[sonickarma]

Never tried that, only 1) Pi2AES to Yggdrasil AES vs 2) Allo USBridge (original version, with Sbooster LPS) USB to Yggdrasil Unison USB. 1) has is a bit more clear, incisive, 2) slightly fuzzier. Not a big difference, but consistently noticeable. I have no reason to think Pi 4 USB would be better than the USBridge, which is custom designed for low-noise USB audio output.

Thanks for your reply, could you compare the Pi 4 USB and the USBridge please just trying to understand if the Pi 4 USB output stream is bit perfect and doesn't introduce defects.

 

[earnmyturns]

Thanks for your reply, could you compare the Pi 4 USB and the USBridge please just trying to understand if the Pi 4 USB output stream is bit perfect and doesn't introduce defects.

Archimago has a good discussion of Pi 4 streaming. Unless your USB cable is defective, the bits should go through faithfully (a while ago this cable got very good test results, better than some much more expensive ones). In general, the issues with USB streaming are not digital data corruption, but rather electrical noise (on the 5V power wires or the data wires) from the source leaking into the DAC and perturbing the DAC output. Unison is designed to block much of that.

 

[sonickarma]

Archimago has a good discussion of Pi 4 streaming. Unless your USB cable is defective, the bits should go through faithfully (a while ago this cable got very good test results, better than some much more expensive ones). In general, the issues with USB streaming are not digital data corruption, but rather electrical noise (on the 5V power wires or the data wires) from the source leaking into the DAC and perturbing the DAC output. Unison is designed to block much of that.

Thanks will check out the articles mentioned, cheers for the response

 

[qiujiaheng]

WTB Yggy A2 Unison. Anyone interested in selling It ?

 

[Malevolent]

Hi everyone, I'd appreciate your help here, if possible.

I'm currently running a Gungnir Multibit (Gumby) to a Mjolnir 2 for my headphone station. I'm interested in moving up to an Yggdrasil (Yggy) for an upgrade. However, the pertinent question is, are there rumors of a revision coming anytime soon? If there aren't any floating about, what are your thoughts on a potential replacement?

I'm thinking of getting a Ragnarok 2 as a complement to the Mjolnir 2; however, I'm afraid to spend a fair bit of coin on a brand-spanking-new Yggy, only to realize that Schiit will be releasing a new model a few months down the road.

Thanks in advance!

 

[tesarpa]

Hi everyone, I'd appreciate your help here, if possible.

I'm currently running a Gungnir Multibit (Gumby) to a Mjolnir 2 for my headphone station. I'm interested in moving up to an Yggdrasil (Yggy) for an upgrade. However, the pertinent question is, are there rumors of a revision coming anytime soon? If there aren't any floating about, what are your thoughts on a potential replacement?

I'm thinking of getting a Ragnarok 2 as a complement to the Mjolnir 2; however, I'm afraid to spend a fair bit of coin on a brand-spanking-new Yggy, only to realize that Schiit will be releasing a new model a few months down the road.

Thanks in advance!

I believe Yggdrasil is defined as upgradable, so in worst case you get an upgrade for few hundred $$$.

 

[gefski]

I believe Yggdrasil is defined as upgradable, so in worst case you get an upgrade for few hundred $$$.

Yep. I bought my first Yggy in 2015, and it was a staggering change to how real and alive digital files sounded. So I’ve had five years of sinking deep into every piece of music I’ve got or could stream. Even going to Seattle area meets and listening to other great dacs (Denafrips, Holo Spring, Dangerous Convert2, Hugo, etc.), I’ve had no desire to change.

 

[Malevolent]

I believe Yggdrasil is defined as upgradable, so in worst case you get an upgrade for few hundred $$$.

Yes, it is indeed marketed as upgradeable; the only thing is, if the revision is significant, would it cost a fair bit extra if I bought a new Yggdrasil now, and subsequently, paid for the upgrade (plus shipping back and forth)?

I am intrigued by the prospect of having an Yggy (I love its sound), but I think I might just wait on a successor. For the time being, the Gungnir Multibit will suffice for home-based DAC duties.

Thanks for your views!

 

[471724]

Archimago has a good discussion of Pi 4 streaming. Unless your USB cable is defective, the bits should go through faithfully (a while ago this cable got very good test results, better than some much more expensive ones). In general, the issues with USB streaming are not digital data corruption, but rather electrical noise (on the 5V power wires or the data wires) from the source leaking into the DAC and perturbing the DAC output. Unison is designed to block much of that.

My experience with USB cables is mainly with WAV and FLAC 16/44 music files sent over to my Yggy from a Galaxy S4 tablet running the UAPP USB Audio Player Pro software app. With this system the cable makes a big difference - marked differences in transparency and presence of digital grunge are obvious between different designs. The best I have found so far is only moderately expensive - the DH Labs Silver Sonic Mirage USB, 1.5m, at $280. I've tried a number of much more expensive designs, such as the Audioquest Diamond and Cardas High Speed Digital Bus (dual conduit). Of course "meter reader" engineer types who deify electronic specs will deride this experience as due to placebo effect psychological phenomena, but experienced audiophiles generally reject such nonsense.

