Schiit Yggdrasil DAC piques my attention

[GeAllan70]

[BillK]

I look forward to hearing more, as a lot of people have said it sounds very Theta-like, but I always found Theta DACs to be hyper-detailed and ultimately very fatiguing for the same reason.

Meanwhile those comparing should check out the PS Audio DAC once more as they've just released another update, "Redcloud," that improves the sound yet again.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by BillK

I look forward to hearing more, as a lot of people have said it sounds very Theta-like, but I always found Theta DACs to be hyper-detailed and ultimately very fatiguing for the same reason.

Meanwhile those comparing should check out the PS Audio DAC once more as they've just released another update, "Redcloud," that improves the sound yet again.

Bill.......I have to imagine it has been awhile since you spent any time listening to a Theta DAC. By today's account it would certainly be long in the tooth. In the digital realm of audio, improvements and advances in technology and design are made in relatively rapid successions. Decades do not have to pass for performance to be refined and improved upon. What was developed years ago in the DAC arena has little resemblance to what is being developed and brought to market today. Much knowledge has been gained and implemented just in the past 10 years alone, never mind from audio DAC infancy in the late '80's.

Although I have not heard a Theta DAC, nor have I yet auditioned the Schiit Yggdrasil DAC, I am confident it is a far cry from Mike Moffat's original DAC efforts at Theta. In the ensuing years since then Mike has no doubt honed his skills and nurtured fresh ideas based on his and other's acquired knowledge. Positive owner testimonies and unanimous glowing reviews printed in popular audio publications worldwide about the Yggdrasil's excellent performance can't all be flukes.

I agree with you that PS Audio's Directstream DAC has enjoyed great reviews and appears to be well received by its owners. Its software upgradeable field programmable gate array DAC has received continuous development and support that includes its latest Redcloud upgrade. It would be far more tempting from a perspective buyer's view if the $5999.00 price of the Directstream DAC were more inline with the $2299.00 price of the Schiit Yggdrasil DAC, particularly since by all accounts the Yggdrasil's performance and sound consistently gets compared to DACs costing five times or more its price.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Bill.......I have to imagine it has been awhile since you spent any time listening to a Theta DAC. By today's account it would certainly be long in the tooth. In the digital realm of audio, improvements and advances in technology and design are made in relatively rapid successions. Decades do not have to pass for performance to be refined and improved upon. What was developed years ago in the DAC arena has little resemblance to what is being developed and brought to market today. Much knowledge has been gained and implemented just in the past 10 years alone, never mind from audio DAC infancy in the late '80's.

Although I have not heard a Theta DAC, nor have I yet auditioned the Schiit Yggdrasil DAC, I am confident it is a far cry from Mike Moffat's original DAC efforts at Theta. In the ensuing years since then Mike has no doubt honed his skills and nurtured fresh ideas based on his and other's acquired knowledge. Positive owner testimonies and unanimous glowing reviews printed in popular audio publications worldwide about the Yggdrasil's excellent performance can't all be flukes.

I agree with you that PS Audio's Directstream DAC has enjoyed great reviews and appears to be well received by its owners. Its software upgradeable field programmable gate array DAC has received continuous development and support that includes its latest Redcloud upgrade. It would be far more tempting from a perspective buyer's view if the $5999.00 price of the Directstream DAC were more inline with the $2299.00 price of the Schiit Yggdrasil DAC, particularly since by all accounts the Yggdrasil's performance and sound consistently gets compared to DACs costing five times or more its price.

Yup.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by BillK

I look forward to hearing more, as a lot of people have said it sounds very Theta-like, but I always found Theta DACs to be hyper-detailed and ultimately very fatiguing for the same reason.

Meanwhile those comparing should check out the PS Audio DAC once more as they've just released another update, "Redcloud," that improves the sound yet again.

It would be fun to do a Yggdrasil vs PS DAC comparison for sure but since I have neither, I am quite happy with the incredibly natural and musical sounding Gungnir DAC at $1249. It offers tremendous value to performance ratio and my ears do not tolerate anything that exhibits digital nastiness at all. I've never heard a sour note come out of the Gungnir DAC yet.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by PHC1

It would be fun to do a Yggdrasil vs PS DAC comparison for sure but since I have neither, I am quite happy with the incredibly natural and musical sounding Gungnir DAC at $1249. It offers tremendous value to performance ratio and my ears do not tolerate anything that exhibits digital nastiness at all. I've never heard a sour note come out of the Gungnir DAC yet.

No, and more importantly, it sounds like MUSIC....

It is the most analog-sounding digital device I've ever heard.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

No, and more importantly, it sounds like MUSIC....

It is the most analog-sounding digital device I've ever heard.

I have not had anything better in the last 30 years of being into high end audio and I'm the guy who used to love tubed DACs and tubed CDPs. Yes, very musical but without taking anything away from the fresh mountain breeze of openness, resolution and clarity without glare or harshness.

I would imagine that's what it would feel like standing at the peak of Kilimanjaro, Everest or Fuji, breathing in the fresh air and enjoying an unobstructed, clear view as far as the eyes can see.

[JWH]

Serge, you're quite the poet

Dan, I just discovered your thread. I too have been eyeing the Yggy for over a year now. I've had my McIntosh D100 (used as DAC only) since 2012 and love its rich sound, build quality & pride of ownership. However, the nagging thing is that most delta sigma DAC digital filters destroy the original samples in the process of upsampling.

I just hope Schiit hurries up with the black one for you. Otherwise, I'll end up buying one myself to settle the argument in my own mind. If I cave before the black one shows I'll report back with my 2 cents.

Wes

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by PHC1

I have not had anything better in the last 30 years of being into high end audio and I'm the guy who used to love tubed DACs and tubed CDPs. Yes, very musical but without taking anything away from the fresh mountain breeze of openness, resolution and clarity without glare or harshness.

I would imagine that's what it would feel like standing at the peak of Kilimanjaro, Everest or Fuji, breathing in the fresh air and enjoying an unobstructed, clear view as far as the eyes can see.

Absolutely, 100% agree. And just a stupid value proposition for the money. IMHO, Gumby fully competes with the Bricasti M1 at 8X the price.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by JWH

Serge, you're quite the poet

Dan, I just discovered your thread. I too have been eyeing the Yggy for over a year now. I've had my McIntosh D100 (used as DAC only) since 2012 and love its rich sound, build quality & pride of ownership. However, the nagging thing is that most delta sigma DAC digital filters destroy the original samples in the process of upsampling.

I just hope Schiit hurries up with the black one for you. Otherwise, I'll end up buying one myself to settle the argument in my own mind. If I cave before the black one shows I'll report back with my 2 cents.

Wes.......I am still checking the Schiit Yggdrasil web page each morning and evening hoping to see the black finish offered. I did reach out to Schiit and received this response:

Laura Z (Schiit Audio)
Dec 11, 12:12 PST

Hello Dan,

You can attempt to make a special order for a black Yggdrasil, however we cannot guarantee availability.

Please make an order online for a silver Yggdrasil. It is absolutely necessary to put a note in the special comments box that you are making a special order for a black Yggdrasil, otherwise you will be shipped a silver Yggdrasil. Once you have your order number, please email it to me so I can add additional notes on the back end of the order as well. Please understand if we are unable to fill the special order for the black Yggdrasil, the order will be canceled.

Be sure to keep us posted if you get the Yggdrasil DAC before I do. Like you, I want to discover for myself what all the hoopla is about with the R2R miltibit ladder DAC versus the Delta Sigma DACs. The praise for the Schiit Yggdrasil DAC has been universal so there must be something there.