You're not going to believe this Schiit - Ragnarok & Yggdrasil

[PewterTA]

Looks like the Schiit is going to hit the fan here soon!!!!

I love announcements and I might have to drop the coin on the new DAC.... hee hee.

I have to say I've been very impressed with their products and it looks like this will be some good stuff coming from them in the world of Digital Audio.

Looking forward to the Yggdrasil!!!! Though it's crazy thinking of a 30 lbs DAC!!! 8O

http://www.schiit.com/ragnarok-yggdrasil.pdf

Yggdrasil is the ultimate expression of Schiit’s bitperfect approach, and
the antithesis of noise-shaping DACs and technologies such as DSD. With
proprietary technology from input stage to clock regeneration to digital
filter to D/A conversion and analog output stage, Yggdrasil (the world tree
in Norse legend, and the source of all things) resets the bar for DACs.

Inputs: USB, Toslink, Coax, BNC, AES/EBU

Outputs: balanced XLR and single-ended RCA

Clock Regeneration: proprietary Adapticlock topology with analysis of
quality of incoming datastream, as well as VCO and VCXO reclocking

Phase Inversion: selectable via front panel button

Digital Filter: proprietary Schiit closed-form bitperfect digital filter based
on <REDACTED>

D/A Conversion: proprietary fully differential configuration based
on<REDACTED>

Analog Stage: proprietary Schiit Pivot-Point differential current-feedback
topology, fully discrete, with ultra-low-noise JFET and bipolar devices

Power Supply: 4 choke-input, shunt-regulated supplies feeding 20+
stages of discrete and integrated local regulation

Size & Weight: 16 x 12 x 3.875”, 30 lbs
Estimated Price & Availability: $1700-1900, early 2014

[wkhanna]

I love part that says:

INQUIRIES WANTING MORE INFO THAN ON THIS SHEET WILL RAISE RETAIL PRICE BY $50 EACH


And the 'Afterword' at the bottom:

Afterword: thanks for your patience in waiting for these products. We know, we’re insanely late. We can blame lots of things for that, like platforms going end-of-life, and having to deal with DSD, and discoveries we made as we developed the statement gear. We can also blame our desire to improve these products, add performance, add features, etc. We can also blame field agents from alternate universes that have been scoping out our technology for their plans to take over our world. But that’s bullshit. Or a TV show. The reality is, these products are complicated. They take a lot of time to develop. And we want to get them right. When they’re available, the skies will open, beautiful music will stream down, and your life will never be the same again. No, wait, that’s also bullshit. In any case, thanks again for your patience. We can say these are the highest-end products we expect to develop—there will be no “super statements” coming. So sit back, relax, and enjoy what you’re listening to!

At 30 pounds, my guess is they have some serious power supply management at play.
The other item of note is the addition of DSD.

[PewterTA]

Bill... you know the question I have to ask you... is that out of your price range.... and what happens if you hear it and (as I'm hoping) blown away by the sound of it... then what?!

I'm thinking we should make a decision if we both need this... you know before it comes out and we can even hear it. ha ha.

[PewterTA]

and I'm personally disappointed that you don't get a free donut.....lol sometimes I wonder how much fun they actually have there...seems like a LOT!

[wkhanna]

is that out of your price range....

$1700 - $1900 is NAD M51 & Antelope Audio Zodiac territory......

...then you have to throw in the DSD capability.....

...it is really getting difficult to make apple to apple comparisons these days......

....but honestly, that is the upper limit of my budget for a single component, other than speakers.

Will I be placing an order for one?

Nah.....no time soon, anyway.

I'll be happy with my Gungnir for a while longer....& besides, I will always be able to listen to yours cuz I just know you can not resist getting one!

[Chris D]

Aren't Ragnarok and Yggdrasil cities in Lord of the Rings?

[wkhanna]

Aren't Ragnarok and Yggdrasil cities in Lord of the Rings?

Ragnarok — in Norse legend, Ragnarok was the “end of the world.”

Yggdrasil — the world tree in Norse legend, and the source of all things.

The names for all their gear come from Nordic mythology.

