[FoolerFour]

2019, Chapter 19
Lucky 13?

Oops #2: Borked on Bifrost. On our second most complex product ever, we had funky firmware. And some bad capacitors. The funky firmware makes no sense, because a dozen protos and betas were made and run around for almost a year before launch. It makes even less sense that Unison USB hasn’t been a problem at all—a much more complex bit of code than the firmware that ran the product. The good news is that Autonomy meant that we just had to provide new firmware, rather than pull all the products back. The bad news is that it happened in the first place. The capacitors? Luck of the draw. Schiity luck, but they are out of the system now, and the “desktop Yggdrasil” is taking off.

@Jason Stoddard (or anyone else who might be able to answer):

I was aware previously of the firmware upgrade for Bifrost 2 but I didn't know about the issue with the bad capacitors. I purchased my Bifrost 2 the day it was released. Is there a way to determine if mine might be a part of the bad batch of capacitors?

Thanks,
Matt

 

[valiant66]

Maybe never. Just starting on it. We'll see.

I just wanted to make a point: don't sit on your hands waiting for a Mani 2. There's no need for one.

LOL. My speakers are Mani 2s - Totem Mani-2s. Maybe the second finest standmounts I have heard (after the Focal Utopia Minis).

Note I have not heard every speaker out there, or even bothered seriously auditioning anything since the early teens.
.

 

[ev666il]

I was aware previously of the firmware upgrade for Bifrost 2 but I didn't know about the issue with the bad capacitors. I purchased my Bifrost 2 the day it was released. Is there a way to determine if mine might be a part of the bad batch of capacitors?

Going by memory here, but units with bad caps would have their led lights start flashing and they would stop working. If your DAC works, I think it's safe to say it's got good caps.

 

[tafens]

@Jason Stoddard (or anyone else who might be able to answer):

I was aware previously of the firmware upgrade for Bifrost 2 but I didn't know about the issue with the bad capacitors. I purchased my Bifrost 2 the day it was released. Is there a way to determine if mine might be a part of the bad batch of capacitors?

Thanks,
Matt

If the capacitor fails, the unit goes dead. As Jason described earlier (might have been over in the Bifrost2 thread), if the capacitor fails, it shorts out the power supply which in turn also fails and the unit won’t work anymore. Dead as a doornail.
He also said the capacitor won’t affect the sound quality (until it goes, of course, at which time there will be no sound at all).

Not all Bifrosts from the first batch will have a bad cap though, the bad batch of caps just has a higher failure rate. I ordered my Bifrost2 in the first or second week of release and it’s still going strong.


Looks like your first post; Welcome to head-fi!
(and sorry about your wallet)

 

[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

It seems to add extra bass compared to Qobuz and if the headphones are thin on the bass, it rounds out the music. Otherwise the bass becomes too much and becomes dull and bland. That's my analysis of the sound difference).

I run both Tidal and Qobuz from the same transport into my 2 channel stack.
Comparing identical tracks from both providers always results in a "heavy" sounding from Tidal and a (for me) more "truthful" sounding track from Qobuz.

 

[Roy G. Biv]

My big problem with Loki, et al, is this: Where do you put it in the chain? After a DAC and before a preamp? Between the preamp and a power amp?

This is from the Loki manual. I know this doesn't answer all of your questions. FWIW, mine is between my Modi Multibit and my receiver (yes, I use an AVR in my 2-channel rig. Flame away.) and it works fine this way. A great piece of kit for not much $$.

 

[A Jedi]

Finally got my hands on a Saga + and figured I'd throw a thought up here. While in tube buffer mode, the soundstage appears a bit more spacious - more open. I also notice a longer decay in high frequency notes. I like it. However, if you're a purist you should get the Saga S (or Freya S). Reason being: in passive mode, there is nothing but an attenuator in the signal path. In active mode (tube buffer in this case), you're placing...well, a bunch of electronics in the signal path. The more "stuff" you put in the signal path, the further you get away from the original. Therefore, the purest signal is the passive one so go with the "S" version as it's cheaper. For the record, I have both a Freya (S) and Saga (+) and they are killer preamps worth their price. Saga S really should be selling much better than it is...

