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Model: | Bifrost w/SPDIF |
Category: | DAC Processors |
Suggested Retail Price: | $350 |
Description: | Bifrost DAC with only SPDIF and Toslink input |
Manufacturer URL: | Schiit Audio |
Review by sbrians on March 06, 2012 at 20:23:19 IP Address: 75.60.96.240 | Add Your Review for the Bifrost w/SPDIF |
The sound was smooth from the start. I never heard glare. This is a huge plus to me.
I heard a friend's Emotiva ERC-2 CD player in my system which is what showed me that CDs could sound better than I've heard previously. I heard some glare in the player and my records had clearer midrange, but many aspects had me wanting to improve my digital music. (To be fair, I don't know whether that player was fully burned in). It had great bass power and cymbals sounded great.
Now, I won't focus on different aspects of the sound since that does not describe what I hear with this piece of Schiit. Dynamics and bass had me a bit concerned prior to burn in; they filled in later. I burned in using satellite radio. Sound was nice, smooth and clean and the DAC was probably a keeper (and will replace my Golden Theater GTX-1 which I was only using as a stereo DAC for digital radio). Prior to burn in I did not notice much difference between digital radio & CDs.
But:
At ~55 hours of burn-in, I heard Fleetwood Mac "Dreams" song on the radio and decided to compare to CD. I was suprised at the difference and I don't know why that is. DirecTV claims CD quality I believe. I would tend to disagree now.
My prior reference at home was $1k of vinyl playback system and Oppo BDP-83 with EVS basic mod. I preferred vinyl. No longer. The remainder of the review is for CDs via coax out from the Oppo.
Still at ~55 hours of burn in, I found myself lost in Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind" song. I snapped out of my trance and for a split second wondered where I was. This is the 1st time that I ever had this experience with music, even though I have tried for 40 years to attain this. I waited 20 years to go with CDs after they came out since it seemed horrible at first and after 10 years of trying, had given up on digital music (even SACDs w/ my HW). I built up the rest of my system believing that the source can't do much if the rest of the system is not up to the task. I considered most of my CDs to be be mostly not listenable for more than a song or few. Good ones sounded good. But now those CDs that I considered bad, are quite magical. I can still discern between lesser and better CDs, but there is very little difference now. Music that I did not even like before has now become mesmerizing for me and my wife, such as Diana Krall "All for You". Difference between my good-sounding CDs like Janis Ian's "Breaking Silence" (not the AS version) and the average ones is now pretty negligible. Nothing is intolerable anymore. This thing is musical. Most importantly, this was the last piece of my puzzle to enable me to not just have a concert in my room but transcend the music and go into the world painted by the songs where appropriate. The Bifrost name seems to be quite appropriate as a bridge between this world and another one.
After 6 days of burn-in, today I turned it off to find out whether it needs warm up, or in other words, whether it needs to remain powered on. I would say yes, to have all of it's magic, it seems that it needs to remain on (the power switch is on the back, but I had to test that).
I had reservations about trying this model vs others or more expensive ones, but no longer. At this time I no longer have a desire to change anything in my system which may be a first. Although I would need more power to play Taiko drums at realistic levels, they sound great now even at lower volume levels (another CD that I previously did not like and now sounds beautiful, by Kodo).
I'm also glad that I did not have to buy my 1st piece of Chinese audio equipment, but instead had a quality American choice. I do not believe in "buy American" if it sacrifices quality, but this does not seem to sacrifice quality. I'm quite happy that I tried this. It's a keeper.
Product Weakness: | Uses 12 W when idle. |
Product Strengths: | The sound transcends music. |
Amplifier: | Anthem Amp 2 SE/ Channel Islands D-200; bi-amping |
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): | CJ PV 10 bl; KMF active xover |
Sources (CDP/Turntable): | Oppo BDP-83 |
Speakers: | Magnepan 3.3 |
Cables/Interconnects: | Morrow MA-3, 4, Mapleshade Excalibur, Transparent digital coax, Z-cables |
Music Used (Genre/Selections): | Various, 70s pop/rock, classical, jazz |
Room Size (LxWxH): | 27' x 16' x 9' |
Time Period/Length of Audition: | 1 week |
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): | dedicated 10ga circuits |
Type of Audition/Review: | Product Owner |
I simply CANNOT stop listening. I set it up, plugged it in, and the sound came out (I must have accidently tripped the on switch) unexpectedly. I was immediately jawdropped with the clarity and definition of the computer files I played to hear it with first off. Amazing and so clean and clear. I tried it on a variety of files from 16/44.1 to 24/96 to 24/192, and all of a sudden I realized my computer was upsampling everything to 24/192! That was the best quality setting after a quick check, and the schiit doesn't do this kind of upsampling, so it natively sees 24/192 with my setup. Fine by me, no big flags or banners saying "wrong, wrong"...I've had it on for at least 3 days straight, and it keeps getting better and better. I love this thing, of course I have nothing to compare it to (this is my first DAC), just lots of good recommendations. Man, I'm glad I went for this.
