Schiit Audio offers affordable upgrade to Bifrost

geowak · « **on:** 30 Apr 2013, 04:21 pm »

Just found this out recently. Schiit Audio will now offer an upgrade to thier popular DAC, the Bifrost. I think it's called the Uber upgrade. $100 installed by them, and $70 to get the card and install DIY. Also there is a USB upgrade as well.

DaveC113 · « **Reply #1 on:** 30 Apr 2013, 04:38 pm »

Cool, thanks for the info, I will look into it...

And (5 min later) I ordered the uber upgrade.

And (21 min later) they shipped it.

geowak · « **Reply #2 on:** 30 Apr 2013, 09:54 pm »

I'll be getting my upgraded card soon. That is one thing that I liked about the Schiit Audio products, the fact they were designed and built to be upgradable. They make great DAC's.

jackman · « **Reply #3 on:** 30 Apr 2013, 10:32 pm »

Awesome news. The Schiit guys are very cool and I love the modular design. It's a lot easier and cheaper to replace a board and USB than it is to buy a new DAC. I need to get one of these.

Cheers

Jack

DaveC113 · « **Reply #4 on:** 1 May 2013, 03:54 am »

I asked about the new USB board and Jason said it was a significant upgrade so I might get that as well...

DaveC113 · « **Reply #5 on:** 2 May 2013, 11:20 pm »

I got the uber board in the mail today (quick shipping!), will install soon...

geowak · « **Reply #6 on:** 2 May 2013, 11:55 pm »

Quote from: DaveC113 on 2 May 2013, 11:20 pm

I got the uber board in the mail today (quick shipping!), will install soon...

Dave keep us informed about the upgrade, some here will want to know if it does indeed improve the Bifrost!

DaveC113 · « **Reply #7 on:** 3 May 2013, 12:51 am »

I finished the upgrade about 30 min ago... took all of about 10 min to install the new board.

It obviously hasn't burned in yet, but I can say without reservation that this is a pretty large improvement in many areas.

The sound is clearer so detail comes through better, imaging is more defined and precise, the instruments and vocals have more separation and air in between them. Dynamics are also slightly improved. It's just overall more engaging and fun to listen to.

Several months ago I replaced the RCA jacks with DH Labs pure copper units, and used Neotech cotton insulated EC-UPOCC wire to connect them to the board. At the same time I replaced the fuse with a HiFi tuning unit. Those upgrades were also worthwhile, although not as easy as the oem RCA jacks are PCB mount.

I will definitely get the v2 USB board as well since Jason said it was also a significant upgrade. How good can this little DAC get? It was great off the shelf, now it is pretty amazing... can't wait to see what difference the USB board is going to make!

Good Schiit for sure...

rob-fi · « **Reply #8 on:** 3 May 2013, 06:16 pm »

Dave, what kind of chip is using the new USB board?

srb · « **Reply #9 on:** 3 May 2013, 06:21 pm »

Quote from: rob-fi on 3 May 2013, 06:16 pm

Dave, what kind of chip is using the new USB board?

Per the Schiit Gen 2 USB Upgrade page: "Featuring the C-Media CM6631A receiver and additional isolation and filtering ..... "

Steve

DaveC113 · « **Reply #10 on:** 3 May 2013, 06:44 pm »

I just ordered the USB upgrade too...

rob-fi · « **Reply #11 on:** 7 May 2013, 05:15 pm »

Quote from: srb on 3 May 2013, 06:21 pm

Per the Schiit Gen 2 USB Upgrade page: "Featuring the C-Media CM6631A receiver and additional isolation and filtering ..... "

Steve

Thanks Steve,
I really look forward for impressions on how this gen2 usb works with different audiophile players (Jplay specifically)

DaveC113 · « **Reply #12 on:** 9 May 2013, 09:56 pm »

I just installed the new USB board.

Wow! Like the uber board, this is a significant upgrade. It sounds like I have a new DAC, the music sounds more real and more natural. The uber board took the same signal and handled it a lot better, this is a significantly different signal in the first place which is why I said it sounds like a new DAC. I was happy with my Bifrost when I first got it, now I am blown away by how good of a source it is. The difference with the uber and v2 USB boards is night and day.

I have a feeling this little DAC is going to embarrass quite a few much more expensive units. Good job with this Schiit!

geowak · « **Reply #13 on:** 9 May 2013, 11:43 pm »

Just ordered the UBER upgraded card for the Bifrost. Just to good of a deal to pass up...

