What Makes the Schiit Yggdrasil+ DAC So Special?
- All 25 pounds of the Yggdrasil+ is developed in-house, aside from the four Texas Instruments (TI for short) DAC8812 digital-to-analog chips, whose outputs are carefully preserved in the time and frequency domains by a SHARC DSP processor. Nerdy, yes, but relevant, since many DACs at this price are still using off-the-shelf, pre-manufactured boards. The Yggdrasil+ is its own beast, from power supply to chassis, with every detail scrutinized, and that is what audiophiles deserve for their hard-earned money.
- The Yggdrasil+ has a number of digital inputs. Far too many DACs lack a wider array of connectivity, limiting the user to two or three sources. Do you have a CD transport, PC, smartphone, Mini-Disc player, and a Blu-ray player? Go ahead, hook them all up. The Schiit Yggdrasil+ will handle the job, likely with inputs to spare.
- The OG version’s analog stage is fully discrete Class-A. A discrete output stage is what I feel primarily separates the OG version, from the Less is More and More is Less versions of the Yggdrasil+. It is worth noting that all three flavors use slightly different DAC chips as well. Ultimately, these differences are just differences. The OG version, with its discrete stage, will sound more like a classic, high-end DAC with better dynamics, but the other two flavors will have more clean-cut edges. These differences will be subtle.
- Schiit give the option of a NOS (non-oversampling) mode in the Yggdrasil+. If you are like me, you may have 1000-plus Compact Discs in your collection. This means a whole lot of 16-bit/44kHz material to decode. Switching to NOS mode allows the decoding to remain native, and you get to hear the data as it was preserved.
- The Schiit Yggdrasil+ is unusually upgradable. The modular design of the DAC allows for a significant degree of future-readiness. Every part of the Yggdrasil+ is upgradable, and Schiit wants it this way to ensure their customers get the longest life out of one of their most expensive products.
- The Schiit Yggdrasil+ is made in the United States with great industrial design. I like the look, fit, finish, and feel of the Yggdrasil+. You could spend more for a much worse chassis. Made in the USA isn’t code for “assembled in the USA” either. Schiit locally sources everything they make and doesn’t rely on overseas parts shops to pre-assemble and ship them Lego-like electronic boards they just snap in place.
