[johndean]

   
Oh loads of it. and i mean LOADS. 
 
By the way, I have a Raggy/Yggy stacked. Is it advisable to put some isolators between them so that there is some space for heat to dissipate ? 

Plenty of space , the Yggy gets warm .So does that blunt i just fired up. 

 

[steved21]

acguitar84
 
In reference to your request for a Resonessance HD comparison.  
I have one, in fact I have the HD and the HP,, I wish they would have just added RCA out to the HD and save me some dough!
I also have the Schiit Yaggi. So its very fair to say they are not close to the same classification / category how ever you want to phrase that.    Having said that the Resonessance HD is no slouch and earns its keep.
It's just shy of a grand and you need to spend a fair bit more to make the next step worth while.  For me, in Canada, the Gungnir MB is about $1,750 plus shipping, if you are south of the border then is a chunk less, while the HD, as its made in Canada is the same price for both of us, even though the web site says 950 USD we in fact get it for 950 CAD as well.  My point being , in long winded way, that if you are paying 1249 for your Gungnir MB then value wise its a super deal and for sure the next step to take after the HD.  It's two steps up from your HD.   Where I find value incidentally is the Resonessance HP,, as that unit is a DAC  / Amp and it perfect for my work station and or traveling with my lap top.  Its a great match for cans like Beyer Dynamic DT 990, Audio quest Night Hawk, AKG mid rangers etc,    However the HD then needs an amp as well, ( I use mine with a Lake people G 109) but for the combined price I'd have been better of just using the HP.  I use that at my home office desk set up. For a secondary set up its probably as much as you want to spend. For a primary set up its ok, but the next set up is not too far into the laws of diminishing returns. On your profile i see some Grado 1000's.. While not familiar with them I can safely assume they warrant a DAC better than the HD. On the other hand if you use them with the HD and a good amp you might very well be super happy and thats very cool. Your defiantly in HI FI land with that. 
If you only have one set up AND you use speakers sometimes, or most of the time, then the Schiit is for most people likely the way to go. And i'm talking the Gungnir MB here. 
The Yaggi is yet the next step up after that and starts to incur some diminishing returns.  If you have a good amp and speakers, then the Yaggi starts to become the better choice.  I run it through a Naim XS2 and Opera Grand Mezza and for sure in that sort of set up is where the Yaggi just begins to make sense.   Frankly I would have probably been pretty happy with the Gungnir MB as well but I always get in to the upgrade game and it ends up costing me. I haven't been able to AB the two units but from what i hear others say the Yaggi is more resolving in the details. So the better quality ( as in expensive) your amp and speakers are , the more you'll benefit from the more resolving Yaggi.  My line of thinking was A do it once, and B if an upgrade comes down the pipe, which for DAC's these days is almost certain then the Yaggi will get it first and and stay ahead of the pack .    So one point to note here, and I've had a few other Yaggi owners ( and Gungnir MB owners too) tell me this is...once they bought a really nice DAC  as in either of the two Schiit's   they found them so good they started to listen to speakers more and rediscovering their CD's and SACD's. For me I did just this and ended up upgrading both my amp and speakers in order to better appreciate the quality of the Schiit dacs.  So be warned its not just the price of the dacs you will be spending it the possibility of getting the rest of your gear up to the level of the Schiits.  

 

[Ttenu]

Traded up from Gungnir Multibit to Yggdrasil. Serial number in the 700 range. B-stock with a note that front has a scratch. I see no scratch. Schiit is hardcore about perfection.
 
Compared to Gumby:
 
- Less fatiguing
- More analytical
- Greater sense of space
 
With the Gumby, I preferred tubes. To my ear, stock tubes and Gold Lions were more pleasing than LISST. 
 
With Yggdrasil, I prefer LISST. Its analytical sound is not a minus but a magnificent plus. I'll be tube rolling to play with the Yggy sound but only after extended solid state listening. As a side benefit, using LISST solidifies the Mjolnir 2 as studio grade XLR preamp for powered speakers.
 
I'm happy with the Mjolnir 2 but this newfound solid-state joy makes me wonder about the Ragnarok. To convince myself not to go broke, I think to myself, "Ragnarok volume clicks will annoy me and the insane wattage from the balanced headphone port will scare me." Keep on repeating that, self. Keep. Repeating.
 
To power the Yggdrasil, I am using a Furman Reference 15i with "Discrete Symmetrical Power" and an Emotiva 1m "X IEC" power cable.
 
Full stack:
Macbook Pro > Amarra for Tidal > PYST USB > Wyrd > Cardas Clear USB > Yggdrasil > Anticables XLR 4.1 > Mjolnir 2 > Ultrasone Signature Pro (Stock)
 
The album "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" by Nightwish, my all time favorite band, was borderline unlistenable to me until I heard it through the Yggy. I will always love their older albums but EFMB just pained me to listen to. I gave it a shot this evening, was amazed, and inspired this post.
 
