Schiit EITR

[cfisher]

I have had an Eitr for a few days and it is great. I ran my microrendu into it and compared that to my ultrarendu and I have to say the differences were negligible. The only problem I have encountered is that while the Eitr works great with a micro/ultra-rendu feeding it, direct connection using "exclusive mode" in Roon is not currently working. It would be an amazing product at many multiples of its $179 price. I want to see what happens when I power it with an LPS-1.  

[cfisher]

13 minutes ago, Charente said:

Yes, I was thinking that. Currently, I have a Armature Hercate DDC (european version of the Singxer F-1) feeding off a microRendu, which is powered by the LPS-1, so the DDC should be getting 'clean-ish' power from that. What I'd really like to know is whether the EITR would be an improvement in that chain ... replacing my current DDC ? Alternatively, in the interest of reducing 'box clutter', I could go MacMini (with Audirvana+3) > EITR straight to the DAC. However, would the SQ not be as good as via the microRendu ? 

 

I think the direct connection sounds basically just as good as being fed by the micro/ultra-rendu in my headphone system. That seemed to be the consensus at SBAF as well. 

[cfisher]

Check out the discussion at SBAF: http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/schiit-eitr-preview-thread.4729/page-15#post-152624

[cfisher]

@Torq has been doing extensive comparisons of the Yggy to other dacs. It's a great read. http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/life-after-yggdrasil-watering-the-ash.4036/

[cfisher]

2 hours ago, sahmen said:

I admit that I have only done a cursory reading of the SBAF thread, but are they saying that placing an Eitr before a DAC makes everything that comes before it sound equally good, and therefore indifferent as to its quality or price?

 

 

Yeah, that's the claim. I'm inclined to think there is some truth to this. My computer and stereo are in different rooms so I could only experiment via my headphone system. I tried the following variations:

 

Dell XPS-POS>Eitr>GUMBY>Jotunheim>Focal Elear/Campfire Andromeda

Dell XPS-POS>ultrarendu>GUMBY>Jotunheim>Focal Elear/Campfire Andromeda

Dell XPS-POS>microrendu>Eitr>GUMBY>Jotunheim>Focal Elear/Campfire Andromeda

 

All three sounded very good and significantly better than the microrendu straight into the GUMBY. I am not saying there weren't any differences between the three chains, but it would probably take better ears, language, and patience to suss them out.

[cfisher]

"Exclusive Mode" in Roon appears to be fixed.

 

https://community.roonlabs.com/t/eitr-usb-spdif-converter/28661/36

[cfisher]

Going straight into either my gumby or my yggy there is an obvious difference between the ultrarendu and the microrendu. All that I want to commit to without trying this out in my main system is that the difference between the ultrarendu and microrendu closes considerably when both feed the eitr. So basically I am sympathetic to Torq's claim that the eitr is indifferent to what feeds it. You could say that the eitr's insensitivity to what is upchannel is a flaw except for the fact that it sounds very good.

I left the eitr out of the second chain so that I could compare ultrarendu via usb to microrendu>eitr via S/PDIF.

I need to put ultrarendu>eitr into my main system to figure out how much the combination adds. My sense is that the ultra makes a much smaller contribution with the eitr than without.

[cfisher]

6 hours ago, Charente said:

As an aside, and to be fair, the 'rendu' family still have a key role if you are interested a solution that does not rely on a computer being switched on or if you are a Roon user. There is a convenience factor for me if I switch the computer off and want to control my music from my armchair using just a phone or tablet. It's good to know that the EITR is not 'fussy' about what's feeding it to still be able to achieve that.

 

Oh, I love my microrendu and ultrarendu. The only difference any of this makes for me is that I may opt for a direct connection for my headphone system which is in the same room as my computer.

[cfisher]

Added a Gen. 5 USB input to my Yggy, which allowed me to compare:

 

A: Ultrarendu>Eitr>Yggy>Freya>ARC VS 55>Spatial M3 Turbo S

B: Microrendu (hw: 1.3/sw: 2.5)>Yggy>Freya>ARC VS 55>Spatial M3 Turbo S

 

I do think the Ultrarendu sounds better (more detail, density, presence, I dunno). In my opinion, the Gen. 5 USB does close the gap between the Ultrarendu and Microrendu significantly. I had to listen closely for the differences and they were more noticeable on some tracks than others. The differences were also more apparent when I was going A>B than when I was going B>A. When I listened to the track first on the Microrendu, I just enjoyed the music and did not hear anything deficient. I should have done this blind but I didn't, so I imagine there is some expectation bias in all of this.

 

Both the Ultrarendu and Microrendu were powered by LPS-1s. The coaxial from the Eitr was from monoprice. USB cables were Shunyata and Cardas.

[cfisher]

@Charente, are you able to play 24 bit recordings through microrendu>Eitr>Gumby? I'm not sure how I missed this but my 24 bit tracks are not playing with the microrendu in the chain. 24 bit tracks do play when I connect directly via USB to the computer. Not sure what the problem is.

[cfisher]

34 minutes ago, Charente said:

@cfisher That is strange ... I'm listening to Mark Knopfler's TRACKER in 24/96 as I write this. There must be something wrong with the unit, I suspect. 

 

EDIT: How are you playing your music ?

I'm playing on Roon. Oddly, HQPlayer won't play at all with the microrendu>eitr combo

[cfisher]

8 minutes ago, tea_hous said:

 

 

A bit delayed here, but thanks guys.

 

I don't know... It sounds like the field of differing opinions are revolving around the base question of whether there is a difference between sources feeding the Eitr, as opposed to that being a given and the debate revolving around *which* feed is better.  And, yes, of course personal system and ears all have a large hand here as well.

