[mourip]

I guess I'm the only one that thinks my A2 sounded amazing right out the box (a noticeable upgrade from Hugo 2).. I've had it running 24/7 for over 2 months now, can't confidently say I hear a difference compared to day 1 but then again I've been too occupied enjoying music so perhaps I haven't been listening critically enough.

Good post. My guess is that there are so many factors involved that one can really only describe what they hear in their own system. When I first starting listening to my Yggy2 it sounded bright and hollow. This was right after swapping out another Yggy1 from the exact same system. It sounds great now. Cool that it sounded better to you than the Hugo as it is so often compared to the Yggy...

Thanks for offering your own experience and for speaking only for yourself.

 

[Xcalibur255]

There is a possibility that some units spend more time powered up while they are at Schiit than others which could account for the difference. Either to perform extra testing, or if there is a queue/wait in boxing them for return shipping maybe somebody at Schiit is just doing the customer the favor of giving them a burn-in head start when circumstances permit.

Just a thought. Since these units are not brand new there are uncontrolled variables that could account for the difference in perceptions between folks getting their units back.

 

[earnmyturns]

I guess I'm the only one that thinks my A2 sounded amazing right out the box (a noticeable upgrade from Hugo 2).. I've had it running 24/7 for over 2 months now, can't confidently say I hear a difference compared to day 1 but then again I've been too occupied enjoying music so perhaps I haven't been listening critically enough.

I'm in between you and the 300h crew Out of the box, my A2-upgraded Yggy it sounded rough in the mids, muddled in dense orchestral passages, although very clear and fast for transients, especially percussion and plucked strings. 72h in, it sounds better than any of my other and previous DACs. Habituation? Not very likely, almost every workday I listen to 3 different systems (home speakers, home HP, work HP) and I've learned to recognize and appreciate their differences. The main thing that changed over the last 3 weeks was the speaker system DAC (Yggy A1 -> Soekris dac1541 -> Yggy A2), and the dac1541 came back to work.

 

[kingkikapu]

someone needs to convince schiits paint enclosure subcontractor to mess up and line up some black A2’s for grabs.

 

[lubengulu]

someone needs to convince schiits paint enclosure subcontractor to mess up and line up some black A2’s for grabs.

When my Yggy was inbits I took the opportunity to spray paint the (not to my liking) case ,using heat resistant paint for three coats.after drying I sanded with the finest sandpaper ,lightly,
Came out a dreame.I felt penned the input selector leds to cut the Spartan bright ,It sounds much BETTER.
I'm so sorry I'm not savy enough to add a pic.i'll figure it out one day.

 

[johnjen]

No, you're not the only one that thinks the A2 sounds amazing right out the box. It does. Truth is, "break-in" and "warm-up" in the case of this DAC (and virtually all audio related electronics) is largely a myth. If you (or anyone) had the ability to *blind test* an A2 Yggy that was powered on for 300 days straight and compare that to a Yggy that was powered on for 300 seconds I highly doubt you'd reliably know which is which.

I can understand where this would apply in your experience, but claiming this is a myth is clearly not an experience nor an opinion held by everyone, myself included.
And especially with a system that is dialed in and uses SotA gear.

So just because you have never experienced an improvement as new gear 'settles in' does not mean everyone has that same experience.

Just say'n is all.

JJ

 

[gdhal]

I can understand where this would apply in your experience, but claiming this is a myth is clearly not an experience nor an opinion held by everyone, myself included.
And especially with a system that is dialed in and uses SotA gear.

So just because you have never experienced an improvement as new gear 'settles in' does not mean everyone has that same experience.

Just say'n is all.

JJ

Hi JJ. Yeah, I hear/read ya. This is why I stated "largely a myth". To give myself some wiggle room knowing there would be rebuttal.

Look, if you can hear a difference after warm-up, burn-in, whatever, more power to you. I humbly submit though that if one were able to test their hearing perception under a realistic (i.e. being honest with yourself) "blind test", conclusions would likely be very different. But again, if in your experience you can hear a difference, terrific.

 

[johnjen]

Yeah those 'blind' tests are thought of as the best way to tell.

But I have found that under those sorts of test conditions the real differences are minimized or in some cases are not able to be heard.
For me it takes ≈ 15minutes (at a bare minimum) to be able to hear into the sorts of differences that SotA gear is able to deliver.
Which means an A/B test is handicapped at differentiating these rather subtle but oh so engaging aspects.

IOW I listen to the 'new gear' (really the entire system with the new gear) as I would listen to music, not under short chopped up segments of music (or worse non music), but over the long(er) term.
This is, in my experience, where the real differences are heard, on music you are very familiar with, and where you will be able to hear aspects and acoustic cues that are different than 'before'.

