[Solrighal]

And I would buy almost anything else for precisely the same reason.

 

[crybabygohan]

nice i was looking at the odac 2 stack setup to drive my AKG K7xx my first open backed headphones and i heard that the 7 series takes a bit more to drive and im guessing the K7xx with its 3db bass boost requires "a bit more" than the other k7---series variants. Either way im glad i saw this it solidified my decision to go with a schiit stack, is there any specific differentiation between the 1.0 models and the recently updated 2.0 models other than the choice for additional I/O at an additional cost? I cant wait for my AKG K7xx to arrive so i can see what open backed sound stage and real sound stage really is. I think this is a slippery slope i am heading down. I think i might just pick up some K240s for the hell of it if this stack can run them since they are so highly regarded when driven correctly.

 

[Gasp3621]

Hi guys,

It`s so hard to choose between these two. I listen more rock/heavy music, sometimes even some dubstep etc. Cans are Beyer 990 Premium 250ohm and modded Senns HD558. Is there difference in bass punch between these two amps? I prefer the Beyers more over Senns. They have more punch and movies sound better them with too. Senns are boring to me.

I would also like to know do i really hear the difference with headphone amp/dac combo vs. my Harman Kardon AVR-255 amp which also has Dolby Headphone for movies? It has Cirrus Logic CS42528 DAC. Specs are here:
http://www.cirrus.com/en/pubs/proDatasheet/CS42528_F2.pdf

Options are:

Schiit Magni 2 Uber with Modi2 (as the uber version is sold out, and it isnt worth the price dif.)  318€ with USB and RCA cable (PYST)

O2DAC combo  250€ or 300€ (full mod with RCA)  plus delivery 12€

AUNE X1 PRO DSD-DAC/Headphone amp 269€

Which one to go?


Thx!

 

[thecrow]

Looking for some learned views on the magni/modi 2 users v O2/Odac

I read they sound very similar



I like that the modi 2 uber has more than just usb input as per the odac

I also think the gain options of the O2 (looking at 1x and 3.5) are more practical than the magni 2 ubers 1.5x and 6.

What are your views on the gains of the 2 amps?


Does an O2 and an modi 2 uber work together or these all best bought as their own couples?

Looking for a combo that allows the hd800s to sound like hd800s with those bright mids and highs and great openness
Ta
Peter

 

[MrMateoHead]

Looking for some learned views on the magni/modi 2 users v O2/Odac

I read they sound very similar

I like that the modi 2 uber has more than just usb input as per the odac

I also think the gain options of the O2 (looking at 1x and 3.5) are more practical than the magni 2 ubers 1.5x and 6.

What are your views on the gains of the 2 amps?


Does an O2 and an modi 2 uber work together or these all best bought as their own couples?

Looking for a combo that allows the hd800s to sound like hd800s with those bright mids and highs and great openness
Ta
Peter

 
Probably better to focus on the features that you need.
 
Personally I like the 3.5mm inputs of the O2/ODAC, they are convenient, and the sound quality is great. Nice to have some portability, though I haven't taken advantage of that much myself.
 
The Schiit stuff is much improved, and spec'd for more power. The selectable gain is welcome. Aesthetically pleasing, but extra cable cost. Magni Uber has audio out as well, which may integrate more easily into your setup. Also, lower price (unless you spring for Uber models, which are at ~$300). If you listen to 24-bit, 192 kHz stereo music often, the Uber has you covered (I don't).
 
You can mix and match Amp/DAC on each however you want. But you would need additional cabling to do 3.5mm conversions. I get some added benefit from my ODAC, because I use it to feed my regular stereo as well sometimes.
 
It is really a bit of a toss up. Personally, I am an O2 fan, and would stick with it. It is totally black, I love the ESS DAC, and it has had power to spare.

 

[skree]

For me in the UK in 2015 it's quite a bit cheaper to get the o2+odac. The Modi Uber does tempt because i sure could use the extra inputs, but i'd also want a 2nd pair of RCA outs on the Modi, the O2+ODAC combo is available with RCA out as well as 6.3mm.
 
Not seen a modi opened up to see if there is room for a modification.
 
and i think the magni2 uber with modi uber combo is rather expensive at £260 +del + cables but i'll have to look into it.
 
Headphones are not yet decided, leaning heavily towards T50RP mk3 because it's a lot more affordable than the LCD-2 i really want. Both will probably blow me away equally, as they're both WAY better than anything i've ever had before.

