Schiit Urd Impressions

Correct, it’s the usb port from the Pi (not the hat). But it’s the same streamer unit, that’s all.

For reference, the hat SPDIF out into Yggdrasil sounded better to me than the base USB (which is why I went in that direction).

 

true lol, but wonder how much filtering it actually does for less-than-optimal usb like a noisy pi unit...

 

Yeah, who knows. Hopefully some analysis (and generous explanations from Mike and @schiit) educate us more.

To me, unison never sounded like a filter. The jump from gen5 to unison input, to my ears, gave the sound a roomier feel. Unison to Unison feels like things are under “new and better management”.

Also fun: switching usb inputs. New toy.

 

I am really enjoying the “new design language” that I think was introduced with Folkvangr:

- Power switch still on the back, but it’s the one that’s right next to the cord.
- Chassis has this more solid, more refined, better executed curvatures. It’s funny because having this thing close to a Freya is where you start noticing the refinements (without being dissonant, it’s still the same DNA).
- Gloriously solid feel. CD tray feels premium indeed.
- The power switch is on the right, while the rest of my shiit has it on the left. Oh well. Less cramping of power cables on the same side of the rack, I guess.

If you like your equipment silent, you already dislike Schiit with all the clickity-clack of volume pots and such. You will hear heavy lifting happening on the tray mechanism (except when playing). No problems here.

I’m trying a brand of cables I’ve never used before (Cable Creation). No complaints, would be cool to know how they compare to the PYST (Straight Wire) measurements @atomicbob published a while back.

 

I believe the PSAudio PerfectWave upsampled everything. Many of their products from a certain point forward just upsampled and reclocked everything inside.

 

Yup. Can confirm Urd kicks my streamer's ass. Preferring USB out to USB in on Yiggy A2 OG (Unison with a 8 dollar cable off Amazon). Half contemplating selling my streamer and just buying a ton of cds at this point.

Edit: Just did a direct comparison from Coax out from Urd and USB out from Urd. IMO USB is much better when Unison is on both ends. I also played around with USB from my phone into Urd (USB Audio Player Pro) and it sounds excellent).

It's nice to not have any hiccups or laggy computer issues. Just play and stop. Roon has been freaking horrible the last few months for unknown reasons.

I also like that there isn't an eject button. Just hold down stop. Makes me feel confident my 5-year-olds won't figure it out and accidentally open the tray / break it.

Switching inputs and outputs has also been seamless, quick and easy to figure out.

 

My 5yo grandson would have the tray opened and Urd disassembled in 30min flat.

 

More fun: Moved a lot of Schiit around the house, compared Urd vs CXC via coax SPDIF to Yggdrasil.

Can’t say I hear a difference, but I’ll try.

Switching to compare SPDIF and USB, I hear something. But I think I’m just hearing Unison doing its thing here.

Will shut up now. I think I had many first impressions and they are all HOLY Schiit.

 

Mine finally arrived today after a Fedex delay. I've only played a few songs so far but the difference between this playing a CD vs. streaming with a PI2AES is pretty noticeable. I haven't owned a CD player for a decade so I have what streaming sounds like burned into my brain. URD playing CD just sounds a little meatier, and I mean that in a good way.

I'm using AES/EBU for a digital cable. I'll play around with USB later.

 

Noob Question, it looks like the unison cable are C on the back of the URD. Is that correct, if it is why? now I have to buy all new cables, if Im wrong yahoo im a happy noob
best,
Josh

 

Yes they are C connectors.

 

If you are are sending your DAC the same digital data (the same exact track) except one is coming from a FLAC or WAV file and the other is being read by Urd off of a CD, the only reason Urd would sound better than your streamer is that Urd is getting the digital data to your DAC with less electrical noise and jitter.

There is no reason in the world that Urd should sound better than a well designed streamer. For example, I am using a Holo Audio Red to stream over USB to my Holo Audio May KTE DAC. I have not put s scope on either device, but I have no expectation that the Red is more noisy or introduces more jitter than the URD does.

I am not arguing against the utility of URD for those that want to spin CDs. But the idea that a quality transport is going to sound better than a quality streamer is flawed. The people that love PS Audio seem to think there is some magic with their SACD transport saying that it sounds better than streaming DSD in all cases. Hogwash.

 

That's cool and all to guess and stuff, but I'm listening to them both right now in reality. A Holo Audio Red and Urd. Same masters of same albums.

Maybe if Schiit sends out a loaner you can try one and see?

 

Well, maybe you have expectation bias. There is no reason to expect a device with a couple of motors in it and a lot more ICs in it to be electronically quieter than the Red. I look forward to someone testing both devices and showing the output from the analog side of a quality DAC.

 

And? Did anybody here say it does? Or are you creating strawmen arguments because you're bored or something?

Have you actually heard @RestoredSparda 's streamer and personally compared it to Urd?

And the point of Urd is that its a one stop solution for people who want to stream and spin CDs and convert digital to digital from a well designed single device, as well as for Schiit to control the signal going to their in house designed USB solution (unison). Not that it's designed to objectively sound better than the Holo Red.

Get on the loaner tour so you can pontificate with actual experience with the gear in question rather than clog up the thread with unnecessary noise.

 

Just to be clear, I am arguing that Unison to Unison sounds different to me. And CD vs the same PCM streamed into the dac is something that can now be compared with the Urd as they can pass through the same output - I am struggling to notice a change between CD and an ALAC rip of the CD, Roon-streamed.

 

Mostly yes.

USB is not intended to optimize electrical noise, timing, or jitter. It was intended for printers and mice.

So yeah, not hard to believe SPDIF, aging but designed for purpose, and Unison, likewise possibly even better optimized, is better than USB anything.

 

No. It's that this new transport come out and people start making claims about how much better it sounds than whatever it is they have now which could be a streamer, a computer, or another transport. I am not a "bits are bits" guy by any stretch. But, that's a lot closer to the truth than stuff like "Can confirm Urd kicks my streamer's ass." Especially when it is compared to a quality streamer streaming to a quality DAC. That kind of hyperbole is hard to take seriously. This reminds of the guys over on Audiophile Style that get a new cable or fuse and say the difference is night and day. This reeks of expectation bias. I remember when that kind of "review" would have drawn criticism here. Is that kind of review okay here now? Or it just okay with Schiit products?

Look, if the same bits are being sent to the DAC, and the device sending the bits to the DAC is electrically quite and does not generate extra jitter, the sound will quite similar to another similarly electrically quiet device. This is not an amplifier operating in the analog domain.

Look here:

https://goldensound.audio/2023/02/09/holo-red-streamer-ddc-measurements/

The Red is a really high quality device. When it comes to putting digital data into a DAC, it would be hard to beat.

People may have a preference for how one device sounds versus another or that they may prefer to spins CDs rather than stream them from a hard drive and that is great. Pissed in my cereal?? This is not some kind of zero sum game so it is no skin off my nose one way or the other. If you don't like what I like, or vice versa, it means nothing to me.