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News

Bifrost, Gungnir Upgrades Announced

04/26/2013

Upgrades Improve Analog and USB Performance

Newhall, CA. Today, Schiit Audio announced the first upgrades to its Bifrost and Gungnir DACs. Underscoring the fully modular, future-proof nature of these products, the upgrades encompass an enhanced “Uber” DAC/Analog card for the Bifrost, which significantly enhances measured and sonic performance of the Bifrost, as well as a Gen 2 USB input for Gungnir, which improves overall USB sonic performance and adds support for 24/176 sample rates.

“We’re proud to have the least expensive, fully upgradable DACs on the market,” said Mike Moffat. “Now, we have significant upgrades that improve the sonic and measured performance of these DACs, as well as an ordering system that reduces the turn-around time for purchasing upgrades.”

Bifrost Uber
This DAC/Analog upgrade card improves the sonic and measured performance of Bifrost, using a discrete, direct-coupled gain stage from Gungnir. This discrete stage is more sophisticated than the base Bifrost, with a more complex topology, and DC servo to eliminate capacitors in the signal path. The Bifrost Uber Analog card can be ordered with any new Bifrost at a cost of $70, or purchased as an upgrade for $100.

Bifrost/Gungnir Gen 2 USB
This new USB input card for Bifrost and Gungnir now supports 24/176.4, and improves USB performance across the board. Featuring the C-Media CM6631A receiver and additional isolation and filtering, the Gen 2 USB input outperforms external USB-SPDIF converters that cost several times as much. This board is shipping with all new Bifrosts and Gungnirs for $100, or can replace the existing USB board in any Bifrost or Gungnir, or be added to any Bifrost or Gungnir without USB for $150.

New Schiit Upgrade Scheduling System
Since we know nobody wants to be away from their Bifrost or Gungnir for long, (and since, say, trying to do 3000 upgrades in one week wouldn’t be so great on our side either) we’ve developed a convenient scheduling system that allows an owner to keep their product until we’re ready to turn it around immediately. When an order is placed on our site, a series of emails will notify the purchaser when your order is accepted, when to send in the DAC, when the work is performed, and when it’s shipped back.

The Bifrost Uber and Gen 2 USB upgrades are available now.

About Schiit Audio
Founded in June 2010 by audio industry “old dogs” Jason Stoddard and Mike Moffat, Schiit Audio has a simple, if somewhat insane, mission: to bring superior performance, design, and quality to audio products at near-Chinese prices, while manufacturing in the USA.

Jason Stoddard was the former engineering lead at Sumo, designing power amps that included Polaris II, Polaris III, Andromeda III, Ulysses, Ulysses II, The Ten, The Five, as well as preamplifiers including Athena II, Diana, and Artemis, and Sumo’s first digital line: Axiom and Theorem.

Mike Moffat was the founder of Theta, Theta Digital, and Angstrom, and his audio history covers an impressive list of firsts, including the first standalone DAC, the Theta DSPre, the first use of digital signal processing and bit-perfect digital filter algorithms, the first DTS surround processor, and more.