This Schiit is Bananas! $99 Schiit Magni Amp and $99 Modi DAC - Page 49

Does the Modi run in 24 bit default?

Other than that all I have is 16 bit.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by tootallmoose 

Yes, I think soundstage is the right term, or the lack thereof.  I had it maxed out in Windows with the volume nob turned all the way down on the E10 itself.  It didn't sound bad, it just sounded really really close, and considering how amazingly clear the M&M made my 650's sound I'd say its worth the extra $50.

Hmm... looks like I'll just buy the modi and give it a try, once my wallet can heal enough lol. Oh and extra $50, but really just $110ish since I can't trade in my E10 lol. Thanks for your feedback

Regarding all the questions here about 16 vs 24bit, digital attenuation, etc.  Defiant00 explains it well here:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/643368/schiit-modi-and-magni-comparison-to-bifrost-and-asgard/15#post_9001056
 

Windows at least by default set my Modi to 16/44.1. There is no harm always running it in 24 bit mode, and you should not lose any data with 16 bit music if you put your computer volume at 50% or even 25%.

The volume level with the HE400 doesn't surprise me, I get the same result with my LCD-2s.

Have there been any Dragonfly comparisons yet?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steelbarrage 

So received my Magni and Modi combo today and have my HE 400 plugged in.

I like it so far compared to my E7 I was using before.

My question I have is that the system volume in windows is at 100% and I only turn the volume pot to about 7 for what I would comfortably listen at.

Admittedly I already listen at low volumes but it seems that I should be able to turn the volume up more before it becomes uncomfortable.

If I turn the system volume down to 50% I can get the pot up to about 9 but I wouldn't want to go much past that.

Is this due to the HE 400 being fairly easy to drive or is this rather odd?

 

I forgot to add that when I don't have any music playing with system volume at 100 that I can turn the pot to only about 2 before I begin to hear background hiss.

A possible combination of your liking to listen at low volumes and the songs you're listening to being very brickwalled.  For what it's worth, I average at around 9 o'clock with the HE-400, and my listening volume is probably average.  With very brickwalled recordings, I do have to turn it down a bit.

Noise past 2 o'clock might be an issue with not having an external dac?  Not sure if you have one or not.  It's weird how you're able to control the volume on windows in the first place.  On OSX, the Modi doesn't let you touch anything at all on the computer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWahl 

I just got my Modi/Magni in about an hour ago.  Currently pairing at with the Audio Technica ATH-A900X.  Even out of the box, the synergy is outstanding, though gain is a little on the hot side for the ATs.  A few years ago I would have never believed you could get this kind of sound for under $500.  Yes, the Magni does seem a little bright, at least out of the box but I wouldn't call it too lean per se.  It seems to flesh out the Audio Technica quite well although I do have the occaisional wince moment on certain tracks though I think this is problem more of the headphone efficiency and high gain.

 

What's more surprising with the gain/efficiency is that with no music and turning the amp up all the way, I notice no noise at all.  Very impressive at this price.  My first real setup consisted of a Musical Fidelty V-DAC ($300), Firestone Audio Cute Beyond with Supplier and opamp upgrade ($360) paired with Grado SR-225 and AKG K701.  I'm already getting more musical enjoyment with this setup at about half the price.  Though I'm sure the headphones themselves play a part in that as well.  Although the ATs are somewhat efficient, it seems they really come alive when fed with some decent current.

 

The best quality I notice with this combo is the ability to really bring some older rock and funk music to life.  I've never heard my AC/DC and Black Sabbath tracks with so much intensity.  The combo also has a special quality which I have trouble properly describing.  The best way I can describe it is that the microdynamic nuances in say, funk music vocals or rhythm guitar seem to be especially pronounced, adding to the "groove" quality of the music.  Perhaps this is what people describe as "PRaT"?  I'm not sure but it's very addicting.

 

I also have some AKG K702 65th anniversary edition on the way so I can post impressions with the Modi/Magni then if anybody is interested.

I have to slightly amend my out of box impressions after listening for a few hours now.  The M&M paired with my Audio Technica is borderline on sounding like an aggressive Grado.  Not saying that it was laid back before but it's noticeably more aggressive and although exciting with alot of older recordings, can be very fatiguing on extended use.  Not to be too critical at it's price point though, it's still an excellent value for the money.

As an unexpected side note, I decided to try it with my old Sennheiser HD-590 that I got in 2005 and that I rarely listen to anymore.  The stack seemed to breath some new life into them.  Being that they are a little more laid back in the upper mids than the ATs, it actually balanced out quite nicely.  I would imagine it could have a similar effect with the HD-600/HD-650, though I don't have them to try.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMRaven 

 

 

A possible combination of your liking to listen at low volumes and the songs you're listening to being very brickwalled.  For what it's worth, I average at around 9 o'clock with the HE-400, and my listening volume is probably average.  With very brickwalled recordings, I do have to turn it down a bit.

