[acidtripwow]

 After a month, my schiit finally arrived (Modi&Magni). Can't wait to see how they pair with Fidelio X1...

I'd like to hear what you think.  I have the X1 and am looking for an amp that would pair well with it.  To me the X1 is a little on the darker side.

 

[goozy]

My Schiit (Modi and Magni) pair up very nicely with my new ATW1000x's. Seem to give a more open feeling to the mellow closed back woods!

 

[hodgjy]

Holy Schiit!
 
I may have left work early today to play with my new piece of Schiit that was delivered today.  We're just getting to know each other, but I'm starting to form a very positive opinion. 
 
That's the first thing that came to mind when I connected the Bifrost Uber to my system and gave it a listen.  Here's a rundown of a few things.
 
Amp: Trafomatic Head One
Cans: Sennheiser HD600
Old DAC: V-DAC ii with V-PSU ii
Apple lossless -> iPod Classic -> Pure i20 dock -> coaxial connection
 
For a long time, I felt my rig was basically end game.  But, over time, I began to notice some weaknesses in my overall sound, which I started to attribute to the V-DAC.  Some of the hailed strengths started to be a weakness to me.  For example, at times it was too smooth and polite.  It rounded some notes off.  Then, I began to realize a lot of the weaknesses, too.  It had some grain in the upper frequencies, even though the overall sound was smooth.  This just drew more attention to the grain because the mids and bass were silky smooth.  Despite the bass being smooth, it wasn't overly authoritative.  Also, the image got crowded at times and it struggled with micro details.  The V-DAC also lacked PRAT during some complex passages.
 
So, I began to look for a DAC upgrade.  My research lead me to the Bifrost Uber.
 
I just rolled it in today, but I'm already blown away.  I'm extremely happy with this purchase because my system has never sounded better.  This is amp and DAC endgame for me, and I no longer have the burning desire to upgrade my HD600s because everything sounds so good.
 
Specifically, here's what I noticed immediately when playing my reference tracks.  Granted, differences between DACs are subtle, but I can hear them.  It's not my attempt to overstate things or use hyperbole to describe the sound.  But, I need to describe the differences somehow.  Below are the subtle differences I noticed immediately:
 
1) The sound is alive!  There's no better way to say that.  The sound has energy and is alive and real.  Not dull.  No veil.  No boring politeness. 
2) The background is absolutely black.  The blackest I've ever heard.
3) The bass is authoritative.  It's textured.  It runs deep and hits hard.
4) There's no grain in the upper frequencies.  It's smooth and life-like.
5) The imaging is exquisite.  I have to retrain my brain to imagine where the instruments are on stage because it's filling is spaces that weren't previously there.  I'll be spending many late nights re-listening to my music collection.  The sound isn't the "three blob" image we hear about from time to time.  It's more 3D and complete.  Great width and depth.  Height is pretty good, too.
6) The attack and decay are dogmatically vigilant. The DAC attacks the music and throws it at you with enthusiasm.
7) The midrange is superb.  Guitars have texture I'm not used to hearing.
8) Space.  There is space between instruments and voices that simply wasn't there with the V-DAC.
9) Micro detail.  The detail retrieval is much better than the V-DAC using the same source files.  I'm hearing sounds I've never heard before.  Unfortunately, I'm hearing flaws in some recordings that the V-DAC's politeness masked.
10) PRAT monster. 
 
In my mind, there's no comparison between the V-DAC and the Bifrost Uber.  Sure. differences between DACs are subtle  But, the collection of these subtle differences put a huge gap between the V-DAC and Bifrost Uber.
 
Sure, it's new.  But, I'm not much of a believer in solid state burn in.  Hey, if it gets better, sweet.  If not, I'd be ok with this level of performance. 

 

[madwolfa]

 
In my mind, there's no comparison between the V-DAC and the Bifrost Uber.  Sure. differences between DACs are subtle  But, the collection of these subtle differences put a huge gap between the V-DAC and Bifrost Uber.

 
OK, you really turned up my upgraditis. Wife's gonna hate it.
 
Also, what is the PRAT ?
 
Google says:
 
prat
prat/
noun informal

 

• 1.
  a person's buttocks.
  
  
• 2.
  BRIT.
  an incompetent, stupid, or foolish person; an idiot.
  
