Bifrost Uber, Corda Daccord, ODAC, whatever?

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by Rasselbande, Dec 20, 2015.

  1. Rasselbande

    Rasselbande New

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    I've recently trying to find a new DAC and after reading through many of the thread here I'm finally totally lost.

    In the past I've been using the DAC section of a Yulong u100 with a Meier Audio Corda Jazz amp from a basic windows tablet (basic foobar with the schiit as output).
    Some time ago I was able to purchase a Bifrost Uber with USB2 second hand and was suprised how much more detail this has. It's great with some headphones like a dt990/600 (it adds lots of resolution to the Beyres recessed midrange) but it's a bit harsher and brighter than I'm used to with others, like a k712 or a HD800. It's quite different from everything else I had heard in the past and I'm not yet shure if I like it.

    What puzzles me is the obvious difference, so far I assumed all DACs sound more or the the same.
    I had thought about simply going for different DAC, maybe a Maier Audio Corda Daccord (any reason this isn't mentioned anywhere on SBAF yet) or simply for an ODAC with an active USB hub. I could even upgrade the Uber to a Multibit. The Bifrost gets lots of praise everywhere so it can't be bad.

    Is there anything wrong with my audio chain or am I simply too audiophile inexperienced to enjoy the good stuff???
    Any help appreciated.
     
  2. AustinValentine

    AustinValentine Friend

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    Re: why the Daccord isn't mentioned here: Meier gear doesn't get a whole lot of exposure or circulation over here on this (the U.S.) side of the pond. Unfortunately that limits the number of people that have impressions of it and how effectively those impressions can be correlated and compared to other similar gear.

    Part of the problem is that at least two of the headphones you mention have some treble issues (the DT990 and HD800, haven't heard the K712 enough to have an fixed impression of it) so the harsher, brighter sound that you're hearing isn't so much the DAC as it is the headphones. The call is coming from inside the house.

    Given the options you've listed, I'd probably go with upgrading the Bifrost Uber to multibit. The ODAC would be 16 steps backwards even with better power and probably not much better than the Yulong.
     
  3. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    I owned the Meier DACCORD , paired it with a bunch of amps and headphones . Mostly a Stax combo and a HD800/DNA Sonett and I loved this dac. Neutral but not lean , Resolving but not harsh with a great sense of space. S/D ( Wolfson) dac at it's best and probably my first choice if I had to buy a second rig besides by main system (based on a Theta DS pro Gen Va) . Over its sonic qualities, the DACCORD offers some really useful features with a Crossfeed and a tone control that allows to add a bit of bass if needed. Great piece of gear . Considering its priced at 600 fuckin' bucks , i definitely think it's a real bargain.

    I didn't compare it to the other dac you mentionned. I just know the Guy I sold mine still owns it and another friend who bought one, kept it over an audioGD dac19 DSP or an Auralic Vega. IMO the DACCORD was undoubtly superior to my TotalDAC A1 as well. Vastly superior to my Metrum Octave as well. hope it helps

    Never heard the ff version though. Jan considers the ff upgrade is significant in term of resolution and I trust him so I highly suspect the ff version worth it.
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2015
  4. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    Meier's stuff is more well known (or at least used to be) in the portables realm.

    Way back in the day I had a Corda Aria dac/amp and thought it was fantastic for the price (around $200 I think). His hardware crossfeed has also generally been well regarded. Unfortunately I haven't heard any of his newer stuff.
     
  5. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    Here in France , on tellementnomade.org, we consider Meier Stuff and Schitt stuff in the same ballpark : huge value , affordable, safe choice , easy to advice, could be easily end game for the least OCD of us. Schitt Range of product is larger though whilst Jan Meier products are all mid priced. Nothing beats entry level
    Schiit Goodness.

    I owned the Meier Corda Jazz and the Concerto and the DACCORD. IMO the Jazz is a f'ing good 350$ amp. Very versatile. ( I'm currently using one a friend loans to me while I'm waiting my Stratus) . the Concerto was a bit too lean/bright for my tastes. The DACCORD is probably the best meier product. I still think I could have stop whith the Daccord/Sonett as very good and balanced HD800 rig.
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2015
  6. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    My vote is upgrading to the Bifrost Multibit.
     
  7. Rasselbande

    Rasselbande New

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    Thanks for all your replies!

    The dt990 sounds quite awesome actually. I use some EQ for the 8kHz band but what happens with the Bifrost is a tighter bass and more resolution in the high midrange (1+kHz). It's that region that obvioulsy has much more resolution than the yulong (or everything else I have listened to).


