My experience was with the Apache and my view is bias because I was able to buy one for $900 and it did sound good for the price I paid for it.

Did a few more listening tests and even threw the Oppo 105 in the mix.  I could hear a tizziness in the vocals on the Oppo compared to the NWO, so I guess all DACs aren't the same (for me).  Between the NWO and Yggdrasil, there is a bit more refinement with the NWO, but I could live with just the Yggdrasil. This is really an incredible DAC. I don't see how anyone would be disappointed, unless you were after some sort of softer/less detailed sound.  This thing is not clinical sounding at all, very detailed and very natural.

 

Since I don't need three sources, probably going to sell the Audio Note 4.1 if anyone is interested.  Another amazing DAC.  Old caps have been replaced, new tubes.

Thanks Andy. I need a source upgrade and will pick up the Yggy.

Thanks for sharing, Andy.

 

I'm looking forward to mine showing up.

 

I'm 2/3s of the way through Jason's book and I'm happy to support Schiit.

Speaking of Ray selling his business (actually liked the portable SR-71 amp with the HD650's), just found out yesterday that Vinni's RWA (Red Wine Audio) is no longer in business. Be surprised myself as some of his RWA ipod mods was shilled to no end on headfi when portable started becoming the latest craze back then.

maybe the exploding caps on a couple of demo units coupled with hearing the switching noise every 20 seconds

finally put him under. A solution in search of a problem that never existed. goldenreference power supply is infinitely

more quiet, and about 10% of the board space.

 

just can't put 10 supercaps in series without all sorts of special circuitry. and they say so in the pdf.

 

sooner or later one of the caps is going to hit 2.6 volts, then ka boom.

 

evidently the Vinnie rossi LIO website is still up and selling that pile of crap. $6155 for the full up version,

ouch.

 

and with respect to the darkstar, one rather famous person named the thing  "Le Grande headache"

but it could set a pair of he6 on fire...

Edited July 26, 201510 yr by kevin gilmore

Speaking of Ray selling his business (actually liked the portable SR-71 amp with the HD650's), just found out yesterday that Vinni's RWA (Red Wine Audio) is no longer in business. Be surprised myself as some of his RWA ipod mods was shilled to no end on headfi when portable started becoming the latest craze back then.

 

I think he discontinued all of his audio component but still offer the modification services.  I think he just came to the conclusion that modding Astell & Kern players are just much more profitable than selling his line of audio gears.  The cost of those AK240 mods are insane.

just found out yesterday that Vinni's RWA (Red Wine Audio) is no longer in business

 

Looks to be a bit of marketing ...

Very true.  All Red Wine Audio gears are discontinued and replaced with the "LIO" series. 

Does it mean there stuff is more shit now?

Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

A used Yggy just went on sale locally and I'm snagging it tonight!

Sweet!

That was you then. Congrats!

 

EDIT: I am 90% sure the Yggy DAC I had at the time was not functioning properly, so I've struck my prior impressions.

 

Hmmm....

 

So first impression is positive, but a bit of a mixed bag.

 

The Yggy certainly sounds different than the Oppo, but I can't say it blew me away in quite the same way as it has others. Both the Yggy and the Oppo seem like competent DACs with different flavors.

 

The main impression after my first night of listening was that the Yggy seems to be fatter down low and thinner (more natural?) up top than the Oppo, but that I'm not sure those differences play to the strengths of the 009s.

 

There has been a ton of fuss about leaving the Yggy on continuously, so I figure a two week-ish audition is in order before I make a decision on whether to keep it. I'll leave her on the entire time and see if the sound changes, though I am extremely skeptical.

 

I wish I had had a "WOW!" moment like so many others have seemed to. Is it possible this particular Yggy is a lemon? Or maybe all DACs really do sound similar.

 

--

 

Other random notes:

 

The Oppo works great as a network transport to feed PCM to the Yggy from my network shared drive, even if it is extreme overkill in that role. I didn't have a spare coax cable so I have the Oppo and Yggy connected via toslink.

 

The only files that I haven't been able to play are 24/192 Flacs. Whether its the Oppo, Yggy or the toslink cable that is causing the issue, 24/192 files will not play unless I convert the Oppo converts them down to 24/96. I'll swing by worst-buy on my way home and grab a coax cable to see whether the toslink is at fault.

 

I can confirm that the Oppo WILL NOT stream any audio from physical SACDs, even when it is set to convert DSD to PCM. The Oppo will however convert and play DSD files saved on my network drive.

 

--

 

That is it for now. More impressions to come in a week or so.

Edited August 6, 201510 yr by TMoney

Thanks for the impression.  You need to get a silver Oppo 105 to match the look of the Yggy & KGSSHV.

I can say from experience that the Yggdrasil is not perfectly thermally stable when it's sandwiched like that (left on 24/7) but I don't have ac etc so mileage may vary

 

To be more clear, it has gone into thermally-induced power down. I think it's hotter than you might expect because the vents on top aren't actually real holes.

Edited August 4, 201510 yr by nopants

I wish I had had a "WOW!" moment like so many others have seemed to. Is it possible this particular Yggy is a lemon? Or maybe all DACs really do sound similar.

 

 

I think gear that gives you a "wow" moment, or that impresses at meets over the din, tends to overemphasize something and become fatiguing over time. The best gear is the stuff that falls into the background and doesn't get in the way.

I think gear that gives you a "wow" moment, or that impresses at meets over the din, tends to overemphasize something and become fatiguing over time. The best gear is the stuff that falls into the background and doesn't get in the way.

 

QFT.  Longer-term listening bears out a lot.....

I think gear that gives you a "wow" moment, or that impresses at meets over the din, tends to overemphasize something and become fatiguing over time. The best gear is the stuff that falls into the background and doesn't get in the way.

 

 

QFT.  Longer-term listening bears out a lot.....

 

 

I think often long term listening is as much about training you brain to a new normal as anything.

^^^ Agree and disagree, and for my example the Oppo HA-1 is perfect.  I was indeed wow'd by the detail, bass slam, and the bells and whistles it offered when I first heard it.

 

Over time, though, I was engaged less and less, not more - IE, I adjusted away from the sound, not towards it.  The new normal was not quite as pleasing to me, even though I had used it for months.

 

I think in many cases you're absolutely right, we do adjust to a component's sound and often accept it.  But not in this case for me.....

Excellent point, SG.

You were using the toslink?  I would definitely use the USB input.

Toslink is usually the worst of digital cable/connection...unless you are using a really expensive toslink cable.

I would use the bnc input, toslink typically introduces a ton of jitter by its implementation* alone

 

I got my Spectral back up and running, I'm looking forward to comparing the two

Edited August 5, 201510 yr by nopants

I did some more listening last night, this time through the coax input and I think something may be wrong with this particular Yggy. I A/B'ed it with the Oppo and something just sounds off.

 

I am going to contact Schiit and see about sending it in for them to take a look at.