 

[internaught]

  For me in the UK in 2015 it's quite a bit cheaper to get the o2+odac. The Modi Uber does tempt because i sure could use the extra inputs, but i'd also want a 2nd pair of RCA outs on the Modi, the O2+ODAC combo is available with RCA out as well as 6.3mm.
 
Not seen a modi opened up to see if there is room for a modification.
 
and i think the magni2 uber with modi uber combo is rather expensive at £260 +del + cables but i'll have to look into it.
 
Headphones are not yet decided, leaning heavily towards T50RP mk3 because it's a lot more affordable than the LCD-2 i really want. Both will probably blow me away equally, as they're both WAY better than anything i've ever had before.

I went ahead and grabbed the MadDog headphones from MrSpeakers. I'm looking at driving them with a odac2 combo or the magni + modi uber's. Leaning toward the odac2 because of simplicity and no one has made a compelling case for one over the other...

 

[skree]

 
I went ahead and grabbed the MadDog headphones from MrSpeakers. I'm looking at driving them with a odac2 combo or the magni + modi uber's. Leaning toward the odac2 because of simplicity and no one has made a compelling case for one over the other...

 
I ended up buying the Aune X1S because of its ES9018 "flagship" DAC, multiple digital inputs, line in, and line out. This fits better into my intended system than the odac2 because I have four digital sources (two via a TOSLINK doubler), one analogue source and i wish to connect to a speaker amp too. Another possibility recommended to me was the AudioGD NFB-11. The Aune was £160 for the combo dac/headamp which made it significantly cheaper than the magni/modi uber combo with a pair of PYST.
 
Please do not take anything I have said as a recommendation, both because the X1S did not arrive yet, and because i know only enough to know that i know nothing at all and i do not wish to derail this thread into discussing other kit. I merely wish to inform you of alternative products you may not be aware of. Both were promoted to me as being a step above the Schiit and odac2, but what that means in real world terms, I cannot say.

 

[Deaj]

I recently purchased a Magni 2 Uber and it arrived about 2 weeks ago. I've been using it with my Beyer DT250's Pro's and I really like this pairing. The 990's are bright and this can become unpleasant with some tracks. Through the Magni 2 I've not experienced this, even with tracks that I found unpleasant with the 990's through my JDS Objective 2 amp. In fact I like the way all of my headphones sound through the Schiit Magni 2.

 

[preferred user]

I recently purchased a Magni 2 Uber and it arrived about 2 weeks ago. I've been using it with my Beyer DT250's Pro's and I really like this pairing. The 990's are bright and this can become unpleasant with some tracks. Through the Magni 2 I've not experienced this, even with tracks that I found unpleasant with the 990's through my JDS Objective 2 amp. In fact I like the way all of my headphones sound through the Schiit Magni 2.

Just a note I'm not a Headphone expert enthusiast like a lot of folks here but I like good clean sound ,lossless FLAC /WAV and Tidal Hi FI and I like Head Fi for all this stuff ofc. 
I just today received a Schiit Magni 2 from Amazon to use with my Xonar DGX PCIe sound card as a source for now. ofc I play 24 and 16 bit lossless FLAC files and Tidal Hifi 16/44 FLAC steaming .
 
I mostly use basic 50 ohm entry level Senns HD 280 pros and very occasionally my 32 ohm KRK KNS 8400's.  I like the Senns HD 280's better .  
After some reading here I'm presuming the JDS Labs Objective 2 amp  wouldn't be a worthwhile trade sound wise or provide significantly more bass over the Schiit Magni 2.  
 
FWIW Some of the reviews here at Head Fi steered me to the Schiit Magni 2 in that price range .  OTOH I read  the JDS Labs Objective 2 reviews after I ordered the Schiit Modi 2 I have now . 
 
 
I use the Windows 10 Groove music runtime app and libraries to play music from 16 and 24 bit FLAC files although I have WMP and Foobar2000 but they  doesn't sound any better .
 
The free windows store  included MS Windows 10  Groove music app has a lot of features a good GUI  and ofc the cover art /metadata fetching from the web and different library views and sorting /display options  by genre/album/song artist /date added etc. . You can also integrate it with the Windows store at will (or not at all ) I also use Tidal Hifi 16/44.
 
