What’s the next step up in R2R DACs that’s a clear upgrade to the Bifrost 2?
Are you looking for a similar sounding DAC, or just a better R2R style DAC?
Also, what are you looking to spend?
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Sorry, should have clarified.
I really dig the “embodied” sound of R2R/Multibit.
I like how the Bifrost 2 tends to fill out the lower frequencies. Mostly, I would love a more neutral sound that doesn’t veer bright.
What I am perhaps missing from the Bifrost 2 is just overall resolution but also some air.
Soekris makes good stuff, though you have to watch what you get since some of their products are single ended only. If you want to spend the money and have the space for it you could move up the Schiit line to the Yggy. There’s also the Denafrips Pontus II. Not sure I’d really recommend the Holo Cyan over the others, but I suppose it’s also an option. From my understanding it’s just not enough of a step up from the Bf2 to warrant it.
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Are you running og or 2/64?
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Good ask, I find that the /64 card has a bit more clarity up top, so that might be the solution if you want to retain synergy.
The Soekris 2541 is nice (and presumably the other DACs in their lineup), but it’s a cleaner, fast-decay, less-weighty kind of sound that benefits from a warmer-leaning amp, imo. I’ve read for macro the Rockna Wavelight and Wavedream are solid upgrades, but I can’t speak to how they perform.
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While I have not owned the original Bifrost 2, I find the Bifrost 2/64 to have good resolution and added air compared to my SMSL SU-9. My current chain is Bifrost 2/64>Topping L70>Burson Soloist 3XP /w supercharger driving either an Arya Stealth or SJY Audio Starry Night.
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@Rcayn that’s what I was driving at. The new 2/64 version is more neutrally tuned with more air and an overall higher level of technical proficiency than the OG, while still maintaining the Schiit house (lol) sound traits of excellent dynamics, realistic timbre, and big soundstage with holographic imaging/separation. If the upgraded TI dac module is still available for $300 it could be a cheaper upgrade for you than buying an all new DAC.
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OG non-NOS
Roger that. Then for sure I’d say a good first step is to try the upgraded version. This doofus recorded his amateur-hour upgrade installation adventure:
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I think I’ll upgrade to the 64bit version in in future and run it in NOS.
Increase neutrality and air with an 64bit chip, smooth it out again with NOS. Yep. 
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NOS is the opposite of smoothing things out (and to be a stickler, it has four 16-bit chips whereas the original had two 18-bit chips)
Really? NOS on the Cayin Ru6 definitely smoothed things out by a lot and that seems to be the case for other R2R dacs.
Oversampling tend to make treble stand out more in my experience.
Today, we are going to give a little love to the OG Bifrost 2. I have had this DAC for over a year now, and I am just as pleased with it now as I was the day I first fired it up. But recent conversation regarding DDC implementation and using the Frost’s S/PID interface over the Unison USB module got me curious. I have never used the Unison USB interface with the PC! I Have used it with the V40, using the V40 as an alternate source over an Audioquest Cinnamon USB cable, and it sounded really good. But I liked the PC better, so I kept it on the Douk U2 Pro.
With all the chat lately, especially the video Cameron (Golden Sound) did on the BF2 where he pretty much says the Unison USB is better than the S/PIDIF interfaces, it got me thinking… Why not try the Unison interface with the PC? I pulled the USB cable out of the U2 and into the Frost it went. Well, the minute the PC saw the Frost, Windows 11 sprung into action and completely reconfigured the audio driver all on its own. Interesting!
Of course, Peace APO broke immediately, but a simple re-install brought it into the new audio profile. I did a reboot, let everything reset, and we are off and running on the Unison USB interface. The results, so far, are surprising. I have been on the Unison for about 8 hours now. I think it’s a mixed bag. There are things I like better about the Unison, and some things I think the DDC - S/PDIF connection does better.
There is no noise at all that comes from either one. I think the Unison hits harder and really drives the mids harder than the S/PDIF. Almost too much, in my view. Things were getting congested in the middle there and some space and detail were starting to get lost in the confusion. I didn’t care for that. But introduce the Peace APO into the mix, and I was able to gently tune that mid bloat right out. Now it’s sounding lovely!
For me, the S/PDIF brings a wider stage, better separation and a bit more air to the presentation. The way things are shaping up, the speaker setup loves the Unison connection, where I prefer the S/PDIF connection for headphone listening. But it’s early. I need to give it more time before I can determine which one I prefer, but the journey has been fun so far. This DAC is a wonder for me. It has elevated my listening enjoyment to a level I did not anticipate. Excellent piece, this is.
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I thought I would put together some final thoughts on the matter of which input I prefer, Schiit’s Unison USB interface, or the DDC - S/PDIF connection. After a full day of using the Frost’s Unison USB interface, I am back on the DDC for most use cases. My initial impression that preference would be split according to use case has remained. As it turns out, the two are very different and offer 2 unique presentations to the DAC chip. It’s also been interesting to hear how the different amps react to the changes.
This laptop is a very clever device. I discovered that I had one more USB interface available, a USB-C Superport. I had an Audioquest Forest USB-C to USB-B handy, so I tore apart the cable plant, ran this new cable to the Douk U2 and re-dressed everything, seeing as I never fully integrated the first change into the plant. Amazingly, Windows 11 saw it in an instant and configured a whole new audio profile for it. Now I have both profiles available, each one independently managed and customized to support my particular use cases for them, based on how the amps have synergized with them.
For me, I will use the Unison input for speaker use, and for use with the SH-9. All other headphone configurations will run through the DDC - S/PDIF input. It truly is the best of all worlds. Definitely worth the investigative effort, and a whole lot of fun as well.
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Hmmmm!
what DDC are you referring to? 
I saw that that the other day too. I suspect its just using the name Bifrost from Norse Mythology and no way related to the DAC we all know.
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I have a Douk Audio U2 Pro DDC. So from the PC to the Douk which converts the USB signal to Optical, which then goes to the optical S/PDIF input on the Bifrost.
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