[Insatiable One]

  The real question is, would mixing-and-matching the DACs with the amps produce better / worse results? Since there are two components at play here in each combo, it could always be the possibility that one combo has a better DAC and the other a better amp, thus nullifying the differences.

same issue here. I use my ATH-m50's as well as a pair of ATH-AD700x's so, according to TMRaven, it would be better to purchase the O2 over the Magni. However, I am wondering if pairing the O2 with the Modi produce better/worse results? If the result is better because of TMRaven's reason to but the O2, I would prefer to pair the O2 with the Modi because I have a small budget (<$250).

 

[Insatiable One]

Anyone knows how the magni+ modi compare to the Vali+modi combo ? I'm trying to drive my HD-650's and HE-400's from my MacBook retina

On a different thread I read that the Vali is a small step up from the Magni but I don't know how it pairs with the Modi. Personally, if I were to choose from the two, I would choose the Vali for its tube sound. I would have bought the Vali for my first headphone amp but instead I bought the PA2V2 by Gary Ali because it is portable. I have yet to choose between the Magni and the O2 for use at home. My apologies for losing the mentioned thread and not being able to link it here.

 

[mike1808]

Hi, guys. 
 
I can't decide which of the stacks to buy. I have DUNU DN-1000 and I am going to get AT M50x or beyerdynamic DT-770 80ohms, also I have the very old hifi JBL SG-2030.
 
Topic starter says that The Objective Combo is good for sensitive headphones and IEM. I don't know whether M50x or 770 and DUNU are sensitive headphones?
 
Also the important think for me is a possibility to connect DAC to my hifi (it has only RCA input).
 
I think the The Objective Combo with RCA is good option, but this combo is more expensive at $150 than Magni/Modi.
 
P.S. Can you use my 3.5mm to RCA converter to connect AMP to my hifi? :

 

 

[Gloomy Moonie]

Hey guys, newbie audio hobbyist here, since I can't create a new thread yet I'll post here (and maybe a few other relevant threads).
After reading the related threads for a while, I gather that the Magni/Modi vs. O2/ODAC dilemma have been largely unresolved in the 2 years' time that both of the products were simultaneously available, and the attempts to arrive at a conclusion are too subjective to rely upon, some are even contradictory but still right in their own regard. What I find most peculiar though, is that nobody has released a video review of the two combos to date, afaik. Maybe it's just me, but I find that it preferable to watch a concrete, to the point video as opposed to reading endless discussions that usually leave me more confused that I was prior to that.

(TL;DR) Despite all that, I've managed to formulate the following questions:
1.

Modi/Magni have a smaller soundstage and less air around instruments.

 

Can the same be said for O2/ODAC?
2.

mixing-and-matching the DACs with the amps produce better / worse results?

 

Would be great if someone could actually test this (TMRaven?), have heard multiple times that the best combo out of the 4 possibilities is the O2/Modi. Not sure whether I'd actually do that because of the aesthetics, doesn't make me any less curious.
3. Is there really no significant difference between the two combos? I find it very hard to believe in light of the price difference, and the appearance difference only adds to the confusion.
4. Some say that the Modi is more "musical" than the ODAC, what does this even mean?
5. Is there anything else apart from those two combos in terms of value? Audio-GD? Any of the other combos on Massdrop?

Headphones I intend to use the combo with: AKG K7XX; AKG Q701; AKG K272; Hifiman RE400;
Preferred genres: classical (youtu.be/KbT0TrFYbOw); metal (youtu.be/8WvRGUiRGoo)
Current setup: old Sony laptop paired with the K272/RE400.

Disclaimer: as previously stated, I'm aware of not being anywhere near savvy in the hobby, so my opinion and the conclusions I have arrived at might be wrong. If that is the case, I encourage the more informed members to correct me without hesitation. Any suggestions/recommendations would also be appreciated.

 

[nway]

Can anyone here give their thoughts on how the Magni/Modi stack pairs with the following headphones?:
• HD 600
• Fidelio X1
• ATH-M50
• MDR-V6
 
Anyone use a Vali/Modi stack with these cans? I'm basically deciding whether the Magni or Vali will better complement my cans.

 

[kevinwu313]

Hi guys,
 
Sadly, I just got my Magni and Modi earlier this month. It's 2-3 days passed the 15-days guarantee.
 
I'm wondering how much better is Magni 2 and Modi 2 sounded than the original M&M.
 
I'm in Canada, if they are not better than the original M&M by $50(shipping cost) difference, I'll probably just keep them.
 
Would love your thoughts... coz this M&M 2 announcement has been getting me kind of regretting buying an amp/dac combo in a rush..

 

[blse59]

Hey guys, newbie audio hobbyist here, since I can't create a new thread yet I'll post here (and maybe a few other relevant threads).
After reading the related threads for a while, I gather that the Magni/Modi vs. O2/ODAC dilemma have been largely unresolved in the 2 years' time that both of the products were simultaneously available, and the attempts to arrive at a conclusion are too subjective to rely upon, some are even contradictory but still right in their own regard. What I find most peculiar though, is that nobody has released a video review of the two combos to date, afaik. Maybe it's just me, but I find that it preferable to watch a concrete, to the point video as opposed to reading endless discussions that usually leave me more confused that I was prior to that.

(TL;DR) Despite all that, I've managed to formulate the following questions:
1.

Modi/Magni have a smaller soundstage and less air around instruments.

 

Can the same be said for O2/ODAC?
2.

 
mixing-and-matching the DACs with the amps produce better / worse results?