The Xonar DGX PCIe d/sound card I'm using as a source for the Magni 2 is decently clean through my phones with the internal  headphone amp off  using the frt panel jack in speaker mode on the W10 PC .

The frt panel (w/HP amp off)  Xonar DGX TDH+n and noise level specs (on paper) are real close to the Schiit Modi 2  and Modi 2 Uber  analog output and outside of the DAC should be inaudibly different at full scale voltage .

The Xonar DGX PCIe card  has an older 5.1 ch 24/192 Cirrus Logic CS4272 DAC with a -114 dB noise level although 24/96 is the top resolution supported by the inexpensive Xonar DGX and I suspect the DAC is rather unremarkable these days but would the difference *really be * be significantly audible with less distortion on 2 channels ?  
 
I'm thinking of the matching Modi 2 or Modi 2 Uber  USB DAC  to turn The Magni 2 into a modest Schiit stack * ONLY if the Modi or Modi 2 uber are worthwhile additions sound wise from what I have now which on paper at least is open to discussion at least aside from the DAC ASIC (and it's implementation ) anyway  IMO but I'm also inclined to use a clean studio interface I'll be trying this amp on one of those here in another room here
 
I'll be trying this Magni 2  amp and HD HD280's  on one of those pro interfaces here in another room  and on some other phones in there .
 
 
I'm not immune to serial upgrading any of my pursuits like homes ,  PC's ,vehicles and 2.1 audio in a dedicated acoustically treated PC Game/Music studio to THX PM3 Certified reference levels currently ,3 TV's in this room  in 4 yrs up to a new 2015 Sony XBR 4K WCG  HDR TV set now ( it's da bomb) and an arguably very decent  64f8500 Samsung Plasma out frt and years of being a motorcycle /vehicle and salt water powerboat gear head ( and professional gear head ) and amatuer audio enthusiast for over 40 yrs .........Obviously I'm just starting on phones here so I know the upgrade drill and the law of diminishing returns all to well ☻
 
The Schitt Magni output power is rated at ~ double the Maximum for the HD 280's 64 ohms so it's a good pairing  IMO
and it compares well with the uber clean studio interfaces here in the other room up to a point where it starts distorting but it can go louder also ...a lotta bang for the $. 
 
 
...for example by professional design my THX pm3 Certified reference 2.1 audio system power  amp we chose is rated at 850 Wpc RMS to feed my THX pm3 certified professional large midfield  12" 3 way JBL's that probably can use half of that tops or much less usually but that combo  can make a snob audiophile cry in a good room especially with the two powered reference subs in there but it was many $$$$  thousands with all the studio gear,Midi controllers a stout  PC and d/GPU and production software and VST's  and aside from the gear the dedicated construction for all that  will buy a  nice 3 bd house in some parts of the country . I'm a  believer in amplifier headroom having been an expert enthusiast prosumer for over 40 yrs. and it compared well with the uber clean studio interfaces here . 
 
 
 
 The Xonar DGX uses something like Ti LM4972 op amps  for the frt. panel PC speaker outs . 
Lastly The  Schiit Magni 2  is  cleaner than the Xonar DGX internal headphone amp at elevated levels ( but not at all immune from distortion ) that could also be partly the phones.
 
OTOH  All the things like treble ,midrange  extensions  ,resolution,instrument separation ,impact ,clarity  and perceived soundstage etc are a lot better then the DGX d/sound card  and it ads a  little extra "pop" for vocals and percussion the the only caveat here is the low bass and impact bass are  lower on the Magni 2 than the Xonar DGX but not a deal breaker at all  so far . 
 
 
The Schiit Magni 2 is a lot more powerful than the Xonar DGX HP amp at least x2 although I would like maybe a little more low and impact bass at times .
 
OTOH hand I can see upgrading from the Magni 2 and my HD280's  also if it wasn't a large expenditure although some of that legitimate upgrading business can  be $$$$  for the aficionados here .
 
I'm also thinking of some Senns HD650 or something else to use instead of my HD280  Pros .
 
