[Ichos]

The RCA is 2v and the XLR is 4v out so it is regular to be louder for the same pot position.
Other than that the RCA is summed from the XLR analogue out.
From my personal tests I found the XLR out a little more cleaner and a little more harsh than the RCA out.

 

[TJ Max]

From my personal tests I found the XLR out a little more cleaner and a little more harsh than the RCA out.

And its that harshness thats bothering me. Do you think the upper midrange-lower treble sounds a little compressed with XLR? I can't tell if its that or just that the extra volume is making it seem that way.

 

[Ichos]

I am not sure and can't describe it but there was something bugging me with Gumby OG at the upper registers.
Sometimes I thought it was fatiguing and I believe it was at the registers you describe.
With my HD800s and MJ2 after a lot of listening tests at the end I preferred the single ended out of gumby as I thought it was more full and less harsh although lacking a little bit at detail.
As for compression / veil although I thought gumby being quite clear and not lacking at detail I changed my mind after listening to a few ESS Sabre dac's!

 

[RCBinTN]

I'm running a fully-balanced system and don't hear any harshness, compression or veil anywhere in the frequency spectrum.
Actually, quite the opposite - just sweet music reproduction ... very analogue-sounding.

I did have an issue with the amp being too powerful for some cans, especially low-impedance planars.

Here's a trick that helped me (and no, I'm not going to RCA connections).
My source is a Macbook Pro running JRiver23 with 16/44.1 FLAC or higher resolution music on the installed SSD.
JRiver has a DSP studio with a pre-amp slider. So, I enabled DSP studio and set the pre-amp at -9dB.
That let me increase the volume setting of the amplifier itself and keep the same listening level on the HPs.

This "trick" lets the amp operate in a better power range. The Bryston BHA-1 thanks me every time I listen.

I also use the -9dB preamp setting with my HD800 headphones, along with a 2dB dip at 6kHz that works wonders

FWIW and YMMV, as always.
Cheers,
RCB

ps. These are all subjective listening impressions. There are more variables than are being discussed here!
If an ESS Sabre DAC sounds better to you, then go for it ... and, happy listening.

 

[Ichos]

Nope i didn't like the sabre dac's!

 

[RCBinTN]

As for compression / veil although I thought gumby being quite clear and not lacking at detail I changed my mind after listening to a few ESS Sabre dac's!

Oops, seems like I read that sentence backward ... sorry about that and thanks for clarifying.

 

[Ichos]

Sabres were more analytical but almost all of them had a fake and metallic tonality at the upper registers.
ie - Ayazi dav v1 , pioneer u 05 , arcam cds50 with the pioneer being the worst of them.

 

[RCBinTN]

Right ... the "fake and metallic tonality" is what Mike can overcome with his MB technology and analogue filter.
His aim is to make the DACs sound more analogue ... and IMO he has succeeded.

Most DS DACs do sound "fake and metallic," at least to me. As you said, mostly in the upper registers.
The funny (?) thing is the DS DACs measure better on the bench, but (IMO) they sound worse.
Some folks claim the DS DACs "are" better because they measure better.
I disagree with that. IMO, MB DACs sound better so they win!

As I went from Bifrost RCA to DS Gungnir balanced, the metallic sound softened, but it was still audible.
When I went from (both balanced) Gungnir to Gumby, the metallic effect disappeared.
The sound stage deepened. The mids and treble way more realistic.

That step was my game-changer!
I stopped my DAC journey at Gumby. The Yggy is more resolving, but it's too heavy for my old bones

 

[TJ Max]

Ok I was able, to get around the volume issue by added these Hosa ATT488 Adjustable XLR Attenuators.

Its has 3 settings -20dB ,-30dB and -40dB


After plugging them in and setting them to -40dB, I played some loud Synth Rock music by Ultraboss. I was able to set my volume knob to %50 on my Parasound HINT, and get around ~65dBA @ 1m of noise using my sound level meter.

 

[the finisher]

Better than digital attenuation.

 

[RCBinTN]

Maybe so ... I need to explore this option. Thanks @TJ Max

 

[KLJTech]

I have the Gen 5 USB board for my Gungnir and a Jotunheim (amp only) coming in today. With the Gen 5 USB in place should I remove my Wyrd from the chain (never had any USB issues) or just leave it in place? Thanks.

 

[JerryLeeds]

I have the Gen 5 USB board for my Gungnir and a Jotunheim (amp only) coming in today. With the Gen 5 USB in place should I remove my Wyrd from the chain (never had any USB issues) or just leave it in place? Thanks.

You can get rid of the Wyrd

 

[US Blues]

Right ... the "fake and metallic tonality" is what Mike can overcome with his MB technology and analogue filter.
His aim is to make the DACs sound more analogue ... and IMO he has succeeded.

A small quibble: @Baldr aims to make DAC's that sound like real music.

 

[mwb1]

I've received a brand new Schiit Gungnir yesterday and I noticed that the digital coax port has a lot of wiggle play. Theres no problems with the sound, but I was wondering if this could be a cause for concern. I've already contacted Schiit about it and am waiting for a reply. But I also wanna know if any of you have experienced this.

I had the same issue. I ended up getting a cable that has a BNC connector, and I'm really happy with it.