Bought a Gungnir Multibit... So far not impressed. Why?

Can you explain why PCM1704 is an inferior version? I have Audio-gd DAC-19 that uses this chip but I really like it.

 

This boggles my naive mind. I had come to believe that Gungnir Multibit and Yggdrasil, well surely Yggdrasil at $2300 with the Schiit over achiever price/value factor, had to be something near the pinnacle of modern day DACness, and surely the modern pinnacle of DACness improves on a 20 year old DAC. Surely?

 

What I meant is that your ears / brain expect a certain sound and sometimes anything that deviates from what you're used to sounds wrong. My preferred headphone changes weekly, it seems. The gear hasn't changed. Only my perception.

 

Well, is clarity and neutrality something you value more than "warmth" or "musicality" that is a coloration of the gear you're using rather than the recording itself?

From my limited understanding, it's that coloration that the vintage gear offers.

 

Heh, which player do you prefer?

 

@Hands, curious what is a good alternative to straight USB for the Gungnir Multibit? Note: ideally in the realm of affordable to mortals!

In general, I've also heard a lot of conflicting perspectives on Gungnir Multibit using SE vs. XLR outputs. Some people, including folks here with awesome amps like the T3 and EC amps, use the SE outs and have no complaints at all. Others swear that the XLR is where it's at, and SE really sucks ballsack.

 

Audirvana+ will f**k the shit out of foobar2k IMHO.

 

Frame of reference?

I'm coming from what might be the polar opposite angle as the OP (having used the ESS9016-based Peachtree iNova for 3 years) and am initially finding my Gungnir Multibit to sound noticeably less "clear" although it also seems to be more open and resolving. I guess I've been really used to hyper-clarity and somewhat clinical dryness.

I never really grew up around turntables or old-school R2R DACs so it's quite a change for me.

 

Have you tried just using the single ended outputs on Gungnir Multibit? I tried xlr-rca cables and found the sound bright and edgy. The correct way to use the balanced ouputs to a single ended amp is to use a transformer like the Jensen PC 2XR.

 

I see, perhaps the latter explains why I like it so much since I have tinitus. But what exactly does syrupy bass mean? And when you say "Rolled off and not as lively compared to past chips. Too polite and forgiving." Is that compared to your own preferences or is it compared to what is considered neutral? I don't even know if it's possible to meassure that on a DAC.

I'm just trying to learn here. Who knows, perhaps I would like PCM63 or PCM1702 based DACs more. Speaking about those... what good DACs uses those chips?

 

Yep... I agree. It has got a little of the meat and richnes but lacks the life and sparkle.

Well... I think it's all about the sound you have in mind. It would be not wise to think that a dac could sit near the pinnacle of dacness regardless your taste. To me it's all about pleasure of listening, couldn't care less bout the truth (if there is a "truth"). For my taste putting a Gungnir Multibit (as I hear it now) above a sonic frontiers is an absolute heresy
Maybe this schiit multibit lies closer to the truth, but certainly 20 years ago they knew how to make dacs very close to analog pleasure.
I'd be happy to change idea in a few days but I take from purrin's experience that it is unlikely to happen.

 

What does syrupy mean to you all? Is there an established definition?

 

I understand the politeness regarding treble but I still don't get it when we're talking about bass. Does it mean it lacks bass quantity? Does it mean it's bloated?

 

Do we have a dictionary on SBAF for all these terms? I'm not native English. I still don't get it

 

One time I was listening to a song through my car's speakers, and all of a sudden I just heard this loud boom. It startled me, and it took me a moment to register that it was the song. I couldn't distinguish anything about the sound other than the fact that it was a lower frequency. When I went home, I listened to the same sound on my HD600s trying to figure out what I was hearing in the song. It turned out that it was a bass drum. I think the difference between those two experiences illustrates the idea of bass definition.