...this sCHiiT is way too funny but real!!

...On US Navy ships, the sanitation tanks (black water tanks) are abbreviated as CHTs (Collection and Holding Tanks)!!!

I CHiT you not.

OK, it's a funny name and one hell of a great marketing ploy. But seriously .. I'm currently using a Bifrost Multi-bit. I'm thinking of upgrading to the Gungnir MB. My perception regarding the Bifrost MB weaknesses are that it is a bit lacking in the "Bass drive" area and it also has a little bit of trouble sorting out complex soundstage such as large scale orchestral music. I've auditioned some 3x $$$ DAC's that do a bit better in both areas, but were not as "real" sounding on vocals and less complex music. Anyone heard these two (Bifrost MB and Gungnir MB) in the same system? Will the Gungnir be a step-up that I will truly notice?
I see that I posed this question in another thread .... sorry for the duplication .... still interested if anyone has heard these two DACS side by side though.

Now this Schiit will never end.

Soundmig, I've haven't heard the two Multibit versions side-by-side, but I've owned both the Bifrost and Gungnir as D/S DACs, and Gungnir is a considerable improvement over Bifrost, and certainly not lacking in bass drive. Gumby uses DAC chipset much closer in performance to Yggdrasil, and the very same closed-form filter, so I would feel safe in saying you will notice the step up from Bimby to Gumby. I would say Gumby competes fully with most of the better DACs costing $8-10K, including the Bricasti M1. Shoot, I think even the D/S Gungnir competes pretty closely with the Bricasti, actually. If you head over to Super Best Audio Friends (aka SBAF), one of the er, uh, the more discriminating, shall we say, headphone forums (I say that because SBAF members are very knowledgeable, intelligent and experienced, but have some rather idiosyncratic sensibilities), member Torq has done an extensive comparison of DACs and you may find a Gumby/Bimby comparison there. Also, a couple of the guys there are part of Schiit's trusted listener network and participate in the development of Schiit's products, even down to testing fairly early prototype units.

I've had Gumby for about a month now and I can say is I am VERY impressed with it. It not only is quieter, has more resolution, spaciousness, air, detail and imaging than Gungnir, but it is one of the most beautifully analog-sounding digital devices I have ever heard. And I am basing this on having a pretty decent analog rig (including a phono stage I bought from my good buddy Serge). I think Serge will back me up on this in that Gumby is VERY musical and natural-sounding.

Also, Schiit has a 15-day return policy; so you can always order one, give it a listen and decide if it's for your or not. Gumby only needs a 3-4 day burn-in to come "on song" (ask Serge again for more detail here), so there's not much to lose in giving it a try.

I preconditioned my Gumby for 3 days without listening to it to let it stabilize. After I did start listening to it, I did not notice any significant improvement or changes until much, much later which would take it way outside the 15 day return window. The great part is that if you dig the sound after a few days, (hard for me to imagine why someone would not) you will love what is to come in another few hundred hours. Pretty typical further smoothing and settling of sound. I will post my follow up thoughts in the near future. The Gumby is serious schiit. :music:

Hot Schiit!

That one's been used, Michael. Have to come up with a new one. :D

Personally, I'm hoping everyone's gotten the jokes out of their system and we can now get down to business. :thumbsup:

This brand begs this schiit.

Puma Cat and PHC1, thank you for the input. With the return policy, there is very little risk (except for the restock fee and shipping - small $$). I found that my Bifrost MB also took a while to really open up, but it was quite good after only 3-4 days continuous use. I guess I'll get a Gumby MB and then I'll be able to compare them side by side in "my system".

Yep, can’t go wrong with a home audition and A/B comparison. I don’t think you’ll be returning it. :D