[Mediahound]

I'm really enjoying the Gungir Multibit so far. It's difficult for me to compare it to other DACs I've had because this is the first balanced DAC I've ever owned. 
 
I had a Bifrost Uber, Burson Conductor and OPPO HA-1 before. The latter 2 are Sabre DACs, which I learned I really do not like the sound signature of.
 
After leaving it on for about 5 days straight and listening to it a lot during that time too, it seems to be settling into a really sweet spot.  
 
I'm hearing micro details with the Gungir MB that I've not heard before for sure.

 

[Hardwired]

I too moved from a Bifrost Uber to a GMB, and the only way I can describe the difference is I hear "more". More what? Just more. There's more music in the music, if that makes any sense. It's not more bass, or more treble, or more detail, or maybe it's all of those, but I just hear more meat/depth/quantity/quality in the music.
 
The music sounds better loud, especially. Before, I had an upper limit to the volume before it got tiresome or overwhelming or whatever. Now I'll turn it up to hear a certain song, then another song I like plays and I'll turn it up some more. And again. The sound is so clean it never becomes noise. Good thing my wife has been out of town the past few days. 

 

[money4me247]

  I too moved from a Bifrost Uber to a GMB, and the only way I can describe the difference is I hear "more". More what? Just more. There's more music in the music, if that makes any sense. It's not more bass, or more treble, or more detail, or maybe it's all of those, but I just hear more meat/depth/quantity/quality in the music.
 
The music sounds better loud, especially. Before, I had an upper limit to the volume before it got tiresome or overwhelming or whatever. Now I'll turn it up to hear a certain song, then another song I like plays and I'll turn it up some more. And again. The sound is so clean it never becomes noise. Good thing my wife has been out of town the past few days. 

do you still have the bifrost uber for direct comparison?

 

[JK-47]

  I'm really enjoying the Gungir Multibit so far. It's difficult for me to compare it to other DACs I've had because this is the first balanced DAC I've ever owned. 
 
I had a Bifrost Uber, Burson Conductor and OPPO HA-1 before. The latter 2 are Sabre DACs, which I learned I really do not like the sound signature of.
 
After leaving it on for about 5 days straight and listening to it a lot during that time too, it seems to be settling into a really sweet spot.  
 
I'm hearing micro details with the Gungir MB that I've not heard before for sure.

I have the TEAC UD-301 (ran it balanced to the MJ2), and after 3 hours of up time on the Gumby, I have to say it is a real treat. I'm listening to songs I've listened to thousands of times before, and I'm picking up new sounds and subtleties.
 

  I too moved from a Bifrost Uber to a GMB, and the only way I can describe the difference is I hear "more". More what? Just more. There's more music in the music, if that makes any sense. It's not more bass, or more treble, or more detail, or maybe it's all of those, but I just hear more meat/depth/quantity/quality in the music.
 
The music sounds better loud, especially. Before, I had an upper limit to the volume before it got tiresome or overwhelming or whatever. Now I'll turn it up to hear a certain song, then another song I like plays and I'll turn it up some more. And again. The sound is so clean it never becomes noise. Good thing my wife has been out of town the past few days. 

I agree, I'm simultaneously feeding my MJ2 balanced and my Elelkit TU-8200DX by way of the RCA's. There is a smoothness that really makes me want to keep listening and trying familiar songs to see if I can pick up new stuff. The first thing I noticed was how the treble has more texture, and was easier on my ears (I'm sensitive to hot treble, and upper mids). The whole frequency range seems to have another layer of sound... if that makes any sense.
 
I have to add, songs that previously sounded a little strained in the upper mids to lower treble  (nasally, shouty) have now been made much more enjoyable.

 

[dmhenley]

Thought I'd share some feedback on my first days with the Gmb. Hopefully it will be useful to those who - like me - are at times overwhelmed with the amount of information available on the forums. There are many well spoken contributors who can provide the technical knowledge - that's not me.
 
A note on forum crawling:
It's both fantastic, and potentially confusing for a new kid like me. What I've learned - trust your ears, and learn which forum dwellers are closely aligned with your own tastes. That said, those who come from opposite poles are equally informative at times. There's so much noise out there, it can be difficult to get to the critical readings. 
Thanks to all who contribute. I pulled the trigger last week due in part to my reading of your comments here.
 
My bottom line...there are (I assume) a lot of dacs that sound good/great, and/or are 'accurate'. I've heard a couple. 
When a combination of gear can do things the others do - better - and, transfer the energy of a performance to the listener, I'd say it's something special. I'm leaning toward the romantic now, so I'll likely annoy you more analytical folk. I worked playing drums for 20+ years, so it's an example I'll often fall back on...I don't know (I mean, I've read all of it - but information is not knowledge, ya?) chips and digital filters, but I know music so it's the language I have to use.

 
On to the important stuff...
Approximately 100 hours in, about half of those with music playing. Still early. I've left it powered on the entire time. 
Even with the humble (but excellent!) ALO Pan Am driving analytical headphones I am having new experiences with records I've loved for decades. 
 
