[5genez]

I haven't read far enough into this to be sure, but I strongly suspect that I received a B version in early November and have been battling brightness issues ever since. I knew it couldn't be the Yaggy due to all the glowing reviews! Tonight, or more correctly this morning I discover it could very well be due to a crappy output card! That explains an awful lot! I have spent a small fortune in cables trying to fix this issue! A lot more than the cost of the output card, a LOT more!

You should not be guessing. On the back the serial number will begin either with an 'A' or a 'B'.

 

[LouS]

You are missing my point. I bought mine Oct 31st. Did you read what Schiit said about that upgrade?


Yggdrasil, Refined

Schiit Announces Yggdrasil Analog 2



January 16, 2018, Valencia, CA. Today, Schiit Audio announced the first Yggdrasil-specific upgrade since its introduction almost 4 years ago: Yggdrasil Analog 2. Shipping with new-production Yggdrasils since October 2017, Yggdrasil Analog 2 is a thorough redefinition of the original Yggdrasil analog output modules, featuring refined Class-A, all-discrete FET buffers and numerous internal improvements.

Yes.... In this case, I feel like I have been mugged.

After I get done with that upgrade I could have bought a better DAC than the upgraded one. If they sent it to me as they said they should have new? I made my purchase October 31st.. It would have been only a little more.

Or, perhaps you ought to be glad, I got mine in November and have been struggling with brightness issues not knowing until a few minutes ago that it's likely their $hit boards! I KNEW due to all the rave reviews that it couldn't possibly be the Yggdrasil or the Freya, so it HAD to be a cable issue. I have spent far more than the cost of the downgrade, or so called upgrade, on cables trying to fix my brightness issue. I think you may be lucky!

You should not be guessing. On the back the serial number will begin either with an 'A' or a 'B'.

Can't get to it just now, but it has to be a newer one based upon previous reviews.

I wonder if I can get them to sell me an old board out of an upgrade if they keep them, if not perhaps from an owner. If my system were a little less neutral I might just love the new board.

 

[5genez]

Or, perhaps you ought to be glad, I got mine in November and have been struggling with brightness issues not knowing until a few minutes ago that it's likely their $hit boards! I KNEW due to all the rave reviews that it couldn't possibly be the Yggdrasil or the Freya, so it HAD to be a cable issue. I have spent far more than the cost of the downgrade, or so called upgrade, on cables trying to fix my brightness issue. I think you may be lucky!

What are you listening with? There can be a whole bunch of things causing the brightness..

 

[LouS]

It does have great detail, but that's the problem, detail lives on the boarder of bright, it's very easy to accidentally cross that line. I don't know if it's still true, but Bryston gear used to live on or just over that boarder. I went to a store where they had Bryston amps and preamps, source unknown, driving Maggies and it was enough to make your ears bleed. Mind you I am a major critic of Vandersteens because they are dark, so my gear always rides that boarder between detailed and bright, it's not that I love dark gear, it's that the new board is bright in my system, assuming it is new, but I bet it is.

 

[5genez]

It does have great detail, but that's the problem, fetal lives on the boarder of bright, it's very easy to accidentally cross that line. I don't know if it's still true, but Bryston gear used to live on or just over that boarder. I went to a store where they had Bryston amps and preamps, source unknown, driving Maggies and it was enough to make your ears bleed. Mind you I am a major critic of Vandersteens because they are dark, so my gear always rides that boarder between detailed and bright, it's not that I love dark gear, it's that the new board is bright in my system, assuming it is new, but I bet it is.

Do you leave your Yggy always turned on like you should?

 

[LouS]

What are you listening with? There can be a whole bunch of things causing the brightness..

Yeah, I have been doing this longer than most have been alive. Here we go;

Yggdrasil
Freya
Stasis Mdl. 2, Hexfreds in P.S., new resistors throughout, mostly Resistas a couple of Holcos, Black Gates on drivers cards, Mills bias resistors on o/p transistors, then send to Threhold's former lead technician for matched output devices, newer tighter tollerances, and new PS caps, higher capacitance, oh, used different values on bias resistors to increase power output. Jon Solderberg, Threshold tech, said it's the best sounding Stasis amp he's ever heard. He began using Black Gates in his mods after that till they went out of business. Then I also have a highly modified Sony DVP S9000ES which is not bright. That all feeds B&W 801M Series II's with modified crossovers, protection ckts disabled and Audyn Copper Max caps bypassing any caps in line with drivers. I may have replaced resistors in line will mills, but I would have to check to be sure, it is my M.O. though. From Freya to amp I have used multiple ICs, currently I have I believe Silver Sonics, or silver something's which have never been bright. Then Goertz MI3's to woofers, MI2 Pythons to mids and tweeter, returns shorted and 10 ohm mills resistors between hots. That is about it.

I can make the Sony bright with the right opamps, I have a ton to choose from. If someone said X op-amp sounds good I have probably had it in my DVP output at one time or another.

FYI, aside from a ton of Black Gates and V-caps in the O/P, I have Sonic Imagery Labs 994Enh-Ticha Dual OpAmp DIP8's in the I/V stage and LM4562's as drivers in the Sony right now.

I also have KEF 105.2 Reference speakers, Paradigm Studio 100 V 2's, Ellis Audio 1801's some obscure JH3'3, and a pair of Acoustat Mdl. 3's at a friend's house, but I pretty much use the B&W's exclusively.

No, it would not. But if you believe yours sounds better with the fuse one way than the other I highly recommend you use it the way it sound best to you. Electrically it makes no difference.

Personal preference, happy listening and all...

