Article: And Now For Some Serious Good Schiit (Skoll Yggy!)

I have both the Yggi+ OG and the Yggi+ LIM. I called up SchiitR to see about driving down for a listen to the MIB DAC. The LIM was a bit too rolled off for my Yamaha NS5000 speakers, but it was perfect for my brighter Magnepan LRS+ speakers. The person I spoke with at Schitt told me that the best DAC they had ever made was the Yggi+ OG. Though he had not heard the MIB yet. I took a chance and bought the last OG they had instead of the MIB.

My findings on the OG were initially similar to this review. It was a bit bright; soundstage was wide, and not very deep. I was disappointed. However, I read Robert Harley's TAS review of the prior Yggi OG and his listening observations mirrored mine. However, he decided to leave the DAC alone playing for 1 month and came back to listen. I did the same and I had the same reaction as him. The Yggi+ OG became the best DAC I had ever owned. The brightness was totally gone. There was way more detail than the LIM. the bass was much stronger than the LIM. I have advert on USAM to trade my LIM to the Yggi+ OG. The OG sounds great on my Yamaha, Magnepan, and the RAAL phones.

This AS review is interesting since it seems like the MIB would a step forward from the LIM. Though I am not a believer that I would like it more than the OG. I guess for the $950 upgrade fee I can find out.

They are all very good. Go with your personal preference!

Just now, JoeWhip said:

They are all very good. Go with your personal preference!

100%

I loved my OG, then I loved my LiM more. The MiB isn't for me, but I can see why it is THE DAC for many. 

On 6/25/2024 at 11:41 AM, charlesphoto said:

The elephant in the room is that 'vinyl' is so damn expensive these days! Even decent used records. For the price of 5 single or 3 new double albums I can pay for my entire years Qobuz subscription. It will be interesting just how sustainable this revival of interest is with prices like this. But then again, my daughter and her friend asked to go to Five Guys for lunch yesterday - I'd never been - and now I'm looking for a kidney buyer. Serious sticker shock for what I thought were supposed to be fast food burgers. So I guess it's all relative...

At least at the low to mid-end, the hardware is more expensive too.  It only makes sense if your eyes pop open when you hear it

On 6/23/2024 at 8:14 PM, The Computer Audiophile said:

Vinyl is like MQA to me

Hey now, what did Vinyl ever do to you?  No need to put it down like that...  ;-)

Having just gone from my loved and well played OG to the MiB I find the biggest difference in the mids on up to the treble. What are those differences? Separation of instruments, or "air" as some call it. Perhaps as JoeWhip suggested that is from a quieter background, I don't know. I also found the OG could sound just a bit sharp on something like a hard cymbal hit, for example, where the MiB doesn't sound soft, just gets rid of the sharpness that shouldn't be there. I may be extra sensitive to this as that is one specific thing that also sets my tinnitus off. I also want to point out that these differences are not huge so don't think I am putting down the OG in any way, it is a great DAC still.

On 6/20/2024 at 6:05 PM, PeterG said:

Fascinating that a digital company such as Schiit would release a phono stage. 

Schiit is not at all a "digital company". They have been selling their $149 Mani phono preamp for a long time (now in its 2nd iteration), along with a modular phono input card that can be fitted into their headphone and integrated amps. They are also currently working on a tube phono preamp. Schiit even designed and sold their own turntable (the Sol, now discontinued).

https://www.stereophile.com/content/schiit-audio-sol-turntable

On 6/22/2024 at 12:22 PM, The Computer Audiophile said:

In addition, I’ve never heard a piano with vibrato, unless it’s being reproduced from vinyl. 

The UMG watermark in streaming music caused a vibrato-like effect on piano sustained notes. It was truly awful and ruined entire albums. Thankfully, UMG discontinued applying their watermark.

15 hours ago, RichardSF said:

Schiit is not at all a "digital company". They have been selling their $149 Mani phono preamp for a long time (now in its 2nd iteration), along with a modular phono input card that can be fitted into their headphone and integrated amps. They are also currently working on a tube phono preamp. Schiit even designed and sold their own turntable (the Sol, now discontinued).

https://www.stereophile.com/content/schiit-audio-sol-turntable

Yes, agreed.  I meant in spirit, not literally.  Like McIntosh at heart is an amplifier company., although they have a full line of gear.  I am a big fan of Schiit, and my Yggy has been great, and I think my son has a Mani.  I have not tried their phono gear, but my sense from the prices is that it would not be at Yggy's level wrt sonics  (apples to oranges, but still).  Do you have intel on the upcoming tube phono preamp?  I could not find anything.

1 hour ago, PeterG said:

Do you have intel on the upcoming tube phono preamp?

It is called Stjarna and was first mentioned by Jason Stoddard near the end of his 2023 year-end report. His latest status updates were last month, here and here (the topic under discussion at the time was whether Stjarna should have a mono mode switch).

On 6/26/2024 at 11:08 AM, yyz said:

This AS review is interesting since it seems like the MIB would a step forward from the LIM. Though I am not a believer that I would like it more than the OG. I guess for the $950 upgrade fee I can find out.

Thanks for posting @yyz as I came here to learn about others' impressions of the MiB. I have been thinking about the Holo Cyan 2 as I have heard how great the Denafrips Pontus sounds in my own system, but for me and my taste, LiM won out over Pontus as well as the Yggy A2 version I owned at the time, and which I believe became "OG" terminology and thus superseded the name A2 in their marketing. Who says FUD isn't a Schiit strategy? I'm kidding, sort of. So I got a LiM upgrade and have been VERY happy.

