[musickid]

can anyone compare gunj mb to modi mb. i use a german earmaxpro tube amp. small but high quality. is the effort to upgrade to gunj mb worth it. if it is i will be changing mb to fund gnj mb!!! also considering musette dac.

 

[Alchemist007]

Tried the spdif to compare to the usb input. Sounded exactly identical.

 

[227qed]

Tried the spdif to compare to the usb input. Sounded exactly identical.

That's good to know. How long is your cord?

I have .02 to give here too. I run the spdif from my computer through a 12 ft. Toslink. This has been far cleaner to me than when I tried a long usb. Definitely picked up a lot of interference from my other gadgets with the usb.

 

[Porteroso]

I would bet that most of the audible difference in USB v spdif/optical is simply due to implementation. I really doubt that a perfect feed into the Modi multibit will result in much of a difference between inputs.
 
For me, the coax input is horribly noisy. Sounds like I'm running the sound through distortion. Obviously that's not the modi, it's the motherboard.
 
Anyways, no matter what anyone recommends here, everyone should try out all the inputs for themselves. Stick with what sounds best to you.

 

[Alchemist007]

That's good to know. How long is your cord?

I have .02 to give here too. I run the spdif from my computer through a 12 ft. Toslink. This has been far cleaner to me than when I tried a long usb. Definitely picked up a lot of interference from my other gadgets with the usb.

Just 6ft. Guess that makes sense, never had any interference related noise to begin with.

 

[darkarn]

I have officially reached the 14th day of using my Mimby!

I am quite impressed by it, generally as a whole the music feels more natural. While its level of detail can be said to be on par with some of the mid or high end DACs, the Mimby presents this in a way that I can find the details much easier. Caveat: I am unsure if this is due to the multibit tech or simply because I am entering mid-fi from entry level DACs like the Stoner Acoustics UD110, Audinst HUD MX-1 and Fiio Taishan.

I am also pleasantly surprised that using an iPad with it does not required a powered USB hub; the Mimby draws so little power from the USB port that allows iOS devices to operate without the "Too much power drawn" error.

Finally, remember that strange issue I had with my Optical In? While the issue exists, I realised that it is also a way to protect my ears from outright audio gibberish. Case in point: I was trying to get a Hackintosh to output audio using its Coaxial port. By right, it can only output 16 bits reliably; the 24 bit output being unreliable. The Mimby would automatically reject such unreliable signals while the Taishan would just pass it along, resulting in very harsh and unpleasant popping and crackling noises. So, in a way, the Mimby is indeed picky, but only because it wants to be 100% sure that the incoming signal is not noise before processing it. The Taishan would just pass the signal regardless of what it is, which can be a double-edged sword as in this case.

All in all, the Mimby is very worthwhile to get, I can find myself recommending this to new "audiophiles" too.

 

[theveterans]

^ It's not the multibit, but entry level multibit sounds better than delta sigma on mid-fi level. Once you get to the 4 digit price point, it doesn't matter if it's delta sigma or multibit as they all sound great. You just look for the one that gives the best synergy.

 

[winders]

Oh, I think it is the multibit. When you understand the differences between delta sigma and multibit, why would you buy a 4 figure delta sigma DAC?? The fact that the Modi Multibit is so close in performance to the BiFrost Multibit is significant when you consider how much DAC you are getting with the BiFrost Multibit.

 

[theveterans]

Oh, I think it is the multibit. When you understand the differences between delta sigma and multibit, why would you buy a 4 figure delta sigma DAC?? The fact that the Modi Multibit is so close in performance to the BiFrost Multibit is significant when you consider how much DAC you are getting with the BiFrost Multibit.

You haven't heard a good delta sigma implementation without using off the shelf DAC chips then IMO. They're every bit as good as Multibit DAC to my ears

 

[winders]

You haven't heard a good delta sigma implementation without using off the shelf DAC chips then IMO. They're every bit as good as Multibit DAC to my ears

That's true, I haven't. But, I wouldn't spend 4 figures on a delta sigma DAC. Once I get over  $1,000 I am looking straight at the Gungnir Multibit but probably going straight to the Yggdrasil. I can't think of a good reason to go delta sigma when you can go multibit.

 

[darkarn]

  ^ It's not the multibit, but entry level multibit sounds better than delta sigma on mid-fi level. Once you get to the 4 digit price point, it doesn't matter if it's delta sigma or multibit as they all sound great. You just look for the one that gives the best synergy.

 
Hmm, something like multibit as a whole being more bang for buck than delta sigma?

 

[maxh22]

   
Hmm, something like multibit as a whole being more bang for buck than delta sigma?

 
It's a good bang for the buck as a low profile desktop solution, but until it can fit in your pocket there are better solutions.

 

[darkarn]

   
It's a good bang for the buck as a low profile desktop solution, but until it can fit in your pocket there are better solutions.

 
Good point there, there's still the heat and complexity issue

 

[Andrew Rieger]

This is going to sound like an extremely stupid question but bear with me, I suffer from a severe case of tech nervosa. So I was rearranging my gear and when I went to plug everything back in, I realized that I had accidentally mixed up my Mimby's AC wall wart with my amps DC wall wart. Neither the amp nor the Mimby was ever turned on but they were both plugged into a live power strip. I tested the gear after I fixed the mistake without any noticeable problems but for future reference, is it possible to damage a component by plugging in the wrong power source (DC instead of AC) even if you don't flip on the ON switch? For the Mimby in particular, is any power going to the board when its turned off? I know many electronics draw power even when they are turned off but still plugged in. 

 

[winders]

With the Mimby switch in the off position there were no complete circuits so no electricy flowed. You're good to go!