And then it all came together :-)
So I've had the Bifrost in the system for 9 days and it's been powered on 24/7.
Yesterday, I played some classical and immediately became very aware of the spatial details this unit is now producing.
Their placement from a depth perspective seems to have become much more precise. It was always very good across the sound stage but now they are more isolated front to back. The whole 3D image is now very detailed and spacious.
These new details also bring a smoothness to violins' particularly soloists that I believed was only possible on vinyl. So I switched to vinyl and listened and there was the same spacious detailing every time.
I went back and forth a few times just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, or an anomaly of the track I was playing, but I was hearing correctly - there is a very analogue feel to the reproduction the Bifrost is capable of
For a long time I've purchased classical only on vinyl just because of that smoothness and spacial detailing it reproduces, often leaving CD recordings that I wanted to try on the rack.
I have downloaded a few classical HD tracks in the hope that I would find a digital format that might get close to analogue reproduction. But even those had me switching back to vinyl - until now.
I never thought for one moment that 16/44 would ever come close to analogue, but the Bfrost has delivered a quality that I had not thought possible.
The quality is very dependent on how the content of the file is transferred to the DAC. I started with just iTunes, then installed BitPerfect and have finally settled on Audirvana. The difference between all three were quite noticeable.
I am also using a high throughput USB cable from DH Labs and Stager Silver Solids interconnects. The power cord is DIY using Furutech 15 gauge cable with floating shield and Vanguard gold-on-copper connectors.
I'm a big believer in good wires - they make or break a units perormance.
I'm not saying this little $520 DAC is as good as vinyl, but if you want a vinyl-ish performance from your digital collection, you might want to give the Bifrost a try.
I've also been in contact with Schiit, asking how the Gungnir (next model up) performs in relation to the Bifrost. Apart from the technical aspects of its design, the bottom line seemed to be that the Gungnir is more natural sounding. For only $300 more it might be advantageous to explore this model instead (kinda wished I had now).
As with all electronics, a burn-in period is crucial in order to attain the best performance - this one appears to take around 200+ hours. This makes the 15 day money back offer by Schiit a bit tight, but then, you might just be keeping it once you've heard it really perform :-)
Back to the music :-)
So I've had the Bifrost in the system for 9 days and it's been powered on 24/7.
Yesterday, I played some classical and immediately became very aware of the spatial details this unit is now producing.
Their placement from a depth perspective seems to have become much more precise. It was always very good across the sound stage but now they are more isolated front to back. The whole 3D image is now very detailed and spacious.
These new details also bring a smoothness to violins' particularly soloists that I believed was only possible on vinyl. So I switched to vinyl and listened and there was the same spacious detailing every time.
I went back and forth a few times just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, or an anomaly of the track I was playing, but I was hearing correctly - there is a very analogue feel to the reproduction the Bifrost is capable of
For a long time I've purchased classical only on vinyl just because of that smoothness and spacial detailing it reproduces, often leaving CD recordings that I wanted to try on the rack.
I have downloaded a few classical HD tracks in the hope that I would find a digital format that might get close to analogue reproduction. But even those had me switching back to vinyl - until now.
I never thought for one moment that 16/44 would ever come close to analogue, but the Bfrost has delivered a quality that I had not thought possible.
The quality is very dependent on how the content of the file is transferred to the DAC. I started with just iTunes, then installed BitPerfect and have finally settled on Audirvana. The difference between all three were quite noticeable.
I am also using a high throughput USB cable from DH Labs and Stager Silver Solids interconnects. The power cord is DIY using Furutech 15 gauge cable with floating shield and Vanguard gold-on-copper connectors.
I'm a big believer in good wires - they make or break a units perormance.
I'm not saying this little $520 DAC is as good as vinyl, but if you want a vinyl-ish performance from your digital collection, you might want to give the Bifrost a try.
I've also been in contact with Schiit, asking how the Gungnir (next model up) performs in relation to the Bifrost. Apart from the technical aspects of its design, the bottom line seemed to be that the Gungnir is more natural sounding. For only $300 more it might be advantageous to explore this model instead (kinda wished I had now).
As with all electronics, a burn-in period is crucial in order to attain the best performance - this one appears to take around 200+ hours. This makes the 15 day money back offer by Schiit a bit tight, but then, you might just be keeping it once you've heard it really perform :-)
Back to the music :-)