Good catch! I hadn’t even noticed until you pointed it out. This should have happened a long time ago…
I had to look at the Piety and then I had a Homer Simpson moment. Doh! 
3 Likes
I think Santa’s got a Heretic in his bag for me.
Mark Gosdin
5 Likes
Just picked up an Yggdrasil OG (older, A2 but gen 5 USB) from a local guy on Craig’s List, and it’s remarkable. Currently have it in my 2-channel rig (Freya N / 2 x Vidars / KLH Model 5’s) and it’s really remarkable, fed via AES/EBU from my Pi2AES. Man, have loved my Yggy LIM, but this is really remarkably lovely. And it was a great deal too. Sometimes I love the way things work out.
Now I can put together my “old” Yggy LIM, my “old” Freya+, a couple of “new” Aegirs, and I’m working on either building a pair of SEAS A26’s, or perhaps getting a pair of DeVore Gibbon Super 9’s (if I feel like being really good to myself). Aegir’s are not fleawatt but they do like loads that don’t have big impedance dips.
Anyways, I know this is headphones.com and all, but my 2-channel game (and my Schiit Game) is getting stronger… Much thanks to Jason & crew.
5 Likes
I have a full Schiit 2 channel set-up and am loving it. You’re not alone here!
Up next purchase-wise is a second Aegir for me.
3 Likes
Would the new Bifrost be an improvement to my Delta-Sigma balanced version of the Gungnir or upgraded, if I so chose for 2 channel application? Thanks and my apologies if this has previously been covered on this thread somewhere… (new here)
2 Likes
Hello, and welcome!
If I fully understand what your asking, you are considering the new Bifrost 2/64 vs upgrading your DS Gungnir?
I can’t help but think either multibit approach would be an upgrade compared to what you have now.
If your current DAC does not have Unison USB, a full Gumby upgrade would be $650, vs $800 for a new Bifrost 2. The $650 gets you Unison and multibit, which is probably the way to go unless you are definitely NOT going to use USB.
I have not heard a direct comparison. I don’t know what you could currently sell your Gungnir for, but I might be inclined to upgrade it as it’s still a great DAC in multibit form.
Can any Gumby owners comment?
4 Likes
I haven’t heard the new Bifrost 2/64 or the DS Gungnir, but I do own the Gungnir Multibit (upgraded from the OG Bifrost 2), and absolutely love it.
The main thing that bothered me most about the OG Bifrost 2 was the relatively smaller stage size, and the Gumby was a pretty noticeable improvement there, in both width and depth. There were other improvements too, like higher resolution without that upper midrange glare, and really great impact.
I say @robson is right on the money about going with the upgrade. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to “upgrade” further from this DAC, but find myself so happy with it, that I have no motivation to look for something better…maybe one day an Yggy!
4 Likes
New product Syn:
https://www.schiit.com/products/syn
I’m intrigued. I’d get one just to play with and use as a preamp for my headphones, but my understanding is that the headphone crossfeed feature only works through the headphone out.
2 Likes
2 Likes
Hi. Newbie here…I am interested in a Schitt stack for my new Focal Radiance and want to be able to add a decent pair of passive bookshelf-size speakers, and later a turntable. Live in a small place so need a small footprint - and listening area is only approx. 10.5’ d x 17’ w size, w/ open end, direct listening spot being a couch on back wall. Currently, I use the very capable iFi Gryphon DAC for now. (Choosing Schitt for being American made and their reputation) Any recommendations are appreciated!
First, welcome to the forum!
Depends on budget, but you could start with a Magnius at $199, which is considerably more powerful than the amp stage of the Gryphon.
Well, active speakers would save you some space, but Schiit will gladly sell you a Rekkr
($149) or Gjallarhorn ($299) to power those speakers. Connect either to the pre-out of the Magnius.
To connect a turntable to the Magnius, you’ll need an external phono preamp. Fortunately, Schiit has one of those as well: Mani, $149.
At this point, if you want to stay with an all-Schiit lineup, you lose a few choices. The Mani ties up the single-ended input to the Magnius, so your DAC needs to have balanced output. In the Schiit world, that’s Modius, Bifrost, and Yggy+. The Modius is in the same price range as everything above, but it’s an ESS chip, and if you like the Burr-Brown in the iFi you might prefer the multibit offerings (but they’re a considerable step up in price).
If you don’t mind the step up in price, and you want an all-in-one with the ESS DAC, there’s Ragnarok (“fully loaded” at $1699). The other downside to the Ragnarok is that it takes up 16" x 13" of your desktop. The Magnius is only 9" x 6" and I think with some care you could get both the Mani and the Rekkr on top of it without compromising the ventilation.
As the Schiit guys like to say, “Choices.”
9 Likes
Thanks for the advice! Looking to do something soon. Finishing hurricane Ian’s remodeling of the house.
