Schiit Gungnir Multibit impressions

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by Bill-P, Oct 7, 2015.

  1. lm4der

    lm4der A very good sport - Friend

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    Come on guys. Does this look like head-fi. Oh yeah, it does now.
     
  2. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    I've cycled the power several times on a fully warmed up Gungnir Multibit. I did still detect slight changes. Not as dramatic as cold to warm, but after about a week it seems to equalize and get back to 100%. I have no idea why this is, but I do hear it.
     
  3. aamefford

    aamefford Nothing like chamberpot coffee

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    Hmmmmmm.......
    On the one hand, I’m not sure I buy this, however I may be misunderstanding power cycling. I’m thinking flip the switch off, count to 100, flip it back on. Pretty sure I couldn’t hear the difference. I’m also pretty sure I’m an audio Philistine, so maybe that explains it.

    That said, I haven’t turned my Gungnir Multibit off in several months, so I also live in a glass house of audio nervousa. Humph, I guess I don’t really have a point after all. Maybe that I struggle with 1 week to get back to normal after a very brief on-off cycle.
     
  4. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    All I can do is report what I hear, and I do hear subtle shifts after power cycling, which never made sense to me because it's still fully warmed up... but I don't lie to save face or fall in with the collective. I hear what I hear. After all these years in hi-fi I've learned to stop caring about what I should or shouldn't be hearing and just trust my ears.
     
  5. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    If reaching thermal equilibrium takes days/weeks to reach audio nirvana according to some folks, with essentially the same power running through the unit the entire time, it's easy to understand why a quick power on/off would affect the sound. The temperature of the insanely sensitive resistors would be thrown out of equilibrium for a time - how long, who knows - but it's definitely going to happen if it took that long to reach equilibrium to begin with.

    Edit: Now whether I could hear this difference if I tried hard to listen? I don't really care that much to try to be honest.

    I don't really care too much if my power does need to get disconnected for a time, but generally I try to always keep my Gungnir Multibit powered on just to ensure optimal operation.
     
    Last edited: May 24, 2018
  6. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    Put it in the oven.
     
  7. StandUp713

    StandUp713 Friend

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    Microwave Oven. The frequency of the microwave is 3 harmonics up from the DAC clock and will accelerate warm up time by an exponential factor of 3. (DUH)
     
  8. westermac

    westermac Friend

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    A side effect of the Gungnir Multibit is that I'm not spending a LOT more time listening to my monitors (Adam A5X/Sub8) – I previously spent the majority of my listening time on headphones but now it's been completely swapped.

    The combination of the Gungnir Multibit's imaging, soundstage and micro details with the AMT tweeters on the Adams make for a super engaging listening experience. Heck, I'm weighing the possibility of selling off all headphone gear except for HD6XX/MCTH and putting the money into bass traps to tighten up the low end in my room, since that's really the only advantage headphones have for me at this point...

    The scary thing about that, though, is that 2-channel nuts are even crazier than headphone nuts.
     
  9. Sonorus

    Sonorus Facebook Friend

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    I have bass trapped my room and the results are spectacular.
    Best money ever spent! (well except for my HD800...)
    The Gungnir Multibit is really amazing on a two channel setup.
     
  10. westermac

    westermac Friend

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    I really hope that that at some point there will be an analog update for the Gungnir Multibit as well. Not because I need my Gungnir Multibit to sound better, but because I want to own a Gumba

    [​IMG]
     
  11. Gordec

    Gordec New

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    Long time lurker. Finally signed up. I got the Gungnir Multibit Gen 5 USB Friday and have been enjoying it. I have tried USB vs SPDIF from PC audio card. It sounds cleaner from the SPDIF. Also the Gungnir Multibit clicks between sample rate change with USB but not with SPDIF. Is that everyone's experience? I use the Alienware R7 and have always had issues with USB audio clipping and stuttering with all DACs and I haven't been able to figure out why. SPDIF is much more stable.

    Current system: Alienware Jriver Media Center -> Gungnir Multibit -> McIntosh MHA100 -> Susvara.
     
  12. Senorx12562

    Senorx12562 Case of the mondays

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    Mine clicks using S/PDIF from a first gen Fiio x5 as well as USB. Doesn't bother me though, even though I am right next to it. Schiit have said this is normal behavior. As to sq, while it seems that there is marginally less haze via S/PDIF even with the putatively low quality source, (not a real enough audiophile to perceive that lack of source quality I guess) but it may be my imagination anyway. It isn't enough to prevent me from prefering USB given its benefits, such as being able to use JRMC and hold all of my music, which the x5 won't. Who knows, sounds great either way to me.
     
  13. nachocheese70

    nachocheese70 Facebook Friend

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    Check your Jriver and Windows mixer audio setting. Via USB, it is probably sending sample rate as is but using SPDIF (and windows mixer) it’s probably resampling to a fixed rate, most likely 48 kHz.

    If the USB and SPDIF are using different rates and going through different paths (one WASAPI and the other via Windows mixer), then the audio data will inherently be different, so any difference you’re hearing may not be due to the hardware.
     
  14. nachocheese70

    nachocheese70 Facebook Friend

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  15. Gordec

    Gordec New

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  16. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    My Gungnir Multibit literally goes CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK when I pause my Onkyo C-7030 CD player. And it doesn't stop until I hit play again. It's extremely annoying and forces me to either keep playing the song as I go take a piss, or stop and restart and fast forward to where I left off. I've learned to deal with it (and the world class SQ makes me forget), but it's beyond silly to have an expensive product do that.
     
  17. Senorx12562

    Senorx12562 Case of the mondays

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    Mine clicks four or five times when I power down the source it is currently set to play, but what you are describing has to be something wrong. Maybe contact them?
     
  18. Orkney

    Orkney Acquaintance

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    Mine too. I haven;t paused a CD in two years. That patented Schiit stutter-click is, along with an infant crying, nails on a chalkboard and the tone-deaf guy taking singing lessons where my kids learn guitar, one of the most nerve-jangling sounds in the world. I did look into it, and was told it was normal behaviour. Isn't it?
     
  19. Kernel Kurtz

    Kernel Kurtz Friend

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    Agree completely. Can't overstate that point at all. If you are listening in an untreated room you are definitely missing out. I think the results would surprise a lot of people.
     
  20. Sonorus

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    It is probably a problem of the cd player.
    I used to spin cd's from an entry level yamaha cd-s300 player
    via coxial to Gungnir Multibit.
    It clicked every time i change track or pause.
    Now i use a yamaha cd-s1000 as a transport and nothing happens.
    Dead silent.
     

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