Schiit Gungnir experiences?
- Thread starter davidflas
- Start date
Spookyfoot
Super Member
I've had the Gungnir in my main rig for a couple months now and I absolutely love it. I'm running my Olive 04HD via fiber optic to the Gungnir. From there I'm utilizing the balanced XLR output on to my amp. I loved my Dac Magic (and still do!) but the Gungnir brought crystal clarity to the mid range and created impressive separation that surpassed the Dac Magic. Highly recommended.
Spookyfoot
Super Member
I've never heard the Peachtree iDac but it gets a lot of great reviews, will be very interesting to hear your comparison. I feel the Gungnir took longer to break in than my DacMagic did. I leave it on constantly, which Schiit has said is completely fine, and I think it took a good 2 weeks to completely settle in.
I've been listening to the Gungnir since last night, and liking what I hear. I will post detailed listening impressions once the DAC has had a chance to break-in for a while. One thing I will say right now, is that I don't understand the people who say that all DACs sound the same.... 
shortcuttomo
Active Member
I don't either. Of course, I also don't understand the people who say that their electronic equipment needs to run for "a while" in order to "break in" - rather than the more logical option of it being your ears getting used to the new equipment....
I've been listening to the Gungnir since last night, and liking what I hear. I will post detailed listening impressions once the DAC has had a chance to break-in for a while. One thing I will say right now, is that I don't understand the people who say that all DACs sound the same....
They do. If you don't actually listen to them.
Same stuff with amps too. I'll never understand it.
Congrats with the Gungnir. That thing has had me impressed and interested for a while.
I have had my Bifrost for over a month and powered on. It was still improving after this amount of time. The Gungnir should probably behave the same when it comes to break-in.
I don't either. Of course, I also don't understand the people who say that their electronic equipment needs to run for "a while" in order to "break in" - rather than the more logical option of it being your ears getting used to the new equipment....
Good point, I'll post my thoughts after my ears become accustomed to the sound of the Gungnir. :thmbsp:
Now that I have had a few days to listen, here are my impressions, compared to the Peachtree Audio iDac that I've been using:
1. Dayum!
2. More specifically, I hear a significant increase in soundstage width and depth, bass that is more authoritative, and a greater sense that music is happening, rather than a recording. This is the most significant advance in fidelity that I have experienced in a long time.
1. Dayum!
2. More specifically, I hear a significant increase in soundstage width and depth, bass that is more authoritative, and a greater sense that music is happening, rather than a recording. This is the most significant advance in fidelity that I have experienced in a long time.
The iDac was one of the DAC's I was considering when I bought the Bifrost. Its good to hear someone else finds another Schiit DAC more resolving than the Peachtree unit. Back in the 90's I had a Aragon DAC for a while and I really liked it. Have you listened to one of those?
I would also like to add that if (when) Schiit makes an integrated amp, and if it is in the same price range as my Gungnir, will likely get one. Edit: I have not heard the Aragon DAC. The only vintage DAC that I have much experience with is the Theta DSPre Basic that I had from 90-97. It was great in its day, and I really liked have it as my Pre as well. My father still has an Adcom GDA-700, but it haven't listened to it enough to form an opinion.
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I've had the Gungnir for 1 month, and I am still very happy with it. It has made a "rediscover my music collection" level increase in sound quality in my system! Compared to the Peachtree iDac it replaced, the Gungnir produces a larger soundstage, more air around the instruments, deeper and better controlled bass. I also feel that it gives music a much more appealing texture, more natural sound if you will. There are a lot of other DACs in the $1000 and under price range, but I have no interest in trying them because of how much I love the Gungnir. Here's a pic:
Spookyfoot
Super Member
I've had the Gungnir for 1 month, and I am still very happy with it. It has made a "rediscover my music collection" level increase in sound quality in my system! Compared to the Peachtree iDac it replaced, the Gungnir produces a larger soundstage, more air around the instruments, deeper and better controlled bass. I also feel that it gives music a much more appealing texture, more natural sound if you will. There are a lot of other DACs in the $1000 and under price range, but I have no interest in trying them because of how much I love the Gungnir. Here's a pic:
:thmbsp:
thedelihaus
Nocturnal transmissions
If I were to buy a new dac today, this is the first I'd reach for. Congrats.
I've had the Gungnir for 1 month, and I am still very happy with it. It has made a "rediscover my music collection" level increase in sound quality in my system! Compared to the Peachtree iDac it replaced, the Gungnir produces a larger soundstage, more air around the instruments, deeper and better controlled bass. I also feel that it gives music a much more appealing texture, more natural sound if you will. There are a lot of other DACs in the $1000 and under price range, but I have no interest in trying them because of how much I love the Gungnir. Here's a pic:
Good to hear that you are liking your Gungnir. The next thing you might want to try is the iFI iUSB power supply between your Mac and the Gungnir to add some more focus to the overall presentation and even more low level information.
I haven't listened to either of those Benchmark DACs, but I can say that I have never seen the crappy source light come on. I've fed the Gungnir via all its inputs using the Mac Book Pro, a Mac Mini, and an Onkyo DX5700 from 1988, and a Pioneer Elite PD-65 from 1992.
I recently upgraded to the 2nd gen USB card from Schiit and it makes the sound a bit cleaner than before. I can tell you that it was a lot of work getting the Gungnir open...tons of screws, and you actually have to remove the entire mainboard to get at the USB card.
