[ab initio]

The biggest difference between the Modi and the Bifrost is 0.5V
 
The Modi spits out 1.5V whereas the Bifrost can spit out 2V, so there will be an extra 2.5dB available. How that extra 0.5V pushes your tubes, I don't know.
 
The other major difference between Modi and Bifrost is superior SPDIF implementation on the Bifrost. I don't listen to SPDIF on the Modi because it doesn't exist
 
Like M-13 said, the Modi does a pretty good job at what it's designed for and 80% is probably close---it should actually be more like 75% ( 1.5V / 2V ).
 
Cheers!

 

[GoldfishX]

Quote:

I know this topic is about Schiit products but I just wanna say I just ordered the HE-500 on Amazon and chose 1 day shipping with 15 minutes left to order so I can get it tomorrow.  If I waited 16 minutes I would've had to gotten it on Friday.  I am not the richest person and I work at a job making less than $10/hr and I feel kinda horrible that I chose to buy headphones instead of more important things so I hope I made the right decision.  Looks like for the next 6 months I gotta go on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich diet for breakfast, lunch and dinner to save money.

 
To make this relevant, I'm happy that Schiit aimed their products at powering hard-to-power headphones. That gives sort of a peace of mind about their power. I like they even say on their website that Magni isn't equipped to power the HE-6.
 
I was looking at the Woo Wee (which converts regular headphone amps to power electrostatic headphones!) and wondering if it would pair well with a Lyr and the SR-007. Any thoughts? Anyone been down that road yet?

 

[Defiant00]

Quote:

 
To make this relevant, I'm happy that Schiit aimed their products at powering hard-to-power headphones. That gives sort of a peace of mind about their power. I like they even say on their website that Magni isn't equipped to power the HE-6.
 
I was looking at the Woo Wee (which converts regular headphone amps to power electrostatic headphones!) and wondering if it would pair well with a Lyr and the SR-007. Any thoughts? Anyone been down that road yet?

 
They say that, but the M&M were quite respectable when I tried the HE-6 and K1000s with them at a meet earlier this year. Would more power be even better? Yeah, probably. But they were still surprisingly enjoyable even out of the budget stack.
 

 

[preproman]

Quote:

 
They say that, but the M&M were quite respectable when I tried the HE-6 and K1000s with them at a meet earlier this year. Would more power be even better? Yeah, probably. But they were still surprisingly enjoyable even out of the budget stack.
 

 

 
Just say it's not so...

 

[sjeffrey]

New owner of Uber Bifrost here.  I was introduced in the world of head-fi about a year ago when many late nights in the home office and a baby sleeping in the next room forced me to put on some headphones
 
First purchase were the HD650s and shortly after I got the Xonar Essence STX.  I ended up returning it because I was hearing popping sounds or something like that.  I then switch over to Fiio E17+E09k and was pretty happy with that but I guess I got the bug by then.
 
My first impressions after few hours of listening with the Bifrost in USB mode compared to the E17 is the sound stage feels indeed larger.  I also found that I get deeper lows and higher highs.  This was with me using component cables as RCAs as I don't have quality RCAs yet and a cheap USB cable.  Maybe new RCAs will make it sound even better.  Oh and I should mention that my setup was to route the Bifrost to my E09k for now.  So far I think the upgrade was definitely worth it.  I have to say though, the E17 sounds pretty good for the price for my untrained ears.
 
Next on the way is Bottlehead Crack with Speedball.  Everyone seems to rave about this paired with the 650s so I am really anxious to receive my kit to start the building.  To be honest the minute I pulled the trigger on the Bifrost I eas a bit disappointed I didn't get the Valhalla as well.  I sure it would sound good and would be a nice little kit on my desk.  Also on my short list was the Woo WA6 and WA6-SE, although not at all in the same price range
 
I'm hoping that Uber Biforst + Bottlehead Crack + HD650 will be a setup that I will be content with for a good little while.
 
Steph

 

[Defiant00]

Quote:

 

 
Just say it's not so...

 
?
 
It was a fun experiment at a meet while I still had the M&M, and I enjoyed how it sounded. I'm sure they scale up the more power you throw at them, but I was quite impressed that they didn't sound horrible even from the M&M.

 

[IorekByrnison]

Quote:

The biggest difference between the Modi and the Bifrost is 0.5V
 
The Modi spits out 1.5V whereas the Bifrost can spit out 2V, so there will be an extra 2.5dB available. How that extra 0.5V pushes your tubes, I don't know.
 
The other major difference between Modi and Bifrost is superior SPDIF implementation on the Bifrost. I don't listen to SPDIF on the Modi because it doesn't exist
 
Like M-13 said, the Modi does a pretty good job at what it's designed for and 80% is probably close---it should actually be more like 75% ( 1.5V / 2V ).
 