FWIW these are the front panel audio specs in the Asus DGX  PCIe d/soundcard .
Setting the DAC's aside they aren't far off from the Schiit Modi 2 audio specs :
 
 
Asus DGX  PCIe d/soundcard  audio specs 
Output Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted) (Front-out) :
105 dB
Input Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted) :
103 dB
Output THD+N at 1kHz (Front-out) :
<0.0025 %(-92 dB)
Input THD+N at 1kHz :
<0.0022 %(-93 dB)
Frequency Response (-3dB, 24bit/96KHz input) :
10 Hz to 48 KHz
Output/Input Full-Scale Voltage .
https://www.asus.com/us/Sound-Cards/Xonar_DGX/specifications/

Asus Xonar DGX Cirrus Logic  CS4272 DAC  ASIC specs 
 
D/A Features ! High Performance – 114 dB Dynamic Range – -100 dB THD+N ! Up to 192 kHz Sampling Rates ! Differential Analog Architecture ! Volume Control with Soft Ramp – 1 dB Step Size – Zero Crossing Click-free Transitions ! Selectable Digital Filters – Fast and Slow Roll Off ! ATAPI Mixing Functions ! Selectable Serial Audio Interface Formats – Left Justified up to 24-bit – I2S up to 24-bit – Right Justified 16-, 18-, 20-, and 24-Bit ! Control Output for External Muting ! Selectable 50/15 µs De-emphasis A/D Features ! High Performance – 114 dB Dynamic Range – -100 dB THD+N ! Up to 192 kHz Sampling Rates ! Differential Analog Architecture !Multi-bit Delta Sigma Conversion ! High-pass Filter or DC Offset Calibration ! Low-Latency Digital Anti-alias Filtering ! Automatic Dithering of 16-bit Data ! Selectable Serial Audio Interface Formats – Left Justified up to 24-bit – I2S up to 24-bit System Features ! Direct Interface with 5V to 2.5V Logic Levels ! Internal Digital Loopback !On-chip Oscillator ! Stand-Alone or Control Port Functionality 
https://www.cirrus.com/en/pubs/proDatasheet/CS4272_F1.pdf

 Schiit Modi 2 audio specs :
 
D/A Conversion IC: AKM4396
Analog Summing, Active Filtering: Based on AD8616 with precision thin-film resistors and film capacitors.
Output: RCA (single-ended)
Output Impedance: 75 ohms
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz, +/-0.1dB
Maximum Output: 1.5V RMS
THD: <0.002%, 20Hz-20KHz, at max output
IMD: <0.003%, CCIF, at max output
S/N: >104dB, referenced to 1.5VRMS, unweighted
Crosstalk: -80dB, 20-20kHz
http://schiit.com/
 
Schiit Modi 2 DAC specs 
D/A Conversion IC: AKM4396
Analog Summing, Active Filtering: Based on AD8616 with precision thin-film resistors and film capacitors.
Output: RCA (single-ended)
Output Impedance: 75 ohms
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz, +/-0.1dB
Maximum Output: 1.5V RMS
THD: <0.002%, 20Hz-20KHz, at max output
IMD: <0.003%, CCIF, at max output
S/N: >104dB, referenced to 1.5VRMS, unweighted
Crosstalk: -80dB, 20-20kHz
http://schiit.com/
 
Sent from Windows 10 Pro Insider Preview Evaluation Copy . Build 14267 rs1-160218-2310 

 

[preferred user]

double post deleted by poster

 

[preferred user]

  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.

Let us know if you buy the Schiit  (or whatever ) I got my inexpensive Schiit  Magni 2 today and it's a significant upgrade from my inexpensive Asus Xonar DGX Discrete PCIe sound card with a built in headphone amp .........
I might try the Schiit Modi 2 or the Modi 2 Uber DAC also !

 

[ScareDe2]

I also found that the modi/magni were a bit brighter with lacking bass and spaciousness. That is a crime to pair that with the BeyerDynamic DT700 since what is great about that headphone is the deep bass. I strongly suggest to those who love their dt770 to look for another amp/dac that will show the qualities of your dt770 instead of neutralizing it.

 

[ld100]

Greatest review ever! I mean it! I wish that all reviews were that clear and concise!

 

[mgh24]

I must be in a very tiny percentage of users, but my Modi is not recognized by my new PC, so is completely useless.
 
I started a thread about it, and got help, but there is something strange going on.  Even got a response from another user having the exact same issue.
 
Unfortunately, not a peep from Schiit when I sent them an email requesting support.
 
Here is the thread I stared - just as an FYI: http://www.head-fi.org/t/840350/help-with-schiit-modi-drivers#post_13354057
 
So, I will have to get a different new PC and hope for the best, go back to my old PC (which is where I am at now), or go to O2/ODAC.