Same plan I have, using my Lumin more for streaming, so I haven’t ordered the upgrade yet. I will just wait on some actual reviews, is it or isn’t worth it.
Mine arrived today, might be able to get an initial impression tomorrow evening.
Just installed my upgrade card and firmware update, first try, no issues. Had the Sennheiser 6xx handy, plugged it into the Lyr3, sounds better than I recall, but then memory is fickle. Using the single-ended setup, it’s dead silent when it should be. Listening to Alpha Blondy’s “Wish You Were Here” cover from Jah Victory on ROON. Just 44/16 sounds great.
And now balanced, through the STAX SRM-T1S (Mjolnir prepped) and the Nectar Hive. Spectacular ![]()
I think this album is not a bad test/reference. Great percussion. You know that if I’m listening to the music ahead of the equipment, then it’s a success.
Further edit - I think the soundstage is a bit better. The match with the Lyr3 is excellent - maybe a bit more clear and resolving in the upper mids - the Lyr doesn’t sound quite as laid-back.
I very firmly believe (for me, at least) that there is little value in A/B - rarely is there enough immediate obvious difference that A/B testing is valuable. The value is in long term impression. If you’ve been listening to Bifrost 2 for (for example) 2 years, and you switch to the new Bifrost 2/64 and you don’t immediately notice a difference from what you are used to for the past 2 years, there’s probably no material difference to be noticed.
Human auditory memory isn’t very good in the short term, but I find that over the long term we recognize what we know and what’s different from what we know. YMMV.
I did immediately notice a difference in the sound through the Lyr3. Even with the 6xx, but now more pronounced with the RAD-0. There’s more nuanced texture - noticeable with the pipes on the Alpha Blondy.
Curiously, the past day I had been listening to an African Music playlist at work on the Rosson RAD-0 using the headphone output of the old Sansui AU-919. I suspect that’s driven directly from the class-A preamp. It has plenty of power and is quite clean (The Sansui just underwent a board-level restoration and tests very well) - 1968 design didn’t power the headphone jacks with crap ICs.
The presentation is different with the Bifrost2/64 - Lyr3 stack. It’s more intimate without losing soundstage. Biggest “problem” is that I’m new to the RAD-0. Changing too much too fast. And I’ve recently read through @TylersEclectic and @ProfFalkin 's impressions of the RAD-0. So how do I explain all I hear in Ne Tirez Pas Sur l’Ambulance ?
“My name is @pennstac and I’ve been Overhauled”
Famous pitfall. But who cares - you hear a difference and you love it, that’s ALL that matters.
Fortunately the estat side of things provides a reference that has remained stable for a year or so. And I heard related changes on a 15 minute listen.
Very nice! I’m permanently wedded to Utopia, but I feel like CRBN or a Stax might be my sidepiece in the long run. Getting my Utopia chain sorted out first, and then I’m diving in head-first to the estat rabbit hole.
On that note, I think I’m going for Holo for my endgame dac, but am I going to regret not going for Yggdrassil when I’ve spent so many happy years with Bifrost 2? I do love that Schiit sound.
Yeah, same here. Listening through a new amp I’m not all that familiar with. Plus I’ve been rolling tubes on top of that…
Tough to say. I used my Bifrost 2 for the last 2 years, liked it a lot.
Now I have Yggy OG, noticeable difference (in a definitely positive way). Holo was not a consideration as it is out of my price range.
I went with the OG because I like the sound of the original Bifrost with the AD chipset. But you would have to decide if you want OG, LIM, or MIL! Less is More is probably most similar to the new BF 2.
![]()
So, initial impressions of the 2/64 card are very good. Soundstage and depth have both improved. But more importantly, each instrument and voice is more outlined within that space. Percussion sounds amazing.
I was able to listen to a friend’s Yggy a week or so ago, and while I’m not able to directly compare, I feel this is closer to the Yggy than the old BF2.
It comes across as a little brighter than the old board, but not at the expense of anything. Very happy.
The NOS feature? Tried it, turned it off. Much darker, soundstage collapsed. Almost like Mike Moffat wanted to show everyone how much better his filter is compared to nos.
Likely irrelevant info but I know a few ears, which I trust, who have heard BF2 (non 64), Yggy, and Holo gear (both May and Spring3 in higher level upgrades for what that is really worth) and all preferred Holo gear. I also felt that the May trounced the BF2 on the accumulation of consistent victories within the audiophile checklist. Never heard an Yggy myself.
Could be that I only have friends who like the gear I like? Preferences are key.
Having said that, Id like to hear a BF2/64.
To help my knowledge who isn’t cultured in Schiit well yet…is this 2/64 card a paid upgrade? When did it come out?
I got a BiFrost 2 from a very kind community member that’s seen better days, but is chugging along just fine.
If I can send it back to Schiit to do the upgrade as well, that would be awesome.
It’s a $300 upgrade and they’ll ship you the card so you can swap it yourself. A firmware flash is necessary, but it sounds pretty easy.
The upgrade only took me about 5 minutes. 2 screws to undo and they send the firmware on an SD card.
Will there be any use or market for the old BF2 gen 1 cards? We’re gonna have piles of them. Will Schiit sell a “garage sale” edition with the required parts?
Yes, but I undid more than 2 screws to find out which 2 needed undone. They could have a frikkin diagram to download. Hardest part was seating the card. I needed to peek in with my cellphone flashlight.
BF2/64 upgrade card received and installed, I’m listening to my standard eval playlist just after listening on the old BF2. The delivery arrived literally minutes after the playlist finished.
With very fresh auditory memory, the 2/64 is first and foremost more defined, quiet, and precise. I’m running it through the RebelAmp → HD 800 S.
More later.
I’ve been listening to the BF2 for more than a year, and noticed an immediate difference with the BF2/64.
It seems like we all did. Quiet, detail. The precision - Not sure what you hear, but I heard better soundstage and the Lyr3 seemed more detailed, especially in mids and upper mids. No harshness, but clarity. All this subjective mumbo-jumbo. That’s how my ears measure.
