Schiit, interesting name...more interesting products!

Joe Whip

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I have hundreds of hours listening to the two top of the line multibit ladder DACs from Schiit. Pure and simple, these DACs sound like live music. Live recordings, whether jazz, classical or rock place you in the venue with a tremendous sense of space. Pure treble and great bass. YMMV but as someone who attends many live events, I love these DACs. YMMV. Cheers.
 

Mdp632

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May 29, 2016
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In the review by Herb Reichert, we have this: "One thing was weird, and a bit perplexing: Through the Yggdrasil, the lowest and highest frequencies seemed less pure and well defined than through the Brooklyn—but with the Schiit, those same octaves seemed more realistic and tangible, less hi-fi sounding. The contrast reminded me of studio monitors and home audio loudspeakers."

What does this mean to anyone who seriously listens to 'live' music??:confused::confused::(

I think he is referring to resolution. My personal opinion of course.
 

Al M.

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I think he is referring to resolution. My personal opinion of course.

How can something be more realistic with less resolution? Unamplified live music has the greatest resolution there is (depending on seating position relative to performers). Perhaps he refers to 'fake' resolution and detail -- an unnatural etching of sounds (by the Mytek).
 
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DaveyF

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How can something be more realistic with less resolution? Unamplified live music has the greatest resolution there is (depending on seating position relative to performers). Perhaps he refers to 'fake' resolution and detail -- an unnatural etching of sounds (by the Mytek).

Exactly, how can something be more realistic with less resolution?? IMHO, IF the lowest and highest frequencies were less pure and well defined, then by definition they would be LESS realistic and tangible...NOT more, LOL!!
 

Al M.

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Exactly, how can something be more realistic with less resolution?? IMHO, IF the lowest and highest frequencies were less pure and well defined, then by definition they would be LESS realistic and tangible...NOT more, LOL!!

Not just IMHO or IYHO, but period. There is nothing to debate, this is simple logic. I think we both agree...
 

DaveyF

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Not just IMHO or IYHO, but period. There is nothing to debate, this is simple logic. I think we both agree...


Al, makes one wonder what the reviewer Herb Reichert actually was listening to- or heard, when he wrote the review of the Yggy! With the fairy problematic measurements that JA posted in the follow-up, I would seriously question the ability of this reviewer! OTOH, I am also certain that one has to listen to the Yggy first in one's own system before coming to a conclusion. Luckily, Schiit will basically let you do just that. An a'phile find of mine has one of their well reviewed headphone amps..he's actually not that enamored of it.
 

DaveyF

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I checked his playlist and was shocked at his selection. See http://www.audiosciencereview.com/f...hat-kind-of-test-track-is-this-for-dacs.1272/

Please pardon my bluntness but it is the most useless subjective review I have read!

Amir, that is exactly what I thought when I read the review.
You know,there used to be a well known reviewer who unfortunately did not have a good ear and had somewhat marginal knowledge of music. This guy had an a'phile friend listen to everything he had to review and dictate to him what his thoughts were on the piece in question. The "reviewer" would then write up the review... having never heard the piece under review --and place his name on the submitted review!
Given the selection of music and ludicrous comments that we were treated to about the difference between the Schiit and the Mytek, one has to call into question where Mr.Reichert is coming from, imo:confused:
 

Mdp632

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May 29, 2016
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Look at the bright side at least Schiit offers a return policy. Testing it one's own system is the only way to be sure. These subjective audio reviews (professional and non) drive everyone crazy. One thing is certain in audio. Regardless of the product or cost. We all will never agree on the same thing.
 

Al M.

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Look at the bright side at least Schiit offers a return policy. Testing it one's own system is the only way to be sure. These subjective audio reviews (professional and non) drive everyone crazy. One thing is certain in audio. Regardless of the product or cost. We all will never agree on the same thing.

Another gem from Schiit's website:

Why we won't be supporting MQA

Exactly my audio philosophy.
 

Al M.