    I didn't listen to these either but what Jan writes on the website about additional resolution in the 1+ kHz region is pretty much what I hear on the Bifrost. Ian mentioned to a friend of mine that the ff versions could be a bit harsh to certain styles of music like heavy metall.
    I had a Corda Stage DAC for testing once and it sounded quite simillar to the yulong. Certainly better in many areas but the differences weren't very big. About what I would expect from a better DAC.
     
  8. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    I thought the Meier Corda Rock didn't place instruments particularly well and didn't have the bass control of the Magni 2U with my HD 650. I never heard the more expensive amps though.

    The ODAC is bus powered, isn't asynchronous, and its USB controller only supports DirectSound on Windows. That should tell you everything you need to know.
     
  9. borrego

    borrego Incessant Audio-GD #1 Fan Boy

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    I used to owned a Meier Corda Classic. In general Meier's sound signature: neutral, smooth without lost of details matches the DT990/600 very well. The only short-coming of the Daccord is its dated USB input implementation.

    Another WM8741 DAC choice will be the audio-gd NFB-10.33, which is currently on sale, 10% off.
     
  10. RakiRaki

    RakiRaki New

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    Absolutely agree. Dry as well. Notes fade quickly giving it apparent speed, lending it an analytical flavor. All this was fixed in Meier's next amp the Classic. A very good, well balanced amp for the price and - as borrego notes - neutral, smooth and detailed. FWIW I also found it staged and imaged much better than the Violectric V100. I still have the Classic and am considering the ff upgrade.

    I have and like Meier's StageDAC too, another good performer for the price. I find the BMC PureDAC better though, especially better at low-level ambient information in the upper bass and lower mids.

    I suspect though the Bifrost MB may be a meaningful upgrade to both. To be tested in the next month or two...

     
  11. Rasselbande

    Rasselbande New

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    Can you go into more detail here? I'm testing the DACCORD right now and found it needs plenty of USB power to sound right. The USB input is powered by USB.

    Different pricepoint though.
     
  12. Rasselbande

    Rasselbande New

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    Here's an update on my original post.
    I used windows direct sound with 192/24 when I treid the Bifrost first. This messed some things up and the sound was thin and bright for everything not 192/24. In the meantime I changed to WASAPI output and now the Bifrost sounds as expected. I'm very happy with Uber now, great tight bass and smooth trebble.
     
  13. hifi01170

    hifi01170 Acquaintance

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    how does it compare to the daccod?
     
  14. Rasselbande

    Rasselbande New

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    The Bifrost has a tighter bass and a better resolution at the low end. It might also be little bit more transparent. The Daccord is a bit smoother with less emphasis on detail. I liked the daccord better with HD800 and the Bifrost better with AKG k712.
    What I like a lot with the Daccord is the crossfeed and the tonal balance as well as the variable output. The tonal balance at low setting adds a touch of warmth to the HD800 which I found very enjoyable. The daccords crossfeed is more efficient than the crossfeed used on the meier amps.
    The daccord doesn't work well from tablet computers though because the USB receiver needs a good bit of USB power to work properly. From a desktop machine it's very good. Or just use the optical in.
    At the price, I think both are great deals.
     
  15. 8man

    8man Acquaintance

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    @Rasselbande thank you very much for sharing your findings ! I'm currently interested in good setups somewhere in the middle ground as I'm pondering between fitting setups for K712 or HD650, would you mind also sharing what amps you've tried with the K712s and the Bifrost and which one you've preferred ?

    Edit: do you have a good tolerance for brightness/lots of treble as well or is it not the case?
     
  16. Rasselbande

    Rasselbande New

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    The only amp I own is the Corda Jazz so I can't compare the dacs with different amps. The Jazz is very solid and well build and I like the volume controll which is running very smooth and allows for very fine tuning. The trebble of the k712 is fine to me, actually I like a bit of trebble. The Bifrost and the Daccord are the only two high end dacs I've used so far and compared to the budget options they both handle trebble better very well even with a dt990.
    I'd be very curious to try a Modi uber or an Asgard with the Bifrost myself.
     
  17. 8man

    8man Acquaintance

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    Just what I was looking for, some good mid-range gear with K712 impressions ! I was in fact really curious how Bifrost pairs with them, I've heard the Bifrost Multibit is typically warm so that made me wonder whether it's a good match ! Once again, thank you for the short review, I'm sure it will come in handy for many of us !
     

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