[KipFox]

Dang, you put up a WTB notice for a black Gumby and the scammers come out of the woodwork. Two in a row. Hope Jason can get that MK2 out soon.

 

[Jaymusic]

Well, if you can hold out until mid-2024 it sounds like Gungnir 2 is on its way.
The prototype build seems pretty far along, and is Schiit's own D/S FPGA based implementation (singularity finally making its way onto the scene)
Black seems to roll out first, and if there is demand silver becomes an option (as we've seen with MJ3, Kara, etc.)
Shot of the Gungnir 2 taken from last nights year end wrap up

Interesting.
In my main listening room I have a Gungnir MB Gen 5 USB (although I feed it via spdif from my streamer to BNC input).
I have thought many times over the few years I have had the Gumby MB of 'upgrading' it and never did. Demoed a few units over the years but kept sticking.
I like it that much and could never find anything better. Not even my chronic upgraditis has shaken it loose !
I do wish I had got a black one though (but I can't recall the black version being available when I got mine).
Will be following the release of the Gungnir 2 with interest.

 

[JoeDoe]

Hello fellow Schiitheads! Crossposting a report of some findings after a LOT of testing, comparing, listening, and general playing with Schiit this week, including a wonderful conclusion with my Gumby and Pietus Maximus!

Like many on this forum, I go on and off the merry-go-round of gear - purging down to a sleek, compact setup, then getting restless, then days and weeks of reading reviews and pre-shopping, then sniping deals and making trades, until what once was was a clean 2-3 piece stack becomes what looks like a Radioshack liquidation sale...

The most recent example of this phenomenon has left me with the following in my stable:
- Schiit MMB1 and MMB2
- Lyr 3
- Magni Piety and Pietus Maximus
- Gungnir Multibit A2
- Border Patrol DAC SEi

For additional context, the unchanging variables in this escapade are my M1 Mac Mini running Apple Music lossless selections, and my headphones - Grado GH1, PS2000e, and Fostex T50rp 50th Anniv. Ed. (which are certainly different that their non AE counterparts).

So, the TL;DR? Gumby + PMax = sonic bliss

Longer version:

• MMB1 > Magni Piety - Beautiful, smooth, euphonic sound. Detailed, but certainly a bit smoothed, especially when A/Bing with other more proficient DACs. I really think this one may stay around as an office or bedside rig.
• MMB2 > Magni Piety - Still beautiful, but slightly less bloomy in the mids, and with a bit more energy up top. Definitely seems like a more grown up version of it's predecessor, but also a less traditional R2R sound. Depending on the headphone, the upper mid/treble range may be a little glare-y for some, but with relaxed cans, very listenable. NOS mode extends less at the top and bottom, getting you a little closer to the MMB1 sound.
• For MMB1 and B2 with the Lyr 3 - More low end weight, sense of space/stage gets pushed away from the head and instrument separation improves. Most noticeable in larger instrumentation or quicker/rhythmic material aka when things are busy. Interestingly, I found the Lyr 3 w/ MMB2 pairing very pleasant. The L3 seemed to smooth the top end of the MMB2 just a touch to make it a bit more relaxed without losing much else. Would go so far as to say that Lyr 3 and MMB2 are a highly recommended combo.
• For MMB1 and B2 with the Pietus Maximus - As you might expect, less tube-y. More even balance from bass to treble. To my taste, I enjoyed the L3 with either Modi Multibit more, but I also have pretty energetic headphones, so the fuller midrange/low end fills them out nicely. To my ears, both the Lyr 3 and PMax had similar soundstage presentations and drove all headphones with pretty similar authority.
• Border Patrol DAC - I've owned 2-3 of these in the past. A couple of SE versions, and now the SEi with the upgraded caps. All of the general consensus regarding this DAC are true. It's got a very 'vinyl' sound - pretty warm, bloomy, not syrupy, but not the last word in resolution for sure, especially at it's retail price. A well-matched Gumby or secondhand Yggy would run circles around it. BUT, I'll say if you want something euphonic, still decent in space and separation, and physically compact, this is a great option, especially if you can find one on the used market. Sounded good with the Lyr 3 and Pietus, the former offering a slightly bigger low end and ever so slightly smoothed tippy top. Pietus was more even-handed which may be a plus or minus depending on your preference. Didn't love it as much with the Piety, as the glare-y thing reared it's head a few times depending on the track, but I could heartily recommend either of the larger amps with the BP DAC if someone wanted a rich, smooth, vinyl-esque rig.
• Gungnir Multibit A2 - I've owned this one once before with an MJ2 and it definitely was good, but I was using it SE only with Grados and ended up not keeping it because it was a little to in-your-face in my setup. Fatiguing. Have been up and down the Schiit ladder the past year - auditioning two Yggy's, two BF2's, obviously multiple MMB's, and a partridge in a pear tree. After finding a rare black Gumby, I pulled the trigger just to see if it hit the right balance for me, and so far, with the right upstream amplification, it has! Compared to the other DACs in this list, the most noticeable difference is a greater sense of depth and placement. Everything is not nearly as 'in head' as the smaller DACs. It also has a great blackground, digs deep on hi-rez material, and slams when called up, all things it has a leg up on over aforementioned DACs.

