Schiit - Gungnir

Designed & Made
in the USA

Ideal for
Audiophiles

Ideal for
Indoor Use

5 Years of
Warranty

Metal
Build

Dual AKM AK4439
DAC Chip

XLR Balanced
Output

DESCRIPTION

SPECS

FAQs

Wait a whole entire second there, buddy! Are you saying that this has the same insane digital filter and multibit architecture as the Yggdrasil?

In the case of Gungnir Multibit, yes.

But…but how can you do Gungnir Multibit at half the price of Yggdrasil?

It actually only costs $1.83 to make an Yggdrasil and $1.24 to make a Gungnir Multibit, so we’re laughing all the way to the bank!

You gotta be kidding!

Of course we are. You didn’t think we could be serious for long, did you?

So what’s the real answer? How is Gungnir Multibit half the price of Yggdrasil?

Easy. It’s a simpler DAC. The power supply has no choke-input, shunt-regulated stage like in Yggdrasil, the chassis and construction more streamlined, we’re using more surface-mount parts in the analog section, and (most importantly), we’re using 18-bit AD5781BRUZ D/A converters, rather than the mind-blowingly expensive AD5791s we use in Yggdrasil. However, the completely insane, closed-form, DSP-based, 18,000-tap filter remains in Gungnir Uber.

How does Gungnir Multibit sound compared to Yggdrasil?

You tell us. We think it sounds very, very fine. But we aren’t you.

How does Gungnir Multibit sound compared to (insert DAC name here)?

Come on, guys, you know we don’t speculate on comparisons to other gear. Have a listen and buy what you like.

Well, then, how does Gungnir sound compared to Gungnir Multibit?

Okay. We see where this is going. Let’s end it here. Both Gungnir and Gungnir Multibit offer formidable performance for the price. Gungnir has been lauded by the press and industry pundits as one of the finest-sounding DACs at its price and is frequently compared to products that cost much more than it does. Gungnir Multibit brings class-leading Yggdrasil multibit performance to a more affordable price point.

Are both Gungnir Multibit and Gungnir true balanced DACs?

Yes. Both have true hardware balancing and summed single-ended outputs. They also have our exclusive Adapticlock™ clock regeneration system.

Ah schiit, more marketing buzzwords. What’s Adapticlock?

Nontechnically, it’s a way to decrapify the inputs, no matter how craptastic they are. If they are not very crappy, they get maximum decrapification, but even if they’re crappy, they get some decrapification.

Now you’re screwing with me!

Just a little. Technically, Adapticlock is the industry’s most advanced jitter-reducing reclocking system. It automatically switches between VCXO and VCO reclocking, depending on the quality of your source. High-quality sources run on the VCXOs, for best jitter performance. Lower-quality sources that deviate from the range of the VCXOs are routed automatically to the VCOs, and an LED on the front panel comes on. We call this the “buy better gear” light.

What are some typical high-quality and low-quality sources?

High-quality: good CD transports, good DVD/Blu-Ray players, good music servers, most computers. Low-quality: Airport Expresses, satellite receivers, old CD/DVD players.

Let’s move on. What’s Unison USB?

Unison USB is our own proprietary USB input, not based on C-Media or XMOS or any other off-the-shelf USB receiver out there. Instead, we spent a couple of person-years developing our own code for a standard Microchip PIC32 microprocessor, which allowed us to create a higher-performing USB input than anything else on the market.

But, USB inputs, like, kinda suck.

Not Unison USB. Even Mike Moffat, the famous “friends don’t let friends use USB” guy, prefers Unison to SPDIF.

So why is Unison USB so special?

Unison USB is special because it was developed for a single purpose: to provide the highest performance input for PCM digital, period. It doesn’t have ten thousand un-used functions, nor is it trying to optimize for five different unicorn formats that will probably be gone tomorrow. It also uses very high-quality local clocks and offers complete electrostatic and electromagnetic isolation from the source. It also provides lower power draw and complete UAC2 compatibility.

So what platforms does your Unison USB input support?

Actually, the question should be “What platforms support your Unison USB input?” since our Unison USB input is 100% UAC2 compliant (that is, USB Audio Class 2, the accepted standard for USB audio transmission.) So, here you go:

Linux. As in, most popular streamers, from the Sonore MicroRendu to the Salk Streamer. Note “most.” Also, most Linux distros that support UAC2 natively will be plug and play. Please note that we cannot provide detailed technical support for Linux.

Windows 10. Yes, Windows 10 only. We don’t provide UAC2 drivers for earlier versions of Windows, sorry. Yes, it is time to step into the present (not the future, Windows 10 has been out for a couple of years now.) Yes, it is time to upgrade. Yes, it’s worth it. Windows 10 is actually a very nice platform.

Mac OSX. From 10.10 on up, Macs are good to go. Sometimes you’ll run into power management problems that will require you to turn off App Nap. Got an older version of macOS? See the comments on Windows above. Time to upgrade. The software is free.

iOS. From iOS7 on up, iOS devices work with USB Camera Connection Kit, Lightning to USB Camera Adapter, a Lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter, or directly with the new USB-C models.

Android. Most Android devices that shipped with Android M or above will work using a USB OTG cable. Some may require separate player software, like USB Audio Player Pro.

Hey, I have a Gungnir already! Can it be upgraded to Gungnir Multibit?

Yes, it can! See the Upgrades section of the site. You can also upgrade to Unison USB if you'd like.

And both Gungnir Multibit and Gungnir are still upgradable?

Yep! They’re completely modular. Both the DAC/Analog modules and the USB input module are swappable, when we announce meaningful upgrades.

I heard that this multibit stuff is a bunch of hoo-ha designed to separate me from my money.

Cool. Then get Gungnir and save $400. Or keep using the delta-sigma DAC in your phone and save tons more!

WARRANTY & MEDIA REVIEWS

5 Year Warranty

Don't sweat it, this Schiit Gungnir comes with a 5 year warranty from Schiit that covers manufacturing defects. All products featured on Headphone Zone are backed by an original manufacturer's warranty.

Read more about Schiit's warranty in India.

"The music breathes, the singers expand, move, breathe and fade away, the details and the gestalt both exist and neither compromises the other. I've thrown thousands of tracks at it."

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