Schiit Yggdrasil Stereophile Review + Measurements

Chapter's up.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/701900/sch...-most-improbable-start-up/16950#post_13245036

 

One hopes that it isn't actually a photo!


.

 

Came across this stereophile article today and was doing the same as my avatar. Love the comments. Wonder if the series will continue.

 

I'd be fine if they stopped the series.

 

Stereophile posted their Recommended Components: 2017 Edition Digital Processors:
http://www.stereophile.com/content/...dition-digital-processors#X8zwIe867piSGkso.97

I won't speculate about John Atkinson's personal issues and his motivations to rank the Yggdrasil in Class B. However, I will point out that John ranked the Antelope Zodiac Platinum DAC in Class A+ while two of his reviewers, Bob Katz and Tyll Hertsens, could not reliably discern the difference between between the Yggdrasil and the Antelope Zodiac Platinum DAC. Bob Katz wrote the following about Yggdrasil during Big Sound 2015:

"Our first adventure was either a failure or a success depending on your opinion. It was comparing the best of delta-sigma DACs, the Antelope Audio Zodiac Platinum DAC, against a new version of the classic R2R technology, the unpronounceable Yggdrasil, aka the "Yggdrasil" DAC from Schiit. My digital guru, Bruno Putseyz, has a number of disparaging things to say about the idea of resurrecting an R2R DAC, so I expected this comparison to be a piece of cake—I surmised the Yggdrasil would sound colored and small. But this was not the case, and in fact, both Tyll and I failed the blind discrimination test, scoring no better than 50-50. We used a carefully-selected high-resolution reference recording from my collection that I know well, shortened it to about 20 seconds and looped it so we could compare one to the other blind in the fairest way. Still, sighted, Tyll and I both feel that perhaps the Yggdrasil's got a little less depth than the Antelope. But maybe not, since we were unable to discriminate the two DACs blind and the Yggdrasil is more than 4 times cheaper! I have an idea now for a listening test to proof the two DACs, but it's too late since I've already left Bozeman. If any of you readers gets an Yggdrasil and has a good competing Delta-Sigma DAC, please contact me through Innerfidelity and I'll arrange to send you a special listening test signal that might reveal the sonic differences." - Bob Katz

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/big-sound-2015-participant-report-bob-katz#TK4LV3AhwGorP2Vz.99
​

There is no basis for the Yggdrasil to be in Class B other than personal reasons which seem to have intensified after the backlash of his Facebook post about the Yggdrasil.

 

I replaced my Bricasti M1 (another A+ product according to Stereophile) with a Yggdrasil and couldn't be happier. A definite upgrade to my ears.

Stereophile have their heads so far up their own rectums they can taste their own tonsils.

 

Placing Yggdrasil just above Arcam rBlink DAC but below Musical Fidelity V90-DAC? Hmm... JA must be a troll.

 

Just Advertising.

 

Yeah, the ranking seems like a poor joke... The Bryston BDA-3 is class A+, the Mytek Brooklyn is class A, and both are ranked above Yggdarsil in class B. Kinda says it all.

Also, notice how all other class B components are less expensive than Yggdrasil -- I can only assume that JA wants to create the impression that Yggdrasil under-performs the competition in terms of value, instead of over-performing it. In short, yet another dig at Yggdrasil which is placed near the bottom of that list...

 

Since when do hifi publications' classification actually matter?

Better get some education and learn how to read the measurements. No Yggdrasil is not perfect. Yes it is very good at its price point.

 

JA's impression of Yggdrasil was colored by the fact that it did not resolve the last two bits. Saying he doubted the Digital design while praising the Analog design. I think it sticks in his craw that the Yggdrasil can perform so great relative to its selling price/competition. It screws up Stereophile's pecking order...

Class B??? Bullshit!

All I know is my recently acquired Yggdrasil is coming up on 48 hours after installation, I am totally blown away for what it did for my system...have had only the chance to HP listen but this weekend I will get the Yggdrasil singing through my speakers! Incredible piece of performance!

 

The "doesn't resolve more than 21 bits" thing is entirely a thing of measurements. I would love to see him blind test a 24 vs 21 bit file on the Yggdrasil and on another DAC. Seriously, this is something everyone should try. Sometimes there might be a difference even when measurements and logic tells you that there isn't.

 

Not to defend what Stereophile has written here, but lets be honest, there are a lot of options out there. Stereophile is a business and they'll do whatever it is they do to keep the bucks coming in. It's a fancier form of click-bait and it's still cash generating. So take it as seriously as you wish...

However, I must admit that sometimes it's a Schiit echochamber around here and the Yggdrasil being portrayed as the second coming of Christ. Which is why I really applaud Torq for embarking on his adventure to look beyond and evaluate other options - honestly.

 

On the other hand, he does not seem concerned when MQA places the upper bands in the low 7 bits of the base-band 24/48 signal. Because, you know, "17-bit is in the mics noise floor anyway".
I guess Schiit doesn't spend the big bucks like their buddies Meridian, so they only get a B rating. Like US private schools .

 

Under each class, the DACs are listed alphabetically according to manufacturer. No intentional dig there.

I think sometimes we get too hung up on things aligning to our views and try to find conspiracy in everything. There are quite a few DACs in Class A and Class A+ that cost less than the Yggdrasil. Stereophile does tend to prefer costly components but that is not ALWAYS true. While the review and the classification of Yggdrasil under B is unfair, I doubt it's anything more than personal preference coming into play. May be JA doesn't like R2R. The component listing is not through vote or anything, so there will always be disagreement.

Stereophile is still one of the very few sites (hometheaterhifi? SBAF?) that publishes standardised measurements. The way I read Stereophile reviews is: click on measurements, look at the graphs, close page. No need to read the subjective or objective conclusions.

 

Sabres, FGPA monstrosities, DSD bullshit, and R2Rs that barely work (looking at you variable sound MSB Ultra Analog), and minimum phase weirdness in Class A? f**k off. The only DAC of those I've heard on that list that deserves to be in class is the AD1955 based Bricasti M1. Mytek and Chord and Auralic and Ayre lol. Yggdrasil a B-grade component? What the f**k? Are these people deaf?

 

They might be deaf, but they have a fancy analyzer! That must be worth something

 

Perfectly stated. I also see that someone challenged John Atkinson about the Yggdrasil's rating in the comments section of Recommended Components: 2017 Edition Digital Processors article. John seems to have selectively ignored that comment so you know this is personal. I hope he feels vindicated at the expense of his integrity.

 

As a former Bricasti M1 owner I can state that - to my ears at least - the Yggdrasil urinates all over the Bricasti. Then after the golden shower it squats down over it to finish the job. A lot of daylight between these 2 DACs (IMHO).

EDIT - to me the Yggdrasil SQ + price combination IS the second coming of Christ - at least from an audiophile point of view.