Mr.Sneis
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2004
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I recently bought the Schiit Gungnir to replace an ODAC (which i thought was very good). My initial impressions of the Gungnir was that it made everything sound 'brighter' and snappier but removed or hid some of the bass. So much so that i thought maybe something was wrong but i guess i'm getting used to it.
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I have a Mac Mini running OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) connected via USB to the Gungnir with output to a Onkyo A-9555 integrated Amp. Everything worked fine out of the box with this connection and i was enjoying music straight away. I left the amp with the volume low and the Gungnir on over night with music playing to give it some 'burn in' and get it warmed up. When i came from from work later that day i turned the volume on the amp up to listen and all i heard was a loud BUZZZZ sound coming out of the speakers. I checked the computer and paused the music but the buzzing continued. i cycled inputs and the buzzing continued. i unplugged the USB and plugged it back in and the buzzing continued. I then shut the Gungnir off and turned it back on and it was back to normal playing music. This happened the next day as well but with the amp OFF all night and no music playing.
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Anyone else have or seen this issue? Is my unit faulty and should i get a replacement or should i just get a refund?
To the first bit, I didn't dislike the Gungnir but I too found it a bit of a pushy and up-front listening experience; one could say very engaging and energetic I suppose. I also found that when it came to subtle details of the DAC it had a tendency to smooth over some of the nuances I was used to hearing when compared to other DACs. Like I said I did find it a great listen in the grand scheme of things as it was still quite musical and dynamic when called for, but in many regards was quite distracting due to the pushy tendency which was something I have not run in to in my history. I've actually been contemplating giving the Gungnir another try as I have been on the hunt for a solid performing - lower priced DAC.
About OSX Mavericks, I really regretted making the jump to the latest OS. Have had new issues arise with my playback software and odd glitches with my USB/SPDIF adapters that I never had prior. I would believe it if Schiit is saying it may have something to do with the OS itself and possibly needing a new driver. Look at it this way, m2tech has only very recently provided a working Mavericks driver for their interface... this affected not only their few products but the many 3rd party manufacturers who use their usb interface in their dacs. Luckily we have some smart guys and supportive 3rd parties who have figured out a few workarounds way before m2tech did but for them to take what 6 months+ to release something? Crazy!
I'd say stick with the Schiit, they have proven to many others they have great customer service when it's needed.