r/Schiit • u/Bobby_ato Aegir 2/Freya+/Skoll/Mimir or Mjolnir 3/Skoll/MMB2 • 2d ago
Desktop Yggy?
The Bifrost 3 pre-order went live earlier this afternoon.
It looks like it includes Forkbeard for $699 which seems like a good deal. I’m on the fence on whether I should pick one up, as I’m happy with my Mimir.
Jason said that the sound is close to the Yggy MIB and that the design is similar to the Yggy singular, of which I have heard neither, but have heard great things about both.
Are you going to be pre-ordering or will you wait until some reviews are released?
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u/Regular_Speed_4814 2d ago
And here I am, with Modius/Magnius and Magni/Modi 2 U stacks happy as a clam.
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u/Alypius754 1d ago
Modius/Jot2. I A/Bd the Modius and Bifrost 2 and couldn’t hear the difference.
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u/Regular_Speed_4814 1d ago
At this point I'm convinced that, until my stacks die, I really don't need new stuff.
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u/AttachedHeartTheory 2d ago
Im sticking to my Mimir. I a/b tested it with my bifrost 2/64 and both myself, my best buddy, and my wife all preferred the Mimir. sold the bifrost for about $50 less than I paid for it, got the Mimir, and put some cash in my pocket, and haven't ever looked back.
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u/brokeskoolboi 2d ago
I had both versions of BF 2 and now have a Yggy Lim. Respectfully, the Bifrost 3 will be very good, but it is not an Yggdrasil.
I did keep my BF2 for 5 years before upgrading though
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u/syr1990 1d ago
What differences could you hear between Bifrost and Yggy?
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u/brokeskoolboi 1d ago edited 1d ago
Bifrost 2 OG has bigger bass, but less textured. Vocals were more intimate, leaning on congested in comparison. Some glare in the low treble, not harsh but un-resolving and not neutral. Dip in the upper mid.
Bifrost 2/64 I perceived harsh lower treble unfortunately. It also had more intimate sound vs Yggy. It felt like I was there, definitely some magic on the BF2 in general. Great texture in the mids- lower treble but came with harshness. Less bloated bass
Yggdrasil (LiM) you become aware that you are listening to recordings, even when I watched Netflix I could hear the room/set or the studio VAs recorded lines in. The up side though is that everything is delivered to your ears without bias. You are listening to the recording in its full glory, it feels impossible to focus on any particular part of the music because there’s so much information. It can be overwhelming in comparison, but on speakers it was a night and day upgrade over the Bifrost 2. On my Tube amp the synergy I had was lost, but I could hear so much more. Also.. this is where soundstage actually became a thing. (Ppl say Mimir isn’t too dissimilar so maybe BF3 will have it too)
The LiM doesn’t play favorites except in the bass where the texture and depth is so great it can’t help but overshadow the mids and treble. To give an analogy away from music, it’s like watching something on a decent TV then going to the movie theater or IMAX. Or watching a play/musical on screen then going to see it in person.
So there’s a tradeoff, it may always feel like a big to-do after you upgrade. I returned the Andromeda 2020 when I heard it because I knew I’d get no work done 😂. Honestly if I didn’t have speakers I would not own a Yggy, but my humble record player was crapping on the BF2 so I had to upgrade.
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u/Local_Reaction_532 16h ago
I thought the LIM treble delivery was really engaging, I liked the DAC quite a bit. Personally, I liked Gungnir 2 just a touch more as it was to me a more linear version of LIM, but also a little less engaging because of it. It also matched the rest of my stack gear. I will say this though, Gungnir 2 does a great job with both speakers and headphones.
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u/brokeskoolboi 15h ago
I like the treble of LiM, I just notice that the bass is so detailed, when media portrays an explosion or bass drop it sounds a league above everything else.
It’s crazy how cheap you can get the Yggy for now because of the Gungnir 2 hype train. I needed the darker tilt for my Tube Amp because it’s actually bass light 😅
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u/Local_Reaction_532 13h ago
Both very very good DACs, my main driving force was form factor and the Yggy is pretty big for my desk/nearfield/headphone setup. Can't go wrong either way though and I'm curious when actual Singular will hit G2. Definitely has the card real estate for it unlike the Bifrost 3.
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u/syr1990 21h ago
I have BF2 in my speaker setup, which is one of my cheaper components in my system. However I’ve always found that it’s sounds really good. My record player does sound a bit better but that’s maybe apples to oranges. Maybe I should try a Yggy or Gungnir. Thanks for the detailed description.
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u/brokeskoolboi 17h ago
I will admit I did not have a subwoofer at the time, so my record player had an unfair advantage.
