Schiit Bifrost 2

I'm gonna go home and hold my original bifrost 2 and gungnir A2 and never let go.

 

I use an XLR to SE converted I paid $50 for and it does the job. There are options for people who want the best out of those DACs. I even felt the balanced out on BF2 was better than SE. SE wasn't gimped, but balanced still sounded better to me.

 

Thanks for letting me know about MiniTool Partition Wizard. There was a hidden partition still on the micro sd card. All is working now thanks for your help it is much appreciated.

 

Seems like a number of people are struggling with getting their MicroSD card formatted correctly for so I created an image for Balena Etcher which works on Windows, macOS and Linux. Should be able to just image any 4GB+ MicroSD card, insert into your Bifrost 2 and do the firmware update.

 

How is ESS doing on making delivery dates?

 

I noticed today the Bifrost 2/64 upgrade now ships in 10-12 weeks. I'm curious how much of that is waiting for parts (and therefore subject to change), as opposed to having all the parts on hand and just needing time to assemble more boards.

 

It's most certainly supply chain issues. I was looking up parts and the opamps that the bifrost uses aren't available until September at the earliest

 

So I've only had the Bifrost 2/64 upgrade card for about an hour, and I've only listened to it through the SE outputs to SW51+ and HD800 SDR so far. But the first impression is amazing, and I don't think it's due to the DAC chips. To me, it sounds like the output stage was completely reworked -- it seems really different. And better.

NOS mode with the new card sounds as terrible to me as NOS mode with the old card. But I don't own any files with a bitrate higher than 96/24, so maybe I'm just doing it wrong.

I'll post detailed impressions after I've had time to really listen.

Old on the left, new on the right:

 

Noice.

In regards to the output stage, I think I see three AD8512 in the old boards, plus a couple of other AD model OPAMPs that I can't make out the product code, seemingly all replaced by OPA1656. That exact replacement was a common mod on one of the lower Schiit DACs (Modi?) described here on SBAF. And I don't think there's a single person on Diyaudio who would rate AD8512 above OPA1656.....

 

And Bifrost MB.

 

Heh, there you go then. I've never watched Bifrost threads with much interest until now....

 

@Ksorota has a 1656 modified Bifrost MB for sale right now.

 

I was under the impression the old BF2 board used the same LME49724’s that LIM and MIL use. Unsure, though, to be honest.

Anyway, very good to see some impressions, thank you!

edit: unsure even if those are the opamps used in MIL/LIM — can’t seem to find a clear enough picture to zoom in on, and the only source of info I can find for an identifier of the model used is a post on another forum from some rando.

 

Thr pictures posted here are clear enough to zoom in and see the 8512s.

 

Here, this is the old BF2 board. I held the phone with both hands this time.

 

After typing all this crud out speculating on product codes included and whining that I couldn't find better pictures of the LIM/MIL boards, it occurred to me to stop being so thick and look at the Schiit website to see if the op-amps used were listed there.

BF2/64:

LIM/MIL:

Well, there you have it.

Thanks for the alternative picture of the old BF2 board, though! Looks like a mix of LME49724’s, AD8512’s as mentioned, and some AD8676’s also.

Difficult to make out the BF2/64 board exactly but I *think* it’s literally all OPA1656, yeah, with a couple of 49724’s, nothing else is legible at least.

For those wondering, this is what the old BF2 (pre-2/64) description read as (lifted from Schiit UK, who haven't listed 2/64 and/or are still OOS):

Anyway sorry for the op-amp nervosa fest, but sort of interesting to geek out on.

 

Bifrost 64 went from 10-12 weeks to ship to 1-3 days to ship!
People on HF also getting shipping notification days after ordering the new boards. Although the 64 board page still shows 10-12 weeks to ship.

I guess Schiit was expecting way more orders or supply is finally getting better.

 

Maybe it's the heat, but I haven't found a comparison between BF2 and BF2/64 yet?

Although the upgrade might not be for me, looking at the Schiit website, lol:

 

Happily my BF2/64 card arrived today. Sadly it does not work. Can't get any sound out of it at all. The NOS mode works with the old card so I'm pretty sure the firmware update worked OK. Swapped cards back and forth a few times. Old one still works. Emailed Schiit for suggestions. Oh well these things happen. Will probably wait for an RMA I guess.

 

Some people have mentioned that the terminals on the new card sometimes don't line up properly. Removing the top so you can see and align the new card apparently solves the problem.