I originally chose a range of recordings that are complex, dense, or potentially challenging listens to attempt to illustrate what the Gmb does for me. I've left just one, in the interest of getting to the point.
 
Mikoss previously made mention of cymbals and the presentation of upper mid and high frequencies...
 
Joshua Redman - Trios Live (a fantastic performance/recording of an acoustic trio recorded live in a club)
Sax, bass and drums in a small venue - recorded very well. Overall, the presentation is cohesive, and maybe one or two tables from the stage. So, drums...
Here, the stick definition is so natural. That sound of wood on alloys with the wash of lower register tones carrying the swing pattern forward. Momentum. Holy crap. There is palpable shove here...I can almost 'feel' the air moving.
Drums have this sympathetic resonance that is often squeezed out of recordings, ya? Here, I can 'see' the kit (and the bass and sax) in the space. Spatial cues and staging are fantastic. The kick drum exists as a large-ish round object on the stage. And when Hutchinson smacks his ride cymbal hard, all those lovely tones wash back and forth with the swing of the cymbal. This dac got me moving, while listening on 'phones - normally that only happens when listening to speakers. I can't wait to get the new amp and rock this proper.

 
While listening(enjoying) is about the music as a whole -  I normally try to avoid dissecting it -  this (one of many) example sets this dac apart, in my experience. 
 
All of these things are difficult to reproduce convincingly, and the Gmb is doing this with one hand and making a sandwich with the other Or, a milkshake. Or, doing all the other cool things it actually does. 

 

[wahsmoh]

  I too moved from a Bifrost Uber to a GMB, and the only way I can describe the difference is I hear "more". More what? Just more. There's more music in the music, if that makes any sense. It's not more bass, or more treble, or more detail, or maybe it's all of those, but I just hear more meat/depth/quantity/quality in the music.
 
The music sounds better loud, especially. Before, I had an upper limit to the volume before it got tiresome or overwhelming or whatever. Now I'll turn it up to hear a certain song, then another song I like plays and I'll turn it up some more. And again. The sound is so clean it never becomes noise. Good thing my wife has been out of town the past few days. 

 
 
I own Bifrost Uber and old 1994 Theta DS Pro Progeny A and I would compare the difference to the change from Gungnir D-S to Yggy or even Gungnir MB for a single ended DAC. This is 20 year old technology with a precision R2R hybrid 18-bit PCM67P-k and Motorola DSP with Theta proprietary filter algorithm. (Moffatt sauce) and it blew away the Uber..
 
the Uber fits a nice middle-ground and sounds incredible for the price but it doesn't have the immense soundstage that the DSP brings or the natural timbre and ability to crank up volume without "ear bleeding" <------ just wanted to confirm with someone else what I was hearing

 

[RCBinTN]

I've owned the uberBiFrost and now the Gungnir DAC's.  Love them both.  
 
My listening experience today with the non-upgraded Gungnir - Mojo - LCD-XC stack:  I can clearly hear the difference between the cymbals - high-hat - snare drum - cowbell.  They come across very clearly.  
 
So, just how will the MB upgrade improve this sound?  
 
Thanks -
RCBinTN

 

[sheldaze]

One more comment - this is not at all the sound I was expecting to hear from the Multibit. The problem is I have never heard this sound before coming from speakers. I didn't expect it because I didn't know it. When passages became loud or cymbals became tizzy (on Delta-Sigma), I did not realize it was simply my brain getting confused by poorly converted digital information. There is just so much clear, concise information (on R2R), so many sonic clues as to what the musicians are doing, walking around the stage, striking the drums and cymbals in differing ways. I just cannot explain it.
 
And being a piano player, listening to piano recordings is just amazing!

 

[JK-47]

  One more comment - this is not at all the sound I was expecting to hear from the Multibit. The problem is I have never heard this sound before coming from speakers. I didn't expect it because I didn't know it. When passages became loud or cymbals became tizzy (on Delta-Sigma), I did not realize it was simply my brain getting confused by poorly converted digital information. There is just so much clear, concise information (on R2R), so many sonic clues as to what the musicians are doing, walking around the stage, striking the drums and cymbals in differing ways. I just cannot explain it.
 
And being a piano player, listening to piano recordings is just amazing!

 
I'm not trying to be condescending, but I assume you haven't listened to vinyl... but so far for me, the Gumby has come very close to the same feeling...

 

[sheldaze]

   
I'm not trying to be condescending, but I assume you haven't listened to vinyl... but so far for me, the Gumby has come very close to the same feeling...

Yes. I have a turntable and vinyl.
 
Perhaps I posted in one of the other threads about my multiple copies of Dark Side of the Moon, including one on vinyl. I use the vinyl as the last version because it is simply the best option, when I have people by who are interested in listening.
 
I will get to A-B-C this coming weekend the original Gungnir against the Multibit and Yggy. I may or may not share my experiences from the event though because my personal focus at the meet is not comparing DAC options. If you need to know, my personal journey is more comparison between dynamic and planar drivers, which is quite off topic from this thread. Point being, I'll have to see how similarly we can setup our systems, but I have doubts we'll truly be able to A-B-C. And it's not my focus - sorry.
 
