Yggdrasil DAC Reviewed (Hometheaterreview.com)

[Cohibaman]

Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DAC Reviewed

https://hometheaterreview.com/schiit-audio-yggdrasil-dac-reviewed/

[jdandy]

Mike.......Thanks for the link to the review. Dylan Seeger's assessment of the Yggdrasil turned out to be about what I expected from a home theater publication. If he had taken time to research Schiit Audio and its owners, he would have discovered the absence of a volume control, DSD, and MQA are not "omissions", rather they are features. It was an interesting read but mostly fluff for the crowd that wants his wish list of features in a $600.00 DAC.

[Cohibaman]

I’m right there with you on that one, Dan!

[sid325]

I still think Dan's review was one of the best out there.

[Puma Cat]

I read the review and agree with Dan.

Here's what I posted; be curious to see if the author responds (note font change for ease of reading...)

I note that the classic audio reviewer ploy of never directly comparing comparably-priced components & determining which one sounds the best was utilized for this review. G*d forbid we say which of three ~$USD 2500 products sounds best for risk of losing ad revenue. Personally, I find this type of review to be disingenuous & specious and most importantly, a disservice to your readers. Instead, let's compare Yggy to a product that costs ~2.5X as much. Yes, that will be really helpful for customers shopping for DACs in the $2500 price range. That aside, the biggest issue I have with this review is you're comparing apples to oranges: the Brooklyn and Bencmhark are primarily $2200 preamps that include a delta-sigma Sabre DAC chip. And as far as D/S DACs, particularly Sabre DACs, go compared to a true R2R Mutli-bit DAC? Uh, thanks, but no thanks. I don't want to re-live those halcyon days of "Sabre glare". Yeesh! So, here's some advice & a suggestion: Next time, do your readers a service & compare a true DAC to a true DAC and not...a preamp. Then, there is no reason to complain it doesn't have a volume control. And compare products that fall within the same price range, so that customers can make an informed decision (a novel concept for a audio review) rather than trying to guess if Yggy is better than a Mytek or a Benchmark by comparing how Yggy sounds to a DAC costing $6000. That is called, in professional quality disciplines, providing VALUE and QUALITY for your customers, your readers.

Reviews like this are really irksome and I find them specious & insulting to our collective intelligence because...they provide no VALUE to potential customers.

Makes me want to start my own audio review publication called...NBAR: No Bullsh*t Audio Reviews.

[PHC1]

Makes me want to start my own audio review publication called...NBAR: No Bullsh*t Audio Reviews.

https://media.giphy.com/media/wi8Ez1mwRcKGI/giphy.gif

[Puma Cat]

https://media.giphy.com/media/wi8Ez1mwRcKGI/giphy.gif

Hee hee hee! I just might....

[PHC1]

Mike.......Thanks for the link to the review. Dylan Seeger's assessment of the Yggdrasil turned out to be about what I expected from a home theater publication. If he had taken time to research Schiit Audio and its owners, he would have discovered the absence of a volume control, DSD, and MQA are not "omissions", rather they are features. It was an interesting read but mostly fluff for the crowd that wants his wish list of features in a $600.00 DAC.

:yes:

[bart]

:yes:


+1...

But then again, you already do it here.
Thank you for that!

[Cohibaman]

I still think Dan's review was one of the best out there.



I read the review and agree with Dan.

Here's what I posted; be curious to see if the author responds (note font change for ease of reading...)

I note that the classic audio reviewer ploy of never directly comparing comparably-priced components & determining which one sounds the best was utilized for this review. G*d forbid we say which of three ~$USD 2500 products sounds best for risk of losing ad revenue. Personally, I find this type of review to be disingenuous & specious and most importantly, a disservice to your readers. Instead, let's compare Yggy to a product that costs ~2.5X as much. Yes, that will be really helpful for customers shopping for DACs in the $2500 price range. That aside, the biggest issue I have with this review is you're comparing apples to oranges: the Brooklyn and Bencmhark are primarily $2200 preamps that include a delta-sigma Sabre DAC chip. And as far as D/S DACs, particularly Sabre DACs, go compared to a true R2R Mutli-bit DAC? Uh, thanks, but no thanks. I don't want to re-live those halcyon days of "Sabre glare". Yeesh! So, here's some advice & a suggestion: Next time, do your readers a service & compare a true DAC to a true DAC and not...a preamp. Then, there is no reason to complain it doesn't have a volume control. And compare products that fall within the same price range, so that customers can make an informed decision (a novel concept for a audio review) rather than trying to guess if Yggy is better than a Mytek or a Benchmark by comparing how Yggy sounds to a DAC costing $6000. That is called, in professional quality disciplines, providing VALUE and QUALITY for your customers, your readers.

Reviews like this are really irksome and I find them specious & insulting to our collective intelligence because...they provide no VALUE to potential customers.