Why did it take the best, if not one of the best, R2R DACs in the world to make this album listenable? I would posit Finnvox Studios uses amazing equipment (pretty sure they use top of the line Genelec DSP speakers) that require studio caliber decoding to understand their piece of art.
 
Thank you, folks at Schiit, for this endgame DAC. 100% satisfied.
 
I plan to make it portable so that I can take it places and test out speakers. My idea is to buy an ArkPak 730 with LiFePO4 battery and quickly swap the power supply from my house to the big fat battery. I can even keep the ArkPak trickle charged in my vehicle for long trips.
 
Speaking of keeping it plugged in, I have noticed, contrary to what people have reported, that my Yggdrasil is not hot at all. In fact, it is not even warm. The only spot on the entire unit that has a tiny bit of warmth is right above where the power cable is plugged in. That said, I was fortunate enough to receive my unit right before leaving for a weekend trip and plugged it into a Furman PST-8D over the weekend. When I returned, the unit was warm as expected. After deciding to move my Furman Reference 15i and Emotiva power cable from my home theater setup to my headphone setup, the unit is cool to the touch as described. Perhaps the quality of the power has an effect on the overall heat dispersion of the unit.
 
I also tested the Yggdrasil using the SE outputs into a Vali 2. It sounded great, but of course the MJ2 over balanced sounds better. I appreciate those extra SE outputs as I can play with external amps that are RCA only like Glow Amp One, Stereomour II, and the Temple Bantam One, while using the Mjolnir 2 to hook up powered XLR speakers like Genelec 8030 (using MJ2 RCA for subs).
 
I thought maybe Reddog was a overzealous fanboy who drank the Kool-Aid long ago and wanted to feel good about his investment but he was on point all along. Sorry for judging you, bro. I always wanted to believe you and now I am a believer, too.
 
As so, I return to my Euphonic Odyssey. .  .

 

[acguitar84]

Thanks Steved21 for the very informative post.
 
I think I'll save for the Yggi. That's cool that you have a Lake People. I'm using the WA7 fireflies for my headphone amp, and I like it. The concero HD is the DAC of course, and the Grados are the headphones. Fun setup, but I wonder if the Lake People is a better amp than the WA7.
 
What's crazy is I could use 2 or even 3 yggi's,,one for my work office, one for the home office, and one for the bedside rig,but the HD could continue to serve in that capacity. Right now the HD is serving in all three locations, I carry it from place to place.
 
Well, I'll save for one yggi first, and go from there.
 
I hear you about gear upgrades too. I could see myself upgrading my speakers someday, but I really love the mackies.

 

[steved21]

For sure the fireflies have one up on the Lake people G109.   The top model Violectric ( same brand as lake people but the consumer version brand) is amazing but also $$$.   FYI   there is an lake People G109 on Massdrop that closes in 4 days.  Its the anniversary edition G109A for $386.00   Thats a great mid grade headphone amp that really suits some headphones like a duck to water.  In particular the Audioquest nighthawk and the Beyerdynamic DT 990.  It has plenty of power. Only drawback is internal gain switches, so you kinda need to set it and leave it unless you really like fiddling with a hex key.  You might want to pass that on to anyone who is looking for an amp in that price range. 

 

[gefski]

For me I did just this and ended up upgrading both my amp and speakers in order to better appreciate the quality of the Schiit dacs.  So be warned its not just the price of the dacs you will be spending it the possibility of getting the rest of your gear up to the level of the Schiits.  

Just for fun here's a counterpoint to your comments about "upgraditis".

Since getting the Yggy last summer, and with lots of cans available, I've had my HD650s on my head more than I have in years. When fed this high quality music signal, they think they're reference cans!

 

[US Blues]

   
 
I'm happy with the Mjolnir 2 but this newfound solid-state joy makes me wonder about the Ragnarok. To convince myself not to go broke, I think to myself, "Ragnarok volume clicks will annoy me and the insane wattage from the balanced headphone port will scare me." Keep on repeating that, self. Keep. Repeating.
 
 

 
Jason has hinted at some good 2 channel gear coming later this year. As someone who uses a Rag to power a set of speakers, I can say there may be a well-loved Rag up for grabs if the 2 channel gear tickles my fancy.

 

[Benny-x]

Originally Posted by wink /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 

  Damn good post. 
 
So, when will I join the club...

As soon as you plonk down the folding green stuff, or massage the plastic.      -    Do it NOW...!

Haha, yeah I don't see this happening in the near future, but it's sounding more and more like this will be my next major addition. Hopefully I can go audition one when I'm in Shanghai sometime in the next 3-4 months. 
 
Time for the old hifi kit isn't going so well lately. Had to pass on my much loved LCD-2.2s as they weren't getting any use. On to the next happy owner though, just as they were passed onto me
 

 
Awwww, c'mon dude. That's like asking how long a piece of string should be.
 
Ask 2 experts and you get 3 different opinions.
 
