Yggdrasil Refined - New Schiit Yggdrasil Analog 2 (Yggdrasil A2) Sound Impressions

Did you see on the news this AM, northbound FedEx truck went into water at Shasta. Driver OK, but truck and everything in it is gone.

 

Cruise ships run on hot babes.

 

Yggdrasil A2 is noticeably better than OG Gungnir Multibit.

 

OHHHH NOOOESSSSS…
Would this be a case for MONDO Audio Nervousa (he says trying not to hyperventilate, while madly looking for the Fed Ex tel # and searching their website for all the gory details…)

Oh…
Never mind…

You're such a kidder…
hahahahahhahahahahahahaha

JJ

 

People need to come off that rich man's gear.

These "high end" DAC, amps & headphones costs the same as a washer & dryer or a nice TV, refrigerator, table set, sofa/couch set. Even some designer clothes cost as much.

I figure, if you can afford the luxury of owning a refrigerator to keep your food cold, you can afford the luxury of having nice gear to improve your sound system.

The overtly expensive ones, that cost as much as a brand new 2018 dealership priced Mercedes, are the ones strictly for people with disposable incomes.

 

Great post Marv!

 

https://hackaday.com/2018/01/31/global-resistor-shortage-economics-and-consumer-behavior/

 

Over time, I learned a simple rule. Unless it is a necessity (shelter, food, medicine, ...), I don't get it unless I could replace it right away, cash, without thinking twice, if I lost it.

 

I see this topic as a demonstration of transference.
As in "if only I had this or that, then I'd be happy".

It's not the gear nor it's performance, but the expectations, which invariably are not met.
And even if the performance is stellar, due to the lack of experience and as I put it Calibration, the subtle nature that this high end gear can deliver, may not even be perceived, at least in the short to mid term.

Mean time, the perspective is that their expectations, based at least in part upon others who are experienced and know what to listen for, who are reporting audio delights, stokes the fire.
Which in turn leads them to believe that all they need to do is get this or that piece of gear and audio nirvana shall be theirs as well.
Which is true enough in potential but there is more to it than just purchasing a piece of gear and that's the end of the journey, especially at the very top of the audio food chain.

And as for those who spend WAY more than they can afford, again expectations are a powerful influence, one that can provide a learning experience, one way or the other, and those kinds of life lessons are for each to come to terms with.

So if 'we' try and 'fix' their expectations (and in a variety of ways) are we really helping them, or merely delaying learning from those types life lessons?

Just a few thoughts to ponder.

JJ

 

Well I lucked out and snagged an A2 with low hours. After an estimated total 150 hours, I am pleased that low bass notes can be felt thru my feet more prominently than before with my Gungnir Multibit. My AGD DAC-19 10th has more relative bass bloat (in a good way) than A2, but it's not as tight, full-bodied (tone), and of course not as resolving in general. (This is all with BNC coax input.)

To my ears, A2 is not just more Gungnir Multibit, it's generally a big step up as a clearer and more cohesive window into the soundstage and acoustic space. Congested passages of rock for example are rendered with more distinction between instruments, and those instrumental characters blend less (don't sound as mashed up or confused) during those passages. Haven't gotten to any solo piano yet but looking forward to that eventually.

There are also timbre and macro dynamic differences that I haven't attempted to place relative to Gungnir Multibit, but that I've noted in the semi-serious listening I've done so far. I like to listen in a relaxed fashion, such as while doing other things because I know something is working right if I stop to think to myself "wow, that piano sounds real" or "wow I haven't heard the bass sound like that before." A fuller sound overall, to be sure. Like @earnmyturns, I listen for cymbals and drums as reference points. The A2 really seems to deliver.

All this however is from someone who hasn't heard other high-end DACs in my own system. While I can't say I've been impressed with what I've heard at local audio retailers, my impressions are limited in this respect. Still, I'm impressed enough thus far with the purchase, and doubly so with the discount off full retail and the current shipping delays. But I was ready to go full retail so I suppose it's fair to say I think it worth the overall expense.

 

I figured I'd save money by just skipping to gear at the top of the not-insane price bracket. There's no impulse to buy and sell gear. I'm done.

 

Agree. This is what I did in my recent purchase. The delta cost from the Gungnir MB to the Yggdrasil wasn't crazy and was top of line -- at least within one company.

 

My A2 upgrade just got back from Schiit. Pondering whether leaving it on but not playing anything for the next few days is enough to get the intended burn-in/stabilization, or whether I need to get it actually "working". I have a spare digital source and a spare headamp that I could connect to it to make it "believe" it is being "used"

 

In my experience getting all of the circuits operating seems to result in less 'settling in' time than merely being powered up.
But since this is an upgraded unit it may not make as much difference because all of the rest of the Yggdrasil has been used a bunch already.

Still those 2 boards are the heart of the whole unit and they will need time to fully settle in.
So if you can feed it a digital signal in and out I would think it would take less time overall.

I should be getting mine tomorrow as well and it will immediately go into the system so I can monitor it as it morphs and changes.

JJ

 

Schiit burns in Yggys when new for days... just listen to the damn thing and enjoy it! The A1 is still better than most DACs even cold and by some reports the A2 warm-up is quicker.