ЦАПы — Schiit Audio YGGDRASIL

The Yggdrasil is a DAC from Schiit Audio, first shown in 2014 and still built on a modular chassis in which every board from input to output can be replaced. Schiit now offers it in three versions - Less is More, More is Better and Singular - and it is priced at USD 2,299 with a five-year limited warranty that transfers to a second owner.

Key specs that matter

The Less is More version uses four Texas Instruments DAC8812 16-bit converters, two per channel in a dual hardware balanced layout, with an LME49724 differential analog stage. It gives 4.0 V RMS balanced and 2.0 V RMS single-ended, THD under 0.002 percent from 20 Hz to 20 kHz at full output, IMD under 0.002 percent (CCIF) and SNR beyond 110 dB referenced to 4 V RMS. Its analog stage is flat within 0.1 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz and 1 dB down at 0.5 Hz and 200 kHz. More is Better swaps in four DAC11001B 20-bit chips for THD+N of 0.0001 percent and more than 121 dB SNR. Singular uses an FPGA-based 7-bit delta-sigma modulator running at 6 MHz with a discrete resistor ladder and a Class A discrete output stage. Every version provides a single balanced XLR output alongside two RCA outputs, all at 75 ohm, measures about 406 x 330 x 73 mm, weighs about 11.3 kg and draws 45 W.

Engineering and use context

Less is More and More is Better accept USB, AES/EBU, RCA and BNC coaxial and optical S/PDIF, all up to 24 bit and 192 kHz, through an AK4113 receiver and Schiit's own Unison USB input on a PIC32 processor. Adapticlock analysis with VCXO and VCO regeneration keeps timing bit-perfect at all native rates. Singular adds a second USB input rated to 32 bit and 384 kHz, an AK4118 receiver and the Forkbeard app, which provides digital volume, balance, parametric EQ and loudness, while the other two versions get Forkbeard as a USD 250 option. All versions use a closed-form interpolation filter computed by an Analog Devices SHARC chip, which keeps the original samples, and offer a non-oversampling mode, remote control and absolute phase inversion. Power comes from two transformers, one each for digital and analog, plus a choke feeding a dual mono shunt-regulated plus and minus 24 V analog supply and a dozen or more local regulators. DSD plays once the software player converts it to PCM.

Pairing

The balanced output level suits XLR preamplifiers and power amplifiers with balanced inputs, and Singular with its digital volume can drive a power amplifier directly. Schiit describes the chassis as sized for a shelf or rack, not a desk.

Alternatives

The Schiit Gungnir 2 is a standalone DAC that sits between the Bifrost and the Yggdrasil in the company line-up.