Schiit Gungnir Multibit impressions

Is this a file that you could share here? It would allow for some fun testing...

 

Hi,

I've been reading the impressions thread as I anticipate purchasing a Gungnir Multibit/Mojo2 to pair with a set of Ether Flows that are on order (a fairly large investment/indulgence to me). The impressions toward the DAC seem to be consistently positive, so that's reassuring. At the moment I'm reading up on the RME 9632. I don't have any questions currently but am posting now so that I'm not a 'rando' when I do have questions about getting this stuff set up.

Hello, and Thanks,
-Bill

 

So I'm making progress. I found a 6 month old Gungnir Multibit/Mjo2 set in the for sale section of 'another' forum and those are on the way. The set will include XLR connections. Also, I've ordered a used DSP 9632. I thought that I would be able to connect that card to the stack via a breakout cable and XLR cables but I guess not.




Thanks,
-Bill

 

The breakout cable is for AES/EBU (or balanced analog out but I assume you got the BO968), which GuMB does not support (but Yggdrasil does). You can still use the bundled cable or BO968 with the RME for coax output into GuMB.

Edit: BO968 also has coax connection, so you can save the AES output for use when you upgrade in the future.

 

Post counts will do nothing for your ranking on SBAF. It is an undefined decision by the staff.

You can say Head-Fi here. You can link to it if you have an occasion to. It doesn't work the other way around though.

Welcome aboard, BillOhio!

 

That is not the correct cable to connect the RME to Gungnir Multibit. The one you want is called BO9632 on this page. You also need a coax SPDIF cable, not XLRs. To be honest it will be cheaper to get a custom cable made up with the appropriate connector rather than trying to find a BO9632 (don't buy it off eBay from Moldova, those are not legit). If you can wait until tomorrow, I can PM you details of what you need.

 

Hi, yes, I figured out pretty quickly that I had made a mistake when I double checked a pic of the back panel of the Gungnir Multibit. I've canceled my orders of the the XLRs and breakout cable (and edited my last post in this thread before I knew anyone had noticed it) and did what I should have done in the first place which was to read the Gungnir Multibit's owner's manual.

I do still have the 9632 card on order as it seemed like that part of things, at least, would serve a purpose. Garns, if you were able to send a PM with some direction on this, it would be very much appreciated. Thank You!

Grahad2, thank you for that information. To be honest it scares me that you're already talking about upgrades I'm hoping that this set up will last me Many years, even if that has been 'famous last words' for many.

Dino, Thank You Sir, I think I misunderstood exactly how the word 'Rando' is used on the site. I'm still getting my bearings. Thank You for the welcome and I appreciate the help.

Cheers,
-Bill

 

The word is always "down the road", and options are always nice if you get stuff to try out.

 

The well burned in and by now warmed up Gungnir Multibit/Mjo2 came in tonight. It sounds 'nice'. I'm currently listening to Flacs through Windows Media Player, via USB printer Cable through a pair of Beyer T5p. Gen2s. I have the sense that the Gungnir Multibit/Mjo2 combo can do more and look forward to receiving the RME 9632 soundcard and SPDIF connections along with a new pair of balanced, open Ether Flows. I also get the sense that Windows Media Player may not be the best player available.

Will Keep Tinkering,
-Bill

 

If the Gungnir only came in tonight it is not well warmed up. It needs at least 48 hours from a cold start. Are you using the balanced output of the Mjolnir?

Also try a media player capable of bit perfect output such as foobar2000 or JRiver.

 

The Gung looks absolutely brand new but I actually bought it 6 months used so I figured I was past any burn in (vs. warm up) stage. 48 Hours is the suggested warm up (vs. Burn In) ? I definitely haven't had it warming up for 48 hours so that's good news if I'm understanding you on that. I see a lot of people using JRiver in the Gungnir Multibit threads. I'll try that also. Thanks for the tips.

 

Yep, it actually needs some time to warm up (physically, not metaphorically) and allow the resistors to stabilize in temperature. You should notice the most improvement within the first two days, with final changes honing in another two. Leave it on so you don't have to deal with it all the time, but feel free to turn off the Mjolnir when not in use. The single ended output of the Mjolnir is also significantly behind the balanced in performance and is mostly there for convenience.

Taking care of those two things is going to offer more improvement than changing inputs on the Gungnir, though that will certainly help as well.

JRiver is great, paid but they have a free trial so you can test it out. I find it well worth the money just for the features.

 

Jriver comes with a nice interface and mostly set up ready out of the box, but it costs. Foobar2000 is free and utilitarian out of the box, so you will have to tinker with skins and themes (deviantart etc) as well as components yourself to get it ready, but it is free.

WASAPI and ASIO are recommended transfer protocols since they (typically for WASAPI, but you should still check for exclusive mode etc. ASIO is more set and forget in comparison.) sidestep most of Window's alterations.

 

Listening through balanced connection and via JRiver. I'm looking forward to seeing where we're at in 47 hours. Thanks Grahad2 for the tip with Foobar and WASAPI/ASIO.

 

If using WASAPI in foobar, make sure it's not set to 16 bit like mine was by default. 24 and 32 should? sound the same, but 16 noticeably worse.

 

I'm in JRiver using "Schiit USB Audio Device [WASAPI]" but can't tell if it's set to 16/24/32.

Edit: I think I found the menu to put my bit depth to 24

 

I believe it should default to 32, but you can check by going to Player > Audio Path

 

Thanks Grahad2, I actually was still on 16. I switched my bit depth to 'automatic' and Player/Audio Path now says 32 bit. I do think that there is a difference in sound quality. 16 bit sounded a bit metallic, harshly metallic to the point that I had been preferring the sound from my Onkyo DAP over the Gungnir Multibit/Mjo2. Making the switch to bit depth seems to have rounded out and smoothed the sound.

I'm still connected to my PC via USB Printer cable. My used RME soundcard came in sooner than expected and I'm about to order the break out SPDIF cables. After that I'll probably resist the urge to buy some Ether Flows for about ten days before rewarding my self control by purchasing a pair of Ether Flows.

But yeah, I do think I hear a smoother sound at the higher bit rate.

 

I've plugged in the RME 9632 and installed drivers, the device shows up in my hardware (control panel) but even though I know the software is on my computer I can't find it, there is no desktop icon to click on and searching for it via the windows start button doesn't bring up anything but the installer... aggravating. Is the RME card going to add a benefit beyond if I had simply run my optical cable directly from my PCs motherboard to the Gungnir Multibit?

 

Did you restart your PC since installing the drivers? That is step one. The mixer and control panel appear in the Windows tray next to the time.

Why don't you listen to the card now that you have it and tell for yourself?