Oh Schiit... back to the drawing board
Jetmaker737
Posts: 1,047
in Electronics
So I got myself a Schiit Gungnir multibit DAC (Gumby). Was waitlisted for a month and it finally got here a week ago. These are notorious for break-in so I put over 100 hours on it before sitting down for a thorough evaluation. I'm sad and disappointed to report that I'm not totally digging the Gumby. I was really expecting good things too because of the stellar reviews all over the web.
To do my review I A-B'd it against my CDP, a Jolida JD-100. Maybe that's not a fair comparo? It's a damn fine CDP. But it is tube gear and the Schiit is not.
Compared to the Jolida the Gumby was simply less engaging, less fun. The Jolida presents a 3D soundstage with considerable depth. The images have substance and form and you can listen into the details of them deeply. The Gumby was a flatter presentation. Instead of 3D sound images arranged in space it presents more of a 2D sound "picture". Noticeably less fore-aft depth to the images. I also noticed distinctly that certain elements of timbre and musical images such as reverb and echos are presented in less detail and substance, almost not present in some cases. Which you would have no idea what you're missing without a comparo to another gear.
One thing the Gumby did very well was higher frequencies. These really stood out as clear and defined. Cymbals and bells were expertly crafted. The downside to that though is a tendency toward fatigue. And maybe lends to the Gumby's overall "dry" feel to its sound.
As a final test I swapped the IC's (AQ sidewinders vs King Cobras) and reran the test. No noticeable changes.
Well, that's my attempt at a review. I am open to any comments or suggestions in my approach. But at this point I've pretty much decided to send it back. Such a bummer after so much research and anticipation.
The search for a new DAC will continue...
To do my review I A-B'd it against my CDP, a Jolida JD-100. Maybe that's not a fair comparo? It's a damn fine CDP. But it is tube gear and the Schiit is not.
Compared to the Jolida the Gumby was simply less engaging, less fun. The Jolida presents a 3D soundstage with considerable depth. The images have substance and form and you can listen into the details of them deeply. The Gumby was a flatter presentation. Instead of 3D sound images arranged in space it presents more of a 2D sound "picture". Noticeably less fore-aft depth to the images. I also noticed distinctly that certain elements of timbre and musical images such as reverb and echos are presented in less detail and substance, almost not present in some cases. Which you would have no idea what you're missing without a comparo to another gear.
One thing the Gumby did very well was higher frequencies. These really stood out as clear and defined. Cymbals and bells were expertly crafted. The downside to that though is a tendency toward fatigue. And maybe lends to the Gumby's overall "dry" feel to its sound.
As a final test I swapped the IC's (AQ sidewinders vs King Cobras) and reran the test. No noticeable changes.
Well, that's my attempt at a review. I am open to any comments or suggestions in my approach. But at this point I've pretty much decided to send it back. Such a bummer after so much research and anticipation.
The search for a new DAC will continue...
SystemLuxman L-590AXII Integrated Amplifier|KEF Reference 1 Loudspeakers|PS Audio Directream Jr|Sansui TU-9900 Tuner|TEAC A-6100 RtR|Nakamichi RX-202 Cassette
Comments
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Sounds like you prefer the sound of tube gear.
If I were you that is where I would start refine the search. -
So what you are saying is that it sounds like Schiitt.
Look for a PS Audio PerfectWave II. They can be had for a good price on the used market.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
The Jolida is a nice CDP. What tubes are you using? Why do you feel the need for a DAC?Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Interesting review, thanks for sharing. I think I would certainly expect more from it, given the price point.
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The Jolida is a nice CDP. What tubes are you using? Why do you feel the need for a DAC?
Jolida has Psvane 12AX7's. The DAC is for streaming (Roon/Tidal). In my tests I was streaming FLAC at 44.1k 16 bit via Roon (no DSP) and Squeezebox touch over wifiSystemLuxman L-590AXII Integrated Amplifier|KEF Reference 1 Loudspeakers|PS Audio Directream Jr|Sansui TU-9900 Tuner|TEAC A-6100 RtR|Nakamichi RX-202 Cassette -
Jet, are you interested in trying a North Star DAC?
Hi Skip. Yes, I'd like to try it. PM me with details. Thanks!SystemLuxman L-590AXII Integrated Amplifier|KEF Reference 1 Loudspeakers|PS Audio Directream Jr|Sansui TU-9900 Tuner|TEAC A-6100 RtR|Nakamichi RX-202 Cassette