Freedom is the right to discipline yourself.
Edits: 03/09/12
It's great to actually have music in your room.
I could go on about mine, but figure for the price and satisfaction guarantee, people who are interested have enough info to try it.
In the meantime, I'm listening to music more than I have in years.
I expect other more expensive ones do this or that aspect better, but I wonder whether they actually do music this well.
Thanks for this review -- just pulled the trigger on one of these and looking forward to hearing it in my system, where it will replace a V-DAC 2.
n
That will be an interesting comparison. Please post when it is broken it!
Dave
I had to look up "Bifrost" today in order to find out that it's the name of a mythical Norse bridge.
I thought it was just a funny phonetic goof, as in: "Liebling, you haff set ze oven temperature too high and burnt ze bifrost!"
Enjoy your new DAC.
SF
I have had similar experience. I'd also stress the need for the high quality SPDIF cable (true 75 Ohm) for a higher level of sonic refinement.
Also, try feeding it files right from a computer (16bit/44.1kHz or more) rather than a spinning disc -
"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad"
I am against wireless for health reasons (I believe that one day the truth will come out). My computer is far from my theater and I have no plans to change that.
Plus, now that I have this magic I don't want to change anything and mess it up.
But digital radio is starting to sound better now also.
I agree about the health concerns with wireless, problem is, its everywhere. I'm able to connect to both of my next door neighbors wifi. So there is just about no escaping it.
---------------------------
I run hard wired ethernet and use a Squeezebox 3 for most listening, and you certainly won't have to use WiFi with a computer ... hardwired ethernet works great and doesn't suffer from interference.(I find that network loading has a big effect on sound quality - so try to minimize wifi for that reason).
But if you are completely satisfied with your sound reproduction - then really nothing more is to be done! :)
"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad"
Edits: 03/08/12 03/08/12 03/08/12
I'm lucky that I'm in the country away from most of the RF that we are bombarded with without our permission. But, I agree that city dwellers are drenched in it 24/7 (me too, at work, etc.)
I've got about 24 hours on mine, I put it in the TV sound system to get the most burn in time. Sources are a Blu-Ray player, Roku 2, cable box and Logitech Revue, all connected to the TV via HDMI. TV optical digital out is going to the Bifrost.Have you tried using the optical input instead of the coaxial? I wonder if there is any noticeable difference. I have an optical cable but don't have a coaxial to try.
Edits: 03/07/12 03/07/12
I have confirmed that I can hear differences between my Transparent and KMF digital coaxial cables w/ the Bifrost. They may not be large differences.
No, I did not get the USB option. My sources available are a Squeezebox (coax or optical out), Roku 2, Logitech Revue or Sony BluRay player, all HDMI. So only the Squeezebox can be directly connected to the Bifrost, the rest have to run through the TV and I have two choices, use the DAC in the TV and connect the analog outs to the amp (this, surprisingly, yields very nice sound), or take the optical out to the Bifrost, then analog connection to the amp.I originally intended to use the Squeezebox/Bifrost combo feeding a Stax SRS2050II system, but the combination seems pretty bass-shy. I'll try it again after a full burn in, and also get a coax cable to try that input vs optical. If I'm not satisfied with the headphone sound I will leave it in the TV system. I'm away from my main system for a while so can't try the Bifrost there.
Edits: 03/09/12
Try an interconnect from your Sony and check the sound. It may not be ideal, but the IC will work as a non-optical connection until you get a better one. I think the difference between optical and coax inputs on the Bifrost are probably small.
I have had awful luck with optical out of TV giving the same fidelity of the sources feeding into it.
You'd be best hooking a source of yours up directly. The Bifrost, I am finding is capable of some astonishing sound - comparable to the Ayre C-5xeMP, but only if fed with a pristine and low jitter digital source.
Their USB is really good as well (again - low jitter source required) - did you get that option?
"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad"
I didn't get the USB option with mine.
Tonight I listened for several hours using the TV system: Logitech Revue playing Rhapsody (192 kb/sec) HDMI to TV, TV optical digital out to Bifrost, Bifrost analog out to Nuforce Icon Amp driving Polk R300 speakers.
I believe the Bifrost has now been broken in. I owe it to my wife, she watched a 71-episode Korean drama after I put the Bifrost in the TV audio system. Now the Bifrost sounds clearer and more detailed than than using the DAC in the TV. In the beginning I preferred the TV DAC to the Bifrost but not now. The slight initial brightness is gone (unless it's on the recording), the midrange and bass have fully developed. It's a beautiful sound, clear and detailed. The little Icon amp is also doing an impressive job.
I haven't tried it again with the Stax headphone system now that it's broken in, but I think I may leave it in the TV system since that's where I mostly listen to music.
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