[George55]

Quote:

^LOL

I've heard (and reviewed) Bifrost but not Gungnir. It is definitely neutral, with a slight tendency toward a lighter, brighter sound - clarity rather than warmth. The above-mentioned reviewers also note a slight mid-bass bump and possibly a touch of top-end sibilance - both of which Gungnir does not have they say.

 
Wow, that's great.  Thanks so much.  Interesting that the gungnir more than held its own against DACs costing significantly more.  As always, there's no substitute for a home demo, but it seems like the gungnir is definitely worth auditioning.  (It's also the DAC I really WANT to like, as the guys there are very responsive and I love the idea that it's upgradeable.  Technology is moving so quickly at the moment in this area that this is a huge plus for me).

 

[Argo Duck]

Yes. These are the best of times, and the worst of times for DACs. The former because there's so much to choose from, the latter because there's so much to choose from

Among them all, the Schiit guys make a statement (pun intended, new DAC hopefully for release in the next few months)., e.g. read Jason's recent words about discrete versus opamp outputs.

They have firm positions on stuff, and yet could not be better to deal with. Gotta admire that.

 

[eantala]

I just became a proud owner  of a Gungnir today!  sound lovely just using rca's cable.
have XLR cables coming in next week.
 
I also have the Mjolnir, how are you suppose to stack it amp on bottom or the dac? 
I notice the amp has vents on the top but the bottom is what gets toasty...

 

[BokononVolta]

Amp on top. Still runs a lot cooler than my Asgard did.

 

[Cebolla]

Is there any word from Schiit as to how they'll be sorting out the lack of 176.4kHz sample rate via the USB DAC input? Are they going to replace the C-Media CM6631 chip for the officially 176.4kHz capable CM6631A chip (which otherwise has the same spec as the CM6631) or will they continue to look for a solution via new firmware and USB drivers?
 

 

[eantala]

im pretty happy with my new gungnir..using it with mjonir with some lcd2.2
 
I thought of getting the HRT HD as its balanced but the thought of usb powered was a turn off.
I had hrt streamer 2+, and while a great unit for what it was
it would pop click , etc unless I powered it with a usb hub.
 
anyway right now its not bad at all using rca cables, how big an improvement can I expect when my balanced cables come in next week?

 

[frankty]

Quote:

Is there any word from Schiit as to how they'll be sorting out the lack of 176.4kHz sample rate via the USB DAC input? Are they going to replace the C-Media CM6631 chip for the officially 176.4kHz capable CM6631A chip (which otherwise has the same spec as the CM6631) or will they continue to look for a solution via new firmware and USB drivers?
 

 
It's fixed!  Just get an RMA and get your USB upgraded.  I did it for both my Bifrost and Gungnir.  Not only do you get 176.4 but the new USB board definitely SOUNDS better.  I was extremely pleased!  I recommend you ship the unit back to have the board changed.  I changed them myself and it wasn't hard, but there must be some trick to lining up all the LEDs into their *tiny* little holes (especially the Gungnir).  It was more time-consuming than I anticipated.  They have a bazillion screws and are built like brick Schiit houses.  You could drive a truck over one and it wouldn't notice - not that I recommend that ...  
 
Cheers!
Frank

 

[disastermouse]

im pretty happy with my new gungnir..using it with mjonir with some lcd2.2

I thought of getting the HRT HD as its balanced but the thought of usb powered was a turn off.
I had hrt streamer 2+, and while a great unit for what it was
it would pop click , etc unless I powered it with a usb hub.

anyway right now its not bad at all using rca cables, how big an improvement can I expect when my balanced cables come in next week?

I have an MSII+ and it never clicks or pops. I've run it on two consecutive iMacs with no problems.

 

[claud W]

Would a Gungnir be over kill to use with my Lyr? My Bifrost is nice, but would Gungnir be that much better. I don't want to go balanced.

 

[paradoxper]

Quote:

Would a Gungnir be over kill to use with my Lyr? My Bifrost is nice, but would Gungnir be that much better. I don't want to go balanced.

Margins of improvement would be much more noticeable running balanced, but still even using single-ended would yield a step up from Bifrost.

 

[frankty]

Quote:

Margins of improvement would be much more noticeable running balanced, but still even using single-ended would yield a step up from Bifrost.

 
I agree.  When I bought the Gungnir I was going to sell the Bifrost, but it's so much smaller that I held on to it.  They are very similar, the Gungnir most definitely better even with RCAs.  If you can only get one, get the Gundnir.  You won't regret it.

 

[eantala]

Quote:

I have an MSII+ and it never clicks or pops. I've run it on two consecutive iMacs with no problems.

yes your're correct my post was somewhat misleading, I should of mentioned that what I experienced definitely was dependent on the PC I was using.

 

[zackzack]

A few questions to annoy you guys:
 
Does Gungnir pair well with 3rd party amp like Burson Soloist or Musical Fidelity?
 
Would you waste Gungnir potential by pairing it with lower end Asgard 2?

 

[eantala]

just want to report back Im quite happy with the with the Gungnir/Mnolnir stack balanced,  I think I'm done with buying stuff for a while.  for at least a year in not a few..

 

[commtrd]

 
Quote:

just want to report back Im quite happy with the with the Gungnir/Mnolnir stack balanced,  I think I'm done with buying stuff for a while.  for at least a year in not a few..

+1 Totally happy with my Mjolnir/Gungnir. Maybe some LCD3 someday but for now all good.