[ThePeave]

A question regarding the Yggdrasil operation. I’m using jrivers MC software which works fine and opens the dac in the bit rate/sampling required for each song..
I recently added Amazon Unlimited HD music streaming. It does not run within Jriver MC, On my MacBook Pro, I had to open the MIDI properties and set
it to 24/192 for the Yggdrasil. So now, the DAC stays open at 24/192 regardless of the actual bit/sampling rate.. The amazon app doesn’t have its own driver or exclusive control... It seems to sound fine, maybe the app just pads zeros at the end to adjust size, or the dac? SQ compromised ? thanks..
btw.. amazon unlimited HD is very good !!

Thats one of the biggest problems with the Amazon music service. With Amazon music, I believe your mac upsamples (or downsamples) to whatever you have set in the audio MIDI settings before sending out to your DAC. This is the main reason I've stuck with Tidal, which does have exclusive mode with automatic bit/sample rate selection. As far as sound quality compromise, I'm sure that depends a lot on your system and your ears!

 

[Mikem53]

Thats one of the biggest problems with the Amazon music service. With Amazon music, I believe your mac upsamples (or downsamples) to whatever you have set in the audio MIDI settings before sending out to your DAC. This is the main reason I've stuck with Tidal, which does have exclusive mode with automatic bit/sample rate selection. As far as sound quality compromise, I'm sure that depends a lot on your system and your ears!

I was afraid that was the case. Most music coming through that I play on Amazon is 24 bit by 48 sampling and I have been setting it up that way now to to avoid extra processing. I’m going to do some comparisons between jRiver and Amazon. I haven’t yet as I have been playing all new selections I don’t have. im Going to compare when I get some time and less thunderstorms.. thanks..

 

[Licht]

Thats one of the biggest problems with the Amazon music service. With Amazon music, I believe your mac upsamples (or downsamples) to whatever you have set in the audio MIDI settings before sending out to your DAC. This is the main reason I've stuck with Tidal, which does have exclusive mode with automatic bit/sample rate selection. As far as sound quality compromise, I'm sure that depends a lot on your system and your ears!

Amazon Music HD has exclusive mode setting recently, where you can access from the speaker icon, but funny thing is that it doesn't change actual sampling rate to Yggdrasil. And you only can do it while playing the song, and requires to do it every time you launch Amazon Music HD.

 

[darmccombs]

If you’re using Gen 5 now, you should see a major improvement in true timbre of every sound and instrument, in an “alive” presentation, with AES delivery or Unison. For me, Gen 5, like many USB implementations by many companies, just isn’t providing an open window. Then, leaving it on a few more weeks, achieving the proper balance of component burn in and “listener burn in”, will have you re-listening to all your music.

You can review your USB ports in ‘about this Mac’ and select one that isn’t used for anything else. Since you just installed Unison, I suggest going with it for a month and enjoying the music. Then you’ll have a real handle on your system‘s sonic personality, and can play with other file delivery systems if you feel like it.

Well the Unison upgrade has burned in a bit. It is a noticeable change from the USB 5 so I'll take your advise and just listen for a bit before looking at new sources. This is my current chain: Qobuz High-Res> Macbook Pro (Usb-C)> Schiit Yggdrasil A2 Unison> GS-X Mini> Norne Silver S3 cable> ZMF Verite Closed Ironwood

Well, just a few observations after having the Yggy for 10 days, and the Unison upgrade in for a week.

The system has never sounded better. The Unison upgrade is like Gefski described it. It has made the output from my Macbook and Ipad Pro much cleaner, impactful, alive. The used Yggy seemed to take almost a week to really burn in (or for my brain to burn depending on your beliefs). Part of this is from the unit not being plugged in for a while, and part was probably due to the new Unison board. Things now sound very full, engaging, detailed, and a joy to listen to.

I am still thinking about my source, and how to improve it, but I don't have to hurry since things are sounding very nice right now. Still, I wonder... I do like the idea of using my Macbook as a source. Since it's already here. When I close unused apps, and run it on battery, it sounds pretty nice. Should I just optimize the Macbook a bit? Does Roon have better or worse SQ than the Qobuz app?

Anyway, I'm really impressed with the Yggy with Unison board. Thanks to everyone who've provided suggestions.

 

[earnmyturns]

I am still thinking about my source, and how to improve it, but I don't have to hurry since things are sounding very nice right now. Still, I wonder... I do like the idea of using my Macbook as a source. Since it's already here. When I close unused apps, and run it on battery, it sounds pretty nice. Should I just optimize the Macbook a bit? Does Roon have better or worse SQ than the Qobuz app?

The main disadvantage of using a Macbook as a Roon source is that anything else you want to do with the Macbook may get in the way of the best music-streaming behavior. In general, if you are using Roon, it makes more sense to separate the Roon Core from the endpoint that drives the DAC. Since I'm fine with DIY, I'm a fan of Pi+Pi2AES endpoints, but probably a Pi 4, no shield will be enough given Unison.

