Schiit Yggdrasil vs. Gungnir Multibit

Gungnir Multibit is in the house and warming up!

 

I was having a hard time deciding between Yggdrasil and Gungnir Multibit. Based on reviews, the slightly warmer sound signature of Gungnir Multibit was attractive for my system, as was saving $1,000+ dollars. What made the decision a bit easier was my ruler showing that Gungnir Multibit would fit on my bamboo audio rack. And indeed it does.

(In my tiny flat here in Shanghai, that is an attractive advantage. I already have my Audio-GD power amp sitting on the floor elevated with phonograph isolators. Enough of that.)

 

Some quick reflections:

Gungnir Multibit really does show its magic on speakers. My KEF LS50 are reborn. Imaging and overall sound stage coherence are substantially improved. They sound simply... lovely.

What I was not expecting was how incredibly smooth Gungnir Multibit would sound on the HD800. I do not know how else to describe it. For now I have Ozone 7 turned off and am taking my unmodded HD800 as they are.

Detail in both modes is through the roof but then USB Monica, a NOS DAC with 1980s technology, was never a detail monster. Finally, I no longer have a detail / sound signature trade-off. I am eating my cake and yet it is still there!

Early hours but very pleased.

 

It is wondrous how great an old album like Tangerine Dream - Logos - Live at the Dominion London - 1982 sounds on Gungnir Multibit.

Carry on.

 

Black Dragon balanced cables for the HD800 finally arrived. Gungnir Multibit and GS-X m2 finally running balanced. It doesn't suck.

 

I've been waffling between these two DACs for my main speaker system, and just re-read the Golden Schlong write-up on Gungnir Multibit. How bad is the heat dissipation of Yggdrasil? Does it need to be on a shelf by itself with nothing on top, and plenty of space around? The spec says 35W power consumption, which doesn't seem too bad to dissipate for something of that size.

I've just put back my old Theta Pro Prime IIa in the main system for a bit, and have been rediscovering the Theta sound for 44.1/16 (forward, vivid, dynamic), and I think I'd like to see what its most current form sounds like with the Schiits.

 

My Gungnir Multibit runs warm, even when I had nothing stacked on it, around 96-102 F. Jexby, you need to push your Yggdrasil harder! Make it work! Feed it the Lebouf ultimate pep talk on loop!

 

Thanks guys! Some people on HF were talking about stacking the Rag on top of Yggdrasil, so it sounds like Yggdrasil isn't hot Schiit.

 

In case anyone cares, my B-stock Yggdrasil just shipped today. It was ordered on Xmas, so if you need an Yggdrasil now instead of waiting for 2 weeks, it appears B-stock is the fastest way.

 

I was considering a Yggdrasil for the same reasons. I wouldn't have an amp or the headphones to really take full advantage of the Yggdrasil for a while, but I could slowly upgrade those pieces and have the Yggdrasil as the bedrock of my system. I worry that if I get the Gungnir Multibit I'll always be wanting that extra something that the Yggdrasil provides. And considering most people who have heard both say the Yggdrasil feels more natural and connects more, and my main goal here is to enjoy music as best I can, I think I might go for a Yggdrasil over a Gungnir Multibit, even though the rest of my gear isn't going to give me the full experience at the moment, and then slowly build up the rest of my components to match it. But then I wonder if I'm crazy for spending $1K more for what I doubt is double the improvement in sound.

How is the Yggdrasil with your Mjolnir 2?

 

"I worry that if I get the Gungnir Multibit I'll always be wanting that extra something that the Yggdrasil provides" - this was one of the biggest reasons I myself got the Yggdrasil over the Gungnir Multibit. And I can honestly tell you that I've not regretted my decision even one bit.

I've been having a blast with my Yggdrasil + MJ2 ... in fact I've been having a lot of fun just Yggdrasil feeding my Powered Monitors (A5s) directly.

Like you said the 1K more isn't going to get you double the improvement (over Gungnir Multibit), but at least you don't have any doubts in your mind as to what you are missing and hopefully forget about a DAC upgrade for a long time

 

Thanks! The Yggdrasil and MJ2 are exactly the sort of thing I was considering for my endgame rig, probably paired with an HD800 S (if I like it after an audition) and one of the higher end Grados. I'll probably keep my Vali 2 for the Grado, since I hear the SE out on the MJ2 isn't as good as the balanced. Part of me is actually wondering if I should get one of the clearance original Mjolnirs so I can run my balanced and SE outputs separately. And then wait and see what the mysterious Schiit is that Jason's been teasing.

Anyway, as far as the DAC goes, I'm still undecided. I'm not buying either of them straight away, but I also don't know if I'll have any opportunities to audition them. I used to think I wanted complete transparency and the most resolution and detail retrieval as possible. But now I'm starting to think euphonics might be the more important factor to me, and I've heard that the Gungnir Multibit is more euphonic than the Yggdrasil. While it's cool to hear every last detail down to the sweat drops coming off the players, my goal here is to enjoy my music, not dissect it. I would even consider a Bifrost Multibit but I want the versatility of the balanced outs.

 

Mine is warm, but that's because it's got a Rag sitting on top of it. the Rag helps to heat my room.

 

I agree with the reasoning on Gungnir Multibit but I have not heard Yggdrasil either.

Add to your argument that it is not terrible to leave something above. I probably will buy Yggdrasil someday (or a top-end multibit successor if there ever is one), perhaps for a large speaker rig. But Gungnir Multibit is doing things unexpected. For example, I listened to Zen Arcade from start to finish last night. That Husker Du album is one of my favorites but the production has always made it tough slogging for an extended listen. I realise that I rarely had the fortitude to take it all in at once in a focused headphone session. Gungnir Multibit made it a pleasure, revealing fullness and detail within the often distorted guitar and a euphonic touch that is especially welcome with a more neutral amp. I am rediscovering classics.

Also it is a lot smaller and better fits on a lot of shelves and platforms.

 

I feel the same way as you about Zen Arcade. If the Gungnir Multibit can make that album euphonic, then it probably is the right DAC for me (for now anyway ).