Any owners of Schitt Bifrost 2?

I am in the market for a Schitt Dac. One of the main reasons why I am considering Schitt because they are upgradable.

Question is the Bifrost worth the money ? Or should I buy once and cry once and buy the Yggdrasil .

It is probably a better idea to buy once/cry once and get the Yggdrasil.... It is a end game dac for something made in America, though it has been around for some years. The NOS mode on it is the most "ease" and "relaxation" i’ve had on my brain when listening to a very detailed DAC. Not sure why that is... delta sigma results in some doozy that mildly irritates the brain over extended periods. This is my 3rd time owning the Yggdrasil (bought/sold it twice before thinking/convincing myself there was something else better, but, there isn’t..atleast for me).

These semi-illogical or poorly understood things about sound, perception and human biology don’t have anything to do with price. Try some dac that costs ten or twenty times as much and you may end up coming to the same conclusion.

If you have plenty of files, you could also try running/converting them with the Daniel Hertz masterclass software before you feed it to your dac. It may be Mark Levinson’s greatest contribution to audio yet.

I have a Bitfrost 2/64 and I like it a lot. It's somewhat unique use of 4 chips to split the conversion chores allows it to perform way above its price. PS Audio recently came out with a similar architecture.

But it's not end game. I plan to upgrade in the near future but I expect to pay at least 4x the price for something better. That may be a Yggi or something else. 

But there's always something better and costlier. 

I, too, have the Bifrost 2. To me, it sounds great. I have 2 of them and Denafrips. I'm not a dog, so I can't hear everything, so it sounds great to me. Get it, enjoy it.

"nothing special like Prima Luna?"

Using Bifrost 2 as a backup in times of repair or transition. It really sings for the price. Don't buy Yggy unless the DAC is the weak link in your current system.

I have the Bifrost II but recently upgraded to another US made DAC, the Geshelli Labs DAYZEE.  I recently insterted it into my system and I am incredibly impressed.  That isn't to say the Bifrost isn't a good product.

I have both. I use a Bifrost in my headphone rig and a Yiggy LIM in my loudspeaker system. The Yiggy was definitely worth the additional cost for me. It added noticeable detail, instrument separation, and soundstage depth. 

It really depends on the rest of your system, the DAC you are replacing, and your future upgrade plans. But since you are thinking about it, I would vote for the Yggdrasil.

I have a Bifrost II/64 and a Modi multibit. I'm pleased with both and Schiit has a lot of value for the money. As some mentioned the Yggdrasil would be a great place to start on the high end, but I have an older CD transport with a R2R DAC (32 bit?) that to me is reference. Unfortunately it's dedicated to the CD so I can't input steaming audio, but I believe there's some modern stand alone R2R's out there.

I would just ask yourself some hard questions. Do you get "upgrade-itis" often? If you get the Bifrost 2/64 you could use it a while, maybe later sell it or repurpose it for use in a headphone rig (if that sort of thing interests you). 

The thing is, if you spend the money on the Yggy now, will you "stick with it" for say 5 to 8 years, or will you constantly be looking at newer DACs that come on the market every 6 months? 

At some point the Yggy will be "long in the tooth" but if it still sounds great who cares? Just to scratch an itch and to set your mind at ease, you could always order a R2R DAC from Amazon use it a while and send it back, just to know if that sound signature trips your trigger better than a multibit (or not). If I had a dime for every time a YouTuber gushed over the "natural tonality, imaging, and soundstage" of an R2R DAC, I'd be able to buy a Yggy instead. LOL. Then again, they all say deep, impactful bass, is not the wheelhouse of most R2R DACs, so there is that. At least if you did that you could avoid having any doubts that you made the right decision for yourself. 

Good luck. 

 

Hi own a bifrost 2 as well. I agree with @zlone … depends on your systems weakest link. 
 

I really enjoy the sound of it. I use it with an all tube setup (Tzakaridis Aeolos Ultra) and Nola Boxer speakers (streamer is Allo digione Sig) so the bf2 adds nice detail, clarity and separation while keeping the tube sound strong. 
 

If your system is all solid state with a bright speaker then I’d consider something like a chord Qutest.

Don’t forget your source is critical so use something better than PC or Bluesound Node and use a linear power supply to clean it up. 

The two are a lot closer than the price difference would have you think. I have both.

I had the Bifrost 1 Multibit, which sounded great. I moved to a Yggy OG and it blows the Bifrost out of the water…

I had a Yggy LiM and loved it. Then I had a need for a DAC with a volume control so I ended up with a PS Audio DS Mk 1. It's easily better as far as detail and bass weight. Music just has more presence and "thereness" (hey, I invented a new buzzword!) with the DS. I would never disparage anyone that says the Yggy is their favorite DAC, though. It's excellent. I will say that now that I've experienced the difference an I2S connection makes the lack of one on the Yggy would give me pause. Of course, your source component(s) also need one so it may be a moot point for you.

I have a Bifrost 2 with PS Audio power cable, 

AudioQuest Cobra Interconnects,

Kimber Cable D60 digital cable 

AudioQuest Carbon USB Cable 1.5 meter

Just resent i added a Synergistics Research 

Purple Fuse, .75 inch, 300mA slow blow.

I also have a Bifrost 2 with PS Audio Power Cable

Audioquest Cobra Interconnects, 

Kimber Cable D60 Digital Cable, AudioQuest Carbon USB Cable.

Just Recently I added a Synergistics Research

Purple Fuse .75 in 500mA Slow Blow.

You might want to check out a used Bifrost -- they come up for sale regularly. You could buy one and then resell it for about the same you paid if it doesn't float your boat or you just get the urge to move on.

I have a Bifrost 2 and a Modi Multibit.

I think the first question regarding Schiit DACs and other choices is: are you satisfied with 24/192 PCM data, or do you want DSD or MQA and can that be decoded before the Schiit DAC.

I have what many here call a LoFi system. I am in an apartment, and the room layout and space do not lend themselves to high end audio. Using an M2 Mac Mini for the stream, to a Denon AVRX3700 to Ascend Audio Sierra speakers with an SVS SB 1000 pro sub. Took a lot of play with the Denon to optimize for 2 channel and balance the speakers and sub.

The Bifrost 2 is a noticeable step up from the Modi Multibit, but not large. In the above base, the Bifrost 2 has slightly more depth and separation. Overall sound stage is about the same.

Recently, added a restored Luxman M120 for the L&R amplification and even without dialing everything in, the depth, width, and separation jumped to a whole new level. Looking to add a dedicated preamp, and stop using the Denon as a pre. Added this info to say that your environment, preamp, amp, and speakers have a lot to do with what you will hear from any DAC. Haven’t heard any version of the Yggdrasil, so can’t say if it would be better in my system. Based on specs, it is a big step up, but would that be audible in my system?

All of this is to say that audio is the sum of the parts, and anybody’s system can evolve. The Yggdrasil may be end game DAC, but is the rest of your system comparable? Agree with the other posters, try a Bifrost 2/64, or at least a used Bifrost 2 and see if it performs for you and your system. Then you can decide if pushing further is worth it to you.

You said the main reason for Bifrost is that it's upgradable. Unfortunately it's not user upgradable. You have to mail it to Schiit and they do the operation...so you're looking at about a $350 upgrade and being without a DAC for a bit...