Schiit Bifrost 2

Wow. Funny how you get "used" to a particular sound.

Turns out everyone's hunch was correct. There's better synergy between both sets now.

The Heresy's are tamed down a bit, which leads to sounding more organic. And, I don't know if my Verite's have ever sounded so good... I can't wear them when trying to work. I keep finding myself distracted. lol

Depending on what these new analog boards end up being (tonally), I could see myself keeping my Yggdrasil GS for desktop use, and selling my BF2 for Yggdrasil V3 for 2-channel. That being said, the BF2 is an amazing value. Really makes me stop and go "do I really need to spend that extra grand or two..?"

I also don't have the Unison upgrade since I've been using the AES input (too bad the BF2 doesn't have that). Placed an order for the upgrade. Going to be interesting to look for improvements between Gen5 and Unison.[/user]

 

Without reading all 52 pages, is there a comparison to the Modi Multi bit in this thread somewhere? I’m thinking of upgrading from a Modi MB (with OPA2134 upgrade), and really don’t want to make just a small jump. I’d like to make this count and be something that really does the ZDT Jr. justice. I have heard a lot of good things about the BF2, and am considering getting one.

 

Whatever "small jump" means to you, is impossible to quantify. BF2 isn't a sidegrade and well worth the money.

 

That’s exactly what I wanted to know. Thank you. Can you elaborate though?

 

This might be a disqualifying statement, but when I recently compared them it was very hard to hear a difference after using Wireworld OCC interconnects on both. Computer > iFi iDefender with iFi iPower > Intona High Speed USB isolator > Sabrent USB hub with individual switches so only one DAC was active at a time > Modi Multibit & Bifrost 2 > Wireworld Eclipse 8 XLR cables on the Bifrost 2 and Equinox 8 RCA cables on the Modi Multibit > Gustard H20 with SparkoS SS3602 opamps > 4-pin XLR Lavricables Grand 20 Core silver > Ether C Flow 1.1 with bass port stickers removed

I got too much other gear in lately to continue the comparison so far, but both sounded really good. I did hear differences before using the Wireworld interconnects on the Modi Multibit (was already using Eclipse 8 with the Bifrost 8). Separately, I tried the Bifrost 2 single ended vs. balanced and have to agree that balanced sounds better for some reason, even though it is single ended internally. The RCA outs sound a bit softer in comparison, with less heft. I have not yet compared the Bifrost 2 single ended against the Modi Multibit. By inference one would think the Modi Multibit should win this one...

Take that for what it's worth, obviously the Intona USB Isolator is pricy and removes some of the Unison USB advantage the Bifrost 2 might otherwise have.

 

I realize this isn’t the comparison you asked for but I have a Bifrost 2 and ZDT Jr setup and, for what it's worth, this past year I upgraded to the BF2 from the Massdrop Airist R-2R DAC. The R-2R DAC was supposed to be a slight step up from the Modi Multibit, at least according to a couple of reviewers - including Torq, if memory serves - who have vastly more experience than me. I've not compared the Modi MB with the R-2R DAC directly, so I can't comment there. My sense, vague as it is, is that the R-2R DAC and Modi MB aren’t drastically dissimilar in levels of performance or in their sound signatures; whereas the R-2R DAC is dark, the Modi Multibit is slightly warm. I could well be wrong here; I’ve not spent long enough with the Modi Multibit to be able to describe it very well.

What I can say, though, is that the upgrade to the BF2 from the Airist made for a significant improvement in the sound quality of my system, which is Macbook --> USB --> Bifrost 2 --> ZDT Jr. --> HD 800 SDR and HD 600. The Bifrost 2 didn’t make for a revelatory, the clouds-parting-for the-sun difference over the RDAC. But the improvements were appreciable for me, and well worth the investment.

