SCHIIT AUDIO’S BIFROST DAC

SPECS:

http://schiit.com/products/bifrost/

D/A Conversion IC: AKM Verita® AK4490
Analog Stage: Fully discrete, DC coupled
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz, +/-0.1dB, 2Hz-100KHz, -1dB
Maximum Output: 2.0V RMS<
THD: <0.003%, 20Hz-20KHz, at max output
IMD: <0.004%, CCIR
S/N: >108dB, referenced to 2V RMS
Inputs: Coaxial SPDIF, Optical SPDIF, USB
Input Capability: up to 24/192 for all inputs, including 24/176.4
Input Receiver, SPDIF: AK4113, USB: C-Media CM6631A
Output: RCA (single-ended)
Output Impedance: 75 ohms
Power Consumption: 12W
Size: 9 x 6.75 x 2.25”
Weight: 5 lbs

WHERE TO BUY / COST:

http://schiit.com/products/bifrost

$399 new

OVERVIEW

Founded in 2010 Schiit Audio is relatively new to the amp/DAC manufacturing world, but its founders Jason Stoddard and digital domain master Mike Moffat are far from new to the world of audio. Theirstory is worth reading. This review will cover the Bifrost digital to analog converter ( DAC ) with the AK4490 series DAC chip hence the 4490 reference. This review does not cover the Bifrost Multibit.

AESTHETICS

When the Bifrost arrived I was immediately impressed by two things. First how well-packaged the Bifrost was and second how heavy the unit is weighing in at a hefty 5 lbs Schiit is known for making simple-looking products that sound really good. They also try to source all of their components from the USA which is very difficult to do in today’s market.

The front panel is very simple containing just 3 LEDs and one push button source toggle. Coming from the much more complex m903 I appreciate the Bifrost’s simplicity. I knew it was going to be easy to setup and get to the music.

Taking a look at the back of the DAC we see two RCA inputs ( no balanced inputs ), COAX, TOSLINK, and a USB input. Lastly, one of my favorite things, is a three-prong power plug. I see so many DACs, ones that sound really good, that have the dreaded two-pole DC plug. These wear out much faster than the three-prong solution.

Not a big fan of these

After sandwiching the unit between the Grace Design m903 and HeadRoom BUDA I reached for some RCA and TOSLINK cables. Let’s see how it sounds.

ACOUSTICS

A good DAC should be dead quiet, not skip during playback, and easily handle 16-bit / 44.1 kHz files. Most DACs these days support 24-bit / 196 kHz files and the Bifrost is no exception although over TOSLINK the Bifrost was limited to 24-bit / 96 kHz. The DAC should remove all unwanted noise from the source in my case my PC which is notoriously noisy. One reason I use TOSLINK over USB is it further removes electrical noise from the source. In my experience USB and TOSLINK will sound the same if the DAC is implemented correctly, but USB tends to introduce artifacts during playback.

My hope was the standalone Bifrost will as high quality as the much more expensive Grace m903. I figured the compromises the m903 has in order to accommodate the headphone amp, preamp, and balanced mode should compete nicely against the Bifrost. On the other hand at nearly 1/3 the cost of the m903 the Bifrost could sound horrible.

Everything was setup so all I need to in order to swap between the m903 DAC and Bifrost is toggle between balanced mode ( m903 ) and single ended ( Bifrost ) and then swap the output mode in Foobar2000. This takes about 5 seconds.

Initially I thought that the Bifrost had more bass and less resolution in the midrange. I even thought there was some unwanted bass boost. I dug around and found some frequency response measurements which assured me that I should not being hearing a bass boost. I quickly realized that the output voltage from the Bifrost was higher than the output from the m903 which biased my initial findings. This is why output matching is so critical. Louder will almost always equate to better sounding. With the outputs closely matched the differences are much harder to discern. Both sound exceedingly musical, noise free, and resolving. After several days with the Bifrost I found myself leaving the m903 off and trusting the new DAC.

CONCLUSION

The Bifrost from Schiit Audio is a very competent DAC. It remains simple to setup and easily gets out the way of the music. It feels extremely well-made be it simple and can be upgraded as new technology and topologies are released. It comes with a 5-year warranty and 15-day satisfaction guarantee making it something anyone looking for a new DAC a must try.