Schiit Gungnir Multibit impressions

K4rstar,

I like your take on the Gungnir Multibit. I am considering one of these gems. I currently listen to digital files from my MAC mine through the USB from the MAC. What new rabbit hole must I go down to change the output of the Mac mini into a BNC or Coax inputs? I currently listen to a Oppo HA-1 from my MAC to both the 650 and 800S.

 

You have three options if you want to ditch USB entirely as a Mac user. I'm not mentioning AOIP solutions such as Rednet since the cost and setup required may be too high for the average user.

Option 1 (most expensive, medium set-up required, most convenience): An external Thunderbolt enclosure with a PCIe card from brands such as Lynx, RME, Digigram, etc. @bazelio has written a step by step guide on how to set this up for Mac users with the Lynx software in particular here. The good news is once you've paid out the nose and set all this up your computer audio will continue to function as before and sound great.

Option 2. (least expensive, perhaps the most set-up required, medium convenience): Using a Raspberry Pi as a transport or streaming endpoint. Unfortunately I'm not too experienced with this one but we have two information packed threads here and here.

Option 3. (medium expense, least set-up required, least convenience): Go the way of the caveman and get a good CD transport. Buy CDs. Listen to CDs exclusively through the coaxial input and use USB for "quick and dirty listening". Some CDT/CDP talk here and here.

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks K4! I'll check it out. I do listen to CD's....though only Multi channel (SACD and DVD Audio) on my Oppo 105 cause I don't know how to rip these formats.

I will check out the other options...though option 1 looks good at the moment. I guess it's pointless to ask if the "optical out" of the HP jack /Mac mini would be worth listening to?

 

Depending on the year/model of Mac Mini the optical out could be better or worse than USB. Certainly does not hurt to try.

 

I've been reading everyone's thoughts of the Gungnir Multibit here and i get the impression that it can be a pretty big upgrade. I've swapped between a few DACs already in the $100 to $250 area and am using a Modi Multibit right now. I'm at the point where I'm ready to say screw it and just get some end game gear. Gungnir Multibit interests me as I really do like the multibit sound in the Modi Multibit more so than in the other D/S DACs I've tried (Modi 2 Uber, SMSL M8).

My setup right now is Modi Multibit - Vali 2 - HD6XX. I really like the 6XX and will use them as my main cans going forward. The Vali 2 is good for now and I haven't really decided on the direction I want to go with amps. I'd start with the DAC in my lineup - would there be a big different between the Modi Multibit and the Gungnir Multibit in my case?

 

Of course, it would be a pretty big upgrade IMO. The rest of your chain is certainly resolving enough to appreciate the difference.

I owned the Modi Multibit in the past but unfortunately never got to do a direct comparison. I think Gungnir Multibit will have better extension at extremes, more correct (less dark) treble timbre, better staging (more noticeable with speakers really though you'll notice it for sure), and more overall clarity/definition/resolution. These are pretty generic descriptors, but if you dig deep in the Modi Multibit thread I know that at least a few people made direct comparisons to the Gungnir Multibit (hint: use the search function under search & links at the top of the page.).

 

Thank you! I'm glad to hear the rest of my chain would be resolving enough to tell a difference. The Modi Multibit certainly opened my eyes to how good multibit is, really looking forward to sharing my impressions here when I pull the trigger and get the Gungnir Multibit.

 

The day has come! My black Gungnir Multibit has arrived! Bought my first multibit in January 2016 (DAC-19) and compared to everything i had heard up until that point it was a game changer. But as the year went on and reading so much love for Schiit multibits i decided i have to try one out. Considered Bifrost Multibit and Modi Multibit but in the end knew that if i ended up liking them i would NEED to hear a Gungnir Multibit or Yggdrasil. 50 or so hours worth of side jobs later... Gungnir Multibit is here! It's just warming up but plan on giving it a few days before i start critically comparing dacs. So this is what i have to work with as of now:

Gungnir Multibit
DAC-19
SU-1 to feed them both simultaneously
AGD C-2 11th AE with HD650 Kiss Modded
Woo WA2 (TS5998/'75 Reflektor/RFT EZ80) with T1 Gen1 (i know neither the WA2 or Beyers get much love around here, but they are both on the chopping block this year when i have funds for and decide on a new pair of HP's and a different tube amp higher up the food chain)

If i were a betting man i would put my money on the following happening throughout this year as funds allow: After comparing Gungnir Multibit to DAC-19 i keep Gungnir Multibit sell DAC-19, use funds to add a Freya. Get Jot to compare with C-2 for HD650. Probably end up selling C-2 keeping Jot pair with Gungnir Multibit/Freya. Then it's onto finding a replacement for WA2 and T1. I sorta like the T1 so they may stay who knows... But as of now i have my eye on the ECP T4 on the way, a Zana Deux S, or i'm really curious/excited to see if Schiit releases a tube hybrid based on their Pivot Point topology.

Well i've rambled enough! Thanks to all of the contributors to these forums that help make it easier to make equipment decisions, i live in a small town a few hours from St. Louis MO and 5 hours from chicago and have yet to make it to any meets in order to hear equipment before purchasing nor do i have any local friends (yet) who are into this stuff.

Looking like it will be an exciting year in audio, not only for me but every one of us who is nutso over quality sound reproduction!



**Update**

Giving a listen after only around 8-9 hours of warm up as i cannot resist. One thing i can tell already compared to the dac-19... bass is a lot more clean and punchy.

