Schiit Yggdrasil + Aurender X100

[Herb13]

Brand new here; limited knowledge of computer audio.

 

Will using a Schiit Yggdrasil with an Aurender X100 be straight forward? Are there potential compatibility issues such as the USB drivers?

 

Thanks!

[AudioDoctor]

Brand new here; limited knowledge of computer audio.

 

Will using a Schiit Yggdrasil with an Aurender X100 be straight forward? Are there potential compatibility issues such as the USB drivers?

 

Thanks!

 

Does your DAC require drivers?

[TubeLover]

Does your DAC require drivers?

 

That is the key question. If it does not require drivers, you're all set. If it does, you will likely need to look into the world of USB converters. And having just made that journey, dealing with an Aurender and a DAC that needed USB drivers, I can certainly offer some assistance, if it is needed.

 

JC

[Herb13]

That is the key question. If it does not require drivers, you're all set. If it does, you will likely need to look into the world of USB converters. And having just made that journey, dealing with an Aurender and a DAC that needed USB drivers, I can certainly offer some assistance, if it is needed.

 

JC

Thanks for the replies. The DAC will be the Schiit Yggdrasil, but I don't know whether or not it requires drivers. Maybe someone familiar with this DAC can answer?

[firedog]

Says right on the Product Downloads page that it is compliant with OSX and Linux and requires drivers for Windows only. Aurender runs Linux. Should work fine.

 

If that isn't good enough for you, email Schiit support. They will answer you right away (working days).

[AudioDoctor]

If the DAC needs drivers, it won't work. If it does NOT need drivers, it will work just fine. I own an Aurender X100.

[Herb13]

Thanks for the replies firedog and AudioDoctor.

 

Based on firedog's inputs I investigated a bit futher and found in the Yggdrasil owner's manual that "For Linux, no drivers are necessary for distros supporting USB Audio Class 2", and the Aurender site says the X100 has dedicated USB Audio class 2.0 output. Seems these details confirm what firedog said: should work fine.

 

I had previously contacted Schiit support and they replied very promptly that they could not say if the Yggdrasil would work with the X100 because they had not tried it with an X100. Always interesting when a forum provides better guidance than a manufacturer with a direct interest in selling a product.

 

Thanks again.

[TubeLover]

If the DAC needs drivers, it won't work. If it does NOT need drivers, it will work just fine. I own an Aurender X100.

 

No disrespect meant Doc, but I am currently using a DAC that requires drivers (for a Mac) with an Aurender N100 and it works perfectly with a good SPDIF to USB converter. I also know several other people here in the forums who are doing the same thing with other DAC's that require drivers. The need for the drivers means a DAC is not UAC2 compliant, but certainly not that it cannot be used. Only that it cannot be used directly via USB connection to the network player if the DAC requires drivers and the network player does not provide them.

 

Thankfully, it appears the Yggy only requires drivers for windows, so no worries for the OP..

 

JC

[One and a half]

 

I had previously contacted Schiit support and they replied very promptly that they could not say if the Yggdrasil would work with the X100 because they had not tried it with an X100. Always interesting when a forum provides better guidance than a manufacturer with a direct interest in selling a product.

 

Schiit manufacture DACs. Aurender manufacture music servers. Neither are system integrators, they are too busy involved with their own product to look at anyone else's products, especially in detail. In this hobby, it's our (the customer's) job to be the system integrator, to choose A to work with B. In days of olde, a dealer would certainly try the combo, but these are dwindling rapidly and with distribution the way it is, a dealer would stock one brand, but not necessarily the other. In analog parlance, will a solid state pre-amp C work with a tube output amp D, that sort of issue.

 

Both audio devices are popular, so an assurance is sought that the output of the Aurender will handshake with the Yggdrasil. It's often difficult with a lot of tech specs to read through looking for what counts. Here's the drift.

 

From the Schiit page on the drivers, here's the clue as advised by Tubelover "The drivers are only for Windows. No drivers are required for Mac sources, or for Linux sources compliant with USB Class 2 Audio."

 

From the Aurender X100 page "The high performance USB Audio Class 2.0 digital audio output was developed using the same engineering as the USB outputs on the flagship Aurender W20."

 

Bingo, both devices are compliant to USB Class 2 Audio (although the wording context is slightly different which doesn't help). With certainty, both devices will work together. The Yggdrasil doesn't care which OS provides the USB Class 2 audio, its only interest is when it's detected, it will work!

 

Note : USB Class 2.0 audio is different to USB 2.0 High speed, the Class 2 audio is the protocol that sits on the USB2 transmission standard, kind of confusing. No need to use USB3.0 for USB Class 2.0 Audio, it won't go any faster, and usually causes more problems, so USB 2.0 is just fine.

[Herb13]

Thanks! Seems I'm on the right track.

[TubeLover]

Thanks for the replies firedog and AudioDoctor.

 

Based on firedog's inputs I investigated a bit futher and found in the Yggdrasil owner's manual that "For Linux, no drivers are necessary for distros supporting USB Audio Class 2", and the Aurender site says the X100 has dedicated USB Audio class 2.0 output. Seems these details confirm what firedog said: should work fine.

 

I had previously contacted Schiit support and they replied very promptly that they could not say if the Yggdrasil would work with the X100 because they had not tried it with an X100. Always interesting when a forum provides better guidance than a manufacturer with a direct interest in selling a product.

 

Thanks again.

 

Herb, this forum can indeed provide very valuable information that is difficult to find, or even non-existent elsewhere. I know I have benefited from it greatly in my time here. I guarantee you there is nowhere else you would have gotten such a complete and understandable breakdown such as one and a half just provided you.

 

Best of luck with the addition of the Yggy to your system. It should yield superb performance.

 

JC

[AudioDoctor]

No disrespect meant Doc, but I am currently using a DAC that requires drivers (for a Mac) with an Aurender N100 and it works perfectly with a good SPDIF to USB converter. I also know several other people here in the forums who are doing the same thing with other DAC's that require drivers. The need for the drivers means a DAC is not UAC2 compliant, but certainly not that it cannot be used. Only that it cannot be used directly via USB connection to the network player if the DAC requires drivers and the network player does not provide them.

 

Thankfully, it appears the Yggy only requires drivers for windows, so no worries for the OP..

 

JC

 

You're right, I answered the question as asked, not by adding in other variables the OP asked nothing about... I will try to be more careful from now on.

[Herb13]

Thanks, JC.

[TubeLover]

You're right, I answered the question as asked, not by adding in other variables the OP asked nothing about... I will try to be more careful from now on.

 

No worries, we're all just trying to help out here. I just wanted him to be aware of things that might come up and was concerned that the OP would think he could not make things work if the Yggy needed certain drivers. You have often provided exemplary advice in the forums here.

 

JC

[AudioDoctor]

No worries, we're all just trying to help out here. I just wanted him to be aware of things that might come up and was concerned that the OP would think he could not make things work if the Yggy needed certain drivers. You have often provided exemplary advice in the forums here.

 

JC

 

I apologize, I replied gruffly here and it was not necessary.