[Thenewguy007]

It depends what you mean by "upgrade". The specs for Yggdrasil claim: "Upgradability: Fully modular architecture. Separate digital input board, USB input board, DSP engine board, and DAC/analog output boards." The USB board is one of the items here.

Does that mean an i2S connection could be upgraded in the future?

 

[winders]

@alpovs. Does not look promising when the main guy believes its as good as it gets...

I don't think Mike believes that Yggdrasil could not be improved upon. He has said that he can't design a better DAC without it being significantly more expensive to make. Obviously, it would have a much higher price tag. That would not be in line with Schiit's philosophy.

 

[Argo Duck]

+1 - what @winders states is exactly what Mike has said.

Concerning the "no Yggy 2", the context in which that statement was made was speculation that a "Yggy 2" might be in the works. Whilst Jason has produced redesigns of his amps - and added "2" to these sometimes significant revisions - the philosophy around Mike's DACs (except Modi) has always been that they can be upgraded and hence will never become obsolete.

I was one of the first to buy Mike's first Schiit DAC - Bifrost - and its modular, upgradeable architecture was one of its key points of difference. Indeed, upgrades were produced for that DAC fairly soon, notably a revised analog output board.

So...no Yggy 2 does not rule out meaningful upgrades in future. Just don't expect these - if they happen - to be dictated by the philosophies of other designers and/or the market price points of other companies.

As Jason and Mike have stated, there are many great products out there and they understand when and if their own don't meet particular buyers' requirements.

e: small edit for stray quote mark

 

[earnmyturns]

Does that mean an i2S connection could be upgraded in the future?

There's no evidence that I've read that I2S is advantageous for anything but short board-to-board connections. There are a few DACs on the market with external I2S inputs, and in one case that I know from personal experience (Holo Spring KTE Level 3), the combo microRendu>USB>SU-1>I2S>DAC is a bit better than microRendu>USB>DAC. However, I've not tested other combinations into that DAC, such as S/PDIF coax or AES from the SU-1 or the Aries (I own both) or the Eitr (which according to some reports beats the SU-1). Given these experiences and multiple reports from sources I trust, I can't imagine that I2S input would be a worthwhile improvement over Gen 5 USB, S/PDIF, or AES for the Yggy. The improvement in black background and instrument separation I heard when I switched my (non-gen-5) Yggy from microRendu>USB to Aries>AES was not huge but clear in attentive listening. Because I'm using AES, I'm not planning to upgrade my Yggy to Gen 5, at least unless I decide to switch to a different kind of Roon endpoint (no reason to do that I can see currently).

My ideal setup is a Roon endpoint connected in the best possible way for sound quality to a good DAC. Aries>AES>Yggy gets close, although the Aries's design and functions are not optimized for the single use I care about. Something like a small ARM-based computer combined with an Eitr might be perfect for performance/price For DACs like the Holo Spring that favor I2S, the options better than the current complicated streamer>SU-1>DAC seteups are not so clear.

 

[Oklahoma]

@alpovs. Does not look promising when the main guy believes its as good as it gets...

Also by the notion of releasing an yggy2; by the logic of an update would make it an yggy2, we would be on like bifrost4 now for the bimby: bifrost, bifrost uber, bifrost 4490, and bifrost multibit. Each dac board update has been just that an update to one part of the product not a new product.

 

[pctazhp]

I probably have no business posting here. I don't own a Yggy and probably never will, although I plan to own a Gumby soon. Schiit has made it clear that there won't be a Yggy2, that Yggy is modular and upgradeable if Schiit technology warrants it, and they just come out with a significant upgrade in the form of USB Gen 5. Then someone mentions a competing DAC and people start going nuts. If you ask me (which I realize no one did) seems to me pretty:

 

[winders]

Then someone mentions a competing DAC and people start going nuts. If you ask me (which I realize no one did) seems to me pretty: [Looney Tunes]

Going nuts? Hyperbole on your part! I think you need to re-read what was posted. No one went nuts.

 

[pctazhp]

Going nuts? Hyperbole on your part! I think you need to re-read what was posted. No one went nuts.

I agree. I got carried away. But sometimes I can't believe how much people expect or ask for from Schiit. Mike and Jason must have the patience of Job - or certainly far more patience than I would have.

 

[Baldr]

Upgrades, yup. New models (Yggy II), never.

 

[leafy7382]

I like their upgrade philosophy. As gen5 boards are offered as upgrades for current yggy owners, they will become default for new yggy owners. As long as you pick yggy at its current price, you get the totl DAC from Schiit. That said, it would also mean that they probably wouldn't do something radical that makes the price unprofitable for themselves.

 

[TGBerland]

Upgrades, yup. New models (Yggy II), never.

I really like this approach, but I also would like Schiit to put out a DAC without any thoughts of price. Make the best you possibly can without compromising quality because of cost. I would buy it

Not having to send the products in for upgrade would also be appreciated.

 

[pctazhp]

I really like this approach, but I also would like Schiit to put out a DAC without any thoughts of price. Make the best you possibly can without compromising quality because of cost. I would buy it

Not having to send the products in for upgrade would also be appreciated.

Curious. How do you know Schiit feels they could produce something better than Yggy if they threw a lot more money at something? And what is the advantage of having a DAC that could not easily be upgraded if future, better technology comes along?

 

[alpovs]

Does that mean an i2S connection could be upgraded in the future?

There is no I2S port (if that's what you mean), so it can't be upgraded.

 

[TGBerland]

Curious. How do you know Schiit feels they could produce something better than Yggy if they threw a lot more money at something? And what is the advantage of having a DAC that could not easily be upgraded if future, better technology comes along?

Modular design should always be the goal; regardless.

I'm fairly sure the guys at Schiit would be able to push the technology and sound-quality even further if no cost restrictions and only sound quality would be the focus of the design of a DAC. Better power supply; better analog circuit etc.
For the performance/price ratio; nothing beats the Yggdrasil. So I'm very happy (I got two of them!).

 

[TGBerland]

There is no I2S port (if that's what you mean), so it can't be upgraded.

I2S port could be added to the digital board - based on design of Yggdrasil, which have internal addons this might add to the complexity of upgrade. Plugin-cards from the back; which the customer could do themselves would be a much better and cheaper approach for all users (no need to send stuff back to Schiit). This would of course most likely add price of upgrade slightly (due to more complex construction than just an internal card to replace).

Edit:
Just see how MSB is doing this; much more elegant (of course their USB Quad DSD interface card costs more than the entire Yggdrasil.... that's another story )