning towards keeping it, as I really think it is an excellent value.  I am just not sure it is a good match for my electrostat rig.

 

[jimmypowder]

Weird, the warm sound is now gone after 24+ hours of burn-in.  The treble has opened up, and is now quite resolving.  But I am not sure I like the change.



I A/B with my lowly TEAC UD-301 and I am beginning to appreciate the warmer, thicker sound of the TEAC; the TEAC is definitely not in the same league as the GMB in terms of resolution, but the TEAC is more fun to listen to.  

The GMB may not be the best pairing with my KGSSHV-SR009 after all -- most of my CDs are not perfect, so the GMB accentuates the hiss and other artifacts.  I hear the artifacts even on recordings that I thought were good; the artifacts are also there with the TEAC (I had to double check), but I never noticed them until now.  With the GMB, the artifacts get annoying. Too much of a good thing, I guess.


Also, there is no GEN 2 USB driver for my Windows Vista laptop, so I have to use the GEN 1 USB driver, which does not support WASAPI event style. The TEAC UD-301, by comparison, has an excellent ASIO driver that works on all Windows versions.  So I am mainly using optical with my GMB, using a TASCAM CD-200 as a transport.  I hope Schitt offers the GEN 3 USB as an upgrade later on, and provide better drivers.

I still have a couple of days to decide whether to ship this back or not.  I am leaning towards keeping it, as I really think it is an excellent value.  I am just not sure it is a good match for my electrostat rig.

If you want warm , buy an tube amp . You want your Dac to be highly resolving .

I will be pairing the MB Gungnir with a Rogue Cronos Magnum tube amp

 

[PATB]

If you want warm , buy an tube amp . You want your Dac to be highly resolving .

I will be pairing the MB Gungnir with a Rogue Cronos Magnum tube amp

My next AB session is to put the GMB in my balanced tube amp rig (SDS-XLR/HD650), that should be a better pairing.  I am just too lazy to rearrange my rigs at the moment, too much fun drinking on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

 

[Stillhart]

Yes, I've found the GMB to be pretty unforgiving of poor recordings, thanks to its highly resolving nature.  As the other fellow said, if you want to tone that back a bit, try a tube amp.  I agree, I don't think a DAC can ever be too resolving.

 

[PATB]

I don't mind resolving, what I don't like is the presentation of the extra resolution.  There is something very digital about the GMB sound.  I have heard very resolving DACs at the California Audio Show two weeks ago, and they are not obtrusive.  The Bricasti M1, for instance -- too bad I can't afford it 

  The other is the Ayre QB-9 DSD.  
 
Stillhart, looking forward to your comparison with the AudioGd DAC-19. 

 

[jimmypowder]

  I don't mind resolving, what I don't like is the presentation of the extra resolution.  There is something very digital about the GMB sound.  I have heard very resolving DACs at the California Audio Show two weeks ago, and they are not obtrusive.  The Bricasti M1, for instance -- too bad I can't afford it 

  The other is the Ayre QB-9 DSD.  
 
Stillhart, looking forward to your comparison with the AudioGd DAC-19. 

I have found that my Delta Sigma Gungnir is a little too warm for my tastes.That's why I sent it in for the MB upgrade ,particularly considering I'm using tube 
amps like Primaluna and Rogue. 
 
I want extra resolution paired with tube amps.With a SS amp maybe not so much depending on the quality of the amp.  I will certainly never pay 9K for a Bricasti .An Ayre I have considered.

 

[Youth]

I'm a bit confused, is this a warmish or bright DAC?

 

[US Blues]

  I don't mind resolving, what I don't like is the presentation of the extra resolution.  There is something very digital about the GMB sound.  I have heard very resolving DACs at the California Audio Show two weeks ago, and they are not obtrusive.  The Bricasti M1, for instance -- too bad I can't afford it 

  The other is the Ayre QB-9 DSD.  
 
Stillhart, looking forward to your comparison with the AudioGd DAC-19. 

I own 3 Schiit products: Gungnir (D-S), Yggy and a Ragnarok. Each of them required a good 200+ hours of burn in to really find their "final" sound. I counsel you to be patient with your GMB for a couple of weeks at least before concluding that it has reached it's sound.