Life after Yggdrasil: Watering the Ash

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by Torq, Mar 1, 2017.

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  1. Dino

    Dino Friend

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    @Torq - I have found descriptions in audio magazines of the Rega DAC-R ($1195) interesting to me. I wondered if you have heard it or had any interest it it.
     
  2. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    This time around it's more about what you guys want to see compared than anything else. This is an easy one to source, so onto the list it goes. Will probably get done quite quickly do based on price and easy availability.
     
  3. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    If the Rega DAC-R is anything like the non-R version before it... well, I didn't hate it, but I didn't really like it either and I'd take a Modi Multibit over it (and I'm kinda meh on the Modi Multibit). It did make for a nice tool with the pass-through spdif option though. Plus it was interesting flipping between the five filters (I think the new version has fewer options).
     
  4. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    My Bifrost Multibit easily walks circles around my Rega DAC. There's nothing the Rega does better than the Bifrost Multibit - but, I do prefer the Wolfson implementation better than anything I auditioned about 5 years ago, sub-$1,500.
     
  5. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    I've not heard either version, that I can recall. Given how much Rega stuff my dealer tends to keep on the floor, though, it's possible they have both (I'm sure they have the DAC-R) and that might be an interesting comparison. Of course, preference will play a role there too.

    I'm generally well disposed to properly done WM8741 implementations (e.g. Linn), and have gotten on well with a good number of WM8740 builds (including, oddly enough, the original A&K120), but I've not heard any 8742-based units, so that'll be an interesting contrast.
     
  6. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Are any of the Audio Note DACs worth looking into? I seem them getting mentioned frequently on SHF, and haven't seen them on the list here.
     
  7. Larry Megugorac

    Larry Megugorac Craps on Filipino accents to ease inner poverty

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    Since my Yggdrasil will arrive next week, can someone recommend a great way to feed it?

    I get the sense that USB will not give me the best results from what I have read. The boys at Schiit tell me that all inputs should be identical....but I also know there is some posturing going on there... Saw the Wyred 4 Sound uLink looks like it could work?
     
  8. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Wrong thread for this question. You'd have better luck in the general advice or USB nervosa threads.
     
  9. Larry Megugorac

    Larry Megugorac Craps on Filipino accents to ease inner poverty

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    Thanks Merrick!
     
  10. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    I've heard a couple of them (variations of the DAC 5) in the past and was wholly underwhelmed. I think, at the time, the unit I got the most time with was going for upwards of $30K ... and my first thought was that it was about $29K overpriced.

    I can add them (once I'm not stuck waiting on the cable guy and aren't restricted to typing on a phone) ... no idea about the likelihood of securing an audition though!
     
  11. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Thanks! You don't have to make them a high priority, I was just curious.
     
  12. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    I've spent a bit of time with their 2.whatever DACs, and i think these were the sweetspot for some time. While folks were chasing spitty fake hi-rez through upsampling and sabre chips, the 2.blahblah dacs were (are) very musical in comparison. not very macro-dynamic, but they got inner-tone of acoustic instruments and bloom around sound sources really right. Voices sounded a little too chesty. But solo cello sounded fantastic. I think auditioning them next to anything moderately more resolving from the last few years will certainly show the limits of trafo interstage coupled designs (especially when AN-UK is using relatively cheap trafos directly compared to some of their wild custom trafo designs) because the AN dacs will come off sounding rolled off.
     
  13. thor72

    thor72 New

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    Hello, I was wondering if you heard the most recent version of the Exasound, e32 as compared to Yggdrasil? I saw you made a comparison to e22 but it's discontinued as you noted...
     
  14. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    I've not spent any time with the e32 yet. I probably will. I'll add it to the list in a bit.

    As far as I know the only differences are down to the substitution of the new ESS "Pro" DAC chips. And the principal differences with those are about ease of implementation and power efficiency ... with a modest improvement in SNR performance (which was already at a level that should be beyond audibility).
     
  15. thor72

    thor72 New

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    thanks!
     
  16. TonyNewman

    TonyNewman Validated by Tyll removing Utopia from WOF

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    Excellent updates - thanks for posting these.

    So all of the DACs that were once rated as "slightly better" than the Yggdrasil are now "different, rather than better" - Pavane, Total Dac, Dave. That is even more reason to be uber impressed with the Yggdrasil performance. Factor in price and it is a no-brainer unless you have money to burn.

    I only wish I had tried Yggdrasil before going down the HD30 / Bricasti M1 dead ends. That was money wasted.
     
  17. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    Not quite.

    In my original cycle on this the ONLY unit that I scored, overall, as beating Yggdrasil was DAVE. All the (+) indicator meant was that the unit had made it through to my "final audition shortlist". For this cycle I've revised the meanings of the indicators and as a result it's better NOT to compare them to anything from the original thread.
     
  18. TonyNewman

    TonyNewman Validated by Tyll removing Utopia from WOF

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    Understood. Thanks again.
     
  19. FredM

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    Since the Yggdrasil was introduced back in 2015 and remarkably still stands up, I wonder what an updated Yggdrasil-version will bring. It may just shutdown all sub $2500 DAC topics for another 2 years :)
     
  20. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

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