Schiit Gungnir DS vs Gungnir MB Impressions

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by bixby, Sep 27, 2015.

  1. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    Today I had the chance to hear two Gungnir dacs a standard DS and the new MB or Gungnir Multibit. These were sighted impressions, so please no blind comments, please. In both cases the data was being fed via a Mac mini via an ifi usb power to a Hydra Z USB bridge with power supply and over coax to the spdif inputs of both dacs.

    The system is a speaker based one using Infinity IRS beta speakers that have been tweaked and through tweaked tube pre and big arse class D monoblocks.

    We first played the DS dac to get a baseline of how it sounded. Test tracks included a few live tracks from Mark Knopfler's Ragpickers Dream bonus disk, Frank Sinatra at the Sands, and Loreena McKennitt. Then we played the tracks on the Gungnir Multibit MB. I am going to focus on differences more than trying to describe how each sounded separately.

    On the Dire Straits tracks, soundstage and crowd noises were well delineated on both dacs with the MB having better focus with sounds across the stage and the DS presenting a more diffuse picture. A loud shout from an audience member on the right side during an intro was firmly locked in place on the MB and a bit more diffuse and spread a bit more laterally on the DS. Marks guitar was strong and powerful on the DS and made a large impression in the soundstage. With the MB the guitar had faster attack, and more focus with the ultimate effect of it being a bit small yet more realistic. Space was very good with both dacs although reverb trails seemed to be a bit more delineated on the MB and rang longer on the DS which made them seem larger ins pace.

    A sax intro on the right side sounded quite a bit more reedy and maybe a bit raspy on the DS as compared to the MB. The sax sounded less forward and very smooth and natural on the MB. Marks vocals have that unique slightly raspy or gravelly sound that can annoy with the wrong setup. With the DS we got a good representation of that slight raspiness with good weight to his voice. Inc contrast the MB seemed to smooth some of the rapsiness and presented a bit more mouth vs more chest. It would be interesting to hear how the Gungnir Multibit would sound with direct USB, but that was not in the cards today. My thoughts having heard the Hydra Z with the Yggdrasil on this same system, lead me to believe that perhaps this is part of the Hydra Z signature and that perhaps the Gungnir Multibit might be a bit more resolving in the upper male vocals without the Hydra.

    On to Frank. The intro to his “drunk song” One for My Baby, was great on both dacs. They were pretty close with some minor audible differences. Crowd cues and laughs were more focused with the MB, piano was great on both, and with just a bit more focus and naturalness on Franks voice on the MB.

    Loreena Mckennitt, I love her music and her recordings for the most part but her voice has a quality that cuts through the presentation like a knife and is really upfront on almost all highly resolving systems. This was no different with both the DS and MB dacs. What difference was there was again subtle and to me preferable with the Gungnir Multibit. A bit of slightly glarish edge vanished with the MB but still the remaining upfront character of the recording came through. Other than that and some focus, they both were very close.

    Other tracks that folks decided to play on the Gungnir Multibit but not in a comparative way were Keith Don't Go by Nils Lofgren and Dwelling Place of a Radiant Mind by Inlakesh. I have heard these tracks a lot. What amazed me was the attack, tone and overtones on Nils guitar work on the Gungnir Multibit. That track is really good at showing how a well designed MB dac can sound. Most times when I hear this track I cringe a bit because it sounds like someone turned up the volume of his guitar too much. And the tone in a lot of systems seems way too in your face and raucous. Today this did not occur with the Gungnir Multibit. And the attack of the picking and overtones was much more pleasant and realistic. And yes Nils voice was quite a bit more natural and less digital sounding. As for Inlakesh, very nice representation from the Gungnir Multibit on the stone scraping across the soundstage. And the slightly grainy guttural voice as the song unfolds seemed more natural and smoother than I recall on many previous listens. And the bass on the drum was tight and deep with no unwanted roominess. It was just what you need to show off those 8 Infinity woofers. Wow.

    Overall I would have to say the difference in favor of the Gungnir Multibit is that the attack and clarity of treble is apparent, the spatial cues even more llocked and focused, and the lack of sandy or grainiy quality on that sensitive lower treble region. Bass was closer but slghlty more natural and tigh with the Gungnir Multibit with dynamics also a bit more natural. Is the Gungnir Multibit worht $500 more than the DS Gungnir. In my book absolutely and more. In fact there are a few dacs in the $2- 3k range I can think of offhand (not Yggdrasil) that would probably lose a fight with a Gungnir Multibit.

    I hope I helped convey what I heard as differences between these two dacs. I still want to hear the Gungnir Multibit with direct USB. I can tell you the Yggdrasil with direct USB was a unanimous preference to the Hydra Z fronting the coax port on the Yggdrasil in a previous listening session. An owner of the Yggdrasil who is also familiar with this system, noted that yea, the Gungnir Multibit really is about 85% of the Yggdrasil in sound and you have to spend quite a few more $ to get that last 15% if that. The DS Gungnir is no slouch and I now have a better appreciation for the nuances that Marv and the other panel listeners have been hearing with these well designed MB dacs vs lots of DS implementations. I hear some of the upper frequency glare or lack of clean articulation. And I think the DS Gungnir and the Matrix have a bit less of that going in vs a lot of what is on the market. I am very interested in hearing more and for the technology to flow downstream some more. These are pretty exciting times for affordable dacs.
     
  2. Ringingears

    Ringingears Honorary BFF

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    Thanks bixby. Nice write up. Gives me more reasons to upgrade my DS Gungnir to Gungnir Multibit. Although Yggdrasil is tempting. Have only heard the Yggdrasil, on a few occasions, but not Gungnir Multibit. Hoping to find a kind soul that would be willing to do a local loaner program with the Gungnir Multibit. I'd be willing to drive to the Bay Area to pick the unit up and drive it back down at the end of the loaner, if a fellow "Frirate" was willing. I just don't want to upgrade and then end up buying the Yggdrasil in the end.
     
  3. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    I can loan you my Gungnir Multibit when I get it, Ron. You can also pick candies up when we do that.

    There's a mini SF Bay meet soon, I think. Around beginning of November. Maybe that'll be a good excuse for you to drive down, plus it won't be too far down for you (or too far up for me).

    One you're done with it, if you're too lazy to drive, just throw a box into USPS and forget about it. ;)
     
  4. Ringingears

    Ringingears Honorary BFF

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    Thanks Bill. Hope to see you then. Keep me updated on the mini.
     
  5. TMoney

    TMoney Shits on SBAF over at Head-Case to be cool

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    I got together with some buddies and tested Gungnir Multibit against Yggdrasil blind in another thread that I posed here.

    It sounds like we heard the same things out of Gungnir Multibit that you did.

    What was most interesting is that it wasn't necessarily clear to us that Yggdrasil always sounds better than Gungnir Multibit. In fact, in our blind testing we generally preferred the Gungnir Multibit!
     
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2015
  6. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    If you want the most neutral then go Yggdrasil. If slightly euphonic then Gungnir MB. Have both; keeping both. Yggdrasil used for work, GUMB for recreational listening in my acoustic lab. For what it's worth, I have had both along with an Auralic Vega level matched into the three inputs of my ZDSE. Switching between them it is easy to pick and prefer either Schiit over the Vega. Between Yggdrasil and GUMB is much less of a difference. Lately I have been preferring the GUMB for kick back listening enjoyment.
     

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