Hey Gang at Stereophile,
Just a recommendation about two DACs that you should seriously be considering reviewing:
The first is the Schiit Bifrost, which is making quite a name for itself amongst many satisfied owners. I just sold mine to a buddy with arrival of a new DAC, but I was very, very impressed with this product over the time I owned it. I know that there is a policy for "at least five retailers" to be considered for review, and that Schiit sells direct to customers, but Mike Moffat and Jason Stoddard are "movers" in this industry and have already made quite a name for themselves with their headphone amps. And I know that from time to time you review direct-sales companies like Zu and NHT, so I strongly recommend you check out their Bifrost DAC. IMHO, it slaughters everything in the $500 price class, and gives DACs in the $1000-$1200 a serious run for their money. If you can review Bob's Devices Step-Up Transformers, you can review the Bifrost.
The second DAC is the new Wadia 121. This new DAC has just hit the market and is already causing waves for perforrmance way beyond it's $1299 price tag. I've had mine now for about three weeks, and it is very impressive (it's the DAC that replaced my Bifrost). It's feature rich with five inputs and both balanced and unbalanced outputs PLUS a headphone amp. Joe Bob says check it out....
Cheers,
Stephen Scharf
Hey Gang at Stereophile,
Just a recommendation about two DACs that you should seriously be considering reviewing:
The first is the Schiit Bifrost, which is making quite a name for itself amongst many satisfied owners. I just sold mine to a buddy with arrival of a new DAC, but I was very, very impressed with this product over the time I owned it. I know that there is a policy for "at least five retailers" to be considered for review, and that Schiit sells direct to customers, but Mike Moffat and Jason Stoddard are "movers" in this industry and have already made quite a name for themselves with their headphone amps. And I know that from time to time you review direct-sales companies like Zu and NHT, so I strongly recommend you check out their Bifrost DAC. IMHO, it slaughters everything in the $500 price class, and gives DACs in the $1000-$1200 a serious run for their money. If you can review Bob's Devices Step-Up Transformers, you can review the Bifrost.
The second DAC is the new Wadia 121. This new DAC has just hit the market and is already causing waves for perforrmance way beyond it's $1299 price tag. I've had mine now for about three weeks, and it is very impressive (it's the DAC that replaced my Bifrost). It's feature rich with five inputs and both balanced and unbalanced outputs PLUS a headphone amp. Joe Bob says check it out....
Cheers,
Stephen Scharf