[tincanear]

Ugh.
I think I got a bad firmware flash on my Bifrost 2/64 upgrade, anyone have any suggestions?

What happened:
1.) Disconnected all cables, and left unit powered off for 24 hours. (just in case any caps carried charge, not likely in a DAC, but can't be too safe)
2.) Removed old PCB, installed new PCB (damn these things have ton of tightly spaced surface mounted resistors)
3.) Inserted MicroSD card with new firmware in back of unit.
4.) Connected only power cable and powered on, to allow for flash.
5.) Flash appeared to complete successfully.
6.) Held input select button for 5 seconds to confirm it goes into NOS mode. "breathing" LED suggests it did. Success! Powered off.
8.) Reconnected Bifrost to system and powered back on.
9.) DAMN. Forgot to remove microSD card. Thing appears to be flashing again. I let it finish. (you never want to interrupt a flash...)
10.) Power cycled after completion.
11.) The unit shows up as a USB audio device, but there is no sound output from PC.

Since then I have:
- Tried rebooting system, and power cycling DAC to no avail.
- Holding input select button for 5 seconds no longer enters "breathing" mode. Instead there is a fixed very dim LED (which goes away and returns to normal once pressing select button. This suggests bad firmware on unit.
- Tried inserting MicroSD card to re-flash (hoping this would solve problem) to no avail. It enters an "abbreviated" flash cycle, skipping the first LED, completing much faster than the first time, and once complete
- Verified DAC board was properly inserted (it is)

So, anything else I can try? Maybe a way to force a complete re-flash? Or is my only option to send back to the factory at this point?

Much obliged!

--Matt

try posting here, where the bifrostians hang out.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/schiit-audio-bifrost-2.914084/page-257

meanwhile, you might try powering down, re-installing the old DAC card (perhaps easier with the top cover removed, putting the MicroSD back in, then powering up to see if it reflashes. once its reflashed, shut down, remove the sd card first, swap the DAC module, then power up. patience, grasshopper. (hope this fixes it without a trip back to the factory)

 

[US Blues]

Speaking of power cables, I always like to refer back to this one:

Paul McGowan credits @Baldr for first demonstrating to him the difference cabling makes.

 

[OldRoadToad]

I totally agree that conductor size and geometry makes a difference. As all of my line-level connections (save for TT to phono pre, and phono pre to Loki Max) are balanced, I don't have any audible interaction between my AC cables and my signal cables. But I have chased noise gremlins in the past, and they were almost always due to an unshielded (or a SE 'shielded') interconnect running too close to / parallel to a power cable.

A buddy who is an EE told me to think of power cables as radiating antennas. Signal cables should never run parallel; should always cross at 90 degrees, et al. I'm sure that he was simplifying, but it's stuck with me for good. And when people ask "How can a 3 foot power cable make a difference when there's a hundred feet of wire in the wall?", I refer them to the inverse square law.

Now, the balanced vs single-ended discussion w/r/t interconnects... that's a different argument. But again, up to a limit, spending more on a better quality cable will always make a difference if the system is sufficiently resolving. And if your system sports Magico 9 loudspeakers and a half million dollars in electronics, then you have different needs than me.

Right?

Maybe the same "wants"?! Well written, sir!

Huzzah, indeed!

ORT

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

Who knew that my posting of a rather tired old dick joke would lead to pages upon pages of serious debate about cable girth…

 

[dr cornelius]

Original movie, TV show, and game soundtracks.
Not single tracks, but soundtracks that were written specifically for their respective movies/shows/games and are outstanding in their entirety.

Let's hear your favorites!

There are no wrong answers. And thee who judges will be blocked.

Here are mine, in no particular order:
- Charade (Henry Mancini)
- Mr. Robot (Vol. 1 - 7) (Mac Quayle)
- La Dolce Vita (Nino Rota)
- Thunderball (John Barry)
- Bullitt (Lalo Schifrin)
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Tan Dun, Yo-Yo Ma)
- Battlestar Galactica: Season 2 [Remastered] (Bear McCreary)
- Sherlock Holmes (Hans Zimmer)
- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Deluxe Version) (Hans Zimmer)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Hans Zimmer)
- Crimson Peak (Fernando Velázquez)
- Jurassic Park (John Williams)
- Star Trek (2009) (Michael Giacchino)
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (James Horner)
- Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (The Flight)

Great list!