Hi Lou,
Getting closer to deciding on a pair passive 2-way and a Schiit stack to handle them. Looked at powered like KEF LSXII and a few others. Think I will stick to bookshelf size passive w/ a small SVS subwoofer and a stack. Small footprint is needed.
Focal has the new THEVA N°1 bookshelf that looks very interesting (looks like it’s replacing the Chora line). What’s your take on bi-amped/bi-wired passives with a pair of the new Rekr or Gjallarhorns?
Obviously not Lou, but I have a pair of passive 2 way bookshelf speakers and the SVS Micro 3000 in my office, and find it to be a very nice combination. I also have a Schiit Lokius in the chain, although I’m using a restored vintage integrated amp. I can attest that this can be an exceedingly clean sounding system, even if wireless is used. I try to keep the office looking very clean, so I’m using the SVS Soundpath device to send signal from the DAC input to the sub. I also am using iFi Zen Air Blue and streaming from an M1 iPad Pro using BT5.1
Originally I was thinking of Magnepan 1.7i speakers but Covid supply chain issues made them hard to find. After auditioning a number of bookshelf speakers including Focal and Harbeth, I settled on the EgglestonWorks Nico Evo, and I’m very happy with them. Imaging is excellent. I have the speakers on the stands that come with them, not putting them on a desk.
Original post with photo (without grilles) is here .
Subsequent post about the SVS here.
1 Like
The Focal Theva N°1 aren’t really made for a bi-amp / bi-wire configuration – see the single pair of binding posts on the back.
So, for them, the choice would be 2 Rekkrs in mono versus a single Gjallarhorn in stereo, at the same price. The Gjally provides more power (10W @ 8 ohms) than the pair of Rekkrs (4W @ 8 ohms), and gives you the Continuity S topology, so that would be my choice.
The other thing about the Focal to keep in mind is that they’re rear-ported, so you probably will need to keep them with some room between their backs and the wall of the room.
Just to illustrate the difference (not recommending a different speaker here), look at the back side of the Wharfedale EVO4.2. Notice the 2 pairs of binding posts with shorting strips, and the porting all along the base, not just out of a tube through the rear wall. This sort of design opens up more flexibility in placement and the ability to bi-amp / bi-wire in the future. Again, not a recommendation, just an example to show that there are some different designs to consider amongst 2-way passives.
As @pennstac said, you can get really nice sound out of a 2.1 setup like you’re planning. His Nico Evo’s are really nice but to me they’re in a totally different category, since they retail for about $5k new and really should be on stands.
3 Likes
Grrrrrrrr. I specifically read the Theva was bi-amp capable.
Ok…. what’s the advantage in doing mono block amps vs bi-amped?
Let me break it down into 4 possibilities for amplification of 2-way passive speakers.
-
Stereo. This is the default, I guess. You use one stereo (i.e. 2-channel) amp and run one cable to each speaker. Simple as well as cost- and space-efficient.
-
Dual Mono. Now it’s 2 mono (1-channel) amps, each with a cable run to a speaker.
Advantages:
* The L and R channels are independent of each other.
* You generally get more power (for the Rekkr, 4 watts mono compared to 2 watts stereo).Disadvantages:
* Cost (have to buy 2 amps)
* Space (although I could see where the ability to place the amp near its speaker could help in some layouts). -
Passive Bi-amp. Now it’s 2 stereo (2-channel) amps, each with 2 cable runs to a speaker. The speakers’ crossover design has to be built to accommodate this. Basically, the crossover needs to be composed of two independent filters – high-pass on the tweeter, low-pass on the woofer.
Advantages:
* Each driver gets its own channel of amplification, which in theory provides greater control.Disadvantages:
* Cost (have to buy 2 amps and twice as much speaker cable) -
Active bi-amp. As above, but the crossover moves from being passive and between the amps drivers to being active and between the preamp and amps.
Advantages:
* Each driver gets its own channel of amplification.
* Each driver is directly connected to an amp (no coils or caps in-between).
* The active crossover is user-adjustable
* Many boxes that provide crossover capability also provide other DSP features, so you can try things that are impossible with purely passive components in a crossover. See the miniDSP 2x4 HD for example.Disadvantages:
* Cost (have to buy something to do the active crossover, and most likely you’re throwing out the internal crossovers that were part of the speakers when purchased)
* Space (have to put another box between the preamp and power amps)
I think for you the trade-off is between the Focal voicing and the possibility of trying a bi-amp setup in the future. Figure out how much time, effort, and money you want to spend tweaking your setup, and you’ll be close to your answer.
7 Likes
Thank you for the great info and advice! Will keep it in mind. Not set on just the Focals. So much other great ones available out there. Hard to choose.
This is very, very helpful! Thanks for taking the time to write out them so simply. Something like this would have been a lifesaver when I was starting out in speakers back in the day!
2 Likes