Schiit Yggdrasil DAC and Ragnarok Amplifier Review

[jinjuku]

Certainly not in a home audio system.

I can appreciate Schitt's origination and founding principals. Higher margin products certainly make it easier to stay in the business.

It's hard to stay solvent with $199 audiophile targeted products. Honestly I think for two channel reproduction you start really hitting the wall at ~$500. This type of product from the DAC chip, through the power supply, USB transceiver and buffer, re-clocking circuit, analog output stage can all be built with high quality clocks, caps, resistors, transformers for less than $200 in manufacturing cost terms. Then you roll R&D, support, packaging into it and you can maintain a 75%-100% margin.

I would like to hear the Yddrasil vs the Emotiva Stealth DAC DC-1 also reviewed by AH. As I believe it and the TEAC UD 301/501 represent the point of diminished return. You can't over perfect.

 

[Wayde Robson]

I am not going to attempt to convince anyone with measurements or empirical data, but I've done a lot of headphone listening with mid to high end headphones, amps, dacs etc. From my own subjective opinion...

Schiit has a great reputation in headphone hi-fi circles and I'm sure they make wonderful products. But I agree with those who speak of a wall at about the $500 price point.

I have compared my own system (w/ Emotiva Stealth DAC) head-to-head to a couple of headphone amp/dacs (combos and separates) that cost several times its price by brands like Naim and Ayre. I don't know models off the top of my head but I'm not even considering the expensive cables balanced cables in these setups. My system uses nothing but cheap interconnects and stock headphone cables.

I can say definitively, as a total, unrepentant audio addict that multi-thousand dollar headphone components bear no interest from me. Sure, they're great sounding, but so are my...

Emotiva Stealth DAC + Antique Sound Labs tube amp + Audeze LCD2 ... total investment <$3K

The Naim & Ayre setups were running between $5 & $10K (not counting the headphones)

Critical listening resulted in no obvious differences in quality. Yes, I heard "differences" but nothing I would call "better". For thousands of dollars extra... I need to be blown away!

By blown away I need to compare and go... "HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!" I have seen this very reaction in people blown away by audio when I've introduced them to better setups than their shitty earbuds plugged into a cell phone.

<$75 earbuds plugged into a cell phone... total investment <$500.

That's an investment differential of only $2.5K for "HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!".

But from my $3K system to a <$10K for a difference I can't really put my finger on whether or not it's actually better or my imagination? It's just not worth it.

But that's just me... your milage may vary.

 

[LarryMagoo]

You have to wonder whether the Yggy is worth it's price? This DAC will compete other R2R DACs 10X the price and blow them away!!

The Yggy punches way above it's class no matter what you believe! How many Delta Sigma DAC's have you heard that are mostly harsh and strident...hint? All of them!

R2R DAC's are the only technology that renders Vinyl Dead! The Yggy sits a top the pile!

 

[Klipschhead302]

I can honestly say, now I know what my wife means when she says I sound like the adults in "Charlie Brown" TV cartoons when I try to explain things to her.