 

[gefski]

Yeah, the Pi2AES is really cool. However, computers are so cheap these days, especially compared to the other things we spend $$$$ on, that it’s easy to use one ONLY for a music server. My Mac Mini used $350ish with 500g ssd/16g, $135 for Uptone Audio boards to get rid of internal switching ps and fan control, $100ish for a used Acopian outboard 12 v linear ps. Just a bit of diy for a non solder-slinger like me, and...music!

It’s great there are several ways to go not requiring $3K to $5k servers.

 

[Gavin C4]

I wish the Ygg and gungnir could implement the modular ability of bifrost. This allows us to do selfupgrade at home because sending in the whole dac is very expensive.

 

[Mikem53]

I am not worried about the first time to warm up, I am worrying about the time when it's turned off later for whatever reason. (I don't usually turn off my stuff)

I have been turning mine off recently because of numerous thunderstorms

i did the self-install in 20 min -- max. it's quite easy.

if you leave the yggy unplugged for even a couple of hours (after it's been burned in), i doubt you'll be able to hear a significant difference when you turn in back on.

I unplug mine often due to the numerous thunderstorms recently.. sometimes I turn the Yggdrasil off For only an hour or so and sometimes for a few days. either way, when I turn it on , I usually have music playing.. it sounds thin and sterile when cold.. a few hours Later , it’s sounds close to max.. but leaving it on weeks at a time.. it always sounds better when it’s up For a long time.. R2R DACs need to reach Thermal stability before the resistive values stabilize which directly affects the sonics.
Thats where the Yggdrasil confuses me.. that last bit of the magic seems to take weeks of uptime .. its not something you can pinpoint or possibly see on an oscilloscope..
But it’s make a difference in my experience... I Use a balanced isolation transformer for my system power.. otherwise I would put a battery backup on just the Yggdrasil to keep it warm and comfy...

 

[W3WEB]

Hello! Been lurking on this forum for some time. Just purchased a Yggdrasil GS to replace a Bifrost Multibit. Have to say, even without the necessary 3-week burn in to stabilize the Yggy - the difference is dramatic. I'm amazed at all the new detail being revealed now.

So my bedroom system upgrade is complete. Started with an old Panasonic clock radio. It's gone because who needs to know the time when you're into the music.

Now have a Sonos Connect -> Yggy GS -> Loki -> Saga + -> Vidar -> Magnepan LRS

Musical bliss. If you're on the fence about upgrading to the Yggy GS, strongly suggest pulling the trigger. It's an amazing DAC for the money. Cheers!

 

[gefski]

Hello! Been lurking on this forum for some time. Just purchased a Yggdrasil GS to replace a Bifrost Multibit. Have to say, even without the necessary 3-week burn in to stabilize the Yggy - the difference is dramatic. I'm amazed at all the new detail being revealed now.

So my bedroom system upgrade is complete. Started with an old Panasonic clock radio. It's gone because who needs to know the time when you're into the music.

Now have a Sonos Connect -> Yggy GS -> Loki -> Saga + -> Vidar -> Magnepan LRS

Musical bliss. If you're on the fence about upgrading to the Yggy GS, strongly suggest pulling the trigger. It's an amazing DAC for the money. Cheers!

It’s a great investment that will only get better, improving everything downstream!

 

[Zer0.p0int.Zer0]

Hello! Been lurking on this forum for some time. Just purchased a Yggdrasil GS to replace a Bifrost Multibit. Have to say, even without the necessary 3-week burn in to stabilize the Yggy - the difference is dramatic. I'm amazed at all the new detail being revealed now.

So my bedroom system upgrade is complete. Started with an old Panasonic clock radio. It's gone because who needs to know the time when you're into the music.

Now have a Sonos Connect -> Yggy GS -> Loki -> Saga + -> Vidar -> Magnepan LRS

Musical bliss. If you're on the fence about upgrading to the Yggy GS, strongly suggest pulling the trigger. It's an amazing DAC for the money. Cheers!

welcome! That is one hell of a bedroom system!!

 

[W3WEB]

welcome! That is one hell of a bedroom system!!

Thank you! I sure think so. And in ultimate age reversal role - I'm was asked (told) by my 20yo / 23yo kids to turn that schiit down. No way. Not with this system. (and not in my house!).

 

[W3WEB]

It’s a great investment that will only get better, improving everything downstream!

Agree so much. I scoured youtube and reviews for several months because Yggy is a lot of coin - even the GS version. Adding a Bimby did improve things a lot, and was uncertain how much better they could get. But like you said, having Yggy now has dramatically improved everything else! Had I known this, would have made the purchase much sooner.

 

[rfernand]

Bifrost Multibit has been repurposed to make room for Yggdrasil, which I am auditioning. I listened to it straight out of the box. It has already exceeded my expectations. I have to trust Moffat & Co. when they say the sound will improve if I leave it on. I can’t imagine how.

