[T Bone]

  I'm wondering if the upgrade in sound quality will be worth the nearly $500 that the Bifrost will require

...and I'm wondering the same thing about the forth-coming Schiit ~$1,500 Yggdrasil.  Will the improvement in sound be worth the $$$ to upgrade from my "Überfrost".  ....or will the benefits of a better DAC only be realized by upgrading everything else "down-stream" of the DAC.  

 

[Kon Peki]

   
Those are really good questions. I'm willing to bet (maybe a coffee and from my limited experience) that the PC USB --> Bifrost Uber Gen2 USB will be the better route of the two options. It seems more direct than going from the PC through the soundcard and then out to the Bifrost. I'm not sure how the soundcard might alter things in the chain as compared to straight out from USB. That be a good thing with which to experiment and report back. I'll be very interested to read what the folks at Schiit have to say. 
 
That said, from what I've read around the forums, the Gen2 USB really upped the game for Bifrost. I currently have the Bifrost Uber Gen2 USB and run it through USB exclusively to a Schiit Lyr. 

 
Here's the reply I got from Schiit:
 

 You don’t technically need the USB input, unless you need 24/192 capability—optical is usually limited to 24/96. The sound is pretty much equivalent, with maybe a slight edge to USB.

 
Not sure what to make of that.  We're all looking for that "slight edge", right? 

 

[Snips]

  ...and I'm wondering the same thing about the forth-coming Schiit ~$1,500 Yggdrasil.  Will the improvement in sound be worth the $$$ to upgrade from my "Überfrost".  ....or will the benefits of a better DAC only be realized by upgrading everything else "down-stream" of the DAC.  

 
People say that being an audiophile is mostly about chasing for that last 1% of performance. To some people and for some gear, that final 1% makes a difference. Others chase it simply because they can. It's all up to you to decide whether it's worth it or not. 

 

[Kon Peki]

   
People say that being an audiophile is mostly about chasing for that last 1% of performance. To some people and for some gear, that final 1% makes a difference. Others chase it simply because they can. It's all up to you to decide whether it's worth it or not. 

 
I'm no audiophile then.  I'm chasing the first 96% of performance 

.

 

[hodgjy]

   
Here's the reply I got from Schiit:
 
 
Not sure what to make of that.  We're all looking for that "slight edge", right? 

Optical, at least on paper, has the most jitter when compared to coax and async USB.  Whether or not you can hear that is a different story.  Also, electrical signals need to be converted to light and then back to digital for the optical implementation. That can lead to errors.
 
However, I have very sensitive ears, and I can hear slight differences between DACs and amps.  Saying that, though, I can't hear any difference between the three digital inputs on my Bifrost.

 

[john57]

I always found so far that optical tend to be somewhat a bit softer than the coax on several of the DAC's I tried.

 

[joebobbilly]

I recently A/B'ed the USB vs SPDIF on my Gungnir... difference is there... but very very (and i mean very) subtle... slight soundstage/ambient room sound diff... (hard to describe... the ceiling of the sound/room feels a tad bigger in USB?) only really notice if you do direct immediate comparisons so the sound is held in your memory. If they were separate I wouldn't know at all.

 

[mwillits]

   
...and sorry about that soul-selling "for all ancestors, for all eternity" clause in the owner's manual.

 
Having been the owner of (in this order) Modi (one for me, one for my wife), Gungnir + Asgard2, and now Bifrost Uber + Lyr, I can say that you could've put the clause, "...and your firstborn as well" in the owner's manual and I'd have happily signed the child over (assuming I were to have one).
 
Thanks for making some terrific devices that, in their own way, make life just a bit better and happier for everyone.

 

[Gerzom]

I just completed my second Schiit stack (after Magni-Modi) 
 
Gungnir-Mjolnir, damn what is this a awesome sounding combination with my Audeze LCD 2.2
 

 

[Snips]

   
Having been the owner of (in this order) Modi (one for me, one for my wife), Gungnir + Asgard2, and now Bifrost Uber + Lyr, I can say that you could've put the clause, "...and your firstborn as well" in the owner's manual and I'd have happily signed the child over (assuming I were to have one).
 
Thanks for making some terrific devices that, in their own way, make life just a bit better and happier for everyone.

 
Huh, you can say that you have a family full of Schiit 

 
Seriously though, I hope that I can find a wife like that in the future. One who won't have anything to say about me spending $$$ on all the audio equipment. 

 

[kothganesh]

I just completed my second Schiit stack (after Magni-Modi) 

Gungnir-Mjolnir, damn what is this a awesome sounding combination with my Audeze LCD 2.2

Congrats. IMO, the Schiit gear is really tuned to the Audez'e headphones. Try the LCD 3 with the Gungnur/Mojo as we'll if you can.

 

[mwillits]

Huh, you can say that you have a family full of Schiit 

 
Haha, that's true! To be fair, I've been good about selling off the stuff I don't need or want (luckily, the resale value of Schiit gear is high...kinda regretting selling off that Gungnir...), AND, I make sure that I get stuff that we can share. She actually has a much larger music collection than I do, so having decent audio gear around our place helps. 
 
Besides, everyone was telling me I needed to find a hobby...can't fault me for choosing head-fi, right? Right?!

 

[Gerzom]

Congrats. IMO, the Schiit gear is really tuned to the Audez'e headphones. Try the LCD 3 with the Gungnur/Mojo as we'll if you can.

Thanks!!
Regarding the LCD 3, I'm too scared I will fall in love with that combo, so for now I'll stick with my LCD 2.2 

 

[joebobbilly]

The dangerous part... is I'm wondering how it'll go with the LCDX... anyone know?

 

[timpicks]

So... a little off-topic perhaps, but after living with my Lyr and "Uberfrost" for a couple of weeks (coupled with the HE-500's), I have one (and only one) request from Jason and Mike:
 
Could you please, please, please put power buttons on the front?
 
Otherwise, what a fantastic little desktop setup I've got going here!  Anyone with me?