And yes under some conditions a short duration listening session can be used to help determine differences, but it is in the long term where a more full or 'true' grasp of the changes emerge.
This, in my experience, is especially true with the Jggy and other SotA gear and is also heavily dependent upon the entire system being 'up to par' and able to present these differences and not mask them.

JJ

 

[Maxx134]

A "blind test" is the equivalent of being forced to play in a confined sandbox, while your at the beach....

It just BS, as it does not have ability to convey the whole reality that the brain can take in.

It is set and doomed for failure, because it contains DOUBT.
A foolery that will trick the brain every time.
A person with doubt forced upon them will fail.

Blind test is blind fail.

Reality is that your brain filters sound in a complex manner even in your sleep...

As, for example,
you can be sleeping with a TV on,
and only wake when a "familiar" "voice" calls your "name".

Thats Complexity beyond any "sandbox-blind-test".

Everyone has the capacity to instantly know if it "feels" right, or if something is off...

You don't have to know how to describe it.

I see many ppl say, "oh Im not sure" about hearing a change, because they let DOUBT get in their way...

Its almost similar to fear, and it frustrates me to hear people having doubt because of veiwponts posted.

All engineers need to know this:
If you can't measure a change, you measured wrong.
Don't self brainwash yourself otherwise into thinking that you cant hear...

Whatever mood or mindset alertness will affect your hearing.
You hear what you hear, sometimes less, sometimes more...
no reason to doubt it.

 

[gefski]

Yeah those 'blind' tests are thought of as the best way to tell.

But I have found that under those sorts of test conditions the real differences are minimized or in some cases are not able to be heard.
For me it takes ≈ 15minutes (at a bare minimum) to be able to hear into the sorts of differences that SotA gear is able to deliver.
Which means an A/B test is handicapped at differentiating these rather subtle but oh so engaging aspects.

IOW I listen to the 'new gear' (really the entire system with the new gear) as I would listen to music, not under short chopped up segments of music (or worse non music), but over the long(er) term.
This is, in my experience, where the real differences are heard, on music you are very familiar with, and where you will be able to hear aspects and acoustic cues that are different than 'before'.

And yes under some conditions a short duration listening session can be used to help determine differences, but it is in the long term where a more full or 'true' grasp of the changes emerge.
This, in my experience, is especially true with the Jggy and other SotA gear and is also heavily dependent upon the entire system being 'up to par' and able to present these differences and not mask them.

JJ

Yes, I find blind (or not) quickie a/b-ing sounds or snippets of music useful for spotting frequency response aberrations or major variations from neutral in a product. Good $200 dacs these days "pass" these tests.

But for truth of timbre, touch, graceful dynamic flow, presence in the apparent recording venue (some of the major reasons for owning Yggy), listening to music as you suggest opens the window on the full essence of a great dac.

 

[johnjen]

Yes, I find blind (or not) quickie a/b-ing sounds or snippets of music useful for spotting frequency response aberrations or major variations from neutral in a product. Good $200 dacs these days "pass" these tests.

And one of the more difficult things to determine is what I call the Bose effect.
The initial impression is one of 'Wow this is fantastic!'
But will it stand the test of time?

But for truth of timbre, touch, graceful dynamic flow, presence in the apparent recording venue (some of the major reasons for owning Yggy), listening to music as you suggest opens the window on the full essence of a great dac.

The Bose effect becomes apparent in long term listening, where the "spectacular" can give way too 'too much of a good thing' as the full nature of the change to the system (the new gear) becomes more evident and its effects more obvious.
IOW living with "spectacular" can all to easily stick out and can even become annoying, as more and more of our favorite music is played and the accumulated results all highlight the 'Wow" factor, which after a while can get 'old' in and of itself.

JJ

 

[bequietjk]

I hope one day I may experience the monster that is Yggy

 

[gefski]

Like when I go to a meet and have to listen to 'Dark Side...' or 'Hotel...'

 

[johnjen]

Like when I go to a meet and have to listen to 'Dark Side...' or 'Hotel...'

And don't forget Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man"…

hahahahahahahahahahaha

JJ

 

[Maxx134]

I hope one day I may experience the monster that is Yggy

It is the only machine I have heard so far,
That can turn your headphones into a "Time-Machine"...

to transport you into the actual time and presence of the recording.

Putting on the headphones is like peering into a "window" to the event, as it took place.

That's how dam good it gets, at the level of yggy, and higher...
Because there actually is a very few that are reported to go higher,
At way higher prices.