Probably poor timing, because I wasn't posting to answer your question. I was simply sharing a point.

 

[JK-47]

  Yes. I have a turntable and vinyl.
 
Perhaps I posted in one of the other threads about my multiple copies of Dark Side of the Moon, including one on vinyl. I use the vinyl as the last version because it is simply the best option, when I have people by who are interested in listening.
 
I will get to A-B-C this coming weekend the original Gungnir against the Multibit and Yggy. I may or may not share my experiences from the event though because my personal focus at the meet is not comparing DAC options. If you need to know, my personal journey is more comparison between dynamic and planar drivers, which is quite off topic from this thread. Point being, I'll have to see how similarly we can setup our systems, but I have doubts we'll truly be able to A-B-C. And it's not my focus - sorry.
 
Probably poor timing, because I wasn't posting to answer your question. I was simply sharing a point.

Then, the sound should be familiar...

 

[bflat]

okay 24 hrs of warm up and here is what I have to add. Common assessment as others - higher resolution and detail with no added sibilance. Just an overall cleaner sound and yes I do hear a some loss of warmth in the mid to lower mids on down. But bass is tightened up and drums sound more accurate to me. I would agree that GMB is closer to neutral now.
 
What I find most noticeable is how the GMB scales with source. Redbook sound is improved overall, but my 24/96 and up sources really shine on the GMB. I thought Jazz at the Pawnshop was good before, but WOW, GMB is so much richer, detailed, spacious, and soooo clean and smooth. Rush "Time Stand Still", Geddy Lee and Aimee Mann's voices are so clearly separate, they were sort of blended together before. Eagles "Hotel California", best I've heard out of my system so far, can't say this enough, but such wonderful detail and clarity. Steven Wilson "Luminol", just incredible, this time just marveling at the bass line detail.
 
Speaking of Steven Wilson, the redbook tracks that have good mastering also scale really well with GMB. I don't have any poorly mastered albums but lots of average ones and good thing is I don't think GMB penalizes the sound for so-so mastering. It just rewards you more for good masters and higher resolution files. Currently listening to modern remastered Pink Floyd Animals and Dark Side of the Moon redbook and just a whole new level of sound.
 
Back to the loss of warmth. I may have to do some more tube rolling on my WA7TP, but not sure I miss it either. One last thing - before I was using Audirvana's up sampling iZotrope processing and I have disabled this for the GMB as recommended by Schitt.

 

[Mediahound]

  okay 24 hrs of warm up and here is what I have to add. Common assessment as others - higher resolution and detail with no added sibilance. Just an overall cleaner sound and yes I do hear a some loss of warmth in the mid to lower mids on down. But bass is tightened up and drums sound more accurate to me. I would agree that GMB is closer to neutral now.
 
What I find most noticeable is how the GMB scales with source. Redbook sound is improved overall, but my 24/96 and up sources really shine on the GMB. I thought Jazz at the Pawnshop was good before, but WOW, GMB is so much richer, detailed, spacious, and soooo clean and smooth. Rush "Time Stand Still", Geddy Lee and Aimee Mann's voices are so clearly separate, they were sort of blended together before. Eagles "Hotel California", best I've heard out of my system so far, can't say this enough, but such wonderful detail and clarity. Steven Wilson "Luminol", just incredible, this time just marveling at the bass line detail.
 
Speaking of Steven Wilson, the redbook tracks that have good mastering also scale really well with GMB. I don't have any poorly mastered albums but lots of average ones and good thing is I don't think GMB penalizes the sound for so-so mastering. It just rewards you more for good masters and higher resolution files. Currently listening to modern remastered Pink Floyd Animals and Dark Side of the Moon redbook and just a whole new level of sound.
 
Back to the loss of warmth. I may have to do some more tube rolling on my WA7TP, but not sure I miss it either. One last thing - before I was using Audirvana's up sampling iZotrope processing and I have disabled this for the GMB as recommended by Schitt.

 
It will get warmer too over time, without losing the details. At least that has been my observation so far. 

 

[seb7]

  Multibit Gungnir has landed. After an hour or so of warm up, I already prefer it to my Bryston BDA-2. More air, more detail, firmer bass and basically more enjoyable. Very curious to see what it sounds like after a few days.
 
MacBook Pro > USB > GMB > Ragnarok > LCD-X

 
I have the Bryston and Rag also, so I'm really looking forward to comparisons with GMB as you get more hours on it.

 

[reddog]

I have burned in the GMB for about 75 hours now and the sound signature has become more detailed and revealing. However the GMB has lost some of its tube like quality. The sound is still sweet, its just lost its tube like lushness, but the detail and resolve has increased some. I am starting to miss the Yggdrasil and will hook up my Ragnarock to it soon. I can imagine what the GMB must sound with good tubes through the Mjolnir 2. If I did not have a LC coming, I would order the Mjolnir 2 immediately and bask in the balanced power of the Mjolnir 2.