[Hdale85]

If you guys keep buying this expensive equipment how will you ever have the money to build those high end speakers Johns been working on? lol

[PewterTA]

Who knows if John will ever have them officially done..... hee hee. That's why I got the 802Dis.

Besides, what's the point of having good speakers if you can't feed them with good quality information.

[Hdale85]

Are you saying the DAC that Bill has is not good? I feel my DAC was pretty good and it was no where near that price, I plan to build a Buffalo III though and it'll come a bit closer (700-800) granted if it were a commercial device it'd likely cost something close to that.

[PewterTA]

No Bill's DAC is good, it's almost exactly the same as my Cambridge Audio 840c CDP (when used as a DAC). Both are the best I've found under about $1200 to $1400 so far.....

So my expectations on the new Schiit dac is really high. I'm guessing better than something like the NAD M51 and Ayre QB-9 ranges... at least that's what I've heard the range of competitors are at and Jason seems to hint they think their's is a lot better than. Only time will tell!

[Finleyville]

I love when wkhanna and PewterTA get new gear! That just means I have a chance at some of their great leftover gear!

[wkhanna]

Over at Head-Fi, Jason recently let the Dac out of the bag, so to say……….

Here-to-for, it was deemed not possible to utilize an integrated circuit based DAC without implementation of some filtering which is required due to aliasing. Aliasing is frequency based distortion will affect everything in the audio band above ~ 10 kHz. (see the link for a graphic depiction of what aliasing is) Supposedly even the best DAC’s made have to add filtering, which will always be degrading to some extent of the original signal, in order to cope with aliasing.

Jason has hinted that the new Yddrasil DAC will implore “true closed-form digital filters”. If I understand this correctly, this means Schiit has created a way to eliminate upsampling & filtering effects in the DtoA process. This could be a revolutionary event in the evolution of digital music.

[JonMarsh]

well... maybe... hmmm.... :W

The big issue with most DACs is the sampling image frequency, which must be filtered out in some fashion, or you have all kinds of HF crap going into your amplifier. NOS DACs are popular with some because they use no over sampling and no delta sigma stage with noise shaping, but most of the old R2/R integrated DAC chips don't approach true 16 bit accuracy, even- more like 14 bit, due to the limitations of IC R2/R ladder circuits. But when done correctly without the need for IIR or FIR filters, the square wave response has no pre-ringing or post ringing....





The drawback is that like many of the minimum phase filters previously described, it's not flat, and has about 1-1/2 dB droop at 20 kHz.


Now, with just a tiny IIR filter compensation, it's possible to get pretty much flat to 20 kHz, still with very nice looking filter time behavior, even with just CD sampling rate.



So, how does this new DAC you're posting about look?

[wkhanna]

So, how does this new DAC you're posting about look?

Well, I guess we will know when Dan (PewterTA) gets one.
I will see to it he has his order sent to your address for your evaluation. :W


It may be just a bit of 'marketing' on Schiit's part, but it is an interesting question.

Thanks for your V informative insight!

BTW, if you happen to check back, I left you a PM regarding a ScanSpeak Revelator D2904/7100-03 upgrade to my Nat P's. :

[JonMarsh]

Well, I guess we will know when Dan (PewterTA) gets one.
I will see to it he has his order sent to your address for your evaluation. :W


It may be just a bit of 'marketing' on Schiit's part, but it is an interesting question.

Thanks for your V informative insight!

BTW, if you happen to check back, I left you a PM regarding a ScanSpeak Revelator D2904/7100-03 upgrade to my Nat P's. :

Yes, and you have mail! Been trying to catch up with pending support stuff- non-work pending support stuff! My hobbies are too much like my day job!

[wkhanna]

Yes, and you have mail! Been trying to catch up with pending support stuff- non-work pending support stuff! My hobbies are too much like my day job!

Bless you, kind Maestro!
Your generosity with your personal time is eclipsed only by your genius. ;x(

[Chris D]

Jon, are you willing to do testing on equipment? I don't own an oscilloscope or anything else, and have a DAC (and also likely a high-end CD player) that I'd love to see some objective test lab results for.