 

I'd say wait and see what 2017 Schiit surprises come our way. More experienced members here would probably say that Modi Multibit is actually closer to Gungnir Multibit than the price difference would suggest, and it doesn't seem like you're in specific need for a balanced DAC -> amp connection.

I jumped straight to Gungnir Multibit rather than Bifrost Multibit, but impressions of Modi Multibit that I've read probably would have saved me some serious $$$ had it been available at that time (with the Modi Multibit being more similar to Gungnir Multibit in many respects than Bifrost Multibit).

An amp would make a bigger difference anyway.

 

Which is the best/easiest/cheapest way to connect a Windows PC per BNC to Gungnir Multibit?

Right now I'd go for the Mutec MC-1.2 and use some random BNC cable.

But how to connect the MC-1.2 with the PC?

USB?
SPDIF optical?
SPDIF coax?

Then I would have to get a soundcard with SPDIF coax output as well (Asus Sonar STX oder STX II, for example).

Getting a used Wyrd the next days, but read about BNC-superiority just today, lol.

 

The most cost effective way to connect BNC to Gungnir Multibit would be to use a pro soundcard like the RME 9632 or ESI Julia. The RME comes up on the 'bay quite often. There are the Lynx cards as well but they are more expensive. You could also try the Xonar STXII. I had one priviously and had good results with a glass toslink cable. Probably not worth bothering with the mutec since Gungnir Multibit and Yggdrasil do their own reclocking.

Connecting to Gungnir Multibit and Yggdrasil has been discussed greatly already, check out the USB nervosa thread.

For the cable use a belden cable. Blue Jeans Cables make a good one. They should be able to put a BNC connector on the one end.

 

Trust when I say this, the Gungnir Multibit sounds like shit until at least warmed up for two days.
Digital, glarey, etched, strident, bass lite are all the words I would describe the Gungnir Multibit when I left it on for just a few hours.

All that is absolutely gone after I left it on for a few days & listened to it again. The difference to me was stark.

BTW how can you have both your Gungnir Multibit & DAC-19 connected to the SU-1 at the same time? How does your PC know which DAC to switch? The SU-1 doesn't have a switcher anywhere does it?

 

@mrflibble

Thanks for the hint to the thread, I didn't know that there was that much debate on this topic. Will search the forum next time before posting

 

I'll be curious to hear which you prefer the Gungnir Multibit or Dac 19? These 2 have been compared often but I'd be curious to hear your impressions between the two.

 

It has four outputs (AES, S/PDIF COAX & BNC, I2S) which are all active at once, If you connect more than one DAC they'll get the same signal, so the only switching you need to do is on your amp's inputs.

 

Bingo Torq nailed it. Very nice feature for just this reason.

And having the Gungnir Multibit running since around noon on tuesday it is sounding much better than those first few hours that i just could not resist listening to it.
The DAC-19 was the first multibit dac i had ever heard and loved it for the last year, but being curious i had to hear one of the higher end schiit multibits... i will be keeping the Gungnir Multibit and selling the dac-19, i'd consider keeping it around but i really have no need for a second dac and the funds could be better allocated somewhere else... say perhaps a lync pci-e card to replace the SU-1.
I am not yet very well versed at describing what i hear in a coherent way like many of you, but Gungnir Multibit definitely kills it in the bass department which was one gripe i sometimes had about the dac-19... over all just a cleaner more clear presentation with beautiful tone and a musicality that i can listen to all day and love every minute of it.

 

I know I'm super late to the party, but today I got my upgraded Gungnir in again. It immediately felt heavier on the right side than how I remember the original Gungnir and mine also has a multibit sticker on it now. My dad uses a Freya for the living room system that I could borrow for Gumbreya experiments ... not sure how long I can resist.

Anyway, even not fully warmed up the Gungnir Multibit feels more dynamic, more precise and more holographic than how I remember the Gungnir DS. When I first turned it on it was still really cold (from being outside) and it sounded warm and murky with blurry bass, but now it's much more resolving than the original Gungnir. I do think the Yggdrasil that I heard in NY sounded better, but so far it doesn't disappoint. The warmer tonality is also a better synergy with my HD800 - but not with my current speakers. The imaging with my speaker setup is better than ever, but the improvements do carry almost exactly to the headphone experience. What I really like is how the attacks and timbre feel very realistic. It sounds less like a DAC than most other DACs.
I also think vinyl done well sounds more involving still, but the Freya output stage would probably also help there. It's just a matter of time really.
Going from the Gungnir DS to the Gungnir MB is as big of a jump as going from my BenQ XL2420T LCD to the Sony GDM-FW900 CRT that I use now. It's just that much better.

One thing I do wonder about is this: With the Gungnir DS I was able to (more or less) successfully A/B a 20 bit file from a 24 bit file from a vinyl recording that I made. With the Gungnir Multibit and its 19 bits of resolution that shouldn't be possible in theory. I'll try that sometime later. That file is special because it has crazy dynamic range, so you can easily hear the quantization noise when going down to 16 bits.

 

I've heard about the legend of a mythical DAC called the Gumbreya, I am wondering if anyone has posted a guide for this?

 

try starting with thishttp://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/new-members-introduce-yourself.17/

 

Last I heard Schiit is out of Gungnir Multibit boards. Ordered my MB upgrade a couple of weeks ago and now just waiting for my 'Invite' to send my Gung in.