[buonassi]

That doesn't tell you anything either. The DAC could require seeing +5 on the Vbus pin but not use it in actual operation.

If you guys care so much, why not ask Schiit Audio.....

actually, yes. This is what I was going to suggest. They reply to email usually in 24 hours. Even technical questions like this. I'd do it, but I'm saving my pestering for something I care a little more about.

 

[BubbaJay]

Don't mean to bust up the USB vs SPDIF talk but I have a mimby and its pair with the Magni 2 which I like but I was wanting to get a tube amp like the Valhalla 2 or something along those lines and I was wondering if anyone else is using that setup and how it sounds. My 2 headphones I use are the Elear and Nighthawk and I don't want them to be too warm sounding (especially the Nighthawk) so I don't know if a hybrid tube amp would be better. I like the tone from the Magni 2 but I'm wanting a little more full sound which a good tube amp can provide I think.

 

[makne]

Hey all! I'm new to this thread, and I need some advice.

My current dac is the Aune x1s dac/amp, I'm only using the dac part (equivalent to the regular Modi in quality).
I plan on upgrading to either a Mimby or Regular Bifrost (and possibly upgrade to multibit down the line). Is the Bifrost worth the 200$ increase over mimby? Is the bimby worth the 250$ increase over Bifrost? (This is Norwegian prices). I might also buy a Jotunheim to power my Elears, should I get the dac module with it? How does it stack up against Schiits standalone dacs?

 

[limelake]

Don't mean to bust up the USB vs SPDIF talk but I have a mimby and its pair with the Magni 2 which I like but I was wanting to get a tube amp like the Valhalla 2 or something along those lines and I was wondering if anyone else is using that setup and how it sounds. My 2 headphones I use are the Elear and Nighthawk and I don't want them to be too warm sounding (especially the Nighthawk) so I don't know if a hybrid tube amp would be better. I like the tone from the Magni 2 but I'm wanting a little more full sound which a good tube amp can provide I think.

Mimby and Valhalla 2 work well together. Not really warm...but not cold. Full sounding ?....well.....Valhalla 2 i would call a little richer.

 

[Defiant00]

Hey all! I'm new to this thread, and I need some advice.

My current dac is the Aune x1s dac/amp, I'm only using the dac part (equivalent to the regular Modi in quality).
I plan on upgrading to either a Mimby or Regular Bifrost (and possibly upgrade to multibit down the line). Is the Bifrost worth the 200$ increase over mimby? Is the bimby worth the 250$ increase over Bifrost? (This is Norwegian prices). I might also buy a Jotunheim to power my Elears, should I get the dac module with it? How does it stack up against Schiits standalone dacs?

I prefer Schiit's multibit products, so I would recommend Mimby or Bimby. They both sound basically the same, so on sound quality alone I'd recommend Mimby. If you think you're going to keep it quite a while and might upgrade, maybe Bimby, but Mimby is definitely the better value proposition right now.

The Jotunheim DAC reportedly sounds basically the same as a normal Modi; I believe most would recommend going with Mimby instead of the Jotunheim DAC, but if you want a second/backup DAC the Jotunheim card is an excellent choice.

 

[makne]

I prefer Schiit's multibit products, so I would recommend Mimby or Bimby. They both sound basically the same, so on sound quality alone I'd recommend Mimby. If you think you're going to keep it quite a while and might upgrade, maybe Bimby, but Mimby is definitely the better value proposition right now.

The Jotunheim DAC reportedly sounds basically the same as a normal Modi; I believe most would recommend going with Mimby instead of the Jotunheim DAC, but if you want a second/backup DAC the Jotunheim card is an excellent choice.

Thanks, this is in line with the general impressions I've heard. Will probably go for a Mimby then.
Only problem is that mimby (and bimby) only have one output, and I'd like to use it with both my speaker and headphone setup when I buy a Jot. Don't think the Jot dac will be satisfying enough with the Elears. As the pre-outs on Jot are variable, I guess it won't work to connect the Jot between the dac and speaker amp. Are there any decent rca switchers or something I could use? Otherwise I'd have to get another dac with 2 outputs.

