[RCBinTN]

I had the DS Gungnir and upgraded to the MB Gungnir. Shocking how much improvement the 500 dollar investment generated.

Well stated. I did the same path, and was amazed at the improvement. The best $500 investment I've ever made in my HP rig. I received the initial advice from @MattTCG who wrote me that the GMB "is the real thing." He was right!

 

[Gimpinchair]

I have a Bimby with a Freya Now. It is really something to be heard. It's nice to see the affordable kick ass gear making it to shows. It is also nice to read that the pre release Vidar is playing nice with speakers on opposing ends of the spectrum.

A Mini Vidar in a desktop form factor would be cool and I know it was debated some time ago. The problem I ran into is there are not very many desktop sized near field speakers that are passive, they are mostly active. There is Obviously Audioengine, as well as Kanto and Centrance (what I use with an Audio engine N22). However The Nice thing about a Smaller / jot or bimby sized power amp is you can start off with a Modi2Uber/ Vali 2 with a Mimby for a HP rig and add on an amp with some nice bookshelves to have a killer Mini rig for small rooms or for that budding audiophile stuck in dorm room Purgatory of crappy mini systems its the perfect alternative. Mini systems are not so bad when compared to the now popular single blue tooth speaker. BAAAARFFF. How can one even have a proper party with that?

I was actually considering using a Vidar on my desktop to power my Ascend Acoustics CBM -170SE's. I really want to upgrade to their new Luna's, but @ a cost of $1,000+ they will have to wait. I want upgrade from BifrostMB/Lyr 2 to GungnirMB/Mjolnir 2 first.

 

[RCBinTN]

I was actually considering using a Vidar on my desktop to power my Ascend Acoustics CBM -170SE's. I really want to upgrade to their new Luna's, but @ a cost of $1,000+ they will have to wait. I want upgrade from BifrostMB/Lyr 2 to GungnirMB/Mjolnir 2 first.

IMO the source upgrade - BMB to GMB - will make a nice improvement. Then go for the amp.

 

[NoahFence]

If Bimby is not the weakest link in your chain, it certainly is close. I think the Lyr 2 is better than your Bimby. By the way, I would not use Freya to feed the Lyr 2. I would have the DAC feed each separately. Too much tube....

Well, I may be having trouble getting quotes in the way I want them.
I want to include Aaron Shy's thought that maybe the Biimby isn't the bottleneck in his system.

Aaron, my approach to upgrading is a bit different than some others. When I look at your system it looks well-partnered. (I would say well balanced. but 'balanced' has a different meaning in these threads.) From my perspective that is what makes for a good system. On this approach the idea would be to hold onto what you have until you can afford e.g. the combination Gumby-MJ2. From my experience that combo makes a well worth-while jump in sound quality, whereas making just one change would be marginal.

BUT, I have no experience with the Lyr 2. (Time to visit Shiitr?) So Winder, can you enlarge on your thoughts about Lyr, its strengths/weaknesses, or point us to where you have already made such comments?

NF

 

[Gimpinchair]

IMO the source upgrade - BMB to GMB - will make a nice improvement. Then go for the amp.

That's actually a real probability!

 

[OldRoadToad]

Just curious if anyone here did stop by our room at the LA Audio Show? For as many people as we had ask for Diana Krall I figured many were! We didn't put up the Diana Krall Free Zone sign until Saturday. Got a good laugh from most people out of it (and yes, we still played her if someone asked, it's just a long running joke at audio shows).

The Freya/Vidar combo was rockin it big time with both the Maggie .7 and the Tekton Double Impact speakers, whether we were streaming from Tidal, playing Hi Res files (yes, even DSD) from a PC or spinning records.

Really amazed people with our little desktop system, streaming Tidal HiFi through a Fulla2 into Audioengine A2+ speakers for a $350 system.

Networking and driver issues with our primary PC meant we used the Bimby mostly with a CD transport through the COAX input, or the Toslink input playing from a Questyle QP1 (all FLAC, and mostly 24 bit files). That really is a sweet sounding DAC!

I went to the show but as with here, you simply ignored my presence. LOL!

ORT

 

[Pandahead]

Wow, a day of gear talk. Ok, so this comes from Mike's thread. Where will the switch on the MP be???? Thought the zero dollar desktop remote control invention will do well here also as we await Vidar.........

Use your favorite baubles. The snap lids make the length easily adjustable. I was going to use an old bottle of Photo-Flo but it was too big!

