Bifrost 4490 and Bifrost Multibit Subjective Comparison

Actually you're correct. The 4490 does indeed have a larger soundstage, but lacks the organic dimesionality of the Bifrost Multibit. I remember writing that in my comparison between that and the multibit. My bad.

Anyway, my point was to say that you cannot defuckify a Bifrost 4490 into a Bifrost Multibit.

 

Well if anyone gets a chance to do an actual bias free comparison, please post the results.

 

I don't know. Maybe someone can tell us.

 

I honestly wonder why some people prefer the 4490 to the Bifrost Multibit. I've seen that sentiment posted occasionally on different sites.

 

Probably the kind of people "Velvet Sound" was designed for in the first place.

 

Can you elaborate?

 

Didn't Mike say that multibit was better for reproducing sounds that were recorded in a real space? And that 4490 was better for electronic, music that is primarily sounds created artificially.

 

I have to 'fess up. I do like me some Vrevet Sound (i know, i know, i'm going to burn in hell for that. It's all @Psalmanazar's fault). Seriously, it's not perfect, but the M2U4490 has a very sweet and nuanced sound. Dare I say Vrevety?! But... I don't have the Biforst 4490. Tonight I did a comparo of the Modi2U4490 vs Bifrost Multibit, into Valhalla2 +hd650. I set up JRiver to play to both DACs, and set up a sys so i could toggle back and forth.

Side question, I'm retarded, I had to essentially set up 2 zones in JR, one for each DAC, and start the playback in each zone separately - is there a way to create a single zone that plays to both? Or simultaneously start play back in both zones?

Another aside, I got very good at discerning the two, to the point where I am pretty sure I could ABX it easily, as I essentially did that by intentionally trying to confuse myself about which DAC was set to which toggle position, etc. That may sound like child's play to some, but for me this is a step forward in skill level. I will have the wife unit help me do the ABX soon.

They sound quite different. Overall the Bifrost Multibit is more detailed and precise with the imaging. Both macro and inner detail are more focused, although the 4490 does have nice inner detail. The thing I will say about the Modi2U4490, is that it has a better bass presence than Bifrost Multibit. Some ^^ think it's too bloomy down there. There may be a touch of that, but i didn't mind. It may be that my rig (valhalla2) benefits from a little warmth. Bifrost Multibit however seems soft in the bass, and that takes it slightly out of balance. That to me is Bifrost Multibit's weakness.

 

Yeah the Bifrost Multibit's staging is just better. the Bifrost AK4490 stage is just too wide like you're in the nosebleed seets of a concert and it places things worse and has worse tonality outside of the bass. It just hits harder in the bass and is warmer, bloomier, and cheaper. The Bifrost Multibit's only real and fatal flaw is limp dick bass. Jon Bonham and Dave Lombardo don't sound right on a Bifrost Multibit but a ton of string fundamentals just don't exist on the Bifrost 4490 if kick drums/timpani/something lower are being played.

Play Iron Maiden's "Aces High" where the bass is really loud as Maiden is Steve Harris's band on a tonally neutral system and then play it on a Bifrost 4490 and listen to the bass bleed into the rhythm guitar. Put it on the HD 650 and god damn. Play Angel Witch - Angel Witch - "Angel Witch" to continue the big bass 80s metal and the rhythm guitar tracks are almost gone. Not so on the Bifrost Multibit which just has that pillow soft bass but all the melodic lines are there; they just need some testosterone.

 

x-post jinxed you owe me a beer

 

See above. It's a different presentation. A certain voicing.

 

Honestly if the "voicing" differences (especially bass) are really that stark as people make them out to be, should be trivial to record outputs from the dacs, and let everyone diffmaker / level match / ABX the heck out of them. Apologies for thread crapping.

 

No worries, it's an interesting thing. I'm pretty sure that all DACs measure nearly the same - I thank all have a near perfectly flat FR. jitter and noise floor are supposed to super low across all. I don't know why they sound different, but they do. That said, it _is_ extremely subtle, but like image and focus, the tone of a DAC is also significant. It seems contradictory that something that is subtle can at the same time be heard as significant - like it does matter. And maybe some people are immune to this, but I have this theory that we all respond to "better", even if we can't even identify it. We live in the natural world and we know and therefore have an internal reference for "correct". I think I'm off in the weeds now.

Edit: I didn't really answer your question, I was thinking about measurements. The idea of building a file with pieces from each DAC does seems like a good idea. Surely this has been done? If that's not hard to do, that would make it very easy to discern.

 

I don't dispute any of that since my last equipment shootout, there were some stark differences with amping especially. Though I'd still like to verify I'm just not hearing bias etc..

Sometimes the claims here are too absurd sounding though. Unlistenable dacs because of subtle limp dick bass etc..

 

Yeah, sorry, I edited my post above realizing I had gone off topic, lol. tl;dr, a level matched abx file would be a cool thing and a cake walk for the golden ears. That's half the battle getting something together that switches fast, doesn't have volume differences etc.

 

I think it's often hyperbole, to say things so strongly, but the effort is to convey that yeah, dangit, I can hear how the bass feels a little back in the mix with the Bifrost Multibit - once you've heard a DAC with better bass presence, you've forever heard it and you can't unhear it. And then you start tilting at windmills.

Edit: I still love my Bifrost Multibit. It doesn't have to be perfect, and it gets so much awesome.

 

The question is why no one seems able to measure what's easily audible?

 

The same reason that bits aren't bits.

 

What do you mean?

 

I'll let people figure that out for themselves.