Schiit (MultiBit) Bifrost

What was the 4X NOS bullet point on the MB Bifrost description board? A joke or some particular type of OS filter?

Also, ran into that same bug today with their Macbooks and MB Bifrost. Really weird, digital, distorted sound. Cleared right up with cable unplug/replug or input selection switched. Heard that on pre-production unit too. Schiit rep also said they had issues with MB Bifrost on their Dell hybrid laptops, yet MB Gungnir worked fine. Same USB board, right? That's what he said. He seemed as confused as I did if they are indeed identical USB boards. (Note I said specific Dell machine and not broad Windows)

That said, this sounds WAY better than the pre-production unit when it was working (which was basically 99% of the time, from what I could tell). Very enjoyable to listen to with Lyr2 and HD650. Definitely a steal! I might buy one myself.

 

Here are my Power Points:

1. Warm it up for a few hours for maximum plankton, clarity, and microdynamics. (Or just leave it on all the time.)
2. MegaComboBurritoFilter >> JRiver upsampling to 192kHz. Upsampling closes the entire stage. Sense of soundwave propagation from instruments, especially bass (long wave lengths), separation, layering, positioning, angles, they get become discombobulated and simplified without the MegaComboBurritoFilter. The sense of space is really amazing with the Filter. I really don't think Bifrost Multibit loses to Gungnir Multibit/Yggdrasil in terms of space (other than ambient cues, focus, etc.)
3. Those who were concerned about the "wooley bass" issues of the pre-production "reDACted^2" impressions need not be worried. I also felt the bass to treble integration wasn't quite "together" with the pre-production "reDACted^2". These issues no longer exist. Nothing weird, No tonal aberrations at all. A nice warm tone. I would pair with HD600 rather than HD650; but that depends upon amp and personal preferences too.
4. The Bifrost MB sounds a bit different from the Gungnir Multibit/Yggdrasil. The sound is warmer and lusher. Really easy going. Not even a hint of strange digital treble. Makes Modi 2 or Bifrost DS sound grainy, and Modi 2/Bifrost aren't even close to bad in that regard.
5. Not as analytical as GumbyYggy (if one felt that way) - doesn't have the precision, focus, and massive resolution. More forgiving in that sense and might even be more "fluid". Doesn't quite "dig in" and involve as much with Gungnir Multibit/Yggdrasil, but exhibits strong hints. Still very good microdynamics easily exceeding DACs with Fisher Price toy cosmetics.
   
6. Reminds of bit of the Sonic Frontiers PCM1702 based TransDAC. Just more resolving, better space, slightly harder hitting. (Ravi, this is your TransDAC replacement).
7. Yeah, as lm4der said, it crushes Modi 2. Much much more resolving, fluid, and smooth. Greater clarity in the bottom registers - makes Modi 2 sound confused in comparison.

Wish I had something like a DAC19 around to compare it again to, but the PCM1704 does have a very distinctive sound for better or worse. I'm pretty sure this DAC would sound better if it were put in a bigger chassis with lights, meters, and lead weights.

 

I've heard the Ref 5 and have a good idea how it sounds, but looking forward to your AGD Reference 5 comparison. Bimbo has the advantage of theBurrito filter and a more accurate DA chip. REF 5 has a fully discrete analog stage, stacked DA chips, and crazy power supply.

 

Cool. Thanks!

 

Differences aren't huge unless you do exotic tube rolling; Val 2, unless you want flexibility to run orthos like HE-560, etc. Other possibilities are Torpedo or Crack, but those are DIY.

 

Hard to say if it's the best pairing as there are many combinations that I haven't explored yet. The Schiit gear tends to be discussed here because it's cheap (high value), so we can afford to buy it ourselves and try it out.

From memory, I am almost positive the Bimbo is warmer, more natural sounding, more refined, and stages better than Concero. I never liked the Concero much, especially with HD800.

P.S. I just realized the first sentence sort of answers your question.

 

Switched over from CDP to try USB. Same error. The driver software won't recognize the Bifrost Multibit USB as Cmedia.

 

This is direct from USB without Wyrd. The USB driver software won't recognize the Bifrost Multibit.


This is via Wyrd. Unknown device.


I'll give it a shot on another PC.