It definitely is a great DAC, no question.

What I find particularly interesting is that as our home systems become so increasingly resolving of musical nuances (just like the Yggy provides), it becomes more and more obvious that obtaining that perfect holographic reproduction is so dependent on how the original music was recorded and engineered.

I bought the Yggy as a compliment to creating a new source of streaming music (Roon/Tidal) for me. Having all these musical options immediately available only re-inforces this idea.

I love the Yggy, but there are some sources where I find vinly still superior to the Yggy, such as on certain vocal pieces.

Absolutely. IMHO, the primary culprit is the loudness wars and compression on CDs and other digital media. You might check out the Dynamic Range Database and then search for the least compressed CD versions on Discogs.

For sure!! I think your right about this. I do have have several digital versions of reference quality vocals, but I do not have the LP versions of those songs for comparison . Then I have a several records that outshine the digital version on the vocals (with Tidal/Roon it’s easy to find the digital version of my LPs). But I do wonder if the digital version was mastered the same way. There are so many factors that can’t be controlled that I don’t know for sure why the record may sound better. Is it b/c its starting off as analog (as opposed to going through the DAC) or b/c it was mastered differently...? Don’t get me wrong, not all of my records are superior to digital source, far from it.

I just did an interesting comparison of “Ella and Louis” produced by Verve from the LP vs the MQA. version on Tidal (96kHz rate) through the Yggy. I would consider that a good digital version.

First of all they are both absolutely wonderful to listen to and picking them apart is really describing small nuances. The digital version has a better noise floor as would be expected. It sounds “cleaner”. Both versions are very dynamic. Both versions have excellent sepation of the vocals and trumpet. The digital version is a bit more “in your face” and the record is more laid back. I suppose this could be in part due to my use of a tube phono stage. The record presents the vocals and trumpet in a more holographic manner. It’s a little more three dimensional and palpable than the Yggy. Unfortunately, the record is introducing some sibilebce on the vocals when pushed loudly (could be my set up), even though it is still slightly preferable on the LP.

There you have it... totally inconclusive :thumbsup:

Bhatten.......Please respect the original topic of my thread. If you wish to discuss particular nuances between digital and analog then kindly begin your own thread.

No prob... just thought that comparing the Yggy to another source provided a frame of reference that was relevant. I thought I remember that the DAC was described as analog-like in the review (which was excellent BTW). Perhaps that was somewhere in the discussions. Cheers.

This has been a great thread to read.

I'd like to ask 2 questions about the Yggy please.

Are all the outputs live at once? Could you have say 3 systems coming off the yggy?

Also, can those owners elaborate more on their opinion of the USB connection vs the other connections.
I would assume AES superior? What about digital 75ohm coax?

Thanks
Jc

All three outputs are on the Gungnir and the manual specifically mentions that. The manual for the Yggy doesn’t make mention of it at all, but I’d be surprised if all three were not.

Attachment 54847

Attachment 54848

Yeah. The manual yggy doesn't mention about the 3 sets of outputs simultaneously. So I'm wondering if no.....or there is a compromise.

Yes, all outputs are active and yes, you can drive multiple components with them at the same time. I have often done that with my various headphone gear.

AES/EBU is the “preferred” input according to Schiit but the USB and SPDIF are top notch as well.

One thing to watch out for: If you are using multiple outputs. The “OFF” state of various components can be unpredictable and can load the output stage of Gumby and I imagine Yggy as well. I came across that situations with one particular headphone amp that when connected to Gumby and turned OFF would cause Gumby output to distort while driving another headphones amp.

Bhatten.......It is so easy for a thread to take off in a different direction than the original topic, then become a completely different subject as others respond. I want to keep my thread focused on the original topic. Your cooperation is appreciated. Thank you.