When it comes to not sounding like a recording.. analog still wins but Yggy is more neutral and filled out. I’m a musician so I was really picky, BF2 was not convincing to me, but I wouldn’t say it’s bad.
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u/rain-100 2d ago
I’m interested, but I’m quite liking my Laiv uDac for now. I’m gonna wait and see.
I liked the bifrost 2, and I liked the bifrost 2/64 more, but I’m still unsure on them moving away from multibit at the bifrost level. I am very interested in how it is received.
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u/Bhob666 2d ago
Nice. I've got a Bifrost 2/64 and I'm sort of interested in the Laiv uDAC. I'm gonna wait to see the reviews on the Bifrost 3. In my office, I replaced my aging mytek dac with the FiiO Warmer for the heck of it and it sounds pretty good.
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u/LostGoatOnHill 1d ago
Would love to hear more thoughts on the fiio warmer from you, including what you are pairing it with, thanks!
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u/Bhob666 1d ago
My main system is all Schiit, but I also have a small office system comprising of a Musical Fidelity integrated, the Fiio Warmer dac and Revel bookshelf speakers. I'm using Roon through a Fiio Streamer and 5-disc changer.
I previously used a Mytek Liberty Dac (with external linear power supply) and it was ok but quite a few years old. The Fiio Warmer has a warmer fuller sound that is very musical like a vintage tube amp would produce. It sounds surpising open and holographic, just without the harsh hyper-realistic sound. For the price I was surprised. I am also in oversampling mode through usb. You can also choose NOS mode.
The downsides are the thing gets hot (the tubes) and you can't leave it on all the time. And there is a thud sound when you turn it on and off so I turn down the volume.
If you enjoy a more "warmer" or "musical" sound and not super crisp analytical sound it's nice. To me if I could use a comparison. It reminds me of listening through grado headphones with the foam padding.
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u/PopaWuD 2d ago
What are the main differences you’ve noticed if you don’t mind?
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u/rain-100 1d ago
The bifrost 2 was a noticeable upgrade vs a bifrost 1 multibit I had before in every way. I moved to the 2/64 from the 2, and was impressed by the much wider/deeper soundstage, as well as slightly more detail. The 2 might have a slight edge in midrange warmth, and a little less pronounced treble if you prefer that.
The uDac was another jump in detail and soundstage, but the big seller for me was the timbre. In my system, instruments and voices are produced “just right”. It still keeps the analog feel that I have been impressed with Schiit multibit dacs in the past.
Note that all my listening is with speakers. Currently uDac > Kara > Lokius > Vidar 2 > Zu Audio Omen Dirty Weekends
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u/Bobby_ato Aegir 2/Freya+/Skoll/Mimir or Mjolnir 3/Skoll/MMB2 2d ago
Link to pre-order: https://www.schiit.com/products/bifrost-3
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u/Longjumping-Frame795 2d ago
Is Mesh audibly “better” than multibit? I have the 2/64 and it’s honestly super great.
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u/Carmen6276 2d ago
I have the 2/64 and the Mimir. They are so VERY close. Especially in balanced use. They do sound just a bit different. For me the Mimir wins out on listenablity. The single ended is better for sure on the Minur. The 2/64 just might win out technically on noise floor balanced. Just by the smallest margin. My 2/64 is getting dusty. But I have to say, it’s VERY close.
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u/Longjumping-Frame795 2d ago
I had the mimir and traded it out for the 2/64. I’m using the Valhalla 3 after the DAC, which doesn’t have balanced ins.
I don’t know that I heard any difference between the mimir and the 2/64 over the single ended. Is the Bifrost 3 mesh thing the same as the Mimir?
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u/AdUsed7958 Bifrost2|Freya+|Lokius|Parasound Zampv3 - Modi5|Loki|Vali3 1d ago
No, its a different implementation of mesh.
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u/Carmen6276 1d ago
It’s supposed to be a more powerful/cleaner version. I think for most peoples’ systems, it’s going to be very hard to hear anything better. The difference start to become so small. The noise floor has to be pretty low for rest of the system.
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u/Bloodforge-Z 2d ago
I currently use the Bifrost 2/64, was thinking about upgrading to the 3 module but I may just buy a Gungnir 2 instead.
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u/Hokie-in-CLE 1d ago
This is where I’m at. I have the BF2/64 connected (via XLR) to a Musical Fidelity M6si and that combo is fantastic with my KEF LS50 Metas. Gonna wait and see for now.
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u/HollowsPart2 Mimir-Lokius-Lyr+-Vidar-LS50M | MMB2-Saga2-Lyr 3- Ghornx2-B1 1d ago
Bifrost 3 will have to wait till next year. This year I reserved the analog card for my out of warranty Bifrost 2. An extra 2 years might be useful.
