NSFW: SuperBAF Best of 2015 Golden Schlong Awards

Why me?

 

I don't like to talk about my thumb. It tends to make others feel inadequate.

 

ROFL ! So accurate !

 

Why should an amp be rated as a solid "good" without the "overpriced moniker" be a mistake? What other solid-state amps (Schiit or otherwise) below $1799 are rated above G? The Liquid Carbon has always been a value proposition in my eyes, and there is nothing wrong with value. Not to take anything away from Alex, but HF kind of went overly goo-goo ga-ga over this one, especially since few of them actually heard it early on.

LG will be added as VG.

I haven't heard the M7 with the Amanero, but I do know that Kingwa is not deaf and I also know that the prior VIA based USB solution was a complete turd despite 16 firmware updates from AGD. The value proposition of the M7 is not nearly as good as it used to be though, and it gets worse by the day.

I haven't heard the latest iteration of the DAC-19. Might buy this and put it on the loaner tour.

 

To be honest, I'm more interested in this: http://dhost.info/mhdtlab/stockholm2.htm

There are enough impressions of the AGD DAC-19 and its variants already and IMO, the PCM56/63/1702 out PCMs the PCM1704.

 

Not the first time I've seen you mention it. Gotta say your interest in these surprises me a bit, given they're non-oversampling. Of course, that and the vintage chips is what interests me. I'd love to hear one if you get one. Looks like they're readily available on eBay.

Also noticed you can buy the Atlantis now, which uses the AD1862 chip. I'm surprised it's cheaper than the Stockholm. I'm curious about that one as well. Supposedly a good chip.

 

Bifrost Multibit isn't bad at all (rated G for Good), but personally I found it disappointing through no fault of its own:

1. Yggdrasil is the star. Gungnir MB unexpected totally overachieved. Bifrost Multibit is like Asian-fail. Like 3.47 GPA. Unacceptable to many high-achievement Asian or Jewish families I know.
2. Yeah, too warm. But not just that. The loss of Moffat bass. The quality of the mids and treble is great, but doesn't mesh well as a whole with the less precise and more rounded bass. Note that the warmth actually makes Bifrost Multibit a tonal good match with the Valhalla 2 which can be lean sounding for a tube amp.
3. Would like to it to be more resolving, closer to Gungnir Multibit. Again see #1.
4. I didn't want to ruin the early party. I know a lot of people like this DAC, and rightfully so for the price. Personally, I'd probably stick with the Gungnir DS Gen 2 / Wyrd, or maybe in the near future an updated Gungnir DS with the AKM4490. I'm not as opposed to DS as people believe. Or at least I like to set people up to think that I think a certain way, and then move all the furniture around. Moral of the story: things in the universe are more fluid than they seem. Positions shouldn't be hardened. Or it's more fun to harden positions, and then break them apart, just to mess with people, because people hate change and fluidity. And that's the aspect of Donald Trump that sucks. But I digress.

 

Which goes back to the point mentioned about tastes. The Bifrost Multibit being a bit warmer/lusher (which I think is very, very tastefully done - this ain't no syrupy DAC, which I've heard a few of before) is one reason I like it. I found it pretty resolving as-is for anything I could throw at it, but then again, I stop caring about detail and resolution way before my preferences in tone. Stuff like the Metrum Hex was too smooth and lacked detail. Bifrost Multibit is just fine. I know some are the exact opposite and will sacrifice anything for that last bit of detail, attack, and resolving power. Or some really just don't prefer a slightly warmer or more lush sound. To me, it was just a very, very enjoyable DAC to listen to, and when you consider the low price, I considered it an excellent package all around. Especially when considering the perspective of someone that has yet to go off the deep end and drop thousands of dollars on their gear. Good place to dip your toes into high quality audio, stop, and just be happy, all at a reasonable price.

Different perspective and opinions is all. I have yet to hear the Gungnir Multibit, but I suspect I'll enjoy it, just as I've enjoyed the Bifrost Multibit and Yggdrasil, sometimes for different reasons.