  

 

[hodgjy]

   
OK, you really turned up my upgraditis. Wife's gonna hate it.

 
Looks the the DAC upgrade will also cost you a nice present to appease her. 

 

[Tuco1965]

It is sweet, isn't it?  
Every time I get a new audio piece I have to listen to everything all over again.  Ah hell I do that anyway.  

 

[hodgjy]

   
OK, you really turned up my upgraditis. Wife's gonna hate it.
 
Also, what is the PRAT ?
 

 
Pace, rhythm, and timing.
 
The ability to keep tempo and make you tap your foot.  The music being alive.

 

[hodgjy]

  It is sweet, isn't it?  
Every time I get a new audio piece I have to listen to everything all over again.  Ah hell I do that anyway.  

 
Right now I'm rediscovering RUSH.  The Uber is cutting through it like the V-DAC never could.

 

[CJs06]

I'd like to hear what you think.  I have the X1 and am looking for an amp that would pair well with it.  To me the X1 is a little on the darker side.

I've enjoyed listening to the X1s off my Vali and Lyr. The Vali is fantastic with the X1s but the Lyr really makes the bass rock.

 

[Neo-ST]

  I'd like to hear what you think.  I have the X1 and am looking for an amp that would pair well with it.  To me the X1 is a little on the darker side.

 
Preliminary opinions - very good.
I'm no audio expert, but I can say that this combo is very powerful, I usually set volume to around 1/3 and it's enough. They don't seem to colorize the sound, they're very transparent and do their job very nicely. In comparison with onboard sound, I'd say that maybe some details are more pronounced, especially mids and highs, but the best thing is reserve of power. It brings music alive even at lower levels. Fidelio does its job marvelously as well, it's not something I can explain via written words.
For example, while listening to Two steps from Hell - album Invincible (epic music), you get that theatrical feeling.
Now I need to equalize my headphones properly and let them burn in completely.

 

[hodgjy]

P.S.  While the master clocks between different DACs won't make and perceivable differences in the timing of the sounds, don't you think the timber, decay, and imaging of things like snare drums, kick drums, bass guitars, cymbals, and other percussion and rhythm section instruments will change how we perceive PRAT?
 
Because it does.  

 

[Rem0o]

I mostly agree with hodgjy. When I heard the Bifrost for the first time on a well known speaker system , the bass went from "cruise-control" to energitic, the imaging stepped up, and everything seemed more life-like, engaging. It wasn't a subtle difference.

 

[wahsmoh]

   
Right now I'm rediscovering RUSH.  The Uber is cutting through it like the V-DAC never could.

: ] finally someone who can connect on the same level with me. Listen to 2112, Freewill, Natural Science, and YYZ. Those songs made me go 

 
 
I too have a Bifrost Uber so I know we are both in music land 

 

[StanD]

  P.S.  While the master clocks between different DACs won't make and perceivable differences in the timing of the sounds, don't you think the timber, decay, and imaging of things like snare drums, kick drums, bass guitars, cymbals, and other percussion and rhythm section instruments will change how we perceive PRAT?
 
Because it does.  

Tempo is how fast the music play as in beats per minute, look at a metronome. If a piece of music is Allegro, neither your amp nor DAC or whatever is going to change that.
Rhythm, nope. Nothing in the audio hardware chain is going to change the accents or time signature of the music. Sorry 4/4 is not going to become 7/8.
Decay has to do with the envelope of a musical note, none of this stuff is going to make a note last longer or shorten it.
Timber, that another non-starter.
PRaT is another one of those things that do not make sense. As much as I love my Bifrost, the Gods of Asgard are not going to alter the music. I'm sorry but this is another one of those things on the Internet that do not make sense. If you chose to go along with PRaT, that''s fine with me.

 

[StanD]

   
Stan, I don't know what you hope to accomplish by engaging me here.  But, to answer your question, yes, some DACs don't have the same perceived energy and PRAT that others do.  It's most likely a function of the output stage and not the DAC chip itself.  The differences are subtle, but they are real and can be heard.
 
Second, this is a Schiit appreciation thread.  So, just because you may not interpret the same things that I do, especially in a Schiit thread where I'm voicing my enthusiasm for my new piece of Schiit, please stop trying to engage me.

You brought up PRaT, not me. Sorry but there is no Schiit that can change these properties of music,