Makes me want to start my own audio review publication called...NBAR: No Bullsh*t Audio Reviews.



:thumbsup:

[W9TR]

I think the reviewer compared The Yggdrasil to the PS Audio DirectStream because that is what he had.

I would love to see a review of all three DAC’s he mentioned as I own a Benchmark DAC3 HGC and have compared it extensively to the Mytec Brooklyn DAC+ that I borrowed from a friend. A review will follow sometime.

As Stephen has noted, when you compare Yggy to the Benchmark and Mytec units, the Yggy has an advantage in that it does not bear the cost of a headphone amplifier and additional analog input electronics and volume control.

I mostly prefer the Yggy over my Benchmark DAC3 HGC. I believe this is due to honest sonic preferences but I can’t escape my underlying intellectual bias regarding the inherent superiority of ladder DACs. Short story, they are both outstanding DAC’s in every respect and punch well above their weight.

What’s interesting in Jim Austin’s Stereophile review is that he compared the Benchmark DAC3 HGC to the PS Audio DirectStream DAC and could hear no difference. None. That’s an unusual outcome for someone who is essentially paid to elucidate the differences in components with waxing eloquence.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/benchmark-dac3-hgc-da-preamplifier-headphone-amplifier

[JBT]

After reading the review of the Schitt at Audio Science Review I still bought one for my Bedroom rig. It sounds great to my ears, but they don't like it. Granted it is the 2300 dollar version.




https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-schiit-yggdrasil-v2-dac.3607/







https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/measurements-and-review-of-schiit-yggdrasil-dac.2358/

[W9TR]

Audio Science Review measurements don’t jibe with my listening impressions. I bought a Topping D50 which measures extremely well and doesn’t sound nearly as good as the Yggy.

[JBT]

Audio Science Review measurements don’t jibe with my listening impressions. I bought a Topping D50 which measures extremely well and doesn’t sound nearly as good as the Yggy.



John Atkinson at Stereophile had some problems with the measurements too, but he still liked the DAC. Mine sounds great!

[jdandy]

My Yggdrasil Analog 2 DAC isn't being replaced with anything. Love it.


https://live.staticflickr.com/4741/26227689218_b61ef84588_z.jpg

[aclearspot]

Our local PBS station plays all these Scandinavian murder mysteries with subtitles. Last night "mamoth" was on and one of the characters was named
"yggdrasil". Pretty weired

[US Blues]

Our local PBS station plays all these Scandinavian murder mysteries with subtitles. Last night "mamoth" was on and one of the characters was named
"yggdrasil". Pretty weired

"Yggdrasil" is the "World Tree" in Norse mythology, the central axis of the Universe. Seeing that name is a show of Scandinavian origin makes perfect sense.

Yggy 2 is all the DAC I need. :thumbsup:

[Puma Cat]

Our local PBS station plays all these Scandinavian murder mysteries with subtitles. Last night "mamoth" was on and one of the characters was named
"yggdrasil". Pretty weired

"Yggdrasil" is also referenced in one of the Marvel Avengers movies with Thor and Loki...

[bobbmd]

anyone know anything about new Schiit offering of Yggy GS

[Puma Cat]

anyone know anything about new Schiit offering of Yggy GS

Are you referring to the Gen 5 USB version of Yggy?

[jzzmusician]

The Yggy GS stands for, "garage sale." All the info you need is on their website.

Basically it goes like this; a lot of people upgraded their generation 1 to generation 2. As a result, a lot of generation 1 boards are stacking up in the Schiit warehouse. They take the old board, stuff in a brand new case along with everything else and sell it. Cheap. Like $1599 cheap.

If you don't need bleeding edge and would be satisfied with damn fine, it's a good deal.

[Cohibaman]

The Yggy GS stands for, "garage sale." All the info you need is on their website.

Basically it goes like this; a lot of people upgraded their generation 1 to generation 2. As a result, a lot of generation 1 boards are stacking up in the Schiit warehouse. They take the old board, stuff in a brand new case along with everything else and sell it. Cheap. Like $1599 cheap.

If you don't need bleeding edge and would be satisfied with damn fine, it's a good deal.



Interesting concept and revenue stream for Schiit. As long as they’re forthright with what the customer is getting, it seems like a win/win.

[bobbmd]

@Puma Cat : YES as confirmed by others including @Grover at Schiit this is new Yggy with Gen5 USB ect just older Analog 1 board
would appreciate yours or others opinion-seems like an offer almost 'too good to be true'
will pair this with new Rggy 2 (just an amp)
only listen to streaming HD/HiRes on TIDAL/Qobuz on their respective web/app pages plus via ROON and Audirvana A+3 with my 800 ripped CD's in Apple lossless(from WiFi connected late 2012 i7 16GB RAM Mac Mini with new 4TB samsung SSD HD)
will be listening with Sennheiser RS-195s and 598 HDs and with newly built for me Legacy Audio Studio HD monitors(any opinions on my choice of speakers ?) haven't been on this page since 2013!
thanks bobbmd

[PeterMusic]

Agreed GS sounds like a good deal in terms of percentage discount on "damn fine". OTOH, I thought the money I spent upgrading my Yggy Analog 1 to Analog 2 was worth every penny and more. So I would still opt for their latest unless I was on a tight budget.

