[tincanear]

It gives me the warm and fuzzies knowing the Mike and Jason's company is doing well (Aegir must be selling like hot cakes). I'm trying to buy what I can on a limited budget. Just bought a Modi 3 for my 2 channel system today (Going to replace an R2R-11 doing DAC duty). I was thinking about going the multi-bit route, but my Vandersteen 2C's are kinda veiled on the top end and I think I can get brighter/more detailed highs with the modi 3 (The Vandies need all the help they can get in this dept). I was thinking about getting the original bifrost, but I don't know if I will fully appreciate the nuances of that over the modi 3 in my current set-up. Plus, Jason's latest shootout results pushed me over the edge. Modi 3 looks to be killer for the money. I will try to compare against the R2R-11 once I spend some time with it.

Next on my Schiit list is Asgard 3 and Loki!

Bifrost Multibit OG units in black now out on b-stock page.

@PioBeer If you use the USB input for your main source, keep in mind that the Bifrost 4490 ($249 currently on b-stock page) it should be shipping with USB Gen 5. Even though it does not have Unison (yet), it does have electromagnetic and electrostatic USB isolation for lower noise.

 

[tincanear]

It gives me the warm and fuzzies knowing the Mike and Jason's company is doing well (Aegir must be selling like hot cakes). I'm trying to buy what I can on a limited budget. Just bought a Modi 3 for my 2 channel system today (Going to replace an R2R-11 doing DAC duty). I was thinking about going the multi-bit route, but my Vandersteen 2C's are kinda veiled on the top end and I think I can get brighter/more detailed highs with the modi 3 (The Vandies need all the help they can get in this dept). I was thinking about getting the original bifrost, but I don't know if I will fully appreciate the nuances of that over the modi 3 in my current set-up. Plus, Jason's latest shootout results pushed me over the edge. Modi 3 looks to be killer for the money. I will try to compare against the R2R-11 once I spend some time with it.

Next on my Schiit list is Asgard 3 and Loki!

I am familiar with the Vandersteen 2C's, top end seems a bit recessed on those. What pre & power amp are you currently using with those?

 

[PioBeer]

My current set-up only uses chromecast audio (toslink) and oppo blu-ray player for CD's for my digital front end. No USB in sight for my 2-channel rig at the moment. Once the new transport comes out with it's USB Unison out, then I will buy the Modi 4 with Unison input
Or the Bifrost 2 (if I can convince the wife to get the Tekton DIs first)

 

[tincanear]

My current set-up only uses chromecast audio (toslink) and oppo blu-ray player for CD's for my digital front end. No USB in sight for my 2-channel rig at the moment. Once the new transport comes out with it's USB Unison out, then I will buy the Modi 4 with Unison input
Or the Bifrost 2 (if I can convince the wife to get the Tekton DIs first)

since you are using just the toslink & coax inputs, then Modi 3 sounds like a good choice, especially since you are planning an upgrade to speakers.

i'm also wondering if the new CD transport will include an expansion slot for the DAC module from Bifrost2...

 

[Rensek]

i'm also wondering if the new CD transport will include an expansion slot for the DAC module from Bifrost2

I'm just a noob, but from everything I read, I highly doubt that will happen.

 

[yonson]

since you are using just the toslink & coax inputs, then Modi 3 sounds like a good choice, especially since you are planning an upgrade to speakers.

i'm also wondering if the new CD transport will include an expansion slot for the DAC module from Bifrost2...

I'm quite curious to see what form factor it takes... The one that makes the most sense (to me at least) would be a Gungnir/Freya size which would give plenty of room for the tray, a display and controls on the front and plenty of room inside.

I'd love for it to have the capability to plug in a USB drive and be able to play from it, but I doubt that's going to happen. Hopefully we'll find out soon...

 

[Tim van der Leeuw]

If you look at the reviews for head-amps and preamps with gain switches, some users report a difference in the sound between the gain settings (when adjusting the volume pot for similar overall loudness). The gain switches are wired into the feedback, and change the amount of global feedback for the amp circuit.

That's what I experience with the Jotunheim, turning on high-gain changes the sound: it becomes brighter, more "present", the highs are more pronounced.
(It depends on my mood which setting I prefer, and the music I'm listening to).

