Yggdrasil with preamp - any benefit?

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by thor72, May 11, 2017.

  1. thor72

    thor72 New

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    Hi guys,

    Hope my Q is ok here: I am a -1 day owner of an Yggdrasil - my anticipation is mounting after all the long wait.
    Source is a NUC with my music library into a microrendu, to a MUTEC MC3+ USB into Yggdrasil. Speakers are ATC SCM50A (active speakers).

    I have read on many forums that there is clear sound benefit in adding a preamp before amplification stage but then I've also read that if there is no analog source (my case), it isn't worth it.
    I was wondering if in the case of the Yggdrasil, there could be value from an SQ standpoint in adding a good preamp?

    Many thanks in advance! :)
     
  2. Azteca

    Azteca Friend

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    Hi, Thor. Please do not create new threads to answer one simple question. Try asking in the All Purpose Advice Thread, the Yggdrasil thread, or in other suitable threads.
    The short answer is: many find the Yggdrasil analog output somewhat lacking (background is "grey" rather than "black) and think it could use some tubes to help this along. So a preamp might be a good addition.
     
  3. TonyNewman

    TonyNewman Validated by Tyll removing Utopia from WOF

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    I am running my Yggdrasil output into a Freya preamp, then into a Master 9 headamp. I like what the Freya does to the sound - the Yggdrasil + M9 can sound a little bit clinical without some tube goodness. Freya is an inexpensive tube pre if you are looking at something of that sort to try.

    If you do go for a Freya, it is very important to run quiet tubes on the gain side (right side). I am running TS RP on the right and NU on the left. Works very well.
     
  4. Garns

    Garns Friend

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    The answer is "it depends". In terms of transparency, the best preamp is no preamp but various things may mitigate against that.

    Without a preamp you have no volume control, so you need to use digital volume control in software in combination with the trim controls on your ATC. Hopefully these trim controls are enough to get the volume in the right ballpark so you only need a few db of digital attenuation. I would recommend staying below 12db. I ran some tests, and quantisation noise was clearly audible on Yggdrasil with 16 bit material at 24db reduction.

    However even if you are happy with using digital volume control, there are potential problems with impedance matching. Depending on what the input impedance of the ATCs is, and how the trim pot is implemented, the Yggdrasil's output circuit may not be completely able to drive it directly (the output stage of Yggdrasil is a bit weak). Like, you won't have distortion or anything so egregious, but for example with my Neumann O300s, the Yggdrasil direct into 14k input with 24db attenuation via trim pot is harsh and sibilant in the treble.

    In my case I got a Freya and it is heaps better. Sibilance and harshness in the treble is way down, the whole spectrum sounds more balanced, and no need for digital volume control. This is with either tube or JFET mode on the Freya; though weirdly, even passive mode sounds better than a direct connection.

    But before picking up a preamp yourself, sit with what you have for a while and see how it sounds and how it works at a practical level. Once you know well what it sounds like running direct Yggdrasil to speakers, try anything with a pre out as a preamp in between, for example a headphone amp. Headphone amps are generally not transparent enough to be decent preamps but you can get some idea of whether you have impedance problems and/or digital attenuation problems before committing to an actual preamp.
     
    Last edited: May 11, 2017

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