 

Taking this observation in as a whole, my guess is that your source still makes a difference, but the delta between, say a mR and uR just dropped from 20% to 1% when going through Eitr.  This leads me to think the best bet is to play the middle ground.  For example, pick up something nice like an Ultrarendu, which has amazing sound quality and the functionality I seek, but avoid splurging on top tier stuff beyond this.  For example, following the law of diminishing returns, if the difference between an Ultrarendu and a Signature Rendu SE is already less than the difference between an Ultrarendu and a Mac / PC, then the difference between the uR and the SrSE would be flattened to presumably inaudible levels when running through the Eitr.  However, the SrSE is about double the cost of an uR setup with a decent LPS.

 

This is all theory and guesswork, of course... But, without being able to actually audition all this stuff, this is my lot in trying to find the best sound without overspending.

 

Maybe I'm overthinking this... Also a huge possibility

 

I don't think it is possible to put a percentage on the difference between ultratrendu/microrendu going into the Eitr. In my main system I could hear a difference but in my headphone system less so. I'm definitely glad that I have the ultrarendu in my main system. The value of that difference will vary from person to person. Seeing how affordable the ultrarendu is compared to the microrendu, if I had it to do all over again, I'm sure I would start with the ultrarendu. Beyond this, I am not sure if the returns are diminishing or just not that interesting to me. My systems are such a pleasure to listen to that I really don't feel compelled to complicate things with clocks and cables and whatall.

[cfisher]

I have never had any clicking on my microrendu>eitr>gumby headphone system or on my ultrarendu>Gen. 5 Yggy speaker system. I do have the problem that the eitr won't play 24 bit recordings from the microrendu. Jesus has been helpful and says this is a Schiit problem. Schiit have not been answering my emails about this. I'm a bit disappointed about that.

[cfisher]

Just now, pas said:

I had the same issue, Schiit sent me a replacement. It has worked well since. Hope this helps.

Thanks for letting me know. Jesus mentioned that other people were having the same problem. Not sure why Schiit is so unresponsive. It hasn't been my experience in the past.

[cfisher]

1 minute ago, Charente said:

@cfisher interestingly, I don't have any issues playing 24/96 thru mR>EITR>GMB on my home system or on my transportable system (no mR).

 

The strange thing is the Eitr will play 24 bit recordings when fed straight from the computer. I'm just not smart enough about any of this to track the problem down. Your clicks sound unbearable. I would try a self-install of a Gen. 5 board. I may go that route for the 24 bit recording problem if Schiit doesn't respond to my latest emails and messages.

[cfisher]

8 minutes ago, Charente said:

@cfisher That is bizarre ! I have considered the GMB Gen5 self-install but I'm not sure if I can 'comfortably' do so. I've successfully delved into PC's in the past and maybe I'm being paranoid and it's actually easier than it seems !! ... dunno. You go first !! 

 

It was actually kind of fun to do the Yggy self-install on the Gen. 5 board. Gumby is a tad more complicated because of the lights on the display but everyone seems to manage. There are very good instructions over at sbaf. For the record, the extent of my electrical skills extends to inserting video cards and hard drives.

[cfisher]

20 minutes ago, pas said:

On my original Eitr through the microRendu, I couldn't play any files above 16/48000. Currently with the replacement, it will play up to and including 24/192000.

 

This is basically what Jesus is saying (though I don't want to speak for him) that some versions of the Eitr are misidentifying the bitrates they are capable of.

[cfisher]

You definitely can connect an Eitr directly to your computer and Roon will recognize it. Does that make it a Roon endpoint? I'm a bit confused about Roon's terminology, so  I am not sure.

[cfisher]

2 hours ago, Charente said:

 

Thank-you for the update @Abtr ... I have done switch-outs to check my 'audio sanity' but keep going back to the original set-up (in my signature). In a similar way to your experience, the microRendu also is a keeper in front of the EITR, together with the fact that I can feed the music via Ethernet, away from the computer. I am delighted with the system and am not tempted by any new components other than I have recently purchased a Forza balanced cable for the Aeon Flow Open to MJ2 connection. That exceeded expectations ... I am usually cable agnostic !

 

Charente, which Forza cable did you buy? I'm thinking about taking my Gumby, Jotunheim, Elears balanced. That or replacing the Jotunheim.

[cfisher]

Interesting to hear everyone revisit their Eitr impressions. At the start of the pandemic, I decided to upgrade my headphone system by buying a pair of RAAL-requisite SR1a and  Jot R. Recently, I have been going back and forth with two sources: Microrendu (LPS 1)>Eitr>Gumby and Ultrarendu (LPS 1.2)>Gumby. I have to say that I stand by my initial impression that the Eitr makes the difference between the Microrendu/Ultrarendu very difficult to discern, even with better power going to the Ultrarendu. I haven't upgraded my Yggy to Analog 2 yet or either DAC to Unison. I suppose I will do it sometime but as Charente said I am satisfied with my systems and not feeling much upgradeitis at the moment.

[cfisher]

10 minutes ago, Charente said:

@cfisher .. yes I have the LPS1>EiTR>GMB ... that's probably the best possible setup. Presumably one could use the LPS1 on a Unison USB input ? ... or doesn't it work the same with the 5v vbus supply ?

 

I don't think you could use it to power the Unison board if that is what you are suggesting. Back to Abtr's suggestion about Schiit discontinuing Eitr to prevent cannibalizing Unison sales, I'm skeptical. That doesn't seem like Schiit's style to me, particularly with the new Thunderdome approach. I expect there are real improvements with Unison. I am just not motivated to send my DACs back for the upgrade at the moment.