Schiit DAC Crashes Audirvana

Sounds like you’re not new to computers and DAC’s, but I’ll ask anyway
- have you made sure the latest versions/updates of the MAC OS and Audirvana are installed?
- this was the bulk of the issues I had with my Bifrost

I ran the Bifrost for couple of years and it uses the same USB interface card as the Gungnir.
Only problems I had were software related.

Does it play for a little while and then crash
- or does Audirvana crash immediately when you turn the DAC on?
- is it related to sample rate of the track?
- or do all rates cause it to crash?

Have you tried playing music straight from iTunes - i.e. without Audirvana in the mix?
- if it does not play just using only iTunes - it may be the USB interface card at fault

Have you tried emailing ...
- Damien at Audirvana
- he’s very helpful - and wil walk you through how get diagnostics from Audirvana

- Support at Schiit - maybe it’s the USB interface having an issue?

The above will assist in debugging your issue - thanks

The Gungnir is a very good DAC, but sometimes manufacturing issues creep into even the best of products.

It's also been very well "proven" in both Windows and MAC environments using many different interface programs similar to Audirvana, so I would not give up on it just yet. It is a keeper once you get over this problem

Regards... 

As stated above, please do not give up on Schiit.  Please email them as per this link:

http://www.schiit.com/contact/help-support

Sometimes interface issues occur between two products and you have to alert the parties and request their assistance.  Yes, it takes time but needs to be done as part of the process.  It could be a setting or something similar that needs adjusting.  

Please keep us posted.  

Please also ensure your Audirvana is updated to the current release.   I still think emailing Schiit is your best option.  

I've tried all of the above including emailing Schiit and gotten zero response from them. Other than sending it back and calling Amex to initiate a charge back I'm stumped.

In my experience with internet companies, they typically have a smaller staff to keep the costs down on their products.  Ascend, Hsu, Emotiva and Schiit are the ones I've dealt with.

The problem with a smaller staff is, when a new product launch is underway( or some other really busy time), customer service takes a dip. It's not a good way to treat customers, in my opinion.  But there you are.

In this case, Schiit has recently released not one but two new products, and is trying like mad to keep up with orders and keeping the new products in stock.  That's probably why the delay in answering your email.  I'd email again, politely asking for a response.  I'd hit them with 3 or 4 emails. 

 As suggested above, you might contact Audirvana too, since the issue might be known to them.

Also, you don't mention if the DAC runs fine when not employing Audirvana?

I would also suggest not sending it back.  All ID companies insist on having a return authorized first.  If you send it back, they might just refuse it, not knowing what's going on.

Schiit has always been prompt with inquiries, for me. 
I would try to call them directly, if possible.
Please don't give up on them. They are a stand up company and will do right by you.
Bob

After two days finally got Schiit support to respond. Solution was simple, to restrict output from Audirvana to 24 bit. Something you'd think Schiit might have mentioned in their instructions.

So far a frustrating experience dealing with Schiit, I hope  now that I have the DAC working my impressions change.

@cdc2 - I am so glad a solution was forthcoming. Now you will be able to enjoy extraordinary sound quality from the gungnir.

Having said that - IF you are using the Gungnir's  USB interface I would recommend you at least employ the following in order to maximize SQ

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Power-supply-and-USB-cable-separate-audio-signal-cable-/251589388236

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/ENERCELL-1-5A-MICRO-USB-BLACK-5V-AC-ADAPTER-CHARGER-SMARTPHONES-MP3-RARE/3225...

The dual cables provides more complete signal transfer because the signal line is separate and the power supply provides a more stable voltage fpr the DAC's USB interface to work with.

One problem in using the 5V supply on the computer is that it becomes less stable each the computers hard drive is accessed - not to mention all of the other circuitry inside.

There are other similar cables & adapters on the market, but these two provide excellent improvements in sound quality for a reasonable outlay

I tried several different cables and I think the Doukmall cable provided the best sound. I've also tried different power supplies and found the Enercell to be just as effective as a good batter power supply.

To improve my sound quality even further I invested in a V-link192 USB-SPDIF converter - it proved to be the icing on the cake

There are many more similar USB devices designed to improve the performance of  your computers USB port, but the cost rises as their technology gets more complex.

Personally, I finally decided that using Ethernet was a better solution for accessing music files on my NAS drive - so I opted to replace the v-link192 & Bifrost with a Bluesound Node-2
- life has actually got a lot simpler now the computer has been removed from the mix.
- the sound quality of the Node-2's on-board DAC and associated analogue output stage also improved - beyond my expectations
- The V-link192 and Bifrost are no longer in my system

Hope this helps

I'm glad Schiit finally got back to you.  I've got the Bifrost Multibit, and it makes crappy mp3 files sound better than I've ever heard them.  I expect the Gumby (Schiit gearhead lingo for Gungnir Multibit) would sound even better at 18 bits.  

@213runnin, 
Yes, the Gungy will smoke the Bifrost. I have the non multibit version. I am amazed at the improvement, as I thought it couldn't get better.
B

I just got the Modi 2 Multibit. I am really impressed with it for $250.00. Maybe I should entertain going up a couple of levels to the Gungnir vanilla version if it's that good.