Until this week, my rig has been Gumby > Lokius > Lyr 3 with a warmer tube and some low end boosting to get my Grados where I like 'em without sacrificing too much detail retrieval (something the PS2k does really well when given the chance). Wasn't really anything wrong with that rig, but well, you know, we get curious to know what could be better and well, here we are!

Not sure why I waited until the final iteration to try it, but pairing the Pietus with Gumby has been a wonderful thing, for me anyway. The EQ adjustments that were really a necessity for the L3 are no longer. The thick and rich low end I like is there in all it's solid state goodness. Blackground is excellent. Treble extension is there but balanced so beautifully with everything else that I don't find myself wanting to cut or boost anything. Compared to the other DACs, I also get to keep the expansive stage that only the Gumby offers. Also, I'll mention that I still am keeping the Lokius in rig, but not out of necessity - more just versatility. I do run XLR from Gumby to Lokius and then SE to the Pietus, BUT I'm in the camp that the 'gimped SE' of the Gumby is definitely something that's been overblown. If you go back and forth I'm sure you could nitpick some things between the two, but I could happily live SE to SE and not feel like anything is missing.

So in sum, this stack is the one I'm sticking with, the one that does everything as right as possible for me, and I can heartily recommend any potential Pietus owners give the Gumby a good go!

 

[ekjellgren]

Would you get a used in Gungnir A2 MB Gen 5 USB for €500 in 2024?
Or should I save up to a Bifrost 2/64?

 

[AstronomerXI]

Would you get a used in Gungnir A2 MB Gen 5 USB for €500 in 2024?
Or should I save up to a Bifrost 2/64?

Get the Gungnir. It's closer in sound to the Yggy than the Bifrost. There are many comparisons between the two on the forums. Just last month I bought a 2017 A1 Gungnir for about the same cost as yours and I have absolutely zero regrets. With the Gungnir in the audio chain, the difference in the presentation of music is night and day from my delta-sigma DACS. It's very analog with space between the instruments, and I can pick out and concentrate on individual background singers or any instrument whereas previously, I could not do so very well. I use an inexpensive digital-digital converter so I can use the coax input into the DAC.

 

[Raptor34]

Would you get a used in Gungnir A2 MB Gen 5 USB for €500 in 2024?
Or should I save up to a Bifrost 2/64?

Get the Gungnir.

 

[JoeDoe]

Would you get a used in Gungnir A2 MB Gen 5 USB for €500 in 2024?
Or should I save up to a Bifrost 2/64?

Get the Gungnir.

What he said, especially at a price like that!

 

[ekjellgren]

Could I expect it to match my Musician Pegasus somewhat?

 

[jmimac351]

Hello all... I'm looking at picking up a Gungni D/S DAC with A1 boards, Gen 1 USB. Plus, I happen to already have an Eitr device. I want the 4399 DAC and notwithstanding the difference between it and the MB version... would putting the Eitr in the loop be of benefit such that maybe it's not even worth it / "necessary" to send the Gungnir in for Unison upgrade?

