http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/schiit-audio-yggdrasil-dac/
Anyone compared these DACs to the Shiit Audio Yggdrasil DAC?
Anyone compared these DACs to the Shiit Audio Yggdrasil DAC?
My friend in Pocoima has a modified Yggdrasil and recently received the LKS MH-DA004 DAC ($1600 delivered from China). The completely stock stone cold out of the box LKS DAC was better in almost every way. Now he has modified the LKS (per my instructions) and feels the LKS sounds as good (playing 16/44 through Beatis server, through coax, through modified IFI spdif Ipurifier) as his $20,000 turntable system. Does this mean the LKS with mods would be better than Berkeley or DCS?
The LKS DAC has I2S input, plays DSD up to 512, has digital volume control and 7 selectable digital filters.....completely discrete output stage, discrete shunt regulators for output stage and is the first and only DAC in the world that I know of that has two ESS 9038 DACs in parallel.
What is even more interesting is that the $800 Oppo Sonica (single ESS9038 DAC chip) with my latest mods is getting real close to the sound of the LKS. I will be trying better regulators and a discrete output stage in the Oppo shortly and it then may equal the LKS.........What? This is getting insane!!!!!! The Oppo has Ethernet input, wireless streaming and can play files directly from hard drives or thumb drives using software you download to your smart phone......and it sounds good stock. Now, with todays mods it is goosebump city! New regulators arriving Friday.....what fun ahead!
Until these modded units are directly compared to Berkeley, DCS, etc. etc. we won't really know how good they are.....but the Yggy is history, for sure. I am going to try and get a modded Oppo going and send it out on tour so people can hear in their own home and in their own system how it compares with super "big bucks" machines. This is a fantastic time in the history of digital playback......we have some bargains here that may be unprecedented. Giant killers? We shall see.
The question obviously is what you define as "better". Without specifics, any assertions can be made, and personal taste runs rampant over any objective criteria. While I may not agree with everything that RH says in the linked review of the Yggdrasil, at least he is specific in his observations.
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I understand that it is not always easy to define what makes things better for us but just trying is half the battle. It would be great if people could try and help everyone actually understand something rather than just skipping straight through to what they feel is some absolute answer but is actually just a truly limited observation.
It would be really great if when wanting to make these claims of best if we could also put the work in and further substantiate the subjective claims eg... A is better than B (for me) because... it is more detailed/natural/transparent/linear/coherent/visceral/alive/vital/holographic/engaging/natural/warm/present/dynamic/tonally correct etc etc and so on... just explaining experience with a few simple words means that we can all benefit.
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/schiit-audio-yggdrasil-dac/
Anyone compared these DACs to the Shiit Audio Yggdrasil DAC?
Although I have not yet heard the Shiit, I like both the Chord DAVE and Bricasti to both the severely analytical Berkeley Ref and the dCS. Both are reference level DACs and are at a fraction of the cost of the well-marketed brands. Only listening will let you get past the marketing BS.
I agree, this Dac is killer but the older version with 20bit BB PCM63 chips is arguably even better. Couple this with a Monarchy DIP and Monarchy power regenerator and you really get superb red book digital. Very musical and analog like. I have stuck with mine for more than 10 years because I haven't heard a definitive KO from any other DAC. It is unfailingly holographic and quite neutral (no artificial warmth) and responds extremely well to tube rolling. Plenty of detail too. Too bad Monarchy seems to be out of business.I think the Monarchy NM24 tube DAC is a legitimate giant killer. The new model might even be better than mine,but if you roll the tubes and if you use a grounding device it can be a impressive DAC. I did replace two the coupling caps which is a cheap and easy mod. The bass is tremendous and very detailed...very neutral. The important fact about digital systems,once the noise is removed the results can be stunning. No luxury needed.
Could you please define what you mean with the Berkeley Ref and dCS being "severely analytical"?
You really have to listen for yourself, as high end audio is a luxury experience. Although I have not yet heard the Shiit, I like both the Chord DAVE and Bricasti to both the severely analytical Berkeley Ref and the dCS. Both are reference level DACs and are at a fraction of the cost of the well-marketed brands. Only listening will let you get past the marketing BS.
(...) to both the severely analytical Berkeley Ref and the dCS. (...)
The DCS dacs I have heard fit this description but I have not heard a Vivaldi stack.
Which description? What does "analytical" mean? Showing all the details? If that's the case, I want a system that is as analytical as possible, because whenever I visit a live concert of unamplified music and sit reasonably close to the performers, I get almost overwhelmed with detail.
BTW, in that context, through all that detail I also usually don't hear in live music an often hailed 'fluidity' (yes, including with great performers). So this is a dubious parameter to me, and reminds me more of lesser analog than of live music and top reproduction (including top analog).
Or do you mean clinical, an emascerated sound without good body? Neither the Berkeley Ref nor the curent dCS gear fall into that category. I have heard great body from these, but obviously that also depends on system context -- that is why direct comparisons within the same system are important. You can't extrapolate from hearing different DACs in different systems.
Or do you mean clinical, an emascerated sound without good body? Neither the Berkeley Ref nor the curent dCS gear fall into that category. I have heard great body from these, but obviously that also depends on system context -- that is why direct comparisons within the same system are important. You can't extrapolate from hearing different DACs in different systems.
More towards the second description but it is also meaning a tonality that is leaner than the real thing as a result of certain distortion patterns that simply don't sound natural...synthetic if you will. It is apparent detail without the correct harmonic balance. Certain distortions create apparent detail in the highs but this is false and not heard like that in real life.
i do not agree that head to head comparisons are necessary for understanding the sound of a component. It helps in the context of a given system but not for general assessment .
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