Wanting a Dac

[26gary26]

Well tired of waiting for the DC-2 Dac to come out and it doesn't look like anytime soon. Anyone here have any experience with the Schiit Bitfrost Mutibit or the Gungnir Multibit with their Emotiva system. Looks like they have their Schiit together from reading some reviews. Any advice would be appreciated.

[novisnick]

Apr 22, 2019 22:36:37 GMT -5 26gary26 said:

Well tired of waiting for the DC-2 Dac to come out and it doesn't look like anytime soon. Anyone here have any experience with the Schiit Bitfrost Mutibit or the Gungnir Multibit with their Emotiva system. Looks like they have their Schiit together from reading some reviews. Any advice would be appreciated.

I’ve listened to the Gumby multi-bit and compared it to the DC-1 and I opted to keep the DC-1. I preferred it’s sound over the Schiit. It’s a very good sounding DAC, especially for the money.  Good luck on your journey.

[26gary26]

Thanks Novisnick I appreciate your opinion. I have also enjoyed all your posts on your current project. I hate buying used equipment, although I did consider the DC-1.

[Loop 7]

I was loaned a Schiit Bifrost (non-multibit) for a few months and was able to compare it to an XDA-2 Gen 2 and a Peachtree DAC.

The Bifrost wasn't the DAC for me but I was super impressed by it and here's why:

The Bifrost, in my opinion, was one of those DACs that had me hearing things in recordings I had never heard. It was eery. I thought the Bifrost threw a much deeper image and I heard so much more ambience in tracks. So that's all amazing but the Bifrost's ability to reveal wasn't a good fit for all the orchestral music I love which can serve up a lot of glare and harsh upper midrange.

When I returned to the XDA-2 Gen 2, music had more heft, more control of the glare but less excitement and nowhere near the revealing and deep access to a track.

The Peachtree, which had a Sabre chip, had a gorgeous, creamy upper midrange, an unremarkable high end and solid bass.

[garbulky]

Apr 22, 2019 22:36:37 GMT -5 26gary26 said:

Well tired of waiting for the DC-2 Dac to come out and it doesn't look like anytime soon. Anyone here have any experience with the Schiit Bitfrost Mutibit or the Gungnir Multibit with their Emotiva system. Looks like they have their Schiit together from reading some reviews. Any advice would be appreciated.

I do have experience with the Gungnir Multibit.
A little bit of background. The DC-1 is the DAC I normally use and it is FANTASTIC. The Gungnir Multibit was also really nice sounding. It did some things very well but in the end I chose the DC-1.
So here's mmy comparison. 
The Gungnir did a few things better than the DC-1. The biggest one was the sense of timing and separation. I'd never thought about things like timing. But with this it simply sounded more realistic. I was able to separate out the details in background instruments very easily. Like in this video 

I could hear the vibratos of the background violins/viola. I could hear when some of them were performing vibratos and some weren't. The instruments stayed in their spots. It was easy to point to where one violin was playing in a background of four violins. I could also hear the individual instrumental lines easier. Basically I didn't have to think as hard to figure out the music. 
The sound signature was sort of like listening to a high quality analog tape. If you've ever heard a tape or vinyl, there's something in the timing that I don't usually hear on DACs. 
However, keep in mind it took several days of leaving it turned on to acheive a tonal stability with most of it happening in two days. 
Also compared to the DC-1 the Gungnir MB sound felt bigger. Each instrument sounded fuller and larger in vertical height. 

However, I ended up selecting the DC-1. Why? 
The DC-1 simply had more detail. It had more room ambience. Where the Gungnir excelled in instruments, it lacked the reproduction of the hall itself. Basically the subtler detail. The Gungnir had a slightly harsh tone in the treble and didn't quite have the air in the treble that the DC-1 had. It was the lack of room ambience that did it for me. 
 
But just as significantly, the DC-1 had a remote control while the Gungnir did not. My DAC is the center of my home theater/living room and it is connected to several sources. I need to be able to switch very often between many of them throughout the day. I can do this with a remote. Using the buittons to manually switch was a poor experience because the icons that label them were undreadable being a set of very small logos essentially. 

ALso the DC_1 has a balanced transparent volume control while you have to buy one for the Gungnir - and it isn't easy to find a standalone transparent balanced preamp. I've heard a few preamps but most fell short. The best I've heard so far has been the Audio Gd HE-1 and though very impressive it isn't quite there in ultimate transparency though it is better than the XSP-1 and a good bit ahead of other preamps I've heard. The Audio GD is more than 2 grand!  

So considering I already had the DC-1 which costs about $300 used and the Gungnir multibit cost $1500 and didn't nail everything and would need an additional great balanced preamp to pair with, I chose to stay with the DC-1. I hope to eventually upgrade to the Ygdrassil and then pair it with the most transparent preamp I can find. But I am still holding out for it to have a remote. 
So I hope that all made sense.  

Long story short - if you like timing and sense of being able to hear what's going on, the Gungnir multibit is quite nice. Don't get it if you need to switch inputs often from afar. It lacks a little in detail compared to much cheaper delta sigma dacs like the DC-1. 