[bobbmd]

@Puma Cat and all others who responded to my query: I have been in possession of the Yggdrasil GS and Ragnarok 2 just the amp mated with a pair of Legacy Audio Studio HD monitors for a little more than a week.
The Dac is superb,the amp same and is one Schiitfull of a headphone amp.
The DAC is GEN5USB out to the amp for TIDAL/Qobuz/ROON/Audirvana.
Have 'unretired' a Yamaha c750 dvd/dvd-a/sacd/cd changer RCA out to the amp and a Harman/Kardon HDCD fl8370 changer coaxial out to the DAC.
Have an ME2 speaker RCA out to the amp.
have digital optical out from my cablebox to the DAC
My world is complete-- Jerry and the boys never sounded so GOOD- clear open separated(so to speak)-- especially via Sennheiser HD598s and RS-195s and those speakers are no slouches either.
thanks again US Blues!

[DVass13]

@Puma Cat and all others who responded to my query: I have been in possession of the Yggdrasil GS and Ragnarok 2 just the amp mated with a pair of Legacy Audio Studio HD monitors for a little more than a week.
The Dac is superb,the amp same and is one Schiitfull of a headphone amp.
The DAC is GEN5USB out to the amp for TIDAL/Qobuz/ROON/Audirvana.
Have 'unretired' a Yamaha c750 dvd/dvd-a/sacd/cd changer RCA out to the amp and a Harman/Kardon HDCD fl8370 changer coaxial out to the DAC.
Have an ME2 speaker RCA out to the amp.
have digital optical out from my cablebox to the DAC
My world is complete-- Jerry and the boys never sounded so GOOD- clear open separated(so to speak)-- especially via Sennheiser HD598s and RS-195s and those speakers are no slouches either.
thanks again US Blues!

How do you like the Studio HDs with that setup? I used to run an Yggdrasil v1 into an original Ragnarok to power headphones and a pair of KEF LS50s. The combination was good, but I felt the KEFs were better when I added a dedicated power amp. I'm curious how you like the Studio HDs in general and what you think of the setup. I was toying with the idea of picking up a pair of those for my smaller 2-channel system but I haven't found any good deals on a pair yet.

[Puma Cat]

@Puma Cat and all others who responded to my query: I have been in possession of the Yggdrasil GS and Ragnarok 2 just the amp mated with a pair of Legacy Audio Studio HD monitors for a little more than a week.
The Dac is superb,the amp same and is one Schiitfull of a headphone amp.
The DAC is GEN5USB out to the amp for TIDAL/Qobuz/ROON/Audirvana.
Have 'unretired' a Yamaha c750 dvd/dvd-a/sacd/cd changer RCA out to the amp and a Harman/Kardon HDCD fl8370 changer coaxial out to the DAC.
Have an ME2 speaker RCA out to the amp.
have digital optical out from my cablebox to the DAC
My world is complete-- Jerry and the boys never sounded so GOOD- clear open separated(so to speak)-- especially via Sennheiser HD598s and RS-195s and those speakers are no slouches either.
thanks again US Blues!

Really glad to hear its working out, Bob.

:thumbsup:

[bobbmd]

@DVass13 thank you for the reply my setup is great the HD's are wonderful the clarity separation etc are astounding-- Dire Straits the Dead etc are like I never heard them before.
They are especially good with acoustic classical and movie themes-thought they were a bit 'harsh' with certain hard rock stuff but I think the determining factor is the source recording itself --my ripped cd's and dvd-a's don't sound as good ie harsh on some recordings as the actual cd's sacds dvd-a played through one the changers or as good as my self made 800+ playlists from TIDAL/Qobuz
Have played with the toggle switches on the back of speakers for bass and treble gain haven't made up my mind if they make much difference-my living room is odd shaped and I think 'bright' and haven't decoded on speaker height wall distance etc.Right now they are 3" off the floor on wooden blocks on heavy oriental scatter rugs and they are as good sounding as when i had them 20" high.
I waited almost 15 years for these speakers and in my opinion are fantastic buys-I bought mine through a dealer in vestal ny (associated with the mcintosh facility in binghamton ny) the list price was $1795 AudioClassics gave me 200$ off saved the NYS tax. The Schiit Ragnarok 2 is definitely a difference maker for the speakers as is the DAC. And like I said the amp is a superb headphone amp.
thanks for the reply bobbmd
@Puma Cat: thanks for the reply