I jotted down some listening notes when I compared the R-2R DAC to the BF2 directly:

The BF2 offered

• better instrument separation and layering (this was quite pronounced)
• more precise imaging
• a blacker background
• better resolution
  • microdynamics were a clear step back on the R-2R DAC
    • on the BF2, you could make out different strikes of drumsticks or brushstrokes on drums (I noticed this clearly on Cannonball Adderley’s Something’ Else); cymbals were also crisper and “zingier” and had better decay on the BF2
    • I could hear subtle differences in the force the double bass player used to pluck strings
• more realistic weight to kick drums, which may suggest stronger slam
• more depth to the staging
• more realistic timbre for acoustic instruments, especially woodwind, voices, and strings
  • string instruments had a more incisive attack
  • they also had stronger resonance; so too, did tenor and bass voices (the latter in Gregorian chant)
• I concluded that there’s an overall tightness, crispness to the BF2’s sound that helps make music more engaging

By contrast, the R-2R DAC

• had a slight haze to the sound; orchestral pieces seems more smeared over, especially with massed strings
• the treble was a bit brighter on the R-2R DAC
  • vocals sounded a bit more strident, perhaps “peakier”

I realize all this is a bit removed from your query. I'll end, then, by noting that I like the Bifrost 2 with the ZDT Jr. and brighter headphones. I'm not sure there's good synergy with the BF2, ZDT Jr, and HD 6XX.

 

Search - this thread only - Modi Multibit.

Here's @dllmsch for starters. You're welcome

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/schiit-bifrost-2.8226/page-47#post-322326

 

The opamp upgrade will benefit the Modi MB but it won’t touch the BF2 on detail retrieval, air, and black background. Not to mention the superior USB implementation on the BF2 and future Autonomy upgrades. If your budget can stretch to the BF2, I would recommend it.

And if it isn’t enough of an upgrade for your taste, flip it and get your money back.

 

The OPA2134 would likely only be a slight upgrade from the stock Modi MB op amps. There are better op amp choices, but they are not magic. I've been down that road.

BF2 is better long term choice for all the things @Merrick pointed out.

 

More resolving, stronger dynamics, more bass quantity, less hazy/veiled, more spacious, better focus/imaging precision. Basically there is just more of everything.

 

So I've got a Asgard 3 that has always had transformer hum/buzz. My new Bifrost 2 arrived with even louder hum/buz on the left side. I've done everything to diagnose it, DC Blocker + taking it to 3 friends houses, and now I just believe it is the units themselves and has nothing to do with my home. Is there something about the design of Schiit transformers that make them have a high chance of noise? Or maybe it's the 50hz/240v here in NZ?

 

I have a regular Bifrost 4090 dac and I had to move it away from other electronics (amps) because it sounded horrible due to magnetic fields. I had the DAC temporarily sitting atop an amp while setting up and realized they we're affecting each other. When I moved the DAC 16 inches away on another rack level the problem disappeared and everything became very quiet. Not sure what the Electrical situation is in NZ is like so only you and your audio buddies would know.

 

I don't know if the situation in NZ is similar, but here while the voltage is nominally 230V, in actuality it is often in the low 250s. I was frustrated with transformer hum in several pieces of equipment, though a Gungnir MB was the loudest. In my case it really helped to add a Tripp-Lite LR2000 which is an isolation transformer with a few taps to do voltage regulation. I set it to drop the voltage by 9.8%, which brings it from ~253V to ~228V, and the transformers quiet right down.

 

Ah, interesting. I could buy a cheap outlet meter and check this out.

 

"Macbook --> USB --> Bifrost 2". My experience with USB from MacBook is negative. Somehow I get better sound by connecting MacBook USB -> ViewSonic monitor USB, and then feeding from ViewSonic -> Modius. I think the reason ViewSonic has very powerful external power supply and accurate clocking because it's a monitor. FWIW.

 

Well with that attitude @jexby, you may just miss the magic of nervosa.

 

Nervosa is just paranoia with a hipster beard. #HotTakes

 

Wait, what are you talking about? My understanding is that the USB clock from MacBook to ViewSonic is 330 MHz, USB from ViewSonic monitor to DAC is 48 MHz. 330/48 = 6.875. The two clocks are not directly convertible, the monitor USB hub has to do some reclocking, otherwise the limits on incoming video signal frequency will be too harsh.

 

Now that you said this it got me thinking. I measure my outlets at my home at 241 / 50. The Bifrost 2 is sold as '230'. I wonder if this extra 11 is enough to make the transformers cranky. I read the manual on the Tripp-Lite LR2000 and I'm unsure how I can drop the voltage with the device.