[CJs06]

I bought the Uber Analog and USB Gen 2 upgrades recently and installed them myself. Very easy and straight forward, though I think you're right with the potential of having to send the Bifrost in to be reprogrammed for a multi-bit board upgrade.

 

[riverlethe]

  Um, a couple more comments:
 
1. Galvanic isolation? Like I said, of course we have that. I simply thought no competently designed, non-bus-powered device would be without it, so we never mentioned it. It's like saying your new lamp comes with a power cord. Duh.
 
2. Upgrades may not happen? Are you seriously arguing it's better to spend a lot more money on a DAC that's designed to be thrown away when tech changes, versus getting one that offers insane price/capability/value even without considering upgradability? It's not like Bifrost requires a second mortgage.
 
And, uh, upgrades will happen.

 
So, what happened with this galvanic isolation thing?  The USB gen 2 board is quite noisy from a PC and will not run off an iPad without a powered hub.  Am I to assume it's not a "competently designed, non-bus powered" device?

 

[manywelps]

 

  Um, a couple more comments:
 
1. Galvanic isolation? Like I said, of course we have that. I simply thought no competently designed, non-bus-powered device would be without it, so we never mentioned it. It's like saying your new lamp comes with a power cord. Duh.
 
2. Upgrades may not happen? Are you seriously arguing it's better to spend a lot more money on a DAC that's designed to be thrown away when tech changes, versus getting one that offers insane price/capability/value even without considering upgradability? It's not like Bifrost requires a second mortgage.
 
And, uh, upgrades will happen.

 
So, what happened with this galvanic isolation thing?  The USB gen 2 board is quite noisy from a PC and will not run off an iPad without a powered hub.  Am I to assume it's not a "competently designed, non-bus powered" device?

I was at the SF meet and 2 people ran my Bifrost straight off their iphones through USB (otg)... no hubs or anything involved.  (It has usb gen 2. board)
 
Furthermore, the USB input isn't noisy in the slightest.  (Compared to the optical in).
 
Did you get a ground loop or something?

 

[riverlethe]

I was at the SF meet and 2 people ran my Bifrost straight off their iphones through USB (otg)... no hubs or anything involved.  (It has usb gen 2. board)

Furthermore, the USB input isn't noisy in the slightest.  (Compared to the optical in).

Did you get a ground loop or something?

Yes, ground loops are the main reason for galvanic isolation.

 

[dominiquejames]

Hi, guys! I'm not sure if this has been brought up before--I have a question about the USB male plug that goes into Bifrost. I mean, it should go all the way in, right? And not half-way? Should it make a click sound to signify proper connection? I'm unfamiliar with this male USB plug, and it seems loose when connected half-way and I can still see part of the metal rod, which is most likely the reason why connection information on the Sound and Audio Midi setup of the Macbook Pro disappears intermittently, and of course, the music stops. I tried exerting a bit of force to plug the USB into Bifrost but it doesn't seem to want to go all the way in. Right now, I'm connected with Toslink, which isn't giving me any problem at all. But since I bought a PYST cable for the USB, I thought I might as well make use of it. Anyway, is there a difference in quality between a Toslink or USB connection to source?

 

[rune-san]

  Hi, guys! I'm not sure if this has been brought up before--I have a question about the USB male plug that goes into Bifrost. I mean, it should go all the way in, right? And not half-way? Should it make a click sound to signify proper connection? I'm unfamiliar with this male USB plug, and it seems loose when connected half-way and I can still see part of the metal rod, which is most likely the reason why connection information on the Sound and Audio Midi setup of the Macbook Pro disappears intermittently, and of course, the music stops. I tried exerting a bit of force to plug the USB into Bifrost but it doesn't seem to want to go all the way in. Right now, I'm connected with Toslink, which isn't giving me any problem at all. But since I bought a PYST cable for the USB, I thought I might as well make use of it. Anyway, is there a difference in quality between a Toslink or USB connection to source?

 
On the BiFrost, having a portion of the plug sticking out is perfectly normal. I have the same partial exposure of the USB connector and have issues playing off my MBP, rMBP, and Windows Desktop. Do you have any other USB-based machines to compare if it was Software vs. Hardware? I had some cut-in cut-out in audio several years ago on the rMBP, but it went away completely after the Yosemite upgrade (where I had performed a clean install). There was something in the previous install causing issues.
 
As far as the quality difference between Toslink and USB, you'll no doubt ask 10 different times and manage to get 10 different answers I'm certain. For me, I subscribe to the scientific standard that digital is digital, and both the SPDIF receiver IC and the USB IC are of very good quality. Aside from gain level differences, I find no difference between the two.

 

[bearwarrior]

Can anyone comment about R2R ladder DACs? Will it be an improvement from Schiit Multibit?

 

[ScareDe2]

Can someone please tell me if it is possible to use a music player such as fiio x5 as a digital source to send to the Bifrost? Thank you

 

[feelingears]

Can someone please tell me if it is possible to use a music player such as fiio x5 as a digital source to send to the Bifrost? Thank you

Because I wanted a "better" server than my laptop at work, I happened to think about doing this myself recently. If I read the spec sheet correctly, the Fiio uses a mini or micro-USB out for digital signal, so that means you'd need a cable with the right terminations on it to connect Fiio to Schiit. I don't think those cables are available, but I'm probably wrong. That said, I opted to pass as odd USB cables tend to be crap and if I have to buy a Fiio, I don't want it to be schiity to my Schiit. Just me though; I hear cables. But it seems if you can find the cable you could output to your DAC.

Other option is digital out of your phone/tablet (if you have one) and USB adapter to DAC. Or pony up to Schiit Eitr and then coax S/PDIF to DAC (which some swear by for beating USB woes). Haven't tried it myself but maybe someday. Good luck.