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Bifrost 3 | Pre-Order

Modular Forkbeard™ Mesh™ DAC

Finish
Voltage/Plug

$10.00

Expected end October 2026

Description

Specs

FAQ

Downloads

Note: this is a preorder. We expect to ship around Halloween (yes, 2026, you wags). And no, this isn't a $10 DAC. That's a deposit. The full price is $699 in black and $729 in silver, including Forkbeard and a remote, plus shipping and any applicable taxes. 

Want a DAC that delivers spectacular sound with class-leading tech and no-excuses measurements? That’s Bifrost 3, our desktop-friendly, big-system-capable, fully modular DAC with Forkbeard preamp and EQ.

Ultimate Mesh™
We’ve taken our lauded Mesh architecture to another level with DSP-based oversampling and a latest-gen ESS DAC used as a delta-sigma modulator. This means superb sound, and excellent measurements, from an affordable DAC.

Preamp and EQ with System-Wide Control
Want more than a DAC? Use the included  Forkbeard module for volume, parametric EQ, balance, loudness and more. Add more Forkbeard-enabled products for seamless, unprecedented control and understanding of your system.
 
Modular Unison 384 Input
Enjoy the best USB input on the planet with fully isolated Unison 384. No drivers, no configuration, no headaches, just plug in to any streamer, computer, tablet, or phone. 
 
Ready for the Future          
Over-the-air Forkbeard firmware updates and modular hardware architecture mean you won’t be left behind as DAC capability changes—and you won’t have to send it in for upgrades.
 
Designed and Built in the USA
We design and build our products in Corpus Christi and San Antonio, including our own dedicated PCB assembly line. Our chassis and transformers are from long-term partners in California or Utah. 
 
5-Year Warranty and Easy Return Policy
Bifrost 3 is covered by a 5-year limited warranty. And if you don’t like your Bifrost 3, you can send it back for a refund, minus 5% restocking fee, within 15 days of receiving it.

SPECS THAT MATTER

Distortion: inaudible; 1000x lower than any transducer (speaker or headphone) you're using
Noise: inaudible; far below a typical speaker power amplifier
Input capability: accommodates all actual music recordings 
Heat: runs moderately warm; this is normal and no need for panic 
Size: desk-friendly

OTHER SPECS

Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz, +/-0.06dB

THD+N: <0.00015%, -118dB typ

IMD: <0.0003%, CCIF

S/N: > 125dB, referenced to full output

Crosstalk: -128dB, 20-20kHz

Maximum Output: 2.0V RMS single-ended, 4.0V RMS balanced
 
Inputs: Coaxial SPDIF, Optical SPDIF, USB 
 
Input Capability
  • Up to 32/384 for Unison 384
  • Up to 24/192 for other inputs 
Input Receiver
  • SPDIF: AK4118
  • USB: Schiit Unison 384
Outputs: RCA (single-ended) and XLR (balanced)
 
Output Impedance: 75 ohms for both
 
Conversion Type: Schiit Mesh™, with unique time- and frequency-domain optimized digital filter implemented on a SHARC DSP; ESS ES9039 used as delta-sigma modulator
 
Analog Stage: I/V and filtering based on AD4898
 
Power supply: 100% linear, internal transformer, 11 stages of regulation, including separate supplies for critical digital and analog sections

Upgradability: 
  • OTA Forkbeard firmware updates
  • Slide-in replaceable DAC and input cards 
Remote control:
  • Forkbeard™ module provides full preamp and EQ capabilities, shows real-time information on sources and outputs; integrates with a complete Forkbeard system for more advanced functionality
  • IR remote included, controls source selection, phase invert, and mute. 
Power Consumption: 15W
 
Size: 9 x 6 x 2”
 
Weight: 6lbs
 

This sounds like a MIB for my desk!
If you’re referring Yggdrasil More is Better, well, yeah maybe. Bifrost 3 measures excellent and sounds great, like Yggdrasil MIB, though the tech is more similar to Singular. 

Why just “maybe?”
Because Bifrost 3 is totally happy beyond the desk. It can easily be your one-and-only, super-serious-system, look-at-me-I-love-great-music DAC. 
 
Even though it’s a delta-sigma DAC?
Oh, we’re gonna go there, huh?
 
After years of you yelling about multibit? Absolutely. 
You are aware that our top DAC is Yggdrasil Singular, which is a delta-sigma DAC, right?
 
Yeah, and…
And you are aware of the accolades Mesh has garnered, right?
 
Yes…
And you know that Mesh is topologically similar to our Singular architecture, right?
 