The dowel needn't be cryogenically treated, but occasionally use your zerostat on it. For those in the southern hemisphere the Coriolis force renders the Zerostat useless.

 

[DSNORD]

Man does that setup bring back memories from middle school.

I rigged up fishing line, screw eyes, and 2 key rings in order to "remote control" my bedroom light switch in 1970.

That was when I was fat and lazy.

Once I hit grad school and being "Buff For The Babes" became important, hauling my ass out of bed to do it in person was worth dropping the 2 extra calories!!!

 

[Aaron Shi]

Well, I may be having trouble getting quotes in the way I want them.
I want to include Aaron Shy's thought that maybe the Biimby isn't the bottleneck in his system.

Aaron, my approach to upgrading is a bit different than some others. When I look at your system it looks well-partnered. (I would say well balanced. but 'balanced' has a different meaning in these threads.) From my perspective that is what makes for a good system. On this approach the idea would be to hold onto what you have until you can afford e.g. the combination Gumby-MJ2. From my experience that combo makes a well worth-while jump in sound quality, whereas making just one change would be marginal.

BUT, I have no experience with the Lyr 2. (Time to visit Shiitr?) So Winder, can you enlarge on your thoughts about Lyr, its strengths/weaknesses, or point us to where you have already made such comments?

NF

For me, I have no experience with Gumby or Yggy, so I cannot really give you any comparison between my BMB + Lyr2 and other Schiit setups.
But here are some of my observations:
My Dad has a pair of sonus faber olympica iii, driven by a pair of monoblock tube amps from Cayin (and tube preamp). I always felt that his setup has a bottleneck at the digital audio player part. There are just details missing from what I can hear from my BMB + Lyr2 setup (and Hifiman HE560 of course). I'll probably bring the BMB with me next time I visit him (in China... which is a long way), and see how that works out.

I used to have a Creative discrete sound card driving HE560, until I switched to my Schiit. It presents more details yet not sounding analytical. Dynamics are better, with solid bass, heart touching mids, and some bright and not so harsh treble.

I do think that it lacks a bit of depth and positioning is a bit forward. When it comes to the treble, it always gives me a float-in-the-air-yet-not-so-stably-supported feeling... If you know what I mean...

 

[fargus]

Was thinking of getting a set of the new Magnepan MMGi along with a Vidar and Saga, but then Apple reinvented the speaker the other day. According to them, it has the highest fidelity.

 

[OldRoadToad]

Was thinking of getting a set of the new Magnepan MMGi along with a Vidar and Saga, but then Apple reinvented the speaker the other day. According to them, it has the highest fidelity.

Magnepan's are what I desire and the MMGi will do nicely, nicely (homage to "Guys and Dolls"). And fApple? Not so much any more.

ORT

 

[slefty]

Magnepan's are what I desire and the MMGi will do nicely, nicely (homage to "Guys and Dolls"). And fApple? Not so much any more.

ORT

I can say that the Vidar will certainly mate up well with the Maggie .7 in a 12.5 X 19.5 foot room, and play quite loudly if you so desire. Haven't heard the new MMGi so can't really comment on that. (See, I'm not ignoring you and even giving you a pleasant answer)

 

[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

As I stated a few weeks ago the Magnepans are ace with Vidar.
The optional bass speaker makes it complete.

 

[wout31]

As I stated a few weeks ago the Magnepans are ace with Vidar.
The optional bass speaker makes it complete.

Planars + sub(s) is not my turf.
The response time of the conventional speaker (sub) is much slower than the hair thin membrane of the electrostat/planar.
This gives problems with the linearity of the frequency spectrum. Don't know the name in English. In Dutch "looptijd verschillen". Often addressed as phase shift, but that is not the correct term.
On top of that you add a filter where none is needed. More capacitors and resistors in the audio path.
The Quad ESL 63 (see my avatar) goes flat to 38 Hz. That is more than enough for my taste.

 

[slefty]

Planars + sub(s) is not my turf.
The response time of the conventional speaker (sub) is much slower than the hair thin membrane of the electrostat/planar.
This gives problems with the linearity of the frequency spectrum. Don't know the name in English. In Dutch "looptijd verschillen". Often addressed as phase shift, but that is not the correct term.
On top of that you add a filter where none is needed. More capacitors and resistors in the audio path.
The Quad ESL 63 (see my avatar) goes flat to 38 Hz. That is more than enough for my taste.

Rather than a conventional sub, best to use the Maggie Bass Panel. Small, matches perfectly, masquerades as an end table. Not too expensive.