D/S Gungnir are not expensive and I already own the Eitr... I'm thinking it may be a pretty good setup, given that I want the 4399 DAC. (Note: I own a Modi Multibit I have in "TV duty" use... I think it's a good unit; however, I need balanced outputs.)

Here's something else to consider... is the consensus that the Gungnir D/S unit I describe above: Gungnir D/S 4399, A1 Board, Eitr USB to Coax...

...is that unit better than a Modius AKM4493 with Unison?

Any opinions on this comparison between the Gungnir setup I describe vs Modius AKM4493?

Thank you.

 

[mjstealey]

Hello all... I'm looking at picking up a Gungni D/S DAC with A1 boards, Gen 1 USB. Plus, I happen to already have an Eitr device. I want the 4399 DAC and notwithstanding the difference between it and the MB version... would putting the Eitr in the loop be of benefit such that maybe it's not even worth it / "necessary" to send the Gungnir in for Unison upgrade?

Eitr is Gen5 USB --> S/PDIF coax (RCA or adapted BNC) which would certainly be a step up from Gen1 USB.

Sonic differences between that and upgrading to Unison USB are likely going to be minimal (if any) and mostly personal preference. There are folks that prefer S/PDIF over Unison for one reason or another anyway, and to my knowledge Gungnir never upgraded the S/PDIF interconnects over time, only USB.

Now, for a reason to upgrade (even if you never use Unison USB) is that it reactivates the warranty for two years... so there's that.

I was using an Eitr on an A1 Gungnir MB with Gen3 USB and preferred the sound with Eitr in the chain.

 

[caracara08]

Anyone else own two? Have one in my main speaker setup and one in my bookshelf speaker/headphone setup.

 

[jmimac351]

Eitr is Gen5 USB --> S/PDIF coax (RCA or adapted BNC) which would certainly be a step up from Gen1 USB.

Sonic differences between that and upgrading to Unison USB are likely going to be minimal (if any) and mostly personal preference. There are folks that prefer S/PDIF over Unison for one reason or another anyway, and to my knowledge Gungnir never upgraded the S/PDIF interconnects over time, only USB.

Now, for a reason to upgrade (even if you never use Unison USB) is that it reactivates the warranty for two years... so there's that.

I was using an Eitr on an A1 Gungnir MB with Gen3 USB and preferred the sound with Eitr in the chain.

Thank you for sharing.

 

[Brubacca]

Eitr is Gen5 USB --> S/PDIF coax (RCA or adapted BNC) which would certainly be a step up from Gen1 USB.

Sonic differences between that and upgrading to Unison USB are likely going to be minimal (if any) and mostly personal preference. There are folks that prefer S/PDIF over Unison for one reason or another anyway, and to my knowledge Gungnir never upgraded the S/PDIF interconnects over time, only USB.

Now, for a reason to upgrade (even if you never use Unison USB) is that it reactivates the warranty for two years... so there's that.

I was using an Eitr on an A1 Gungnir MB with Gen3 USB and preferred the sound with Eitr in the chain.

I used an Eitr before Unison was released. Then upgraded to Unison. Can’t say that I recall a huge difference. Although I couldn't AB them. And I can’t seem to find the Eitr to do it now.

 

[jmimac351]

And I can’t seem to find the Eitr to do it now.

Isn't it amazing how that happens? As a last resort, I sometimes ask "her" if she's seen it. That is usually met with the 1-2 punch of "What does it look like?" and "If you put stuff back where it belongs..." Generally, if it's not really an urgent issue, I make it into a game to see if I can find it. Occasionally this happens late at night and the key is to be very quiet so as to not trigger the "What are you looking for???" question. Not triggering that question is nearly impossible, as "her" hearing seems to being even more acute late at night just as she's dozed off. A quick and calming response to that question must always be at the ready. And then... sometimes lightning will strike and I'll immediately leap to my feet and make a bee-line to it and it's like finding buried treasure... then the memory will come back to me... and I'll shake my head at myself.

 

[BS0D]

Curious...looking at Gungnir w/ gen 2 USB and A1 board as SN# starts with C. Is sound signature similar to Modi Multibit 2? As I much prefer ifi Zen Sigv2 Dac vs MMB2 in stereo system. Has anyone used Musician Pegasus vs Gungnir? Thanks for the thoughts.