Cheers!

 
Initially when I read this I was a bit disappointed and confused - all that extra stuff on the PCB and hundreds of dollars just for a little more output power? ...and then I realized just what a notably stronger signal into the Valhalla would do for the sound alone and got very excited. That, and the laptop dock I run the Modi from is so power starved that I get cut-outs every time the hard drive spins up while the processor is running heavy, or the laptop's power is otherwise overtaxed - so having a plug-in DAC alone will be a godsend.
 
As I understand it, the Bifrost also has over the Modi a few features I'd like to understand better, aside from the support for higher bitrate/depth data:
 
1. "increased isolation[..]" (from EM interference?)
2. "[..]and filtering" (what)
 
The Schiit site also explains the Uber card's quality upgrade as a result of "removing capacitors from the signal path" via a DC servo. Why is this a benefit / what does having capacitors in the signal path do that is undesireable? Does the Uber's "discrete analog stage" add further juice to the output signal compared to stock, or is it just amp-neutral processing of some kind?
 
A final question, from a friend of mine who isn't much for head-fi but is a speaker nerd fascinated by our strange obsession with tiny headspeakers - There is a quote on the site:
"Featuring the C-Media CM6631A receiver and additional isolation and filtering, the Gen 2 USB input outperforms external USB-SPDIF converters that cost several times as much."
Q: If SPDIF and USB are both carrying a lossless digital signal to the same converter, why would there be any performance difference whatsoever? 

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

 
I'm hoping that Uber Biforst + Bottlehead Crack + HD650 will be a setup that I will be content with for a good little while.
 
Steph

It will be if you stop reading the forums and hide your wallet...

 

[BLACKENEDPLAGUE]

Quote:

 
I'm hoping that Uber Biforst + Bottlehead Crack + HD650 will be a setup that I will be content with for a good little while.
 
Steph

 
If those were HD600's that would be my near end-game setup (HE500's.... mmmmmmmmmmmm)

 

[IorekByrnison]

Yet another reason Schiit is the absolute best brand in head-fi stacks:
 
I ordered my Uberfrost USB with $50 1-day USPS shipping in the hopes it would arrive on Friday because I'm an impatient baby. It unfortunately only shipped out today... but my shipment mail came with the comment "The comments for your order are: You have received a courtesy upgrade to FedEx Overnight.  Your order is shipping today via FedEx with tracking number [...]. Thank you very much.  Please allow 12 hours for current tracking information to be reported."
 
That's $28 more of shipping that will get it to me earlier and with more certainty, free, because I was impatient enough to order 1-day shipping and yet they didn't get the box out. I didn't ask for it, or even ask a question about when it would ship... they just decided to do it.
 
Thanks, Jason & co. - you guys own.

 

[Themorganlett85]

I don't have any Schiit products just yet but I'll be ordering the Valhalla and the Bifrost in the very near future and I absolutely can not wait. Also be ordering some Beyerdynamic DT 990 Premium 600 OHM Headphones. It's gonna be amazing to say the least

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

I don't have any Schiit products just yet but I'll be ordering the Valhalla and the Bifrost in the very near future and I absolutely can not wait. Also be ordering some Beyerdynamic DT 990 Premium 600 OHM Headphones. It's gonna be amazing to say the least

 
 
I haven't heard the Valhalla, but I've read enough reviews, it should pair really well with the headphones you'll be getting.
 
Designs like the Valhalla do especially well with high impedance headphones.

 

[jaywillin]

well, i've been puttering along with my little fiio e09k, and little dot i+ for my alessandro ms2, and since i recently got the ps500, i thought i should get a better amp, sooooo  i've just bought, today, a lyr off the sale forum now i know the lyr is very powerful, and you have to be careful, but should i have gone another way ? i like tubes, i like the line out, is this something i'd be better off selling and going another way ?
 

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

well, i've been puttering along with my little fiio e09k, and little dot i+ for my alessandro ms2, and since i recently got the ps500, i thought i should get a better amp, sooooo  i've just bought, today, a lyr off the sale forum now i know the lyr is very powerful, and you have to be careful, but should i have gone another way ? i like tubes, i like the line out, is this something i'd be better off selling and going another way ?
 

 
 
I think you'll love the Lyr, I sure love mine!  What tubes are coming with it?

 

[jaywillin]

Quote:

 
 
I think you'll love the Lyr, I sure love mine!  What tubes are coming with it?

i'm not sure, it was an impulse buy, and this was the 4th lyr i had inquired about today, the first 3 already sold, and when the seller said yes, i said "i'll take it !! and what's you paypal ?? lol