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

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by drgumbybrain, Jan 16, 2018.

  1. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    Also Marv mentioned that the longer you've had the Multibit DACs running, the shorter the warmup from cold becomes?

    Or something to that effect.
     
  2. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    I find it interesting when people are willing to spend more on Yggdrasil than on both their speakers and amp combined, and then on top of that, feed it a low quality source. I guess Yggdrasil will scale with your other upgrades later which is good, but to me this seems backwards.

    I guess people get fixated on one specific aspect in their system, or all the hype and the positive reviews about one specific component like Yggdrasil and can't resist. I've probably spent more money on my transport than I should have compared to other parts of my system (about as much as my DAC), so I guess I am not immune, but a DAC 2-3 times the price* of my amp or speakers, no.

    *This is comparing new retail, to new retail, not getting into used priced gear mashups.
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2018
  3. Magnetostatic_Tubephile

    Magnetostatic_Tubephile Friend

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    Honestly dont subscribe to the "source first" approach myself at this point and therefore can relate to your comment. Based on my experience so far, speakers/headphones come first, then as synergistic amp as possible to pair with the transducer... then DAC/transport. M50x fed by O2 out of Yggdrasil A2 would still suck. Abyss fed by Aficionado out of ODAC? I would be perfectly content with that (should I have no more money to spend).
     
  4. Muse Wanderer

    Muse Wanderer Friend

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    I would instead try to get a very high quality DAC that is as neutral and reflective of the source material as possible. Thereby one can just play with the synergy between amp and transducer to flavour the music to one's taste and forget about the DAC.

    If a DAC outputs a subpar or coloured analog signal, everything else down the chain is compromised making it difficult to elicit amp and transducer attributes.
     
  5. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    I used to manage a hi-fi shop and the industry mantra was pretty much spend half your budget on speakers and then work from there. I think this logic works pretty well with budget systems, say below 3-5k, but after that it becomes a little fuzzy. For a while I turned into a source first guy but I think there are always exceptions.

    One time I lugged home 15k worth of CD/Pre/Amp and hooked it up to a $300 pair of B&W dm601s. They scaled right up with the rest of the system and were a very satisfying listen. So I can go both ways with this theology.

    I bought a Yggdrasil because I wanted an upscale, upgradeable dac that wouldn’t leave me wanting for something I couldn’t afford. While my amps and headphones rotate a bit, the Yggdrasilis a foundational piece of gear I don’t expect to replace until it dies, or something ridiculously cheap outperforms it in the future. I still need to have the A2 upgrade done before next Winter.
     
  6. Druid

    Druid Hyperactive Tree

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    I think it depends on one's ears. For me, going from Bifrost Multibit to SFD-2 was every bit as big a change for the better than going from Jot to Aficionado. Timbre is incredibly important to me, and SFD-2 eliminated digitus and artificiality from material where it shouldn't exist. I'd assume Yggdrasil A2 is similar, maybe even better.
     
  7. direstraitsfan98

    direstraitsfan98 D2Girls v2.0

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    Is that the dual chassis tube dac from sonic frontiers? Did you get the upgrade from PCX?
     
  8. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    I just listed my Analog 2 Yggdrasil for sale. I adore this DAC, it's the best I've experienced and if I was building a serious system it would be my stopping point for digital. I think it's priced very well at $2400, clearly better than what's priced below it in the digital realm but stopping short of a critical price point of around $3000. Money well spent here on the used market can put together a turntable setup that will do things no DAC can, so this is something important to consider.

    I can't say much useful about the Yggdrasil that hasn't been said already. I didn't really ever compare it with anything - in it's league or otherwise, and my experience with kilobuck DACs is lacking. I can say two things about it that are relevant though; first is that I feel this is the closest you will get to a source component 'disappearing' from the chain anywhere near this price point. What I mean by this is the Yggdrasil is resolving enough and exerts little of it's own character to the point where it's really easy to begin taking it for granted in your system. You only start to notice how righteous it is when it's gone and you're stuck listening to the competition. Righteous would be a pretty good word for this DAC: dynamic, lively, sweet - revealing individual musical lines and immersing you in them with a great sense of immediacy. The Gungnir Multibit has many of these traits too at half the price, which is what makes it such a wicked value, but I still have to admit it tends towards smearing transients in favor of euphony & bloom.

    The second thing I can say is that - having become very jaded - a $2400 DAC for a headphone rig is total overkill. Marv is pulling your chain with his Modi Multibit - Gungnir Multibit - Yggdrasil A2 performance delta analogies. They all share an immediate familial resemblance and as far as headphones go honestly any of them will get you there in terms of enjoyment and endearment towards music. If you own one of the cheaper Schiit DACs or really any source that lets you stay up late listening to music or having a 'one more track' session - think twice after you read through this thread and froth at the mouth for an upgrade. It personally took me way too f'ing long to realize this but now that I have I'm happier for it. I can only advise all my good audio friends of the same.
     
  9. Thenewerguy009

    Thenewerguy009 Friend

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    Owned a SFD2 & Yggdrasil at the same time, they were radically different sounding.
     
  10. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    That statement begs for more details.
     