 

Noise past 2 o'clock might be an issue with not having an external dac?  Not sure if you have one or not.  It's weird how you're able to control the volume on windows in the first place.  On OSX, the Modi doesn't let you touch anything at all on the computer.

I thought some more about the background hiss I am hearing.

I ordered a new usb cable for connecting my PC but I forgot to buy a cable with a choke on it.

Would getting another cable with choke alleviate most of the hiss?

As a side note I changed the Modi to 24/44 and there is no more hiss.

I did rearrange the set up in a more permanent position so it may have been some outside interference affecting the signal chain.

Any more ideas are welcome but for the time being my issues seem to be cleared up.

I cant remember if it was here or over at the Magni forum, but someone asked how the Magni sounds with IEMs. Today I decided to give it a try with my Magni/E10 setup and it sounds pretty good, but my only complaint is that I would have to turn my PC volume down to about 45% and turn the Magni to around 8.5-9 o clock position. If it goes any lower, the audio is only audible in the right ear.  There was also some white noise when I turned off my music on low volumes (but this doesn't bother me, as long as it does not indicate that its defective...but seems like many people's units are experiencing the same problems.)  On a side note, my vol pot is also angled down.

How would the Magni fair running a set of 600ohm Sennheiser HD400's?

Ive been looking at the Valhalla but my deskspace is very limited, So If the Magni could cope well I may consider it instead :)

got my Modi today. Just awaiting some Nuforce S3-BT self-powered loudspeakers to connect up in my Mac Pro desktop setup.

As I have learned from both Jason at Schiit and HF user, doc-holliday, the Modi can run directly from an iPad w/o the need for USB bus power.

Knowing this, it now puts me in the market for a portable headphone amp (no dac) to use on the road.

Let's say a budget under $300 to start with..  What are people using?

thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWahl 

 

I have to slightly amend my out of box impressions after listening for a few hours now.  The M&M paired with my Audio Technica is borderline on sounding like an aggressive Grado.  Not saying that it was laid back before but it's noticeably more aggressive and although exciting with alot of older recordings, can be very fatiguing on extended use.  Not to be too critical at it's price point though, it's still an excellent value for the money.

 

As an unexpected side note, I decided to try it with my old Sennheiser HD-590 that I got in 2005 and that I rarely listen to anymore.  The stack seemed to breath some new life into them.  Being that they are a little more laid back in the upper mids than the ATs, it actually balanced out quite nicely.  I would imagine it could have a similar effect with the HD-600/HD-650, though I don't have them to try.

Have you tried using the Magni with a different DAC? I have seen a few first impressions that state the Modi has a bit more of a sharp source. I believe the Defiant00 found the Modi to have a bit more of a harsh top end compared to the Bifrost. 

It sound like the M&M stack it could help bring some more clarity / detail to warmer headphones. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steelbarrage 

I thought some more about the background hiss I am hearing.

I ordered a new usb cable for connecting my PC but I forgot to buy a cable with a choke on it.

Would getting another cable with choke alleviate most of the hiss?

As a side note I changed the Modi to 24/44 and there is no more hiss.

I did rearrange the set up in a more permanent position so it may have been some outside interference affecting the signal chain.

 

Any more ideas are welcome but for the time being my issues seem to be cleared up.

If you were using 16bit and digitally attenuating the signal than that could explain the hiss. 24bit also helps to lower the noise floor which would explain why when you run it in 24/44 that the hiss goes away. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by AtomicFrostX 

 

Have you tried using the Magni with a different DAC? I have seen a few first impressions that state the Modi has a bit more of a sharp source. I believe the Defiant00 found the Modi to have a bit more of a harsh top end compared to the Bifrost. 

 

It sound like the M&M stack it could help bring some more clarity / detail to warmer headphones. 

Unfortunately, no other sources on hand to compare it to at the moment.  It seems plenty good enough for the price though.  I've previously owned 3 different sources in the $1000 range and I don't feel like I'm missing huge amounts of performance.  This is by far my most affordable DAC, 1/3 the price of even the V-DAC and definitely not losing much to it from my memory.  The V-DAC is a little warmer if anything.

I can confirm that with the Modi set to 16/44.1 I get some hiss when I set computer volume to 5% and Magni volume maxed. When switched to 24/44.1 it's dead silent even at those silly settings.

And yes, Modi has slightly more treble than Bifrost. Do keep in mind though that I'm used to Bifrost, so while it sounds more correct to my ears right now I couldn't definitely say which is more accurate (my ears are just used to the Bifrost from the past year of listening).