Schiit Happened: The Story of the World's Most Improbable Start-Up

[Jason Stoddard]

Why...? They're heatsinks that float. Slightly angled mounting causes no issues; electrical or mechanically. No harm, no foul...!

Number of power supply failures in Yggdrasil caused by angled heatsinks: 0. Actually, I think the only power supply failures we've ever had were in early units, caused by the choke coming off the board. We quickly changed how we mounted it, and that was that.

That said, it should look good for the photo. I'm having them reshot. Next week.

 

[Brubacca]

Have a soft spot for Gungnir MB. I am still loving my A1 that I bought before Gen 5 USB was available. I had always intended to upgrade to Yggy, but never had the financial ability to do it. My system is built around components all costing between $1,000 and $2,000. I did upgrade to Unison USB though.

I'd personally like to see it continue as I see the $1k - $2k as a viable product category.
The technical side of me asks: Is Gungnir MB that much better than the Bifrost 2 to warrant the cost outlay?
The Sales Professional of me asks: Do you sell enough of them to keep them in the line? (or will the development time to upgrade it like Yggy be worth it?)

If you leave Gumby looking like the old Yggy, but smaller, then it may be perceived as an "old" product.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE mine. I would tell anyone who will listen that its a great product and very worth their consideration.

 

[schneller]

@Jason Stoddard it is my understanding that MIL and LIM fixed something with respect to the OG's analog output, such that balanced and SE outputs are more similar than worlds apart. With this transition to Yggdrasil+ did you "fix" the same issue with the OG's analog section?

 

[tincanear]

Number of power supply failures in Yggdrasil caused by angled heatsinks: 0. Actually, I think the only power supply failures we've ever had were in early units, caused by the choke coming off the board. We quickly changed how we mounted it, and that was that.

That said, it should look good for the photo. I'm having them reshot. Next week.

silkscreen on the black units looks faded / almost invisible in some shots too.

 

[scotdouglas]

Hmmm... use Lokius as a high pass filter. That would only involve a few minutes moving cables around. I like it. Thanks!

I so wish I could try that! I'm stuck with this for now:
https://www.parts-express.com/100-H...ustcol_ava_pickup=F&custcol_disableshopping=F

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

The technical side of me asks: Is Gungnir MB that much better than the Bifrost 2 to warrant the cost outlay?

Oh HELL yeah. The two are WORLDS apart, sonically.

 

[schneller]

As for Gungnir: I just bought a used 2021 model with Unison, black for $900. Perfect condition. I plan to also buy a BF2/64 to compare and then sell the "lesser" of the two. Yggdrasil, with a looming global recession, is just too rich for my blood. I guess if I were making the decisions, I would end Gungnir, simplify my lineup, and offer a Yggdrasil+ variant for $1900 to compete with the Chord Qutest, which is probably one of your single most competitive DACs, and get the price under the $2K psychological hurdle.

 

[scotdouglas]

I wish I could hear all of the Schiit DACS, I really want to buy more Schiit, but I have never heard anything that sounds as good as my Modius E -> Freya+ -> Vidars. I have no idea how anything could sound better to me.

Should I consider myself lucky?

 

[PhilippR]

2022, Chapter 12
Progress Without Penury

Let’s just jump right into this:

As of today, there’s a new Yggdrasil+. It’s sleeker, has remote control, more features, and makes it super easy to upgrade in the future. And it starts at the same price as the Yggdrasil we introduced in 2014.

That sounds so amazing! In my 2023 budget I can do one of two upgrades:

• 2x Tyr (up from 2x Vidar) or
• 1x Yggdrasil+ (up from 1x Modius)

The components are connected to B&W 803 D3 speakers and a Freya+ (picture can be seen here). Any advice you can give me? Which one would give me more bang for the buck, quality wise?

 

[Jason Stoddard]

@Jason Stoddard it is my understanding that MIL and LIM fixed something with respect to the OG's analog output, such that balanced and SE outputs are more similar than worlds apart. With this transition to Yggdrasil+ did you "fix" the same issue with the OG's analog section?

