Schiit Gungnir DAC

[US Blues]

Originally Posted by bobbmd

to bakerman
to bakerman ie shiit gungnir pics: what is the input to far right on the back panel with the diamond shaped icon? it looks for the life of me like a cable tv connection!

anyone have comments on this gingnir vs dacmagic plus(from ca) and use of v-link 192 with either of the above dacs? is it really necessary?

my system new macmini intel i7 2.6 gHz 8gigs ram sata tb @5400 yamaha universal changer(dvd-a sacd dvd cd with analog outs via outlaw icbm) to yamaha rx v-2500 to 2.0/5.1/7.1 cambridgesoundworks towers/satellites/ cspk and model 6 surrounds)

anyone have comments on how improved sound quality soundstage clarity etc is with either of above dacs if i were to pass my hd cablebox signal(for audio,of course) through them and how do either of them improve sound from low rez streaming music like mog at 320kbps(i use mog exclusively for streaming content) thanks am new to your forums(hope i did this correctly) bobbmd

bobbmd- the connector on the far right of the back panel is the BNC connector.

The Gungnir is a vast improvement over the original DacMagic, the DacMagic plus includes a preamp section and headphone amp, so it has a different feature set than the Gungnir, which is a just a DAC. I have not heard the DacMagic plus so I cannot comment on sound.

A better DAC will always sound better, but with lower resolution inputs, or lesser quality sources, a better DAC will reveal the shortcomings of the source material. It is hard to say how it will all work in your particular system.

I can say that the Gungnir is still rounding into form, and what I am hearing from it is very pleasing to the ears. A new adjective I would use is "organic," the presentation of recorded music sounds like live music. I am very pleased with the Gungnir.

[bobbmd]

usblues- thankyou i am inclined towards the schiit mainly because its made in the usa and i was impressed that one of the owners/developers personally answered my questions when i contacted them-but thanks for your input it helped bobbmd

[US Blues]

Originally Posted by bobbmd

usblues- thankyou i am inclined towards the schiit mainly because its made in the usa and i was impressed that one of the owners/developers personally answered my questions when i contacted them-but thanks for your input it helped bobbmd

bobbmd- I have emailed with Jason as well, prompt, polite and on target.

I looked at the DacMagic Plus this morning in a catalogue, the price went up $70 over the original, and they added a preamp section and headphone amp. Assuming the parts cost of the DAC section did not change, although the technology is newer, I would venture a guess that the DAC-only Gungnir is still a better choice sonically. The fact that Schiit will offer upgrades in the future was also an important consideration for me.

[earwaxxer]

I would pick gungnir over dac magic. From what I have read anyway.