A total of 8 volunteers took part in the blind testing. The session lasted several hours.
Six are trained musicians who have been in the business for 30 years, one is a sound engineer and my wife. We had a good meal and a wonderful weekend
One of the test persons has absolute hearing. He is a blind bassist, guitarist...he became famous worldwide with Tok Tok Tok...
I am a drummer, singer...musician with 30 years of active experience in recording technology and live playing.
I own a small recording studio for my productions and record other musicians.
The session took place in a 25 square meter acoustically optimized large room.
The loudspeakers are the Ecouton LQL200 in the final version. The amp is by Schiit Ragnarok.
The dacs were controlled by the Project Stream Box S2 Ultra. iMac late 2017 / Audirvana / Hqplayer / Reaper
We used three different apps to correct the room:
--Dirac Live via vst/audiounit
--Mathaudio room EQ
--Acourate via convolver in Audirvana / engine in Hqplayer
We took pieces that were well known to everyone.
- Steve Gadd Band - Steve Gadd Band / 02nd Auckland by number
This number focuses on Cymbals and natural recording.
- Mercedes Soza - Misa Criolla - 07. la peregrinación
This track was recorded in a church. Wonderfully staggered choirs.
- Chick Corea - Chinese Butterfly - 03. like I was sayin'
A jazz track. Perfectly tuned drums.
- Andreas Vollenweider - Caverna Magica - 01. caverna magica
Rooms....
- Somi - Petite Afrique - 08. Holy room
One of the perfect recordings in contemporary musical I know. Sensational Vocal!!
- Mahsa Vahdat - Trace of an old vineyard - 01. Vanishing Lines
Vocal!!!
- CTRL - 01.Supermodel
Modern!
- Richard bona - Reverence - 03rd Suniga
The drums with the brushes should be clearly defined in the room.
- Georg Friederich Haendel - Le concert des Nations - 12th Alla Hornpipe
Exceptional classical recording
- Mbongwana Star - From Kinshasa - 04th Masobele
wow...
and last:
- Paul Simon - Stranger to Stranger - 07. Stranger to Stranger
Vocal...Sounds
....................
All pieces that were played were clearly preferred for the Yggdrasil.
The natural analog reproduction of the instruments as well as the wonderful reproduction of the voices was always praised.
Also striking was the clear spatial separation of the instruments. Each instrument had with
the Schiit DAC a clear and distinct space in the stereo spectrum as well as in the depth gradation.
The RME DAC has always been certified to have an extreme resolution in the stereo spectrum. In the lowend a precise reproduction was recognized. However, the RME DAC was never able to create any depth gradation, nor were the instruments assigned clear spaces.
Voices were always classified as cold, as thin, as annoying in the " Desser " range.
Voices were absent from all test persons, the naturalness like physicality and warmth.
The test person with the absolute ear, who had tuned my drums to the nut in such a way several times, was extreme in his judgement: he said, the Yggdrasil makes music, the RME is able to present great measured values, only he doesn't sound as musical and excellent as the Yggdrasil.
The difference between the two dacs is that the Yggdrasil creates spaces from the information of the signals, while the RME operates one-dimensionally in the stereo base.
The RME initially impresses with the resolution, which is never able to create depth.
Furthermore the RME is annoying with a "metallic" sharp sound, which doesn't allow more than one hour of music.
We could all listen to the Yggdrasil for hours.
I was open without an end...if the RME had convinced me...the Yggdrasil would have left Ebay immediately. My son, 8 years young, said daddy, the RME doesn't sound good.
Voices scratch so...
He is right and has good ears.
To avoid misunderstandings: the RME is of course a good piece of technology for the money it costs and the features it offers.
Only because of excellent measured values to conclude that it is also the best DAC... is simply nonsense.
I recommend everyone to test properly in controlled environments. Measured system?
How do voices sound? Do cymbals sound like this? Is the room correct?
Which instruments (also voices) actually lead through the track?
How long can I listen without getting tired? Does the music pull me into the action? Can I assign instruments clearly in the stereo base as well as in the depth?
Furthermore it is with the hearing as with the tasting...you have to learn.
I say this without any value...I also had to learn over the years what sounds how and how good.
armirm@: I have no idea how developed your hearing is. It is not tenable to try to derive a truth from pure measured values and a subjective, non-valid objective blind to blind classification via headphones.
I advise you to mistrust these "truths" and definitely let your own ear decide on the basis of clear criteria which I have mentioned.
So easy.
best
topazzo