[Vanquisher]

  Of course this is subjective but the top 3 imo would be 
 
1) Yggy - it is better than the 2qute which I have 
2) MB Gungnir or Chord 2 qute depending on preferences -imo MB Gungnir
slightly better. 
2qute is easily better than the Delta Sigma Gungnir. 

 
How did it stack against the arcam? irdac? I couldn't say I thought the DS Gungnir is a better dac than the arcam at half the price.

 

[johndean]

   
How did it stack against the arcam? irdac? I couldn't say I thought the DS Gungnir is a better dac than the arcam at half the price.

I believe i liked the Arcam irdac better than the Delta Sigma Gungnir . I though it had better resolution .It is absolutely not better
than the MB Gungnir. 
I liked the Irdac better than the Audiolab Mdac . 

 

[Vanquisher]

  I believe i liked the Arcam irdac better than the Delta Sigma Gungnir . I though it had better resolution .It is absolutely not better
than the MB Gungnir. 
I liked the Irdac better than the Audiolab Mdac . 

 
Agree with you. I'm very impressed with the irdac and was able to snag one from that seller one bay for 400 bucks. Quite a steal for the $. Could be happy with that unit for some time. What are you noticing differences between Gumby and irdac. Curious to hear.

 

[schneller]

  Of course this is subjective but the top 3 imo would be 
 
1) Yggy - it is better than the 2qute which I have 
2) MB Gungnir or Chord 2 qute depending on preferences -imo MB Gungnir
slightly better. 
2qute is easily better than the Delta Sigma Gungnir. 

I auditioned the GMB and BMB (and Yiggy) and found the BMB vs. GMB differences to be slight (SE output only).
Have you compared the BMB ($600) to the 2Qute ($1800)?
 
I personally think if you are willing to spend $1800 on the 2Qute then what is an additional $300 for the Yiggy at $2099? I was blown away by the Yiggy. It seems like everyone is.
 
As I said before, I think the decision for most should be easy: either the best value DAC in the industry (BMB) or the best DAC period for under $15K (Yiggy). The GMB occupies an interesting middle ground for those who need value and balanced output.

 

[ToTo Man]

  I auditioned the GMB and BMB (and Yiggy) and found the BMB vs. GMB differences to be slight (SE output only).
Have you compared the BMB ($600) to the 2Qute ($1800)?
 
I personally think if you are willing to spend $1800 on the 2Qute then what is an additional $300 for the Yiggy at $2099? I was blown away by the Yiggy. It seems like everyone is.
 
As I said before, I think the decision for most should be easy: either the best value DAC in the industry (BMB) or the best DAC period for under $15K (Yiggy). The GMB occupies an interesting middle ground for those who need value and balanced output.

+1, go Yggy or go home!  
 
Nah just joking, I haven't heard Bimby or Yggy yet, only Gumby, so I'm in no place to comment.  But I appreciate your post in so much as it swaying me further towards going for the Yggy (when funds permit!)...

 

[sheldaze]

As much as I admire the enthusiasm for Yggdrasil, I still feel there is a place for each of the three DACs - Yggdrasil, Gungnir Multibit and Bifrost Multibit.
 
However I have great pause to inject my own personal opinions and choice of purpose for each. In my case, I could not justify keeping the Bifrost Multibit - but I hear it is happily doing desk duties elsewhere in the country. I kept both my Gungnir Multibit and Yggdrasil. I can say if you want it all, the unrelenting realism of the sound, then by all means go Yggdrasil. But there is still great enjoyment to be had in both the other options.

 

[srisaikat]

I am also eager to know comparison between Arcam irDAC and GMB or BMB. I had ds Gungnir, but now I am more satisfied with irDAC. So it will be interesting if anybody really compared irDAC with MB schiit (Gungnir or Bifrost).

 

[sheldaze]

  I am also eager to know comparison between Arcam irDAC and GMB or BMB. I had ds Gungnir, but now I am more satisfied with irDAC. So it will be interesting if anybody really compared irDAC with MB schiit (Gungnir or Bifrost).

I had all three, so I'll post my thoughts. The irDAC could certainly be end-game. However the order in which I purchased these was:
 

• Gungnir Multibit
• Arcam irDAC
• Bifrost Multibit (upgraded from Uber)

 
As previously stated by multiple people, the Gungnir Multibit is an upgrade over both options 2 and 3. I already had it, which is why I sold both options 2 and 3.
 