 

[RickB]

Schiit Audio Hel High-Power Gaming DAC/Amp Review: A Powerful Addition To Any Gaming Setup

https://www.thegamer.com/schiit-audio-hel-high-power-gaming-dacamp-review/

 

[Ripper2860]

^^^

Schiit audio has been creating high-quality audio products since 2019...

Ummmm. So they've been creating mediocre products since 2010 and finally got their Schiit together and stepped up to high-quality in 2019??

Obviously a typo.

 

[Azookey]

Finally got my hands on a Saga + and figured I'd throw a thought up here. While in tube buffer mode, the soundstage appears a bit more spacious - more open. I also notice a longer decay in high frequency notes. I like it. However, if you're a purist you should get the Saga S (or Freya S). Reason being: in passive mode, there is nothing but an attenuator in the signal path. In active mode (tube buffer in this case), you're placing...well, a bunch of electronics in the signal path. The more "stuff" you put in the signal path, the further you get away from the original. Therefore, the purest signal is the passive one so go with the "S" version as it's cheaper. For the record, I have both a Freya (S) and Saga (+) and they are killer preamps worth their price. Saga S really should be selling much better than it is...

So I've heard the original Saga had a capacitor in the output stage which made it not optimal when using a low impedance amplifier, such that the output impedance would vary with frequency and could get quite high.

Does the Saga+ and Saga S have the same output stage?

 

[A Jedi]

So I've heard the original Saga had a capacitor in the output stage which made it not optimal when using a low impedance amplifier, such that the output impedance would vary with frequency and could get quite high.

Does the Saga+ and Saga S have the same output stage?

No idea. A question for @Jason Stoddard perhaps.

 

[tincanear]

So I've heard the original Saga had a capacitor in the output stage which made it not optimal when using a low impedance amplifier, such that the output impedance would vary with frequency and could get quite high.

Does the Saga+ and Saga S have the same output stage?

Saga S is specified at 75 ohms, which is pretty good for a preamp. Looks to be direct coupled, with DC offset correction (servo???) .

Saga + (hybrid tube / solid state buffer) is specified at 180 ohms, which is lower than typical all-tube preamps.

In passive mode, both will have output impedance ~5K and may roll off some high frequencies (depending on interconnects, power amp input impedance).

Some balanced power amps have 600 ohm input (and can be driven from a single-ended source if fully differential and the appropriate (there are several way to wire up) RCA to XLR adapter is used).

Edit: Saga+ and Saga S do not have the same output stage (Saga+ is hybrid tube / transistor, and Saga S is FET transistor) hence the different output impedance specs.

 

[Timster]

Schiit Audio Hel High-Power Gaming DAC/Amp Review: A Powerful Addition To Any Gaming Setup

https://www.thegamer.com/schiit-audio-hel-high-power-gaming-dacamp-review/

Reading the review, there is a criticism that the HEL doesn't support USB headsets.... wouldnt that defeat the purpose of the HEL? USB headsets must already have a built in DAC/ADC, else how would they work?

 

[Ripper2860]

LOL! Yeah, not an audio site, but kudos for the effort in plugging a good product.

 

[porchwizard]

LOL! Yeah, not an audio site, but kudos for the effort in plugging a good product.

It was interesting and enlightening to hear folks, not steeped in audiophilia, react to a product like HEL.
Knowing some gamers, but not being one, I think it is beyond bold and innovative that Schiit launched into this alternate universe that is full of (plagued by) mass market / bling products and injected actual tangible high quality.
You could sense it, in the article, that realization that, woah, this is good. This is better. This is way better. Holy Schiit!
2019 has really been about not just breaking down barriers, but destroying them. I don't want a HEL and I don't want a Jotenheim R, buy I'm totally psyched by a company that can create them.
Oh... but I do want a SOL... Just say'n....