Anyway, It all depends on the gear your YGGY will plug in to.
 
1. Does it have a volume control.?
2. If yes to 1, does the volume control sit right behind the input sockets and before the preamp circuitry.?
3. If yes to 1, what is is the resistance/impedance of the volume control, or does it sit further inside the circuitry?
4. If no to 1,  what is the input impedance of your preamp.?
5. If the volume control is further inside the preamp circuitry, what is the input impedance of the preamp.?
What type of cables are you using to connect between the YGGY and your amp.? If RCA, are they just normal or 75 Ohm impedance.?
 
Under most normal circumstances just connect them up and enjoy.
 
If you're anal retentive enough, the output impedance of the YGGY is 75 Ohms.
So, do your homework and find out what your input impedance of your preamp is, then get a cable made that matches these specs. OR Do your homework amd make something up yourself.   Zimple....!
 
 
As you can see, if the inquirer is unsure of their system, this could tie up the customer service for a considerable time trying to sort out what the customer wants.
 
There is a software programmer saying which covers this situation:-
 

Haha, that was a great example of tech support in a nutshell. One "simple" question turns out to have like 500 preceding questions before you can get the answer of "Oh, it's A" or "Oh, it's B". Gotta love it...

 

[Benny-x]

  If you do get a Yggdrasil, I would be very interested in hearing how it compares to your Geekpulse X-Fi. Have a friend that would potentially be on the bandwagon if the difference proves to be tangible.

I've actually got the Pulse Infinity in 2.0 chassis, so further up from the Xfi. However, I don't see there really being any competition between the two. There was a recent comparison from a guy in the Geek Pulse thread who had both in house and he said the Yggdrasil won hands down. Just a better component.
 
The Infinity is a nice DAC, I've actually started to like it quite a bit since I burned it in for +400 hours. In the beginning I wanted to throw it straight into the wall after I listened to it. I liked my Note 5 HP out better... But after putting some hours on it, all without listening, and then comparing it against my Geekout 1000 there's no contest. I did about a week's worth of listening between the 2 and liked the Infinity markedly more. Much better conveyor of musical emotion. I'm moving the Geekout onto a relative now as I like the Infinity that much and have put it into full time use in my office. The Infinity is a nice sounding piece of kit and I'm happy to have it. 
 
Happy to have it in my second set up, though. It's not a front line, main rig component in my experience and the Yggdrasil seems to be from what most people in here say they use it for. If you've got a credit card and you can handle 2 months worth of interest payments, why don't you "buy" both to get them in house for a listen. Then you can return the one you like less and actually know your answer? That's what I'd do if I lived anywhere that had components priced at a non-insane level. My only choice is to buy them while I'm home and bring them back to the land of tax and import duties. 

 

[steved21]

Very true for sure,, every thing  "re-Sounds" very good once you get a good dac.   Back in the day we did this when you came home with a new cartridge for the turn table.  All the albums came out just like they were re released or something. The speakers you thought were just so so now sound great.  In my experience improving the main source component always gives you the biggest bank for your buck,  Got to say  I'm super happy with the Yaggy Mjolnir2  set up and doesn't really have me thinking what the Yaggy  Ragnorok would sound like.   Frankly i never though of it as a head phone only solution.  I suppose even if you don't use the amp for speakers section its supposed to be better for headphones but I'm not really sure. 

 

[gad1]

  Depends on how much of that doobie you wanna smoke.

pour a smoke and light up a drink,
get yggyfried..................

 

[claud W]

Hoping to order mine at the end of this month. I have read here to just leave it on for two weeks and also to run music through it for 150 hours. I think I will break it in by connecting it to my computer by usb without an amp and run an internet music radio station like Jango through it 24/7 for a week. You all think that would do it? 

 

[US Blues]

  Hoping to order mine at the end of this month. I have read here to just leave it on for two weeks and also to run music through it for 150 hours. I think I will break it in by connecting it to my computer by usb without an amp and run an internet music radio station like Jango through it 24/7 for a week. You all think that would do it? 

When I got my Yggy I plugged it in, turned it on, and left it on. I listened to music frequently, but never went 24/7. It really needs a month or two, but the reward is exceptional.

 

[Ttenu]

  Hoping to order mine at the end of this month. I have read here to just leave it on for two weeks and also to run music through it for 150 hours. I think I will break it in by connecting it to my computer by usb without an amp and run an internet music radio station like Jango through it 24/7 for a week. You all think that would do it? 

 
I am a bit superstitious/paranoid and won't put anything lossy through the Yggdrasil to keep it pure.
 
How about a playlist of ripped CDs containing your favorite music? Temper that beast with the essence of you.

 

[hifimckinney]

  Hoping to order mine at the end of this month. I have read here to just leave it on for two weeks and also to run music through it for 150 hours. I think I will break it in by connecting it to my computer by usb without an amp and run an internet music radio station like Jango through it 24/7 for a week. You all think that would do it? 

Yes, I did the same using Pandora.