[wout31]

Pretty sure Audirvana and Roon both bypass the Windows audio stack by running in exclusive mode.

As do may other players. It's all just about the right settings. With some players that is more obvious than with others.
Examples: Foobar and Musicbee to name a few.

 

[RickB]

Maybe the difference is in the audio-player?

I've noticed differences between Qobuz and Tidal, listening to either MP3 or CD quality tracks, which were supposed to be exactly the same versions (same year remasters of Wish You Were Here and Dark Side Of The Moon, for instance). (Depending on the headphones I used, Tidal either sounded fuller, or duller, stuffier... go figure. 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).

However the players are different, using the Windows Audio subsystem in different ways. This may cause the differences in sound, not any EQ done by the players themselves.

Now that I'm listening via Roon and a Jotunheim, I'm not so sure anymore that I hear a difference between a track streamed from Tidal or Qobuz.

Good point. There may be a difference between Swinsian (Mac audio player) and the Mac Spotify client.

 

[RickB]

An easy way of checking phase, without having to rewire anything is listen to a sound track with preset phase switching. A good one at Youtube is:

Wow. The difference between in phase and out of phase is night and day!

 

[Mike-WI]

Wow. The difference between in phase and out of phase is night and day!

I don't think this on or off black/white demo mimics the phase switch effect with music in the Yggdrasil

 

[JohnnyCanuck]

Absolute phase is not the same thing as the left and right channels being in-phase or out-of-phase with each other.

JC

 

[Ripper2860]

^^ +1

 

[schneller]

I really can't say more, because most of the list is pretty provisional. Hell, I'm waiting for prototype boards to come in on two of them, so I may be crazy, and it may not go anywhere.

There's not much story to the Bifrost 2 blind test. I think that some of us just had some sources mixed up. Once we did a proper blind test, the outcome was clear.

Which DACs were in the blind test? What were the results?

I want more people here to do proper blind tests of Bifrost2/Gungnir with Unison/Yiggy A2 with Unison and report their findings here.

I want my DAC upgrade decision to be clear and without regrets. I'm willing to buy the best one - even if it's YiggyA2 - but also want there to be significant improvement between it and the "VFM leader"amongst the three and this is where I'm unsure.

 

[Mike-WI]

Which DACs were in the blind test? What were the results?

I want more people here to do proper blind tests of Bifrost2/Gungnir with Unison/Yiggy A2 with Unison and report their findings here.

I want my DAC upgrade decision to be clear and without regrets. I'm willing to buy the best one - even if it's YiggyA2 - but also want there to be significant improvement between it and the "VFM leader"amongst the three and this is where I'm unsure.

If you want not regrets, then just get the Yggdrasil A2 with Unison USB in a few weeks.
Other than that you could try to visit Schiit and/or audio shows.
I've listened to Schiit gear at their booth at AXPONA the last 2 years and found it difficult with the background noise.
The speaker demos were more impressive, but also with more variables, crowds, and inability to do A/B or isolated testing much.

 

[exdmd]

@schneller these comments by @Torq might help. He calls Bifrost 2 a "mini Yggdrasil". As for the tests you want, well, you will have to wait until the production Unison USB boards have shipped. If you are listening on phones that are not SR1a's the Bifrost 2 might be all the DAC you ever need. The staging, micro and macro details differences in sound quality between Bifrost 2 and Yggdrasil A2 will be more evident on a good two channel speaker setup than lesser phones.

 

[tincanear]

Which DACs were in the blind test? What were the results?

I want more people here to do proper blind tests of Bifrost2/Gungnir with Unison/Yiggy A2 with Unison and report their findings here.

I want my DAC upgrade decision to be clear and without regrets. I'm willing to buy the best one - even if it's YiggyA2 - but also want there to be significant improvement between it and the "VFM leader"amongst the three and this is where I'm unsure.

Unison for Yggdrasil / Gungnir / Bifrost (original gen) has not been released yet, but hopefully later this month. only DAC with Unison USB right now is Bifrost 2 (Multibit).

edited: as others on this thread have said, the final choice should also depend on the rest of your system (presently or as planned for in the NEAR future). For VFM, I would consider the Yggdrasil GS over the Gungnir, assuming that the larger chassis isn't an issue in your setup. Also, only Bifrost 2 currently has an IR remote, and $100 discount for previous Bifrost gen 1 owners/ upgraders purchasing before 3/30/2020.
Tough choices....but all good ones.

 

[Snowpuppy77]

Think wayyyyyyyy higher. Mani is great as-is. Nothing at the price competes in terms of performance and flexibility. You should be asking: what can we do for 10x the price? Could we redefine what you expect from a phono preamp? Can we compete with cost-no-object designs?

Would love to see this. I would have no problem plunking down ~$1k or even more for a Schiit phono preamp that was an all out assault on phono preamps that are really done right but are crazy expensive.

 

[rkw]

I want my DAC upgrade decision to be clear and without regrets. I'm willing to buy the best one - even if it's YiggyA2 - but also want there to be significant improvement between it and the "VFM leader"amongst the three and this is where I'm unsure.

Don't expect to find a clear answer. Everybody has a different opinion about what is a "significant" improvement. If you truly want your decision to be clear and without regrets, buy more than one and decide which to return under the 15 day return policy. You'll have to pay return shipping and 5% restocking, but that is a small price to listen for yourself and evaluate on your own system.

 

[johnjen]

snip
I want my DAC upgrade decision to be clear and without regrets. I'm willing to buy the best one - even if it's YiggyA2 - but also want there to be significant improvement between it and the "VFM leader"amongst the three and this is where I'm unsure.

Only you can decide this for yourself.
And there are many variables all of which can impact your choice, not to mention your existing system with it's strengths and weaknesses.

IOW expecting a test or relying upon an 'expert' to tell you what is 'best' is not going to lead you to a decision that will be "clear and without regrets".
Only you can decide this for yourself.

JJ

 

[GiullianSN]

I see a lot of amazing desktop products from Schiit, but what about some adventures on the mobile world? Like an Audioquest Dragonfly or Fiio BTr5.

Knowledge and boldness the company definitely have.

 

[Mike-WI]

I see a lot of amazing desktop products from Schiit, but what about some adventures on the mobile world? Like an Audioquest Dragonfly or Fiio BTr5.

Knowledge and boldness the company definitely have.

How is that bold?
Those are well populated areas with well established products and plenty of copycats.