Here are a few films the top of my head:
Planet of the Apes - Jerry Goldsmith
Magnolia - Aimee Mann
American Beauty - Thomas Newman
The Thin Red Line - Hans Zimmer
Falcon and the Snowman - Pat Metheny Group

 

[Ripper2860]

My favorite pair of interconnects, dated though they are, would agree -- the positive conductor is a single 38 gauge (0.004") wire. Claimed to be pure gold, but as I'm not about to open it up to verify it could be made of Texas frog hair for all I know.

Then I am sure that they sound quite fine.

 

[Daniel Johnston]

I absolutely don't believe or understand that power cables can make a difference. Well until I heard it with my own ears. I don't understand how or why, but Damn in a direct ab test when I absolutely didn't want to hear a difference I heard more of a difference than swapping interconnects. YMMV.

It seems most “cables make no difference” science-ish discussions boil down to cost arguments and cost scaling. Is a $2000 power cable 100x better than a $20 one, etc…

I agree. A well designed, shielded, decent gauge power cable does make a difference.

 

[Ripper2860]

LOL! Naw, last I heard he was still using $0.99 Radio Shack patch cables between all his components.

Vintage Radio Shack Cables.

 

[Timster]

Fast Times and Ridgemont High

Wait ... that movie had a soundtrack?

 

[Timster]

Ok, got it. Anyone with the motivation / skills to create and maintain a SchiitWiki (or Schiitiki, which sounds like a mushroom if you say it right)? I think this needs to happen. Can be a shared/public Google Sheet maybe if someone wants to KISS. Feels kind of necessary, and many reasons why I think @Jason Stoddard is right not to want to do this.

A weekend project for you!

 

[Timster]

For those who have not heard it, the soundtrack for Burlesque - Christina Aguilera and Cher predominantly - is worth a (loud) listen. It's very dynamic, well at least the blu-ray is.

 

[KoshNaranek]

I tried to choose Soundtracks that had not been mentioned before. Here they are in no particular order.

Amelie
Babylon 5
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Chariots of Fire
When Marnie was There
Henry V
Kill la Kill
Much ado about nothing
The Civil War (Ken Burns)
The Godfather
Tron Legacy
Victory at Sea
Liz and the Bluebird
Haikyuu!!
Non Non Biyori Vacation

 

[Les Strat]

Or as I view it, no reason to send mine in yet.

I feel exactly the same about my Yggy, @filthy mechanical

I am quite happy with the 'old' case, and it has had both the A2 and Unison USB upgrades (not that I use Unison USB).

I certainly don't need a remote for a DAC and nor do I want NOS.

It is superb, just as it is.

 

[Paladin79]

After speaking to the key members of my local group last night we may well be including all three + versions of the Yggy in some DAC testing. Starting number of DACS will be around 15. Many of us will do initial blind listens after the DACs have warmed up for a few days. New DAC's should get about 7-10 days burn in. Those scores will narrow the field down to five DACS and then we will get a larger group of listeners involved with those final five. First group could be 10-35 people depending on who is available, and the final group should be 50-75 if all goes well. I will not know any of the DACS for sure till the after the final tests are completed and then I can choose which DAC's to bring home out of the last five. From those I will choose the DAC I want for my system. After the tests some of the DACs will be sold to members of the group unless they are borrowed. Any excess after that may end up on Ebay. Maximum dollar amount for any DAC is $8,000. Chances are we will use headphone amps and at least four in the group have the new Focal Utopias so we will borrow those. All cables will be those I have constructed and they all have the same amount of burn in. I made recommendations but I will not know what DACs are used for sure till after all testing is done.

 

[Bonehead7171]

How about an album recommendation that you have never seen on this or other HiFi forums? (Who can know for sure if it HAS been mentioned, as long as you haven't seen it...)

I'll start with Bella by Teddy Thompson.

Give me some good stuff to listen to, please!