Yes, but…
So why would you have a problem with the new Bifrost 3 being a Mesh DAC…with more features and at a lower price than the outgoing Bifrost 2?
 
But you said that Multibit was The Way!
Yes. And it still is. That’s why we have options like Gungnir 2 and Yggdrasil LIM. And it’s why we’ll continue to explore multibit implementations, and perhaps, in a while, the tables will be flipped again.
 
Why is any of this important?
Great question! Let’s break it down:
  1. In digital, our lodestar is the absolute reproduction of the original samples—as in, what gets recorded is what we reproduce. 
  2. That’s why we spent person-years developing our unique time- and frequency-domain optimized digital filter, and it’s why we make so many multibit products: to preserve these original samples.
  3. However, in developing our own delta-sigma modulator, and in implementing what we call Mesh™, we found that we could meet—or exceed—the subjective results of our True Multibit and Multiform products. 
  4. However however, we’re not calling a winner yet, because this is subjective vs absolute, and we’d really still like to find that perfect absolute-and-subjective solution.
  5. Because of this, we’re going to continue developing both multibit and hybrid implementations, and see where this all leads.
But again, why is any of this important?
LOL, yeah. You got us. Here’s the thing: if it sounds good, it sounds good. We want to advance sound. And we’re going to try more than one way to get there. Hopefully you like some of what we do.
 
So Bifrost 3 is just a subjective design?
No. Like all of our products, it’s designed with instruments and ears. In the case of Bifrost 3, it sounds good, but it also measures very well. Better overall, in fact, than Yggdrasil MIB.
 
And that disappoints you?
Nope! It’s somewhat immaterial.
 
What if I want a poorly-measuring DAC?
Heck, just add a Buf and there you go.
 
Will it sound better?
You tell us. We could tell you, but we’re not you. So we don’t know how you perceive.
 
How is Bifrost 3 different than Bifrost 2?
Other than sharing the same chassis size and transformer, it’s very different:
  • Forkbeard capability. Bifrost 3 gives you Forkbeard, which means it can be a preamp/EQ as well as a DAC.
  • Mesh vs Multibit. Bifrost 3 is a Mesh DAC, while Bifrost 2 and 2/64 were True Multibit DACs. 
  • Different motherboard and internal cards. Bifrost 3 has a different motherboard, a separate card for its DSP (like Gungnir), and different input and analog cards.
Can Bifrost 3 use a Bifrost 2 analog card?
Yes, both the original Bifrost 2 analog card using the AD5781 and the Bifrost 2/64 analog card using DAC8812s drop right in and work just fine. 
 
Are Bifrost 3 cards compatible with Bifrost 2?
Yes, the Mesh™ DAC card can be used in Bifrost 2. The card will require a firmware update, which will be provided on SDCard for the Bifrost 2 firmware slot.
 
It seems like Bifrost 2 happened only a short time ago.
If “a short time” means “7 years,” then yes. Bifrost 2 has been really stable, though, with only one major upgrade in its lifetime (to Bifrost 2/64). If you have a Bifrost 2, you always have the option of upgrading via the new Bifrost Mesh analog card.
 
Can Bifrost 2 be upgraded to have Forkbeard?
Unfortunately, no. That would require a complete chassis swap, a new motherboard, and all new cards.  
 
So why is Unison 384 special?
Unison 384, was developed for a single purpose: to provide the highest performance input for PCM digital, without nervosa. Plug it in to any streamer, computer, tablet or phone and you get the best sound, period. It doesn’t have ten thousand un-used functions, nor is it trying to optimize for five different unicorn formats that will probably be gone tomorrow. It also offers complete electrostatic and electromagnetic isolation from the source.
 
So what platforms does your Unison USB input support?
Any UAC2-compliant source, including most streamers, Windows from 10 on up, MacOS, iOS and iPadOS, and Android. 
 
This thing seems super-cheap for what it is.
If you’re buying audio gear with price tags that make normal humans ask “can I drive it?” or 
“can I live in it?”, yes, we understand Bifrost 3 may seem inexpensive. But that’s what we do. We design and make things in the USA, for real, including our own captive SMD assembly line, which makes us wayyyyy more vertical and efficient. And we don’t go for big bling or complexities like screens that might fail or fade in a couple of years. If that works for you, great, then welcome to our weird world!
 
What is Bifrost?
In Norse mythology, Bifrost is the flaming rainbow bridge that connects the realms of gods and people and giants and stuff. Or at least that’s what the movies seem to show. Don’t trust us, we’re not Goðis, we’re just dumb Americans. 

Bifrost 3 Manual