Schiit Bifrost 2

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by RobS, Aug 28, 2019.

  1. tranq

    tranq Friend

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    I hope this is the right place to ask this question. Apologies if not.

    I have my sights currently set on Bifrost 2 as my next purchase. For my 2 ch setup..

    I'm currently using modi multibit, saga, Vidar, with Zu Omen DW and KLH Kendalls.

    What is going to give me the biggest change or improvement to my setup? Bifrost 2 or Aegir?

    Wondering if my next purchase should be a Bifrost 2 or Aegir.
     
  2. Mindbender

    Mindbender Acquaintance

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    Wouldn't you want to wait until the Gungnir + Unison upgrade reviews start coming in after Jan 2020? If you have the Gungnir already, that is.

    I'm counting the days until reviews and impressions start appearing.
     
  3. SnowPuppy

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    That's a tough choice because I think they would both be a good improvement in your case. Both of your speakers are very efficient and the Aegir is a good match. If your were choosing between the Aegir and the Bifrost 1 I would say get the Aegir. However I think the Bifrost 2 will be a good improvement over the Bifrost 1 and especially the Modi MB.

    If you do most of your listening over USB then I would probably go with the Bifrost 2 by a narrow margin over the Aegir. The Bifrost 2 will be up-gradable for many years to come. Unison USB should be much better than your Modi MB. If all you use is coax then I might opt for the Aegir instead.

    As a rule of thumb I like to start with the best possible source in my system and the Bifrost 2 is a real winner so I would choose that first. The Vidar is definitely good enough to reveal that improvement.
     
  4. Vtory

    Vtory Audiophileâ„¢

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    Hard to answer. Either worthy or not. Way more details needed for better answers. For example, what combo wowed you previously? What is the specific complaint for your current system? What musics do you care more? etc etc.

    I personally recommend to 'stay' unless (1) you have fat cash and just want to explore, (2) specific component/part of your rig annoys you, or (3) you fully understand what you will do.
     
  5. eyrepm

    eyrepm New

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    .
     
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2019
  6. econaut

    econaut Almost "Made"

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    Please ask these things in the appropriate advice threads. You are derailing the Bifrost 2 thread with noise. Thanks.
     
  7. tranq

    tranq Friend

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    Is this a better way to ask?

    Can someone talk about the differences they hear between Bifrost 2 and modi 3 or modi multibit.
     
  8. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    Give me a few days.
     
  9. McFly

    McFly New

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    Im now comparing gungnir a2 to this new bifrost 2. There seems to be a volume difference between them, the bifrost is ever so slightly quieter (unison? noise floor?). Thats all i have for now need more time.
    Roon grouped zone PC source , usb out to both from the same header, into preamp onto speakers.
     
  10. AllanMarcus

    AllanMarcus Friend

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    It's probably just slightly different output levels. It will make a comparison that much harder.

    I have my Bifrost 2 now, and it's been on for two days. It really did sound like ass (very muffled) when I first plugged it in, so give it a few hours to warm up. I have a Bifrost USB gen 5 as well, and they are set up side by side, both feeding my Mainline. I can easily switch between them. So for my impression is that I cannot tell the difference between them, but I'm not as sensitive to sound as many here. So, take the hype with a grain of salt. YMMV. There are still many factors that might affect a person's rig. I will spend lots of time with these two DACs this weekend, and see if I can hear any difference using my different headphones. It's quite possible, as Marv suggested, that the differences are more pronounced in a speaker set up.
     
  11. SnowPuppy

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    I have noticed the same thing as well with DACs that it is easier to notice differences in speaker set ups. Especially when it comes to soundstage, imaging, and bass. Which is why I suggested the Bifrost 2 for Tranq as an upgrade.
     
  12. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    By popular demand, here is my Modi Multibit v2 vs. Bifrost 2 Comparo (hereafter MB vs B2).

    tl;dr: GO OUT AND BUY IT NOW!!! (well, not actually out unless you live near the Schiiter)

    Background
    My chain is RPi Zero W (LMS to pCP via Wi-Fi in, OTG out) > Eitr > MB v2 > Night Blues Mini (NBM, Raytheons) / MCTH (Telefunken E88CC) / Magni 3 (NBM gets majority of listening time, followed MCTH)
    RPi Zero feeds Bifrost 2 directly by USB OTG (hooray for Unison!)
    Phones are Clear (modded) 95% of the time, HD650M the rest. Mobile preferences are ZX2 > Andro (foam mod), ZX300 > FD01 / EX1000 (both modded, EQ'd).

