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Add amp to Bifrost or Add dac to Gustard H10

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Hey folks,
Even though I am not new to the audiophile game, I am looking for inputs on the following as I am stalled a bit:
One of the pairings I currently have is the Schiit Bifrost multibit with the Gustard H10. My other amp/dac combos are very well paired and these two are the odd ones right now. I am getting a feel that neither the multibit nor the Gustard is performing its best with this pairing. I have a good mind to just buy a Gustard X20 or a used X12 to pair with the H10 or maybe pair the bifrost multibit with a Lyr2/Mjolinr or a used Ragnarok. I am not sure which one to go for first (and whether there are other pairings better than these ones at this price point) and your inputs will be helpful. I am not concerned about the headphones since I have a few planars and dynamics available at the moment.
TIA.
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VRacer111
492
Oct 19, 2017
I have Bifrost (AKM 4490) and Audioquest Dragonfly Red (ESS Sabre 9016) for DACs and Gustard H10 with Burson V6 Classic Opamps for amp. I agree that while not bad sounding, there seems to be just a little something off with the Bifrost. I love the DFR + H10 pairing even if it feels like it has a little less detail and bass impact than with the Bifrost. Bass is rediculously impactful with the DFR + H10 combo with my modded TH-X00 PH and clarity beyond that of the Bifrost and the Sennheiser HD700 really sounds nicely full with good low end and MUCH detail. From experience using the line out mode of the DFR I am really thinking of getting the X20U (Balanced ESS Sabre ES9018) to pair with the H10 and call it my end setup. The H10 seems to prefer the Sabre chipsets...
dormammu
84
Oct 20, 2017
VRacer111Looks like we have similar taste. I have the DFR as a portable solution, iFi iDSD BL as a transportable solution and the Modi2/Magni2 stack and the Bimby-H10 pairing. Strangely, I prefer Modi with H10 over the Bimby.. maybe my ears are still getting used to this pairing. I didn't think of the Sabre chip combo with H10 till you mentioned it. Since BL and DFR both use Sabres, I will definitely try out both as a DAC with the H10. I am planning to do the Anax mod on my HD700 to get rid of the treble peak prior to using it again. To my ears, H10 sounds better with planars while DFR, BL and Magni2 sounds better with the dynamic ones. Will definitely try Bimby and HD700 after pairing it to the Magni2. Yep, if Sabre works well with the H10, definitely gonna try the x20u! Thanks for the suggestions, it helped!!
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