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I agree wholeheartedly. The Ayre in my Spectral system was great. I switched to Constellation, and the Ayre gave a more front row presentation, rather than the mid hall I was used to. One not better than the other, just different. Tried the Yggy, and it did indeed move the presentation back to more of what I was used to, and even quieter with the Berkeley USB interface. I felt I was losing some of the detail and transparency I was getting with the Ayre, but because I had already sold it, I could NOT do a back to back comparison. Given our auditory short term memory, it would be difficult to make a cross the board declaration, which is why I said one should definitely try any of these dacs in their system to see how it meshes with what they have. If I had the cash, I'd have a Yggy, Ayre, Berkeley, and several other dacs I've heard, each with attributes and strong points others don't have. Regarding an order of magnitiude difference between any of these dacs referred to in another thread, I personally don't believe anyone can declare that to be the case, as none are head and shoulders above the others, IMHO of course.

IMHO, the Yggy was not just plain better. In fact, I returned my Yggy within the 15 day return for refund - a minor handling costs. I must say the customer service with Schiit audio is excellent, among the best I've experienced. If I had the extra money, I would keep a Yggy around for the great sound it offers. Instead, I returned it and am now left with a Berkeley Alpha 2, which I think bests the Yggy overall, IMHO. There is so much equipment interplay involved that one really needs to listen to multiple DACs in their system to find THEIR favorite. Overall, no I didn't think the Yggy was superior to the Ayre. I may be in the minority, but I love the Ayre and the presentation it offers. The Ayre of course offered DSD- the Yggy and Berkeley don't. But the Berkeley can drive an amp directly, which Ayre and Yggy can't One needs to use the Dac that fits into their system. BTW, I did feel the Yggy sounded much better running it into the Berkeley Alpha USB interface, a point Chris made in a discussion on this post. As always, YMMV, and everyone needs to listen for themselves, as I don't profess to have golden ears. I do go to live music when possible, so I do know what live music sounds like. Hope this helps, but probably muddies the water more

Chris, You are using the Direct input on the Constellation for the Hagel. I thought the Direct was reserved for Constellation preamps ONLY, and anything else needed to use the balanced input. Did Constellation tell you to try this, or am I mistaken? ( I have never tried the direct for that very reason except for when using the Constellation preamp, and even then, I liked the balanced input better) thanks, B

Custard is very nice on PCM. For what its worth, listened to my Vega and Yggy. Compared to the Gustard, Gustard is more detailed than either, better soundstage, just as quiet. I sold goth the Vega and Yggy, and have been listening to the Gustard only for the last month. It is really the best deal out there IMHO. (System is Consellation Inspiration pre and amp, Berkeely Alpha usb, Magico s5 speakers, so YMMV). Sounds better with and without the Alpha than either also, FWIW

Yes, it isn't picking up DSD either. I have reviewed my settings for Audirvana, and they seem to be correct. Any ideas?

Does anyone out there have a problem with Audirvana picking up DSD? I have used it with an Ayre and Vega, and both had a real problem with playing DSD. Burning in a Gustard X20, and will try it this weekend but strange to be such an issue, at least with me.

Has this been sold?

Re the sound- The Yggy was only on for 1 day, so it will no doubt change its sound as it warms up (according to this forum). That was why I noted the 1 day warm up. Also, I can really see why anyone would love the sound of amy of these DACs. System interaction dictate a lot of what we end up hearing in a component, and personal preference is the decisive factor in where we spend our cash. Also, I have the same question- does the Alpha USB make the DAC sound better than without it?

What are you running form Alpha to the Yggy? BTW, I am running Constellation Inspiration and bought the Yggy on the buzz here and your review. You nailed the Yggy IMHO. Thanks for the heads up on one of the best deals out there.

I have lived with the Ayre QB9 DSD for 2 years, and I'd say the Yggy is half way between the Ayre and the Vega, soundstage wise. Vega has a DEEP but more narrow soundstage, Ayre has a wide soundstage with a little less depth, and Yggy is in between. I don't detect glare on the Ayre, but I hear a more detailed, upfront presentation than the Vega and the Yggy in my system. I think each has their strength, and personal preference will be deciding factor on which one is chosen but the listener. I could keep any one of them and live happy until the next upgrade bug hits.

Ordered a Yggy on the buzz off this forum. Right out of the box, sounded pretty good to me. After 1 day warm up, compared to my Vega. Vega had deeper soundstage, Yggy had wider soundstage. Yggy more detailed to my ears, Vega more relaxed and mellow, using usb on both with Mac Pro, Wireworld USB and Jitterbug. Anyone tried Alpha USB with the Yggy?

Okay, this is probably a couple of stupid questions, but here goes. I have a MacBook Pro running Audirvana into a Aurilac Vega. What is the best way to back up my music as I increase my library, which includes standard cds, hi res downloads, and HDCDs. I have a Time Machine I can use as a wireless backup, but will it backup the downloads as they are, or convert them to a more compressed storage? I have thunderbolt, so should I use some other backup device?