 

[hearditontheX]

The Lyr 3 and Sol made it on to Enjoy the Music's 2019 Audiophile Great Gift list, http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1219/Great_Audiophile_Gift/

 

[Tim van der Leeuw]

my Vandersteen 2C's are kinda veiled on the top end and I think I can get brighter/more detailed highs with the modi 3

I've tried the Modi 3 and found the highs to be very soft with that DAC - opposite of bright. Not sure about detail, I didn't give it enough attention for that, but certainly not bright. We were comparing at the time against two other DACs, one built-in into a Node 2i streamer and another built-in into the amplifier. Both sounded much brighter, and the one built in into the amp also much deeper.

The Bifrost 2 gives a much brighter sound than the Modi 3. (The D/S4490 card in the Jotunheim also gives a rather bright sound for what it's worth).

I don't know if you have already listened to it but I'm curious what your impressions are.

 

[Paladin79]

The Lyr 3 and Sol made it on to Enjoy the Music's 2019 Audiophile Great Gift list, http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1219/Great_Audiophile_Gift/

There are some very nice products listed there, and some I would not touch with a ten foot pole but such is audio.

 

[3 toes of fury]

CD Transport 101:

Ok fellow audio fans! Ive got a few questions for y'all...sorry if they're uber basic but the thread has alot of stuff around CD transports recently and i'd like to better understand.
I, like many of you im sure, have amassed a huge collection of CDs over the years. I know there's plenty of moment forward towards higher res files (and potential higher res streaming)
and backward towards a renewed interest in vinyl, both of which i support, but i still very much enjoy the sound of CD. That being said, i do find myself pulling out CDs less these
days given the convenience of a digital library. The transport talk has me very interested...a couple basic questions for y'all:

1) Is a CD Transport basically just a CD Player that only provides a digital signal? IE: A component that requires other components to convert to playable?
Is the advantage of such a system that you can use a much better DAC to convert the audio?

2) For existing CD Transport technology, what is the 'standard' digital out format? USB? Coax? Optical? A combo of these?

3) Do we have confirmation that Schiit is indeed planning on making a transport? Sorry if i missed it, but aside from a single line reference in one of Jasons replies,
I havent seen any details around a Schiit transport? If they are, count me in as an early adopter!

Thanks Y'all for such a great forum and site!!

Peace .n. "Music Can Change The World" -Beethoven

3ToF

 

[renault4]

I am (slowly) headed toward picking up a pair of Aegirs and a Freya+. I am curious as to whether there is any conventional wisdom regarding interconnect cable lengths; specifically, is it better to have a short (i.e., 2-3ft) balanced cable interconnect between pre-amp and amp in close proximity and then a longer run ( i.e., 6-9ft) to the speakers using speaker cable, or the reverse-- which would have the effect of placing the Aegirs closer to their respective speakers. I would imagine using conventional (ie not overly esoteric) Blue Jeans cables...

 

[wout31]

I am (slowly) headed toward picking up a pair of Aegirs and a Freya+. I am curious as to whether there is any conventional wisdom regarding interconnect cable lengths; specifically, is it better to have a short (i.e., 2-3ft) balanced cable interconnect between pre-amp and amp in close proximity and then a longer run ( i.e., 6-9ft) to the speakers using speaker cable, or the reverse-- which would have the effect of placing the Aegirs closer to their respective speakers. I would imagine using conventional (ie not overly esoteric) Blue Jeans cables...

Commonly accepted that it's better to have short connection from amp to speakers and (if needed) longer balanced cables to the pre-amp. Also the way I have done it.
So place you Aegirs close to your speakers and keep the speaker cables short. As balanced between Freya and Aegir is truly balanced the cable interference is filtered out at the Aegir's input.

 

[mymindinside]

EDIT: wout31 beat me to it

Long balanced interconnect and short speaker cable

 

[Paladin79]

I am (slowly) headed toward picking up a pair of Aegirs and a Freya+. I am curious as to whether there is any conventional wisdom regarding interconnect cable lengths; specifically, is it better to have a short (i.e., 2-3ft) balanced cable interconnect between pre-amp and amp in close proximity and then a longer run ( i.e., 6-9ft) to the speakers using speaker cable, or the reverse-- which would have the effect of placing the Aegirs closer to their respective speakers. I would imagine using conventional (ie not overly esoteric) Blue Jeans cables...

Neither 2-3 feet for interconnects or 6-9 feet for speaker cables is to be considered a long run but personally I am more apt to go with longer runs to the speakers themselves. It is very easy to increase the wire gauge size to the speakers and once again 6-9 feet is not a bad length at all. If you are located in the states I might even be able to help out with extra speaker wire in short lengths that was left over from a project that I would hate to scrap.