 

Would be great if someone could actually test this (TMRaven?), have heard multiple times that the best combo out of the 4 possibilities is the O2/Modi. Not sure whether I'd actually do that because of the aesthetics, doesn't make me any less curious.
3. Is there really no significant difference between the two combos? I find it very hard to believe in light of the price difference, and the appearance difference only adds to the confusion.
4. Some say that the Modi is more "musical" than the ODAC, what does this even mean?
5. Is there anything else apart from those two combos in terms of value? Audio-GD? Any of the other combos on Massdrop?

Headphones I intend to use the combo with: AKG K7XX; AKG Q701; AKG K272; Hifiman RE400;
Preferred genres: classical (youtu.be/KbT0TrFYbOw); metal (youtu.be/8WvRGUiRGoo)
Current setup: old Sony laptop paired with the K272/RE400.

Disclaimer: as previously stated, I'm aware of not being anywhere near savvy in the hobby, so my opinion and the conclusions I have arrived at might be wrong. If that is the case, I encourage the more informed members to correct me without hesitation. Any suggestions/recommendations would also be appreciated.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if the amp and dac has a flat or reasonably flat frequency response, then most people would not be able to tell the difference between them. Tomshardware put up an article where they compared an onboard soundchip ($2), soundcard, dedicated amp/dac, and high end amp/dac ($1000+) and concluded that they could not be reliably distinguished from each other.
 
So in choosing between the O2/ODAC and Magni/Modi, decide based upon variables other than sound quality since I haven't seen anyone contradict the statement that they're transparent.
 
Personally, I'm struggling with whether I should spring for any of those stacks in the first place. I have a FiiO E10K amp/dac which cost only $75 and seems perfectly fine driving my HD600's. I can't get anyone to conclusively say that either stack would give me better sound quality.

 

[Solrighal]

  I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if the amp and dac has a flat or reasonably flat frequency response, then most people would not be able to tell the difference between them. Tomshardware put up an article where they compared an onboard soundchip ($2), soundcard, dedicated amp/dac, and high end amp/dac ($1000+) and concluded that they could not be reliably distinguished from each other.
 
So in choosing between the O2/ODAC and Magni/Modi, decide based upon variables other than sound quality since I haven't seen anyone contradict the statement that they're transparent.
 
Personally, I'm struggling with whether I should spring for any of those stacks in the first place. I have a FiiO E10K amp/dac which cost only $75 and seems perfectly fine driving my HD600's. I can't get anyone to conclusively say that either stack would give me better sound quality.

 
I agree with you. I've been looking at upgrading my amp but I'm just not convinced it wouldn't just be a side-grade.

 

[blse59]

......

 

[blse59]

......

 

[mikek200]

  I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if the amp and dac has a flat or reasonably flat frequency response, then most people would not be able to tell the difference between them. Tomshardware put up an article where they compared an onboard soundchip ($2), soundcard, dedicated amp/dac, and high end amp/dac ($1000+) and concluded that they could not be reliably distinguished from each other.
 
So in choosing between the O2/ODAC and Magni/Modi, decide based upon variables other than sound quality since I haven't seen anyone contradict the statement that they're transparent.
 
Personally, I'm struggling with whether I should spring for any of those stacks in the first place. I have a FiiO E10K amp/dac which cost only $75 and seems perfectly fine driving my HD600's. I can't get anyone to conclusively say that either stack would give me better sound quality.

Bise,
Not sure if this will help.
As I am waiting on a Stax KGST to be finished,I went ahead and bought a used 02-ODAC,I,ve been using it  for my HD600,and IMO,it is excellent,very neutral ,realistic pairing,
One other option ,which I got today,was the MODI/Vali combo,and it is outstanding ,simply outstanding,especially with the Beyerdynamic DT880/600ohm headphones,bass goes down extremely low,but with nice detail.
.
You might want to try the Vali,it gives out somewhat of a warm tube SQ,smooth
 
Good Luck in your decision,
Mike

 

[lamode]

But you are right. If it's already transparent, you can't make it more transparent with additional parts

 
Actually, you can.
 
An amplifier with balanced outputs uses a lot more parts, as it basically uses two amplifiers per channel. Or the ring DAC configuration is another example. Sometimes the extra parts help to reduce distortion and noise.
 
If by "transparent" you mean literally 100% analogous to the input, then you would be right, but no amplifier has ever achieved that.

 

[lamode]

   
One thing bothers me about the OP's [awesome] review: the O2 and Standalone ODAC are not meant to be stacked, as they're a cabling disaster this way. The real O2+ODAC combo has a far more orderly appearance since it's assembled in a single box. I've only skimmed through these 18 pages--hope this hasn't already been pointed this out.
 
 

 
I have been waiting for someone to point this out. I like the looks of the Schiit gear, but the fact that I would need two cases (and power supplies) instead of one is a major drawback for me as I would be relocating the system several times a day, plus it's just more elegant to have one box.
 
Does Schiit have any plans to put both products in the one case? That would be a winner.

 

[lamode]

 
EQ is too painful. Don't make me do it..
 

 
High quality digital parametric EQ is probably the single best thing most people could do for their system. There are zero audible artefacts, so no downside, but you can make almost any gear measure ruler flat (or fit whatever curve you prefer). This is completely flexible and adjustable and allows you to stop worrying about mating a 'bright' amplifier with 'bright' phones. I have no idea why anyone would be against this,

 

[uthemus]

TBH, I'm ordering the Magni 2 because I can do Schiit like this:
 
Hey, I want that Schiit.
Did you just take a Schiit?  It ******* smells.
Do you think I give a Schiit?
It's gonna be a Schiitstorm.
Well, Schiit...
 
Seriously, my HD600s are looking forward to getting plugged into this Schiit.