Alleye · « **Reply #14 on:** 11 May 2013, 04:14 pm »

My Bifrost was at Schiit for a repair when the upgrade was announced. I had them add the Uber Analog board as well as the USB upgrade.

It arrived this morning and I have just a few hours on it but I can already tell it's a pretty significant upgrade over the stock unit. DaveC113's comments are right on. Everything feels more "subtle", more natural, more musical, etc. (Running USB, via JRiver v18)

I'll report back with more once it has some time to settle in.

Letitroll98 · « **Reply #15 on:** 12 May 2013, 04:35 pm »

Do you think the upgrades fully address the minor complaints about the first model Bifrost? e.g. A little on the cold or analytical side, lacking the last degree of musicality.

geowak · « **Reply #16 on:** 12 May 2013, 04:48 pm »

Quote from: Letitroll98 on 12 May 2013, 04:35 pm

Do you think the upgrades fully address the minor complaints about the first model Bifrost? e.g. A little on the cold or analytical side, lacking the last degree of musicality.

I don't think it offers the "last degree of musicality". But it's a budget DAC. It sells for $349 and $449 (USB). The upgrade is only $70. I think that to get that last degree of musicality, one would have to spend more money. I don't know which DACs offer this. Someone else would have to chime in.

Letitroll98 · « **Reply #17 on:** 13 May 2013, 12:22 am »

I understand what you're saying. I meant within the context of both what the product class is and the C&C circle. I wouldn't expect it to be a Da Vinci DAC, all the DAC's in the C&C world would be expected to make some compromises. I guess I should have said the "last degree of musicality one can expect from the Bifrost."

DaveC113 · « **Reply #18 on:** 13 May 2013, 06:21 am »

I would say yes, with the new USB board and output stage it's a different DAC... significantly better than the original Bifrost.

geowak · « **Reply #19 on:** 19 May 2013, 03:28 pm »

I have added the Uber upgrade to my Bifrost. It was just a bit difficult to get the machined screws unscrewed from the casing, but proper tools and hard work paid off.
Anyway, now that the new board is in, here is my impression. The sounds are smoother, maybe sweeter. It's better separation of instruments and sounds. Every musical tone "seems" to be smoother, less harsh, more refined and better overall definition. The bass is improved a little as well. I really admire the build quality of Schiit products for the money. You get a very refined product for what they ask in money. And Jason Stoddard always responds to my questions about his products. I would buy any audio product from these guys, for sure.

Now I just have to see, if the sound will improve with time... I have got a new CD transport on the way. We will see how the Schiit Bifrost Uber and the new transport sound in about a week.

BTW for general information about upgrades. Jason of Schiit Audio made some comments on another audio web site that might be of interest to some here.. (hopeful Jason does not mind sharing his info)

Some remarks from an other site' just contact them and see what they can do for you.

Hey, the Bifrost Uber analog upgrade is using the same D/A IC as Bifrost. What’s up with that?
Blame the D/A IC manufacturers. Or our ears. First, it’s not like the options for ultra-high-performance D/A ICs are exploding. There simply hasn’t been any significant high-performance D/A ICs announced since we introduced Bifrost. Also, an upgradable DAC like Bifrost or Gungnir allows us to try out pretty much every D/A IC on the market, and the one we like the most (in the not-so-insane price realm) remains the AKM4399. So, we decided to bring Gungnir’s analog stage to Bifrost, rather than going with a different D/A IC.

So, since your new USB card does 24/176, does that mean it does DSD?
Nope. We will announce a DSD solution soon. It will not require you to send in your product for upgrade. That’s all we can say about that at this moment.

Hey, I just bought a Bifrost, and I want Uber. What will you do for me?
If you bought a Bifrost direct from us in the last 30 days, contact us and we’ll install the board for the self-install price.

Hey, I just bought a Gungnir or Bifrost, and I want the Gen 2 USB board. What about that?
If you bought direct from us in the last 30 days, you already have it. We’ve been shipping them for a while.

How can I tell if I have the Gen 2 USB board?
When using the Schiit Unified drivers on our site with PCs, or plugged into a Mac, it will give you the 24/176.4 output option.

How can I tell if a Bifrost is a Bifrost Uber, you know, if I’m buying one used?
Bifrost Ubers have a separate tamper-proof holographic label on the back with individual serialization.

All the best,

Jason