[gdhal]

Yes, well it goes without saying that my impressions are my impressions. It's subjective, like all things in audio perception. YMMV. I am not interested in "blind" testing nor in trying to "prove" anything to anyone else; I know what I liked best, and I've stated it.

Not to belabor this - and I did "like" your post - but I would like to clarify something. When I mention "blind" testing, it isn't within the context of "proving anything to anyone else". Rather, it becomes a helpful and accurate method of proving it to yourself. Many folks simply try one "thing" (component, cable, input, whatever) and compare it to another "thing" and exclaim "it is better" as if suddenly something as major as another verse in the same song was heard or something as subtle as a longer decaying cymbal was heard. I'm merely suggesting that in either of those cases, one do their own do diligence to substantiate such a claim.

 

[Ableza]

Yep. Whatever floats one’s boat is exactly what they should do.

 

[Scott Kramer]

USB's the only pure non-spdif conversion (i2s) way in... rca/optical/bnc/aes is all piped thru an ak4113 PLL* chip (clock recovery, spdif-i2s) in its basic mode. AES has an extra differential converter chip in front of that, nothing magic, it's for pro long runs / noise rejection in the cable.

 

[alpovs]

Regarding question #2, the unison page posts the following caveat :

********
'Please note that by selecting this option, you are saying, "Yes, I am, or know, a competent electronics technician who does not need hand-holding for this installation, and I will not allow an inexperienced person to perform the upgrade, since I understand there are no user-serviceable parts inside."
********

This statement is worded for liability.

 

[Les Strat]

It may in fact be that the unison is superior in every way to other inputs. That said, I'm perfectly content going spdif (rca) from my oppo udp-205 to the yggdrasil. As a member of an audio club in Long Island NY (audio syndrome) and having listened to dozens of systems whose total msrp of all components *easily* exceed 50K (and mine 25K), I'm rather confident I'm not "missing" anything by not having the unison usb. The yggy sounds terrific, and I suspect that is true regardless of the input used. For those splitting hairs about different inputs - and transports to those inputs for that matter - I'd suggest testing your ears using a properly created "blind test" and then see/hear/feel if you believe the same.

I'll also be staying with S/PDIF input ( in my case BNC) for my Yggy A2, as it sounds great to me. Hour after hour of happy, fatigue-free, listening are testament to just how happy I am with my current set up.

The Unison USB input may well be 'superior' to S/PDIF, and I certainly respect Ableza's findings in this regard, but thankfully, I have finally reached a level of audio contentment where I no longer feel the need to chase incremental 'improvements' in my system

 

[dwest1023]

Just received my unison board for my yggy. Shipping was very fast. I think I ordered the the board this past Tuesday and it arrived today(Friday). Install took about 15 minutes with the help of a diagram I got from another site. I previous had the gen 5 board and I was very happy with the sound that came from it. First impression at first turn on, was everything was clearer and more articulate, especially noticeable with the bass. There is definitely more space between instruments. On songs I a familiar with I can clearly hear instruments in the background, that I had not heard before. Soundstage is much wider. Nice improvement in my system for 150.

 

[shultzee]

Thanks for the comparison between gen. 5 and Unison. Been trying to get someone to post their opinion.

 

[LarryMagoo]

Just received my unison board for my yggy. Shipping was very fast. I think I ordered the the board this past Tuesday and it arrived today(Friday). Install took about 15 minutes with the help of a diagram I got from another site. I previous had the gen 5 board and I was very happy with the sound that came from it. First impression at first turn on, was everything was clearer and more articulate, especially noticeable with the bass. There is definitely more space between instruments. On songs I a familiar with I can clearly hear instruments in the background, that I had not heard before. Soundstage is much wider. Nice improvement in my system for 150.

Hey dwest1023,

Can you share the site info where you got the diagram assistance?

Thanks for your impressions of the Unison!

Cheers!

 

[gdhal]

Just received my unison board for my yggy. Shipping was very fast. I think I ordered the the board this past Tuesday and it arrived today(Friday). Install took about 15 minutes with the help of a diagram I got from another site. I previous had the gen 5 board and I was very happy with the sound that came from it. First impression at first turn on, was everything was clearer and more articulate, especially noticeable with the bass. There is definitely more space between instruments. On songs I a familiar with I can clearly hear instruments in the background, that I had not heard before. Soundstage is much wider. Nice improvement in my system for 150.

This is just editorial on my part and strictly my opinion but if there is that dramatic of a difference, it leads me to believe something is "wrong".

 

[dwest1023]

Hey dwest1023,

Can you share the site info where you got the diagram assistance?

Thanks for your impressions of the Unison!

Cheers!

Sure, this should get you there: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/schiit-yggdrasil-gen-5-usb-upgrade-instructions.4842

 

[dwest1023]

This is just editorial on my part and strictly my opinion but if there is that dramatic of a difference, it leads me to believe something is "wrong".

It was not dramatic but more than subtle. If it makes any difference, I have a pass labs interacted amp.

 

[JoeWhip]

In the interview with Darko at 2018 RMAF, MM stated specifically that their new USB interface was better than AES.

 

[Ableza]

This is just editorial on my part and strictly my opinion but if there is that dramatic of a difference, it leads me to believe something is "wrong".

Nothing was wrong, just Unison is better. Try it and see.

 

[earnmyturns]

In the interview with Darko at 2018 RMAF, MM stated specifically that their new USB interface was better than AES.

My experience:

Auralic Aries Femto AES < Allo USBridge Player + Sbooster LPS + Unison USB < Pi 2 Design Pi2AES + Pi4B AES

Differences are small but consistent.

Unison USB has careful internal clocking and isolation, making it more robust to variable quality USB sources. AES depends on the source clocking and electrical noise level, so it is likely a lot more sensitive to source quality, for worse or better.