Schiit Gungnir DAC

[joseph69]

You're welcome. I'm a giver. Don't forget to turn it on and leave it on. After a few days it'll settle in and Tada

Thanks for the heads-up!

 

[Vanquisher]

Sigh...Gumbys just had to be to OOS right now lol.

 

[jfoxvol]

I'm debating on upgrading mine. Maybe once I change offices and have room for my bifrost at work.

 

[jfoxvol]

Not to throw a monkey wrench in your plans but if you only listen to 16/44 tracks the Bifrost mulitbit would also work great. It has a ever so slightly more euphonic and warm signature. Different architecture but plays CDs great and you'd still have a DS gungnir as a spare. Just food for thought. Had this discussion on Yggy forum yesterday. Another member who made tech measurements of all three mulitbit DACs said how musical the MB bifrost was. Gungnir is no doubt a better DAC but the Bifrost was no slouch.

 

[Vanquisher]

Not to throw a monkey wrench in your plans but if you only listen to 16/44 tracks the Bifrost mulitbit would also work great. It has a ever so slightly more euphonic and warm signature. Different architecture but plays CDs great and you'd still have a DS gungnir as a spare. Just food for thought. Had this discussion on Yggy forum yesterday. Another member who made tech measurements of all three mulitbit DACs said how musical the MB bifrost was. Gungnir is no doubt a better DAC but the Bifrost was no slouch.

 
Was thinking about picking up a MB Bifrost as well. A shame I can't find a black unit since it would go with my black mjolnir. You think MB Bifrost would be better than a DS Gungnir? I mean even if I got the DS for now and upgraded it down the road?
 
Would you still pick the MB Bifrost if you knew you'd upgrade the DS Gungnir?

 

[jfoxvol]

Black ones pop up on occasion. Just gotta keep eyes open and check site regularly. Once I got my Yggy, my DS Gungnir for put back in its box. I haven't compared it to the MB Bifrost but did compare to uber Bifrost (close to DS gungnir sound) and not even close. MB wins. Digital filter in that thing optimizes phase and frequency so everything just sounds more real and natural. My electrical engineer mind also just gets excited about the tech inside.

 

[jfoxvol]

I don't think you'll be disappointed with either. The Gumby and Yggy are so clear and transparent. They're warts and all. The Bifrost is still clear but not as clear. It errs slightly on the side of warmth and musicality. But is its slight. There are more detailed reviews and comparison floating around here.

 

[Vanquisher]

I don't think you'll be disappointed with either. The Gumby and Yggy are so clear and transparent. They're warts and all. The Bifrost is still clear but not as clear. It errs slightly on the side of warmth and musicality. But is its slight. There are more detailed reviews and comparison floating around here.

 
Yeah. I hear you. I think I'd end up feeling like I was leaving something on the table going with the MB Bifrost. Especailly since the DS Gungir can be upgraded. I'm debating just ordering it or holding out maybe there will be some black friday sales lol.

 

[Chikolad]

Everybody's talking about 16/44 with the Gumby. Is it not as good with hi-res?

 

[shabta]

  Everybody's talking about 16/44 with the Gumby. Is it not as good with hi-res?

I was wondering the same... If you listened to hi-res on gumby, please mention what recordings you used. Thanks!

 

[Dalgas]

I just upgraded my DS Gungnir USB2 to Gumby. Yes the Gumby is clearly better! I am glad i upgraded.

I have ripped all my CD's to flac. Some of the older recordings actually sounds way better than the few 96 kHz/24 bit recordings (some free downloads and one full album: Carmen Gomez - Thousand shades of blue) that I have.

 

[Dalgas]

There is a couple of comments on the USB being the weak link of the Gumby. Others that Can comment on that?

I only use USB and thought that a wyrd or audioquest jitterbug was my next upgrade, but maybe I should start looking for a good USB/spdif (or even better USB/BNC) converter instead?

 

[Starchild1]

I use a Bryston Buc-1 Usb converter.  It provides Spdif-rca (the one I use), BNC and AESBU outputs.  I actually bought 6 it months or so before I bought the Gumby. After much research, I saw the merits of doing the conversion from USB outside of the DAC box.  I also use a YFS Referenced data only USB cable to as I don't need the 5v feed from the computer..  I think this combination provides as clean a digital source as I can generate.  The Bryston is kind of pricey (I managerd to find a used one on Audiogon in excellent condition), but there are numerous good converters you can consider.  However, I would strong recommend that you look at converters that have their own power supply and don't use the 5v from the computer to power the usb converter.  You can find a reasonably current list at this link at the Well Tempered Computer.
 
 http://thewelltemperedcomputer.com/HW/USB_SPDIF.htm

 

[jfoxvol]

There is a couple of comments on the USB being the weak link of the Gumby. Others that Can comment on that?

I only use USB and thought that a wyrd or audioquest jitterbug was my next upgrade, but maybe I should start looking for a good USB/spdif (or even better USB/BNC) converter instead?

The Gen 2 USB on all current Bifrost and Gungnirs is exceptionally good.  Any improvements with Wyrd, Regen, or Jitterbug are purely source dependent.  I use Wyrd with my Bifrost and noticed some improvement.  The USB implementation in thse DACs is far better than many USB-SPDIF converters out there.  I use USB with my Bryston BDP instead of BNC SPDIF.  I found it performed just as well.  It measures very well too.  I believe there are some measurements floating around on this forum somewhere.
 
From Schiit site: "This new USB input card for Bifrost and Gungnir improves USB performance across the board, and allows you to enjoy music encoded in 24/176.4. Featuring the C-Media CM6631A receiver and additional isolation and filtering, the Gen 2 USB input outperforms external USB-SPDIF converters that cost several times as much."

 

[jfoxvol]

  Everybody's talking about 16/44 with the Gumby. Is it not as good with hi-res?

 
I have a Yggy which is purportedly quote close indeed.  It works exceptionally well with hi rez recordings.  The more you feed it, the better it is (all things being equal).  The point I was making earlier was that most people haven't heard what 16/44 recordings are truly capable of.  With the proper filter and DAC, it can be truly exceptional.  Hi rez can be even better.