Incorrect assumption. There's nothing to be "fixed." The OG uses discrete summers, rather than the integrated summers in MIL and LIM, hence the SE output measures differently. Summing the SE outputs, whether discrete or integrated, remains, and always will remain, the best way to get the benefits of a truly hardware-balanced architecture.

Fun fact: Yggdrasil OG's SE discrete summers are basically the same as what's in Gungnir's SE outputs.

 

[StimpyWan]

I wish I could hear all of the Schiit DACS, I really want to buy more Schiit, but I have never heard anything that sounds as good as my Modius E -> Freya+ -> Vidars. I have no idea how anything could sound better to me.

Should I consider myself lucky?

Schiit needs a loaner Modi MB. Something to tempt the undecided, or the geographically deprived. For me, after hearing a Schiit MB DAC, I only use my D/S DACs as safety back up's. No going back, after hearing what the MB's can do...!

 

[Roy G. Biv]

I so wish I could try that! I'm stuck with this for now:
https://www.parts-express.com/100-Hz-High-Pass-8-Ohm-Crossover-266-462?quantity=1&custcol1=100 Hz High Pass 8 Ohm Crossover&custcol_ava_item=266-462&custcol_ava_incomeaccount=General&custcol_ava_upccode=844632074950&custcol_ava_pickup=F&custcol_disableshopping=F

You could pick up a Loki Mini+ for $149 new. Stay away from ebay as several sellers are selling them for more than $100 over Schiit's price. I don't get it...
https://tinyurl.com/4x3b2zp2

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Will the EU distributors be able to perform the upgrade as well or does it have to come back to you specifically?

Also, can it still be stacked with Rag2?

Again, the distributors are not us. If they choose to do the upgrade, I know they can perform it. I'd certainly like to see them doing it, but we don't have any leverage over them. Hopefully they'll choose to do it.

And yes, Yggdrasil+ stacks with Ragnarok 2, it's exactly the same footprint. Just 1" shorter in height.

 

[Jason Stoddard]

Schiit needs a loaner Modi MB. Something to tempt the undecided, or the geographically deprived. For me, after hearing a Schiit MB DAC, I only use my D/S DACs as safety back up's. No going back, after hearing what the MB's can do...!

Funny you should mention that...because it looks like we'll be able to sneak in a run of Modi Multibit 2 this December. Don't celebrate yet, and don't be surprised if it slops into January, but that's what we're hoping to do. That's the completely new version with Unison USB and a ton of other improvements that was delayed due to the DSP shortage. Don't expect it to be cheaper, though...very likely it's gonna be $299, thanks to expensive parts (DSPs, DACs, etc have all gone up.) Also don't expect the DSP pain to end there. Note the "sneak in." We'll see how supply holds up.

Edit: also please don't hound customer support about MMB2. They don't know anything more than I do. I'll let you know what's happening as things happen.

 

[StimpyWan]

Funny you should mention that...because it looks like we'll be able to sneak in a run of Modi Multibit 2 this December. Don't celebrate yet, and don't be surprised if it slops into January, but that's what we're hoping to do. That's the completely new version with Unison USB and a ton of other improvements that was delayed due to the DSP shortage. Don't expect it to be cheaper, though...very likely it's gonna be $299, thanks to expensive parts (DSPs, DACs, etc have all gone up.) Also don't expect the DSP pain to end there. Note the "sneak in." We'll see how supply holds up.

Edit: also please don't hound customer support about MMB2. They don't know anything more than I do. I'll let you know what's happening as things happen.

Thanks!

And I get the feeling that the Modi Multibit 2 will sell out very quickly (same day/week). Back to constantly refreshing the web site on a daily (hourly) basis, I guess...!

Maybe I'll finally do my Gungnir MB upgrade instead, if there're any MB boards left by now...?