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Excerpts from upcoming review in The Absolute Sound (May/June 2017) from Robert Harley. The excerpt was posted at:

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/dedicated-schiit-yggdrasil-thread.424701/page-15

"Price aside, the Yggy turned out to be a world-class contender in the same league as cost-no-object digital-to-analog converters—and I’ve heard some good ones. How could this be? I can’t tell you how Moffatt did it, but I can describe how the Yggy sounds, and why its one of the three best DACs I’ve heard regardless of price. (The other two are the $19,500 Berkeley Alpha Reference and the $35,000 dCS Vivaldi. I suspect that the MSB Select is outstanding, after hearing it many times at shows, but I haven’t evaluated it in my own system.)"

"For starters, the Yggy has a bold, assertive, vibrant, even vivid presentation. You’d never mistake the Yggy for a tube DAC. In this characteristic, and others, it reminded me of the Theta processors of 25 years ago, but taken to another level. The Yggy also sounded different from other DACs I’ve heard; it was as if nearly all those other DACs were merely variations with a common character, cut, if you will, from the same sonic cloth.

"One of the qualities that makes the Yggy special is its ability to reveal, with startling clarity, individual musical lines within complex arrangements. Every instrument, voice, and sound is spatially and timbrally distinct. This had the effect of revealing each musical line with great precision, and with that precision comes a fuller, richer, and more complex presentation of the composition and arrangement, as well as the intent of each musician. The Yggy is the antithesis of congealed, homogenized, flat, confused, or thick. Many years ago I described the soundstage of a Theta DAC as “sculpted.” That description applies to the Yggy as well, but in the Yggy the three-dimensionality and vividness that allow resolution of each musical line are rendered with greater naturalness and ease. The Theta processors could sound a bit artificial and overly “Technicolored” in this regard, but the Yggy presents this tremendous clarity and dimensionality in a completely organic and musically natural way."

"CONCLUSION. I don’t know how Schiit Audio has done it, but the $2300 Yggy is in many ways competitive with any DAC I’ve heard regardless of price. In some criteria—transient speed without etch, clarity of musical line, whole-body involvement—the Yggy is as good as digital gets. Yet the Yggy’s bold incisiveness may not resonate with listeners who prefer a more relaxed and easygoing sound. I, however, have no such reservation; this is a DAC I could listen to and enjoy for a long time. In fact, there was something different about the Yggy that pushed my buttons—I felt a musical exhilaration that was experienced not as some intellectual abstraction, but at a more fundamentally visceral level. If you’re looking for a DAC that does quad-rate DSD, decodes MQA, offers a volume control, and includes a headphone amp, look elsewhere. But if the very best reproduction of PCM sources is your goal, the Yggdrasil is the ticket. It’s a spectacular performer on an absolute level, and an out-of-this world bargain. The Yggy is not just a tremendous value in today’s DACs, it’s one of the greatest bargains in the history of high-end audio."?
 

Al M.

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Fortunately, the Yggy is now released from backorder. Mine finally was shipped today, it is scheduled to arrive on May 16 (from California by FedEx Ground).
 

dan31

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Congrats on the purchase. I will be following this thread as the potential bang for the buck is quite high.
 

DaveyF

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Fortunately, the Yggy is now released from backorder. Mine finally was shipped today, it is scheduled to arrive on May 16 (from California by FedEx Ground).

Al, glad to hear that you will be soon receiving your Yggy. Do post again with your listening impressions.
BTW, has anyone had a chance to compare the Yggy against the Bryston BDA3 or the new Aqua?
 

christoph

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nc42acc

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I will plug the Yggy back up this afternoon and let it cook for a few days and give it another listen this weekend. There is a reason it is collecting dust and I don't want to be a Debbie Downer on this post.
 

Al M.

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I will plug the Yggy back up this afternoon and let it cook for a few days and give it another listen this weekend. There is a reason it is collecting dust and I don't want to be a Debbie Downer on this post.

Thanks, but if you don't like it please be specific as to why. We've had enough claims on this forum that certain components 'kill' or 'slay' others without any justification for that opinion -- which suggests that they are just merely a personal preference, rather than actually being better by objective standards. I am not sure if I will agree with what Robert Harley says in his review (see top of page 14), but at least he is very specific in his observations and his reasons as to why he thinks the Yggy is a superior DAC.
 

asiufy

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I welcome anybody with one to bring it to the store so we can compare to the Aqua La Voce, that is my reference at that price point.

Dave, does Andre have one? Maybe you can convince him to stop by :)

cheers,
alex
 

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