    Initial impressions as seen on my profile page were: there was a "night and day" difference going back and forth between Eitr>Modi Multibit and USB>Bifrost2 using SYS. Modi Multibit sounded etchy and flat Bifrost2 sounded smooth, macro/micro-dynamic, tight/fat bass. This still stands. I haven't had the chance to compare DACs at home much, and I was surprised at the differences I could hear, especially as all DACs essentially measure flat wrt FR. I usually just skip through my test tracks, but even though I had a mild headache that night I just sat there listening to them play one after the other.

    MB has been described as being warm and a bit rolled off. Now I know why. Going to B2, it's like a veil has been lifted. The presentation is a bit brighter and more forward, but without any harshness or increase in fatigue (so far). I'm not sure if there's more blackground, but I'm hearing levels of detail that werent there with MB. Things I'm hearing now that I didn't hear with MB are:
    • decay, either that wasn't there before or is now much more obvious and extended
    • details in vocals, breathing and other "mouth sounds"
      (both the above could qualify as "plankton"?)
    • more microdynamics
    • deeper headstage, more layering, more spacious feeling (possibly a result of hearing more decay?)
    • tighter, fatter bass, a little more punch (not to Gungnir levels)
    • a bit more bass extension
      (I find loose, bloated bass with poor extension to be a weakness of the NBM, but B2 makes tracks with pure sub-bass content more listenable)
    I'm not particularly fussy about tonality, so I can't speak much in that regard. I get the feeling that there are improvements there that are contributing to increased overall engagement in the muzak, in addition to the factors listed above.

    In case you haven't figured it out by now, I'm more than pleased with the sonic improvements which exceeded my expectations. New toy syndrome, honeymoon period, YVMV and all that.

    I noticed the clicking when sampling rate changes. With MB, the first 1/2 second or so of the track is lost when this happens, but I don't think it does this with B2.

    Oh, the remote is kinda useless for me. I hit the alternate universe button but didn't notice any changes.

    Yes, it really did happen.

    Bimby2 front.jpg

    Bimby2 rear.jpg

    Setup.jpg


    Additional Notes
    Initial impressions were after 1-2 hrs of warm-up playing music. I left it on with my playlist on repeat for the remainder of the week and listened periodically during the evenings. Didn't really notice much change.

    *added "v2" (thanks @batriq)
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2019
  13. Olor1n

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    Why is the Schiit logo missing on top of the unit?
     
  14. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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  15. SnowPuppy

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  16. GoodSchiit

    GoodSchiit Acquaintance

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    Before applying your dislike to my comment, did you consider that the reason I want XLR outputs is to connect to my Jotunheim's XLR inputs? I want the Single Ended inputs on my Jotunheim available to connect to my Mani for Vinyl.
     
  17. Ice-man

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    Just got mine in a few hours ago. Letting it warm up a touch before diving in. Some observations.

    1. The chassis looks like a slightly different finish. Nicer I would say. A little more finely polished maybe? But...it doesn't match the lyr 3 exactly (yes, I have ocd).

    2. I don't think the rubber feet are pressed on. I thought we were done with stick on feet. And someone must have dropped these in vegetable oil. The BF will not stay put. It's sliding around like the pointer on a Ouija board. I had to clean the feet with Dawn, seriously. Just weird.

    3. The xlr outputs are upside down...ugh. The usb port is also upside down unless you are standing on your head.

    4. The RCA outs are no longer color coded. Um, why? For those of us who have to crawl around the back of the rack or desk and play contortionist to get cables plugged in, this is a PITA when things are as simple as possible.

    5. Windows 10 loaded up the BF and recognized it perfectly. Yes!

    6. The top of the BF looks a little odd/naked with no logo or anything printed on the top. I guess it's a matter of taste and only matters if you aren't stacking.

    Now that I have the bitch and moan session out of the way, time to fire up the music.
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2019
  18. GoodSchiit

    GoodSchiit Acquaintance

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    I use the Wyrd with the Jotunheim. I was experiencing some some music that had drop outs and some sounded pretty awful. For B stock $79 the Wyrd did clean up these problems.
     
  19. mkozlows

    mkozlows Friend

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    Is it the Magni 3 finish? Because I have the same not-quite-matching thing going on with the Modi Multibit and Magni 3; I've assumed they're moving their new products to the new finish style, but I don't know if that's actually true or not.
     
  20. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    I'm not sure there is a way to make them right side up with the slide-in modules using high quality sockets. If you look at the picture the boards that the xlr and USB are on are upside down to fit in the chassis.
     

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