My opinion is neither options 2 or 3 are better - just different. If you like the Schiit Multibit house sound (and obviously I do), go for the Bifrost. I personally found more depth and dynamics (and obviously I like this too) with the irDAC in my system, but note you will only notice this once you have a significantly resolving system (i.e. high end speakers/headphones and amplifier). Without a significantly resolving system, you may not even notice a difference between the Bifrost and Gungnir, as has also been previously reported. Of the 4 headphones I was using when I first purchased the Gungnir, on only one did I notice a significant difference in depth and dynamics. But you will likely notice what has been referred to as the smooth, analog nature (Schiit Multibit house sound) on the less expensive Bifrost.
 
TL;DR - Gungnir Multibit will be an upgrade over irDAC. And as it has been suggested, Yggdrasil gets you even more 

 

 

[Vanquisher]

  I had all three, so I'll post my thoughts. The irDAC could certainly be end-game. However the order in which I purchased these was:
 

• Gungnir Multibit
• Arcam irDAC
• Bifrost Multibit (upgraded from Uber)

 
As previously stated by multiple people, the Gungnir Multibit is an upgrade over both options 2 and 3. I already had it, which is why I sold both options 2 and 3.
 
My opinion is neither options 2 or 3 are better - just different. If you like the Schiit Multibit house sound (and obviously I do), go for the Bifrost. I personally found more depth and dynamics (and obviously I like this too) with the irDAC in my system, but note you will only notice this once you have a significantly resolving system (i.e. high end speakers/headphones and amplifier). Without a significantly resolving system, you may not even notice a difference between the Bifrost and Gungnir, as has also been previously reported. Of the 4 headphones I was using when I first purchased the Gungnir, on only one did I notice a significant difference in depth and dynamics. But you will likely notice what has been referred to as the smooth, analog nature (Schiit Multibit house sound) on the less expensive Bifrost.
 
TL;DR - Gungnir Multibit will be an upgrade over irDAC. And as it has been suggested, Yggdrasil gets you even more 

 

 
Heard Yggy at NYC meet and was just like:
 

 

[DougD]

   
Heard Yggy at NYC meet and was just like:
 

Sad. Scary. True.
 
I'm 3/4 afraid to give it a listen anywhere, for exactly that reason. 
 
The other 1/4 of me .... see cartoon.

 

[333jeffery]

I sent my Gumby back, never could get the harshness to go away. Got an Yggy and have been in audio heaven ever since. Horns, drums and guitar have never sounded this good to me. But as said before, the rest of your system must be up to the task of handling what the Yggy puts out, or it's capabilities are wasted.

 

[sheldaze]

  I sent my Gumby back, never could get the harshness to go away. Got an Yggy and have been in audio heaven ever since. Horns, drums and guitar have never sounded this good to me. But as said before, the rest of your system must be up to the task of handling what the Yggy puts out, or it's capabilities are wasted.

I spoke to another Head-Fi'er just yesterday who did the exact same thing. He said he could put in hours of listening on the Yggy because it was less harsh than his previous Gungnir. I personally attribute it to less mental fatigue - the sound is that much closer to analog, and there's less digital hash that your brain must filter through to recreate the analog picture in your mind.
 
I must admit I never personally had the Gungnir (Delta Sigma version), but was more relating it to the difference going from Arcam irDAC (reported to sound similar to the Gungnir) versus my current setup with the Yggdrasil. Sometimes when the music starts to play, you just know you're butt isn't moving until the music stops. Happened to me just last night with Yggy > Rag > HE1K and some good music.
 
Happy listening 

 

 

[ToTo Man]

  I sent my Gumby back, never could get the harshness to go away.

This confuses me, as the majority of folk say that Gumby is warmer and less revealing than Yggy.  I'd assumed this meant Gumby was more forgiving of harsh source material, but your experience suggests the opposite?

 

[johndean]

This confuses me, as the majority of folk say that Gumby is warmer and less revealing than Yggy.  I'd assumed this meant Gumby was more forgiving of harsh source material, but your experience suggests the opposite?

Yeah confuses me too . I find the Gumby less resolute than the Yggy but it is warmer . I will say the Gumby doesn't flow as
naturally as the Yggy .

The Yggy is the better dac but for 1,250 I don't think you can find a better dac than the Gumby .

 

[sheldaze]

  This confuses me, as the majority of folk say that Gumby is warmer and less revealing than Yggy.  I'd assumed this meant Gumby was more forgiving of harsh source material, but your experience suggests the opposite?

Yeah confuses me too . I find the Gumby less resolute than the Yggy but it is warmer . I will say the Gumby doesn't flow as
naturally as the Yggy .

The Yggy is the better dac but for 1,250 I don't think you can find a better dac than the Gumby .

Whoops...
Perhaps I was mis-reading his post 

 
I assumed he meant the original Gungnir without the Multibit, although his post clearly said Gumby. No way a Yggdrasil is going to be more relaxed than a Gungnir Multibit. Just...not...possible!