New Yggdrasil - First (and second) Impressions

What a timely thread.  I just posted a question about the benefits of an external DAC with my Oppo 103 because I have heard zero change in the SQ with a DAC in the signal path or not. I demo'd the Gungnir and ran it in for 15 days and heard zero SQ improvement with it in the path.  As a matter of fact, I called Oppo and asked a technician why I wasn't hearing any improvement in my system using an external DAC.  His languid response what that the DAC in the Oppo CD player was quite good.  That is exactly what my ears tell me.  

If indeed the Schitt DAC benefits from being run-in longer than 15 days, why doesn't Schiit permit a 30 or 45 day run in period?  I sent my Gungnir back after 15 days for refund.  My Channel Island Audio DAC does not make any sonic difference in my system.  Just my take. 

gdhal,
My experience with the Jolida DAC, Gungnir (only run in for 2 weeks) and the Channel Islands Audio CD player with external power supply to the sound of the Oppo straight into my preamp.  The difference in sound was non-existant.   Lots of folks on this forum say the Schiit DAC's need a long time to sound their best, but you only have 15 days to audition it or you own it.  

I am confounded by the SQ differences folks hear with external DACs with Oppo CD players.  My suggestion is that if the use of the Schiit doesn't bring about a perceptible improvement in the sound of your very fine system, send it back for a refund.   Others have suggested that you would need to spend $3K-$5K to get the sort of improvement in sound that you likely have in mind.  Don't overthink the matter, my friend.  

bcgator,
Anticipating an audition of the low-end Denafrips DAC on Monday, the Ares, and having followed this post with much interest given the varied opinions of adding the Yiggz to a system with OP's Oppo 205CD player, I think your take is spot on:  "if you haven't had your "wow" moment already [with the addition of the DAC], it's not going to happen."  I will admit that my Spatial Audio open baffle speakers took a very long time to break in, and we all understand the physical break in process of drivers, but I remain dubious of the "need" to breaking in DAC's or most electronics for longer than maybe a week or two.

I admit that my frame of reference, to your point, is that if I don't hear a perceptible benefit in SQ with new electronics within a pretty short period of time -- either from the first measure of music played ... to a week or so -- then it isn't going to happen.  

The Denafrips Ares I am getting on Monday is well broken in so I can forget about the "run-in" issue.  I will share my impressions on a new thread on AG.  

I have come to two conclusions on this discussion.  First, the Oppo variants are astounding musical CD players for not much coin of the realm.  My Oppo 103D was immediately more musical than my far more expensive Consonance tube DAC -- it was a "wow" moment from the first note of the music.  Forget about "run in", right out of the box, it was clearly more music.  Second, I think that to significantly improve on the sound of the Oppo 205D using an external DAC, you probably will have to spend $3K-$5K to get there.  However, for me, to spend an amount of money for this improvement in my ~$10K system is not in my view worthwhile... the Law of Diminishing Returns sets in.   

To reiterate, I think the Oppo CD's players are simply astounding in their ability to reproduce digital music and perhaps are the best price/performance audio components extant.