Theoretically a fuse can degrade over time. Other than either starving equipment for power, or a power cord being woven to act as a choke in an area where much noise is induced into the power line from the transformer to the home, OR something like a dimmer is in play in a home, I don't generally buy into a 5 or 6 foot cable transforming things, much less a fuse, but I have been proven wrong too many times to argue. It seems completely implausible to me that there is directionality in a fuse, but at one time I also believed an electrolytic capacitor was an electrolytic capacitor, only after I heard a difference did I believe it and going in a disbelieve, I don't think that I just imagined it, and if I did it's a pretty massive hallucination because I have yet to meet anyone who hasn't been able to hear a difference.

Not better. Totally different. Better is in the ear of the beholder.

Electrically it makes no difference according to the criteria used in manufacturing OEM fuses.
Just like two different brands of 12AX& tubes are electrically the same. But?

Except the 12AX7'S are in the audio path. For anything in the AC circuit to effect the DC circuit you would have to be having real issues beyond the ability of the DC circuit's filtering's capability. Even then, it will almost exclusively show up in the high frequencies as noise and have virtually no impact on low frequencies. Low frequency issues dealing with power generally relate to insufficient current, and I seriously doubt that we would see a difference in the milliamp draw based upon fuse orientation. I could be wrong, but I would be amazed if I were.

 

[johnjen]

@LouS when was the last time you cleaned ALL of your connectors/connections?
And what do you use to clean them with?

JJ

 

[LouS]

@LouS when was the last time you cleaned ALL of your connectors/connections?
And what do you use to clean them with?

JJ

I have done all of them recently now due to changing cables and tubes. I use Caig products. I believe it's D5 to clean, Gold on connectors and the Blue can on tube pins that are not gold.

 

[johnjen]

Thanks for that, it clears up that whole sector.
Next question.
Are any of the duplex receptacles, that are being used, 'old'?
As in worn out or 'loose'?

JJ

 

[5genez]

Except the 12AX7'S are in the audio path. For anything in the AC circuit to effect the DC circuit you would have to be having real issues beyond the ability of the DC circuit's filtering's capability. Even then, it will almost exclusively show up in the high frequencies as noise and have virtually no impact on low frequencies. Low frequency issues dealing with power generally relate to insufficient current, and I seriously doubt that we would see a difference in the milliamp draw based upon fuse orientation. I could be wrong, but I would be amazed if I were.

Then why do power cords effect sound? audio power cord review

 

[LouS]

Thanks for that, it clears up that whole sector.
Next question.
Are any of the duplex receptacles, that are being used, 'old'?
As in worn out or 'loose'?

JJ

Not really, Hubble hospital grade orange receptacles, and I live in a quiet neighborhood, no RF issues, not to mention that this has not been an issue with other DACs. I would be more inclined to believe that the Yggdrasil is faulty, especially given that it $hits the bed when I touch the Freya and there is a static discharge. If it were not under warranty I'd tear into it to see if there is anything obviously wrong with it. Since the Freya is less expensive I did open it up.

Then why do power cords effect sound? audio power cord review

I don't believe that they do unless there is an issue, using too small a gage starving the circuit, RF being introduced into the AC, and the power cord acting like a choke filtering it, etc. Generally I don't think that they much matter besides things like that. I'm not saying that I am right on this because it seems too many peoplehave heard differences, but 5 feet of cable in a run over miles and miles to the power station should generally have little effect, IMO.

 

[5genez]

No, power lines are not solid. The line coming into your breaker box isn't solid, it's only solid from the breaker box to your outlet.

What's run to the breaker box?

 

[LouS]

What's run to the breaker box?

These days aluminum braid, but it's into steel, so unlike the issues with aluminum wire to outlets there isn't an issue, no brass.

It used to be copper, but copper is too expensive now.

Grounds are still copper!

You know what, I had better double check when I get home, but I am pretty sure we ran aluminum. Upgrading from 100 to 200 amp service, but I have been taking my sweet time about it, years in fact, so I am not positive about what we ran, but I am pretty sure it is aluminum, copper would have cost a small fortune.

Double checked code, it's aluminum, you just have to use a heavier gage as it doesn't conduct as well, and I always use deox, not the audio stuff, this is more like a grease and it doesn't evaporate.

I think I'll call or email Schiit about the Yggdrasil, mine may have an issue, but I'd hold off on putting in a new output stage until you hear more about it.

Tell me then... Why two opposite sounding Yggy reports out there? When I achieved two opposite sounding Yggys out of the same Yggy?

That is what triggered my post. I am not talking about audiophiles fuses, like I had been. This is about the OEM glass fuse the Yggy comes with.

Lots of reasons, one is faulty,

I got jumped on by some for speaking on this topic before. But, I believe it needs to be said. The Yggy is two different DACs. Two people can be reporting an accurate description of what they hear, and seem contrary.

I am not sure how much attention is paid to this detail in assembly. But, if the OEM fuse that comes with the Yggy is facing one direction, it will sound quite different than when facing the other. The differences in sound on my system was the most obvious change I have ever heard with any component I have ever listened with. I am talking about the stock fuse, not some audiophile fuse.

The same can be said of a lot of gear. You either love or hate Vandersteens. I had a pair of 2CE Signatures, got into the crossover and found 3 caps in series, I couldn't believe it. Anyway, I bypassed them with a V-cap and found out why, those crappy tweeters will make your ears bleed without the caps there to attenuate the sound. Vandersteens always sound mellow, no detail, so bad recordings sound good on them. You either want detail or you don't. Then there are degrees, some want more, but not too much, etc. Hence different people reporting different things, it's called personal taste. I can't stand Vandersteens, they are dark up top. The mids and bass are nice, but the treble is muted, others love that about them.