I have gone thru several dacs and down to three ATM.
Two or NOS dacs…and my preference leans towards the NOS side.
I love to take NOS into a small low cost Schiit Vali 2 +.
With high impedance cans, like the ADX 5000’s at 420 ohms the match is magical.
Great choice with the new NOS capable Bifrost 2 upgrade etc…
Alex
Got the upgrade module in just a bit ago, got it installed and updated the firmware. Don’t have much time, since I have to get ready and go to work, but I have gotten to listen to a couple of songs. I want to be very cautious here, but I want to say that the background is noticeably blacker. Things also seen more closed in, but the new module could just need time to warm up to fix that. Should also note that I’m starting my evaluation of things in NOS mode. Going to leave it there for a few days to let my brain adjust and then turn it off to see if can tell a difference. Will report back more once I have more time.
So, now that it’s had all afternoon/evening to get up to temp, the closed in, claustrophobic feel to things has indeed gone away. It might still be a touch less wide than previously, but if it is I wouldn’t say that it’s significant. I’m also still cautiously saying that the BF64 module gives a cleaner, blacker background…but I reserve the right to rescind that given more time.
As for my impression of what it sounds like, and keep in mind I’m starting all of this in NOS, I think it loses some of the BF2’s warmth and a bit of the punch down in the bass. But it seems to have traded that in for a bit more in the upper-mids and lower treble. I’ll leave it to @WaveTheory to give it proper terminology, lol. But I was noticing it particularly with guitar strings and pianos. This really is just first impressions though, and is based on less than an hour of total time with it.
The Head-Fi BF2 thread has a few posts about people having some issues with playback with the upgrade 2/64. My unit is working fine. I created this spreadsheet:
to compile info about the BF2/64. Working or no, please consider filling out the spreadsheet. My hope is it puts enough info for Schiit in one spot so they can find potential patterns about what works and what doesn’t in one place. Thanks!
I’ve had my BF 2 about 2 mos. Whatever the reason, today my whole rig just came alive with amazing soundstage and presence. (finally settled in?) Live club music is almost holographic. What a treat!
Update time! I’ve been having a time and a half racking my brain trying to find a difference between NOS and OS modes. Hadn’t been able to at all. Was getting ready to chalk it up to my amp, the Jotunheim 2, just not being capable of showing me the difference…until I realized I had only been using it out of the balanced out. (For those of you that aren’t aware, the Jot2’s balanced and single-ended outs have different sounds, see WaveTheory’s review for a second opinion vouching for this.)
Plugged my Clear Mg into the single ended out, and heard the difference immediately. NOS is cleaner, instruments have more separation, and a slightly more forward. Cymbals are crisper and much more noticeable.
As to why I couldn’t notice that on the balanced out, I can only guess that it’s because the balanced out of the Jot2 already sounds like that, and that’s the best it can do . But since the SE out is smoother, warmer, and much more like the Asgard 3, the NOS mode of the Bf2/64 can clean it up and the Jot2 can show it to me. But that could just be me talking nonsense. Feel free to correct me if that’s the case, that’s just my guess on what’s happening. 
EDIT: Just realized I should probably point out that OS mode still has the qualities in my earlier post but it does sound more like the Bf2 than I gave it credit for at first.
My first impressions are up. Also included an installation guide for any readers wondering how difficult it is (it’s not) or to entertain the rest of you (a pretty funny moment happens). Enjoy!
If you are experiencing any playback issues with the new Bifrost 2/64, Jason Stoddard of Schiit just announced they have released a brand new firmware update:
Full review is up:
Hi! Thanks for this, I really appreciate how in-depth you went. I’ve been reading your reviews since before you started this channel, so I always appreciate your insights. I do have a concern/question which needs some context, so please bear with me. 95% of the time, my chain is OG Bifrost 2 to Hegel H200 speaker amp to KEF LS50 Meta speakers, complemented by a REL T7i subwoofer. The other 5% of the time, it’s OG Bifrost 2 to Asgard 3 to OG Hifiman Ananda.
I upgraded from a Modi 3+ straight to an OG Bifrost 2 and was shocked by the huge difference I heard. Basically, overall better resolution and clarity (especially in the mids) and it was a game-changer for me as it was for you. However, I do notice two things that always stick out to me (which I don’t seem to perceive on my headphone setup). The first is occasionally hearing a “sloppiness” in the bass - the bass seems impactful but slow. Like the transient response after a bass hit is noticably lagging behind the other parts of the frequency band, which kind of draws attention to the bass sounding weird or tonally strange. I don’t know how to better describe this, it’s basically like the bass sometimes sounds disjointed from the rest of the frequency response with respect to the song. It’s not always there, but I do notice it.