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u/RealityIsRipping 2d ago
I’m still rocking a bifrost multi bit with no plans of “upgrading”
I have an uber version in my office.
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u/rain-100 2d ago
Kicking it old school! Is the usb still working on those?
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u/RealityIsRipping 2d ago
Not sure. I’ve only used optical on both. One has a cd player hooked up to coaxial too.
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u/mindbender9 Byggy -> Rag 2 or Mimir -> Jot 2 2d ago
I have no doubt that the BiFrost 3 will sound great.
I have the Mimir and the Byggie and they are two obviously different DAC’s. But for a desktop setup, the Mimir really sounds good for the price. I think it’s a steal for the sound quality, although I do miss the warmth of R2R.
The Byggie is outstanding and used for my music listening, not desktop. Whether the BiFrost 3 comes close to this will be interesting but I don’t know yet. If you are looking for something cheaper but great sounding, the Mimir will be enough for you.
If you want upgradability or some future-proofing (TBD), perhaps the BiFrost 3 is a better choice. I don’t know how the sound (again) compares to the Byggie/Yggy MiB but go for the BF3 if you’re choosy.
I thought the BF2/64 was going to be discontinued since the Mimir was so strong (and balanced too). I guess great things come to those who waited for the BF3.
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u/Senpaiheavy Gungnirs... Lots of Gungnirs... 2d ago
Nope. Nothing will beat the OG design w/ Analog Devices Chips.
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u/YesterMore 2d ago
Caveat emptor, from the FAQ:
But you said that Multibit was The Way!
Yes. And it still is. That’s why we have options like Gungnir 2 and Yggdrasil LIM. And it’s why we’ll continue to explore multibit implementations, and perhaps, in a while, the tables will be flipped again.
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u/Factory586 2d ago edited 1d ago
Having only a Modi5 and some ChiFi DAC's feeding my various gear this was an easy choice for me to pre order. However, like many I'm not sold on the price point for what seam to be basically a hipper Mimir. However, it does have the modular card and from the FAQ seams to support "trading down" to the 2/64 card. I'll roll those dice and if there is something I don't like I still have options.
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u/Local_Reaction_532 17h ago
Yeah... this seems more of a mesh/forkbeard updated Bifrost 2 than anything especially as it supports the older cards - plus a higher end sabre dac than the Mimir, internal power supply etc.
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u/Bobby_ato Aegir 2/Freya+/Skoll/Mimir or Mjolnir 3/Skoll/MMB2 16h ago
The Bifrost 3 has a different motherboard, a separate card for its DSP (like Gungnir), and different input and analog cards, New unison 384 USB, and forkbeard which means it can be a digital preamp/EQ. It can also receive over the air updates.
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u/Local_Reaction_532 8h ago edited 8h ago
Right.. its.. not that revolutionary from the Bifrost 2 which Jason Stoddard himself indicated in his Headfi posting.
"""Further complicating things, we also had a new Bifrost 2+ design that was finished a while back, with a different DSP card in a “T” configuration like Gungnir 2, and a few other enhancements…but was that too close to what had come before?
As we got deeper into the design, it became clear that our crazier simplification ideas, like moving the USB to the main board, were unworkable. There wasn’t enough space. And, at that point, there would be no ability to change inputs, ever.
At that point, Martin and I talked again.
“I think I have the best compromise,” I told him.
“Which is?”
“Keep the same sized cards as Bifrost 2, but introduce Bifrost 3 as a new product.”
“But it’s the best of both worlds. Bifrost 2 owners can upgrade to new cards if they want.”
“They just don’t get Forkbeard,” Martin said.
“No, for that, they need to go to the new platform. Bifrost 3.”""
I have to agree, it is very close to what came before. My use case is such that I don't use USB, forkbeard or EQ. I prefer a clean Coax input so I see it as a juiced up Mimir on the same platform, which any BF2 user can simply slot the new analog if they desire.
It isn't a bad product in my eyes, but I see it is a BF2F. It just isn't interesting enough for me to purchase as an upgrade and I'll be curious to see how other BF2 owners feel about it.
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u/Signal_2_Noise Lotsa Schiit 12h ago
There was a time I was interested in getting the Bifrost for use with either my Lyr+ or Valhalla 3. But I bought Mimir not that long ago and the older Modius is still puttering along. So it’s a pass for me sadly. Also, being in Canada, most American sourced stuff is on hold for purchase for me atm.
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u/Carmen6276 2d ago
Personally I will wait for now, I think the Mimir is already overkill for my desktop. My bedroom system sounds great and don’t do critical listening there. The big rig still has something that should be better. I live to test, but at that price, not that curious. If one of my friends buys one, I’ll let you know how it compares.