Now you make me want to put my A2 board back in my original Yggy chassis (Olsher or someone at TAS reported the upgraded chassis as better, damn him) and get a MiB to compare. But I mainly am posting here to say that there are some sonic things that words just don't do justice and take too long to explain fairly, so I'm tired of trying, and will simply say and echo that as Chris noted in his original LiM shoot out review, I found the presentation of the LiM to be more "properly" balanced than my A2/OG. I note Chris sort of(?) notes his preference for LiM vs MiB still in a comment up above, but @The Computer Audiophile were you referring to the latest MiB with the latest design/chips/whatevs? I believe the original MiB you heard in the original intro of flavors was redesigned and re-released... (See what I mean about FUD, I can't even be sure I'm keeping up w/ their flavors anymore! Pretty soon it'll be 31 flavors.) And so is what you heard what I will hear? Or will the MiB appeal as Chris notes in his comment above, but not enough to beat the LiM as it has for @JoeWhip? 

Anyway, I enjoyed the A2 but writing this is my unconscious telling my conscious to just get the MiB upgrade based on the review here, and maybe also the Holo Cyan 2 and go from there. Thanks, JoeWhip! And also just say in case anyone cares to try: I find my Schiit DACs over the years to benefit greatly from Shunyata Delta (or better) XC power cables.

18 hours ago, feelingears said:

@The Computer Audiophile were you referring to the latest MiB with the latest design/chips/whatevs?

I totally spaced this one. I was referring to an earlier Schiit DAC, but in my haste I posted incorrectly. 

Thanks for catching it!

13 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

 

I totally spaced this one. I was referring to an earlier Schiit DAC, but in my haste I posted incorrectly. 

 

Thanks for catching it!

Schiit does not make it easy to keep track--it may be the most difficult company in audio in this regard.  My Yggy OG has been great, and I've upgraded at least once.  But with something like 3 to choose from today, it is not obvious which of the new Yggys a person might prefer.  This would not be so bad if they had a dealer network where one could hear them and choose (but of course that would probably force their prices up...).  It's like an ice cream parlor with 3 flavors in non-descriptive names, and no tasting spoons

You pay for the tasting spoon, and the shipping on that too!

I am a little wary of my upgrade to MiB from LiM, but hopeful it's all Joe suggests it is in terms of being better than LiM overall (greater than the sum of the parts). I hope MiB retains most all of LiM's dynamic and musical qualities, but I've read several owner impressions that kept me from doing this earlier... And, the Holo Cyan 2 seems also to be a contender for my taste in sound; hope to try that one too, eventually.

Apropos of nothing here, my LiM is en route to Schiit. For fun, I replaced the Yggy LiM with a long unused Halide USB DAC (from 2014, I think) to hold me over because it's very simply plug and play. I have a smaller Schiit DAC, the Modius, in another system but it's not so simply plug and play.

And... The Halide DAC is actually pretty damn good, perhaps shockingly good. Bass is definitely looser, a bit out of control, and things are a bit congested, especially for the first hour or so from a cold start, but warmed up it is surprisingly listenable and balanced. The bass does not slam at all (one of Yggy's strong suits) even w/ a sub, so there's that, but the overall sound and presentation is pleasing at least. I might be misremembering but Stereophile rated it A or B way back then, I think. Anyway, Yggy's bass slam and some of the other intangible subjectives it delivers will be very welcome back.

Hope you enjoy it feelingears. Hopefully you asked them to send you back the LIM boards just in case. I have had many hours of enjoyment with the MIB since the review was posted.

On 7/3/2024 at 3:54 PM, JoeWhip said:

Hope you enjoy it feelingears. Hopefully you asked them to send you back the LIM boards just in case. I have had many hours of enjoyment with the MIB since the review was posted.

@JoeWhip This hobby is weirdly subjective and personal, but that's what makes the exploration fun. I appreciate your article prompting me to try the MiB. So, after much burn-in (over a week*, 24x7), listening, and adjusting and listening more, I agree that MiB. I have some nature recordings that truly have a lifelike sense of being outdoors in a forest when heard over MiB in my system. But...all MiB's superior things fall short without dynamics, and in my speaker system, the dynamics went "mellow," which turns out to be a deal killer for me.

The MiB dynamics are just a touch too flat for (many of) my musical taste/recordings. Despite the extra resolution and beautiful high end of the treble (I will miss that extra bit of sparkle/openness), I kept wanting to turn up the volume to hear dynamics. With LiM, I am happy wherever the volume is, even at low levels such as with nighttime listening. I put the old LiM boards back in (as you noted), and ahhh....immediately I could hear what I'd been missing: there's the splash of the cymbals, the crash, the thump, the pluck...things MiB smooths over a touch too much for me. Mi indeed B but for me, LiM music, more emotion, more energy. "Flavors," as Stoddard and company say.

Anyway, people should try this for themselves. This is a great reference point of what digital can sound like, so no regrets and lots learned. Thanks again, Joe!

*Yeah, over a week - it was truly needed because the bass was simply wrong for the first five days. My new-from-factory speakers were that way too, way back when.

That is why I recommend keeping the old boards. With the newer Yggy+ system it is much easier to change. Thanks for your feedback. Enjoy the LIM as it is a great DAC. Horses for courses.

41 minutes ago, JoeWhip said:

That is why I recommend keeping the old boards. With the newer Yggy+ system it is much easier to change. Thanks for your feedback. Enjoy the LIM as it is a great DAC. Horses for courses.

Absolutely, I still have my OG boards, still liking the MiB though.