Ragnarok 2 is powering a pair of Heresy IVs in my system. This setup was already pretty good and fun to listen to, especially since these speakers do wonders for vocals. Enter Yggdrasil.

Obvious changes: It takes a while to boot up. It’s louder than Bifrost (I’m using the XLR outs) which made volume-matching for comparison tricky. For reference, at the lowest gain, I usually listen at 3:30. Now I’m closer to 1:45.

Busy tracks with a lot of percussion have been the most insightful to experience. TRS’ Sympathy for the Devil, for example, is a very good benchmark to compare Yggdrasil to others. Yggy seems to effortlessly place everything in its right place, with very defined and natural attacks, and disciplined (and very fun) sustain. Bifrost was already doing a great job, but Yggy came to say “there’s more space to explore...”. It’s as if it shines a brighter light on everything. Phil Collins’ Big Band is a busy record, with a somewhat claustrophobic soundstage at times. Yggy does wonders here. I feel space in between sounds that was simply not there. I have them in vinyl in another setup, and Yggy pretty much delivers a similar intangible fun factor. Go figure.

Vocals are crazy good. Again, my Klipsch speakers excel at that. Yggy is feeding them quality here. McCartney & Wing’s Band on the Run and Peter Gabriel’s third album are good records to highlight all the positive differences.

I put a few of Lang Lang’s records through it. Little improvement over Bifrost, but not as dramatic as the others.

I’ll try some Allman Brothers, Clapton, Grateful Dead, Beatles, some Operas, and a few Concertos I know well over the next few days. I’ll try various headphones as well, since I know Ragnarok’s profile well by now. If sound quality changes, I‘ll report it. But I think I have Yggy’s strengths mostly mapped out in my head and can anticipate how my favorite tracks will compare to Bifrost: Very, very favorably.

Grievance number 1: Most pictures of Ragnarok 1 and Yggy I’ve seen show them stacked with the dac below. Can’t do that with Ragz 2. So I did it the other way and I pray the heat sinks to the sides are enough and this is safe.

Grievance number 2: I want an Yggdrasil tshirt. And an Ape Schiit poster. And they are not included in the box.

 

[dwest1023]

Bifrost Multibit has been repurposed to make room for Yggdrasil, which I am auditioning. I listened to it straight out of the box. It has already exceeded my expectations. I have to trust Moffat & Co. when they say the sound will improve if I leave it on. I can’t imagine how.

Ragnarok 2 is powering a pair of Heresy IVs in my system. This setup was already pretty good and fun to listen to, especially since these speakers do wonders for vocals. Enter Yggdrasil.

Obvious changes: It takes a while to boot up. It’s louder than Bifrost (I’m using the XLR outs) which made volume-matching for comparison tricky. For reference, at the lowest gain, I usually listen at 3:30. Now I’m closer to 1:45.

Busy tracks with a lot of percussion have been the most insightful to experience. TRS’ Sympathy for the Devil, for example, is a very good benchmark to compare Yggdrasil to others. Yggy seems to effortlessly place everything in its right place, with very defined and natural attacks, and disciplined (and very fun) sustain. Bifrost was already doing a great job, but Yggy came to say “there’s more space to explore...”. It’s as if it shines a brighter light on everything. Phil Collins’ Big Band is a busy record, with a somewhat claustrophobic soundstage at times. Yggy does wonders here. I feel space in between sounds that was simply not there. I have them in vinyl in another setup, and Yggy pretty much delivers a similar intangible fun factor. Go figure.

Vocals are crazy good. Again, my Klipsch speakers excel at that. Yggy is feeding them quality here. McCartney & Wing’s Band on the Run and Peter Gabriel’s third album are good records to highlight all the positive differences.

I put a few of Lang Lang’s records through it. Little improvement over Bifrost, but not as dramatic as the others.

I’ll try some Allman Brothers, Clapton, Grateful Dead, Beatles, some Operas, and a few Concertos I know well over the next few days. I’ll try various headphones as well, since I know Ragnarok’s profile well by now. If sound quality changes, I‘ll report it. But I think I have Yggy’s strengths mostly mapped out in my head and can anticipate how my favorite tracks will compare to Bifrost: Very, very favorably.

Grievance number 1: Most pictures of Ragnarok 1 and Yggy I’ve seen show them stacked with the dac below. Can’t do that with Ragz 2. So I did it the other way and I pray the heat sinks to the sides are enough and this is safe.

Grievance number 2: I want an Yggdrasil tshirt. And an Ape Schiit poster. And they are not included in the box.

When I installed my Yggy cold from the box, it wowed me at first too. Over time,I realized it was just bright, which made it seem, I had a huge wide soundstage. In my system which includes a Pass Lab intergraded, the sound changed many times, until finally it settled. At that point the Yggy just sound so natural and organic, that it was like there was no dac at all in my system. Just the right amount of warmth and with very good resolution. In my system, just the perfect balance.