The other more prominent issue for me is the more strident/forward upper mids/lower treble region - think higher pitched vocals belted out, higher notes of electric guitars… But I mainly perceive this with synths/strings/brass instruments which are common on some video game music e.g. Pokémon OST. For me, this causes fatigue, especially at higher listening volumes. Note that the KEF LS50 is quite forward in these regions of the FR, so that might explain it. I toed my speakers out to face forward (as opposed to straight at me) to alleviate most of this, but it is still there.
I don’t know to what extent (if at all) you perceive these issues. But if you do, do you feel the 2/64 addresses these shortcomings?
Again, sorry for the length, and thank you for your input! Others who read this, please feel free to chime in if you have any thoughts.
Very thorough job, thanks. One question…does the sd card make that upgrade
irreversible? Would seem so.
The new firmware is compatible with the OG DAC module. It adds the optional NOS mode to the original.
I don’t think the BF2/64 will fix the strident mids you hear. I haven’t heard the Hegel or KEFs, and definitely haven’t heard them together. However, if you know the speaker has a forwardness in a frequency region you don’t like, the best thing you can do is sell those off and get new speakers that are less aggressive in that area.
I had an issue with bass response as well, but it wasn’t the fault of the Bifrost; My speakers were not quite delivering in that area. I was able to clean it up by adding a preamp and a REL Tzero sub. All good now.
I have not had this issue as the Triangle BR02s really shine in this area. Beautifully clean and crystal clear for me. I did experience some fatiguing highs when using headphones, but that was when I was still running the SP200. Now that the SP200 is out of the system, I don’t have that issue anymore. Overall, the Bifrost 2 has been a great DAC for me. I am in no hurry to upgrade at this point in time. If it aint broke…
Weird thing is that I never perceived these issues when I was using the Modi. I love my speakers otherwise, so for the time being I will stick with them as they don’t happen all the time and when it does happen I can live with it. Until I find a better pair of speakers for my use case at least. Thanks for your feedback, really appreciate it!
Great that you were able to address it. I’m using a T7i and agree the bass is really improved with a subwoofer. I guess since the DAC upgrade I am hearing small differences which I never noticed before, which adds to my impression that sometimes the bass is a little “slower” than I’d like.
Same, I am not in a huge hurry but I wouldn’t mind the upgrade if it would “fix” these issues I perceive. But for now I’ll be fine. They’re not things which make my music unlistenable. Thanks for replying!
Anyone used the BF2 or 2/64 with a Smsl ao200? I need an external DAC for it. The Smsl is just a placeholder for now until kids are older and I can get a Ragnarok 2. Some people have said just get a Modius but I know I’d probably just get the urge to upgrade anyways. My other option is to match Smsl with the do200.
I haven’t heard the AO200, but I run the BF2 and have the SMSL DA-9, which is an amp of the same basic classification. It uses the new Infineon amp chip(s) and so on just like the AO200. Like you, I got it with the idea that it would be a stopgap solution until I could raise the money to get a better amp. Well, it’s been a year now and I am in no hurry to replace it! The only thing I thought it lacked was a little in the low end, so I put a REL Tzero sub in the system and that did the trick. Keep in mind that my use case is a basic desktop system and is not meant to be “end game” in nature.
Of course, this is all subjective and your mileage may vary etc. But that has been my experience. The DA-9 has worked out to be a surprisingly capable little speaker amp that I thoroughly enjoy every time I use it. Hope this helps.
Thanks that’s very helpful. I keep going back and forth on the Smsl as I like the size and it’s nice and cool running but I liked a couple NAD amps sound wise when I listen on the eproject YouTube channel. I think the da9 is basically the same other then screen and maybe a few internals. It’s definitely not my end game but it lets me get the BF2 at this time vs goi g with a NAD a,P and probably being stuck with its DAC longer and no xlr options on the couple I looked at. The Rel t zero was also the sub I was thinking of.
The TZero has been a great addition to the system. I am running it out of the sub out on the DA-9. Again, a great feature for what is more or less a budget amp. It pairs nicely with the Bifrost, also. At the end of the day, for all my little amp madness, the Frost is what makes it all go. I love this DAC.