I love this DAC

[petkov]

Thank you all for the in-depth reviews which you have given for the REGA, Young and Caiman + Gator DACs. I need a little help and decided to ask you to kindly share your opinions. As I listen to music mainly through my headphones Bayerdynamic DT 990 600ohms I want to get myself a quality DAC with headphone preamp/amp to support the 600 ohm impedance of my headphones. The DAC that I am going to purchase will also act as a link between my optical Sound Card on my pc and my AV receiver and speakers. I mostly enjoy House, Rock, Vocals/acoustic music. I am looking for true sound without coloration. I have heard the Caiman+ and like it a lot. Now I am wondering whether to go for the Gator or for something else. My budget is 600-700 euro but I will happily spend less and improve my speakers set with the saved money. Please share your opinions/advise. Thank you all in advance. Cheers

[Werner Berghofer]

Ivaylo,

As I listen to music mainly through my headphones Bayerdynamic DT 990 600ohms I want to get myself a quality DAC with headphone preamp/amp to support the 600 ohm impedance of my headphones.

some consider the headphone output of the gatorized Caiman to be pretty good, but I prefer to use my Beyerdynamic DT 990/600 Ω plugged into a dedicated headphone amp like the Schiit Valhalla. I think its performance is superior to the headphone section of the Caiman: there’s more power, “meat” and laid-back handling of fast dynamic changes.



The Beresford Caiman is a decent DAC and I use three of them in various locations in my home (see this → AoS thread for more), but since I’m curious and very impressed by the build quality, the appearance and the sound performance of their headphone amplifier, I ordered the Bifrost DAC from Schiit Audio. Shipment is expected to begin on the end of August, and I surely will post my first impressions of this DAC here on this forum.

Werner.

[DSJR]

What a terribly unfortunate name for a company (in English anyway )

Having said the above, the website is very well written in English and the gear looks to be very well made and well described. In addition, they don't seem to take themselves too seriuously. Prices seem quite fair as well

[Tim]

What a terribly unfortunate name for a company (in English anyway )

Lol, I spotted that awhile ago too Dave, but felt too embarrassed to say anything and thought Werner may have thought I was having a go - but Shiit Audio does have a certain ring to it

[Welder]

Hey Werner.
Any chance of a shot of the internals of the headphone amp?



Not the best name for International sales is it Dave

[DSJR]

P.s. Shiit range is designed by an ex Sumo guy and, wait for it, THETA as well. I loved the Theta stuff and those that knew Sumo speak of them fondly, big hearted and clean with it...

[petkov]

Thank you, Werner. Your reply is most valuable to me as you posses what I was planning to purchase. I would hate to have distorted sound and I saw in another post of yours that you mention the Gator distorts the sound with dt990 after the volume knob has been pushed passed 3 O'clock. To be absolutely frank i was hoping to avoid the purchase of a headphone amp but I start to think that this is inevitable. My last hope is that the ICON HDP or something similar will be able to drive the headphones adequately. Unfortunately I live in Bulgaria and the rule around here is that if you want quality music you have to either order blind on the internet or build your own equipment. As I do not have the talent that Stan Baresford has I am pretty much dependent on the forums for feedback prior to my internet purchase.
I love the look of the valhalla. I am sure its an amazing amp even by looking at it. I am looking forward to you review of the BIFROST

As for the name "Schitt" I would love to have been able to attend the meeting where the founders of the company were suggesting different company names just to see what other names were tabled and how they ended up with Shiit. That being said if the equipment delivers quality I could not care less how it is called.

Cheers,
Ivaylo

[Tim]

As for the name "Schitt" I would love to have been able to attend the meeting where the founders of the company were suggesting different company names just to see what other names were tabled and how they ended up with Shiit. That being said if the equipment delivers quality I could not care less how it is called.

I must admit the name appeals to my sense of bloody mindedness and I would quite like one, purely based on the name

[Werner Berghofer]

Ivaylo,

the Gator distorts the sound with dt990 after the volume knob has been pushed passed 3 O'clock.

this is quite clear, since the volume knob is outside the headphone amplifier’s “comfort zone”, as Stanley Beresford calls it. But the slight distorsions are not my primary reason to prefer a dedicated headphone amp: I pushed the Caiman’s volume knob far beyond its comfort zone because at least for my ears even in this position the sound was thin and I missed a certain volume, power and punch. Please note also that these distorsions were more obvious with my AKG K701 headphones; maybe because of the different impedances of the K701 (62 Ω) and the Beyerdynamic DT 990 (600 Ω).

To be absolutely frank i was hoping to avoid the purchase of a headphone amp

Your personal preferences may be quite different from mine, and if you are satisfied with the performance of the Caiman’s headphone section, there’s certainly no reason for you to purchase a separate headphone amp. The best suggestion is to try and find out for yourself.

Werner.

[Werner Berghofer]

John,

Any chance of a shot of the internals of the headphone amp?

in December 2010 6moons published a review of the Schiit headphone amps and included some photos of the Valhalla’s internals.

Werner.