I knew the black Bifrost 2 reminded me of something…
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That video lead to me buying the bifrost 2 tonight.
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Nice, hope you enjoy it 
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Mine arrives tomorrow and I’m very excited.
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I can confidently say, if you play music on a Bifrost 2 there are no questions on what it should sound like.
Bifrost 2 sounds amazing on:
- Window 10
- Arch Linux
Drivers needed: None
Heat kicked out: moderately warm, will require a fan if AC is a problem at least.
Sound: Still getting used to it but slightly barely noticeably warm from neutral. When looking at DACs I can say confidently mutlibit is awesome and I don’t want to consider the Yiggy (GS edition or Analog 2 + Unison USB) or the Gumby. Good enough for end game. If you have an Airist R-2R, slightly warmer where the Airist is just a hint dark in my comparison. SO MUCH BETTER DETAIL and the USB I think might be the biggest difference. Accuracy of sound? Sounds like a saber dac and AK4490 with a lot more detail.
Biggest sound take aways. Base hits harder than the Airist with wonderful details. Highs hit just right and it make symbols surprisingly more pleasant and not a hint depressed sounding. Vocals male and female in all ranges seem to be identical to the Airist R-2R (which is a very good thing).
If you’re shopping around and looking for ladder DACs… this is a serious contender for one simple reason… you cannot guarantee the resistors in a ladder dac will perform well. If you know anything about 6 sigma with the number of resistors used and the issues FPGA’s can have, you this multibit setup because the manufacturing will be spot on consistent.
I purchased this unit as B-stock. Should you? Sure. It looks like new and I can’t see a difference. I’m guessing if you have Blon B20’s with an amp that can handle them, this DAC makes those cans sing in ways I didn’t expect. The warmness makes the LCD X sound closer to neutral and just fun without loosing that syrup. kph 30 surprisingly isn’t the biggest fan of this DAC on my early test, REALLY WEIRD.
Oh, warm up time in the 20 minute range for the biggest change. I’ve heard the Gumby is about 4 hours - 3 days to the Yiggy taking 2 - days to a week.
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Great impressions!
Glad your enjoying this dac so much. And the results from pairing with the LCD-X are very encouraging.
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I’m not going to lie, the Airist + THX 887 after the LCD X had full burn in made me question everything. This changes a lot. I have Ether CX’s coming in which are supposedly on part with the LCD XC so I’m really curious how this all goes together. The DAC is clean enough that my KZ ZS10 Pro can only get a tiny bit of his past 12 oclock with gain set to 3. Gain 1 cranked, no hiss.
Comparing “The Daemons from Adrian’s Pen” by Andreyt Avkhimovich from my Fiio BTR5 with the THX + B2 with an IEM. ZOMG the detail can only be described in vulgar and bannable (but good) terms.
But to go back to the LCD X sound in general, the B2 pairs nicely with a THX amp and LCD X to bring it closer to neutral (subjectively) and injecting a musicality with it. If you like analytical headphones and amps with a hint of spice with detail… I think the Bifrost 2 is an ideal pairing specifically. If only someone can let me demo some ZMF cans to confirm some things (before I buy them anyway) I’m golden.
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The bifrost 2 is amazing and I was highly skeptical prior to purchasing it. In addition, I’ve had some issues with Schiit products in the past. I’m happy I rolled the dice as it seems Schiit has taken control of some of their past issues and started making reliable and high quality gear again. 
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I’m curious to see a redesign of the Gungnir and Yggrdrasil. Amp wise, I got a feeling the Jotunheim is do for a rebuild since it’s overshadowed by the Asgard 3 right now (in terms of reviewer acceptance casually seen).
Like you Hazi, I’m thinking the Bifrost 2 is the smart buy in terms of Schiit design cycles with their DACs. However, if you watch Steve Guttenburg at all, it seems like EVERYONE that has a high end setup just uses the Yggrdrasil when he’s checking out people’s ultra high end setups at home. THAT is still telling.
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Yes and Steve is a guy that is just so likeable, even when I find myself disagreeing with him. He is one of the good guys in this hobby.
By the way, I have heard from a reliable source that the Gungnir has been discussed as a potential rework/revision. If so, the outcome of that will be very very interesting…
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I think the Gumby will happen after the Yaggy…
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That would make sense as the parts and newer tech would go to the flagship and the past gen yggy stuff going to the Gungnir.
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I’m not speculating anything. Bifrost 2 is fantastic for headphones right now and I REALLY hope they don’t mess with a thing. If I were Schiit, I’d redo the Gungnir with the replaceable hardware architecture. The Analog 2 board seems to be spot on and I’d finish clearing out the GS edition Yiggy’s before even hinting at a Gungnir revision.
But Schiit has their DAC line up practically mint right now, I wouldn’t mess with it right now except for some new delta sigma analog boards and push for blind testing. I totally bought the Bifrost 2 fully waiting for a swap to Delta Sigma to just take a good chassis and add some variation. If you don’t read the blind testing post… internally they admitted in blind testing they liked the delta sigma stuff better on occasion.
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Oooo. Check this out Schiity friends.
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This may be a left field question, but how does this compare to an SMSL VMV D1? I wonder if anyone has experience with both… I’ve been curious about R2R dacs, would love to hear what people got out of these options.
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I mean personally I prefer the bifrost 2 to the vmv d1, but I would say if you wanted to get something a bit higher tier, you would be looking at perhaps a used Holo audio spring2 or a soekris 1541 or something along those lines. The mdht orchid is also pretty sweet in that range
Edit: also what do you think of the zmf on the tube now that you have had more time with it?
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First thing you notices it separation of instruments seems to be better. Certain songs with some transient like sounds have sound to the them that seem to be more like vinyl (more transparent? you decide). The biggest issue is Sigma Delta’s start out cheap and ok, mid-tier offerings is where you start seeing R-2R DACs do REALLY well. Then in the uber expensive stuff it’s more about implementation and features and less about the underlying tech.
That’s my take on things, when in doubt just believe in M0N. I do want to make a note here that I think needs to be clear, multibit sounds and R-2R sounds on my limited sampling are not one and the same. FPGA ladder DACs maybe done different with a greater degree of variance than a multibit that DAC that manages to handle the entire ladder DAC all in silicon. Resistors for FPGA based solutions will use expensive precision resistors in large quantities meaning the end result may vary a bit from runs. Chips however are MUCH easier to control the manufacturing.
Result? I think multibit DACs (I suggest the Bifrost 2 from Schiit and up, not their cheaper offerings) are more accurate and consistent than other non sigma delta DACs. Also, anymore I am a believer that pairing of the proper DAC and amps matter more than individual components.
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Thanks for the replies!
@M0N I switched out the stock tube for the Mullard and it made a really great difference! I got all the highs and lows back, and everything has a really nice excitement to it, a couple degrees more realism. I’m very happy right now! I have been a bit busy lately, working from home kind of blurs time, but I am looking forward to putting more hours on it over the weekend.
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So comparing the TOSLINK and USB on the BF2… I can say the BF2 sounds SO MUCH better off of USB. Is this a known issue where it seems like the sounds seems smoother and less detailed on other DACs?
I’m mostly asking seeing how some reviewers seem to prefer to use not USB with their DACs or if this just a more unit specific thing I’m noticing?
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