  11. Druid

    Druid Hyperactive Tree

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    I'd be curious to hear your opinion as well. I really like my SFD2/AF/HD800 combo and wonder if swapping in an Yggdrasil for the SFD2 would make the HD800 too bright.
     
  12. BillOhio

    BillOhio Friend

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    @elwappo99 brought his 800s over and we ran them on Af/Yggdrasil A2. I don't think that brightness was an issue. Maybe he'll chime in.
     
  13. Magnetostatic_Tubephile

    Magnetostatic_Tubephile Friend

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    Ive yet to hear two RADICALLY different sounding DACs regardless of technology or price tag, as long as they were fully operational. But thats just me I guess.
     
  14. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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    Ever heard the Denafrips Aries or S19? ;)
     
  15. Thenewerguy009

    Thenewerguy009 Friend

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    The Yggdrasil V1 did win out slightly in resolution. The bass was much tighter, slam & impact was superior, as was the sub-bass.

    The SFD2 did have a markedly wider soundstage, but the midrage was the biggest difference though. The SFD2 made the V1 Yggdrasil sound recessed & veiled.
    Macro dynamics was kinda half & half. Music with prominent bass/drums were more lively & dynamic on the Yggdrasil, while music with guitars & vocals where much more dynamic & lively on the SFD2.
    Micro detail was better on the SFD2, but the imaging was better on the Yggdrasil. Rolling tubes made minor changes to the SFD2, but power cables made a big change. While with the Yggdrasil, those power cables barely changed anything.

    I definitely preferred the HD800 with the SFD2 over the V1 Yggdrasil, though I would miss the Yggdrasil whenever I listened to EDM.
    The difference was very much the typical tube vs solid state sound.

    The original Yggdrasil would pair much better with softer, darker cans like the Hifiman & Audeze.
    While the SFD2 would pair better for brighter cans like the HD800 & Utopia.
     
  16. alubis

    alubis Acquaintance

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    I have both the Yggdrasil A2 (upgraded from A1) and SFD 2 mk ii (standard non SE+). My setup: Rednet d16 to Yggdrasil A2 or SFD 2 mk ii to Freya passive to active speaker ATC SCM19A.

    I would mostly agree with the statement above. In short, sfd has wider soundstage, good details but not as detailed as Yggdrasil A2 or A1, only slightly softer on the edges compare to Yggdrasil, less forward presentation (I find sfd2 as engaging as Yggdrasil A2 but not as forward), and more midbass rather than deep bass.

    By memory, A2 fixed my issue with the A1 bass. I would say bass is slightly less prominent compare to A1, as I find A1 bass can be too much for my taste. I also find A2 slightly less forward compare to A1, hence less fatiguing on long term listening. I think treble is better defined as well and less this hissy sound (such as on Miles Davis - Milestones) if that makes sense.

    Both sfd-2 mkii and Yggdrasil A2 are great dacs and I have a hard time to choose one over the other. I guess is mostly depends on the preferences or setups.
     
  17. Thenewerguy009

    Thenewerguy009 Friend

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    I should mention I had the SE+ version with upgraded caps as well.

    I also owned the SFD1 non SE+ edition without the upgrades & it was definitely a soft sounding DAC.
    Compared it to a Gungnir Multibit & it was way too soft. Bought the SFD2 mkII SE+ & compared it to the Gungnir Multibit & the Gungnir Multibit's vocals & music was so distant in comparison, it was no competition.

    Then bought a Yggdrasil V1 & it was a deadlock on which was better.
    At least with the SE+ version, the DAC was more on the bright side, just with leading edges of notes/transients not having as a hard bite to them like with the Yggdrasil.
     
  18. Don Quichotte

    Don Quichotte New

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    You're very close to my dream system! I might buy in the future a system consisting of Yggdrasil analog 2 / Freya / ATC SCM40A. Can you please elaborate a bit on the match between the Yggdrasil and the ATCs? Does the sound have a very wide range of colors and timbres or is it a tiny bit bleached or greyed out? Wide or narrow soundstage? Can it sound relaxed, subtle and refined when needed or is it mainly (relatively speaking) about macrodynamics?
    Also, is this with tubed or solid state Freya? (I'm a bit adverse to going into tubes...)

    Thanks!
     
  19. alubis

    alubis Acquaintance

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    My preference lies on dynamics, details, and treble. Freya on tube mode sacrifices too much transparency, while the JFET mode slightly boosted the treble and bass to my ears. Hence, I prefer passive.

    I would say Yggdrasil A2 is close to ideal for my speaker, but if I start to nitpick I would like Yggdrasil to have sfd-2 soundstage and less forwardness. Yggdrasil A2 doesn't sound bleached or grey out nor relaxed. It's refined, dynamic, and engaging to listen.

     
  20. elwappo99

    elwappo99 Friend

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    Unfortunately "bright" on the HD800 is affected by source material and what an individual finds too "bright". I.e. two people could listen to the same exact song on the same exact rig, and would have a different opinion on the HD800.

    But, for me that was a killer set up. Definitely the best I had heard the HD800. It was on the edge of brightness but the resolution was incredible. I tried not to listen for too long....
     

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