 

[earnmyturns]

My experience with USB cables is mainly with WAV and FLAC 16/44 music files sent over to my Yggy from a Galaxy S4 tablet running the UAPP USB Audio Player Pro software app. With this system the cable makes a big difference - marked differences in transparency and presence of digital grunge are obvious between different designs. The best I have found so far is only moderately expensive - the DH Labs Silver Sonic Mirage USB, 1.5m, at $280.

USB cables matter when the USB source is electrically meh. Tablets were not designed as low-electrical-noise sources. However, a Pi2AES-based streamer costs around $250 and drives the Yggdrasil (via AES) as well as anything I've tried below $2K. Rather than patching bad sources with fancy cables, I'd rather use good sources, which don't need to be that expensive.

 

[johnjen]

My experience with USB cables is mainly with WAV and FLAC 16/44 music files sent over to my Yggy from a Galaxy S4 tablet running the UAPP USB Audio Player Pro software app. With this system the cable makes a big difference - marked differences in transparency and presence of digital grunge are obvious between different designs. The best I have found so far is only moderately expensive - the DH Labs Silver Sonic Mirage USB, 1.5m, at $280. I've tried a number of much more expensive designs, such as the Audioquest Diamond and Cardas High Speed Digital Bus (dual conduit). Of course "meter reader" engineer types who deify electronic specs will deride this experience as due to placebo effect psychological phenomena, but experienced audiophiles generally reject such nonsense.

USB cables matter when the USB source is electrically meh. Tablets were not designed as low-electrical-noise sources. However, a Pi2AES-based streamer costs around $250 and drives the Yggdrasil (via AES) as well as anything I've tried below $2K. Rather than patching bad sources with fancy cables, I'd rather use good sources, which don't need to be that expensive.

I 2nd earnmyturns advice about the advantages of using a 'quiet' digital source.

"galvanic" isolation (a misnomer, sorta), can help a great deal but not having to deal with such noise to begin with, is better still.

And tablets, phones, portable battery powered digital players all utilize an internal pseudo ground scheme which via usb can be tied into the dac's ground plane, unless there is a form of "galvanic" isolation. Which really means the usb input to the dac is transformer coupled and so the 2 grounds (digital source, & dac) are not directly connected together, thus not allowing the noise on ground to pass between them.

Just a thought or 2 to consider.

JJ

 

[471724]

I 2nd earnmyturns advice about the advantages of using a 'quiet' digital source.

"galvanic" isolation (a misnomer, sorta), can help a great deal but not having to deal with such noise to begin with, is better still.

And tablets, phones, portable battery powered digital players all utilize an internal pseudo ground scheme which via usb can be tied into the dac's ground plane, unless there is a form of "galvanic" isolation. Which really means the usb input to the dac is transformer coupled and so the 2 grounds (digital source, & dac) are not directly connected together, thus not allowing the noise on ground to pass between them.

Just a thought or 2 to consider.

JJ

Thanks for the information. I already tried galvanic isolation, with the unit made by iFi (iFi Audio Nano iGalvanic Galvanic Isolation on USB 3.0/2.0). Unfortunately, with this unit connected at the tablet the USB interface with the Yggdrasil just didn't function, and I returned the iFi device. Any ideas on the cause of this?

 

[johnjen]

In usb land all devices must be able to identify and 'handshake' with each other.
Some devices don't play well with others in this regard.

In some cases it's not an easy 'fix' to insert a 'buffer' between the 'active' devices (tablet & dac), where the 'buffer' is fully transparent and/or is a 'recognized' device by all connected to it.
Usb is 'quirky' that way and the 'needs' for audio streaming weren't considered when the specs were written for how usb operates.

So if you have the latest usb update, or even the previous gen 5 usb upgrade card for the Jggy dac, they already have 'galvanicly' isolated inputs so an external 'buffer' is not needed.

Consider more robust 'player' hardware, and/or other alternatives, at least to test and see what does and doesn't 'help'.

JJ

 

[hifimckinney]

Thanks for the information. I already tried galvanic isolation, with the unit made by iFi (iFi Audio Nano iGalvanic Galvanic Isolation on USB 3.0/2.0). Unfortunately, with this unit connected at the tablet the USB interface with the Yggdrasil just didn't function, and I returned the iFi device. Any ideas on the cause of this?

After getting benefits by replacing my copper ethernet cables by fiber optic, I tried this cable below on a hunch and got surprised as to how clean can get cleaner. Try this out and you may get surprised. I tried this because I read somewhere that fiber optic is NOT prone to EMI interference.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZPCSSRW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Malevolent]

Well, Mike has confirmed, a new Yggy isn't in the pipeline anytime soon. We might see new Analog boards, but an "Yggdrasil 2" isn't in the works, at least, not yet.