[brubacca]

I have and still use a Gumby MultiBit Dac. I think garbulky hit the nail on the head. Gumby is about the pace, timing of the music more than all the details. I would expect Bifrost MultiBit to be the same.

I have found emotiva gear to be very neutral and very detailed. Keith L has been on here many times espousing that they are as neutral and detailed as they can be at the price points.

What do you prefer? Have you ever heard a system leaning more towards pace and timing (Rega, Naim) ?

The thing that strikes me about multibit is it makes the music sound real. A muted trumped sounds like there is one in the room, not a good copy in the room.

I recently used a Schiit Sys (preamp) with a pair of Emotiva XPA-100 monoblock and my Gumby as the source. This was not a good combination for me. Sounded flat and boring.

My normal setup is Gumby feeding my Rogue Tube Amp or Naim UnitiQute amp. Both sound amazing.

I'm sure I didn't help much, but that is my experience.

Also years ago I had an original XDA-1 Emotiva DAC and it was not for me.

[26gary26]

Thanks Garbulky and Brubacca I really do appreciate your input. Yep I guess its what you want to hear and what you actually hear. Wish DC-2 was available because I would like to stick with Emotiva to see what the matching effect was. Thanks again guys,

Gary

[fritz]

I have the Bifrost multibit. Ive ran it with my xmc1 xpa5 combo and it sounded great. Now Im using it with my two channel VTA st120 and the VTA sp14 preamp all tube with my Maggie 1.7i's and it sounds fantastic. Couldn't be happier with it.

[klinemj]

Apr 23, 2019 16:16:18 GMT -5 26gary26 said:

Thanks Garbulky and Brubacca I really do appreciate your input. Yep I guess its what you want to hear and what you actually hear. Wish DC-2 was available because I would like to stick with Emotiva to see what the matching effect was. Thanks again guys,

Gary

I have a DC-1 I am prepping to sell. I just don't have it listed yet. It's in perfect shape. I just don't need it any more.

If interested, PM me.

Mark

[selind40]

Apr 23, 2019 16:59:59 GMT -5 klinemj said:

Apr 23, 2019 16:16:18 GMT -5 26gary26 said:

Thanks Garbulky and Brubacca I really do appreciate your input. Yep I guess its what you want to hear and what you actually hear. Wish DC-2 was available because I would like to stick with Emotiva to see what the matching effect was. Thanks again guys,

Gary

I have a DC-1 I am prepping to sell. I just don't have it listed yet. It's in perfect shape. I just don't need it any more.

If interested, PM me.

Mark

Mark.......if he isn't, can I be second in line?

[monkumonku]

Apr 23, 2019 16:17:43 GMT -5 fritz said:

I have the Bifrost multibit. Ive ran it with my xmc1 xpa5 combo and it sounded great. Now Im using it with my two channel VTA st120 and the VTA sp14 preamp all tube with my Maggie 1.7i's and it sounds fantastic. Couldn't be happier with it.

Same here! Bifrost Multibit (Bimby), VTA ST-120 and SP-14, with Ascend Sierra 2 speakers. I'm very happy with the setup.

[fritz]

Apr 23, 2019 17:31:59 GMT -5 monkumonku said:

Apr 23, 2019 16:17:43 GMT -5 fritz said:

I have the Bifrost multibit. Ive ran it with my xmc1 xpa5 combo and it sounded great. Now Im using it with my two channel VTA st120 and the VTA sp14 preamp all tube with my Maggie 1.7i's and it sounds fantastic. Couldn't be happier with it.

Same here! Bifrost Multibit (Bimby), VTA ST-120 and SP-14, with Ascend Sierra 2 speakers. I'm very happy with the setup.

LOL
Great minds think alike!

[Loop 7]

Apr 23, 2019 16:17:43 GMT -5 fritz said:

I have the Bifrost multibit. Ive ran it with my xmc1 xpa5 combo and it sounded great. Now Im using it with my two channel VTA st120 and the VTA sp14 preamp all tube with my Maggie 1.7i's and it sounds fantastic. Couldn't be happier with it.

Wow, I bet that combo sounds incredible.

[26gary26]

Thanks for all your replies gentlemen. Unfortunately I don't have the tube units that some of you have. I like what I have so far. Just in search of that almighty elusive upgrade, LOL. I'll let you know if I find it with review.

[thorcorps]

I used a DC-1 with my XPR-1s, etc., in my Living Room system for several years. Finally got the itch to try some new equipment, so picked up a Modi Multibit and ran it through the analog input of the DC-1 for comparisons. It sounded more natural, so I picked up a Freya preamp (LISST option, so all solid state), then a Gungnir Multibit so I could go back to fully balanced. I moved the Modi Multibit to the bedroom system and swapped some other things around. I still have 2 DC-1's, because I really like them, they're just not hooked up to anything at the moment.

I've been quite happy with the setup. If you don't need/want to go fully balanced, you might just want to try the Modi Multibit (it's cheap).