 

[Defiant00]

Thanks, this is in line with the general impressions I've heard. Will probably go for a Mimby then.
Only problem is that mimby (and bimby) only have one output, and I'd like to use it with both my speaker and headphone setup when I buy a Jot. Don't think the Jot dac will be satisfying enough with the Elears. As the pre-outs on Jot are variable, I guess it won't work to connect the Jot between the dac and speaker amp. Are there any decent rca switchers or something I could use? Otherwise I'd have to get another dac with 2 outputs.

Just use a y-splitter, there's no harm in having the Mimby output hooked up to both your speaker and headphone setups.

 

[Letmebefrank]

Thanks, this is in line with the general impressions I've heard. Will probably go for a Mimby then.
Only problem is that mimby (and bimby) only have one output, and I'd like to use it with both my speaker and headphone setup when I buy a Jot. Don't think the Jot dac will be satisfying enough with the Elears. As the pre-outs on Jot are variable, I guess it won't work to connect the Jot between the dac and speaker amp. Are there any decent rca switchers or something I could use? Otherwise I'd have to get another dac with 2 outputs.

You could do a Y split, or you can do what I've done and buy a Schiit SYS but use it in reverse (1 in 2 out). The volume control does not work in this configuration but when set to max there is no degradation. This is nice because I can have my headphone amp and speaker amp both switched on, and swap between them with the SYS without having music playing through both.

 

[bilboda]

I use the Ember headphone amp with variable line out. Mimby goes to this and the lineout goes to a SYS. When I want speakers I turn the SYS all the way up and control the volume from the Ember. When I want headphones, I turn the SYS all the way down. This gives me an extra line in on the SYS which I use for an HD radio. You could do the same with the Jot,

 

[makne]

Just use a y-splitter, there's no harm in having the Mimby output hooked up to both your speaker and headphone setups.

You could do a Y split, or you can do what I've done and buy a Schiit SYS but use it in reverse (1 in 2 out). The volume control does not work in this configuration but when set to max there is no degradation. This is nice because I can have my headphone amp and speaker amp both switched on, and swap between them with the SYS without having music playing through both.

Wow okay, that's great news for me. I thought about using a Y-split but was afraid connecting both amps simultaneously would introduce problems of some sort... Also looked at the SYS, but was afraid the volume control would degrade the signal somehow. If that's not the case, could I just kinda daisy-chain the amps? Like Mimby line out->Jot line-in->Jot pre-out->speaker amp line-in? Or would the Jot degrade the signal before going into the speaker amp, as the pre-outs are variable and not fixed? Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions, not that knowledgeable about this.

 

[Letmebefrank]

Wow okay, that's great news for me. I thought about using a Y-split but was afraid connecting both amps simultaneously would introduce problems of some sort... Also looked at the SYS, but was afraid the volume control would degrade the signal somehow. If that's not the case, could I just kinda daisy-chain the amps? Like Mimby line out->Jot line-in->Jot pre-out->speaker amp line-in? Or would the Jot degrade the signal before going into the speaker amp, as the pre-outs are variable and not fixed? Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions, not that knowledgeable about this.

You can use the Jotunheim as a pre-amp, but you will get audio from both headphones and speakers at the same time, so when you are listening to HPs you will have to turn off your speaker amp. High quality analog pots like Schiit uses don't degrade the signal in a noticeable way.

 

[makne]

Just got my new mimby up and running, aaand I'm VERY surprised. So much that I felt the need to write a post here.
Already 10 seconds into the first song (Communique, Dire Straits) I had to check if I had any DSP turned on. The bassline was even stronger an fuller than with the Aune. Then comes the hi-hats and cymbals, and my first reaction is that the treble is more recessed. But upon further listening, I think it is just smoother, yet it still feels more detailed. Mark Knopfler's voice is more focused, with more depth (or texture, maybe, can't find the right word) and is easier to pick out from the rest of the mix.
Bottom line the mimby sounds warmer/darker, smoother and yet more detailed.

Can a dac upgrade really make this kind of difference, or is my brain playing tricks on me? I wasn't really expecting much of a difference (I've watched Z reviews a lot) and was completely surprised by this. Maybe my brain is still confused from my session with the Susvara earlier today, but I made sure to listen closely to my Elears with the Aune before connecting the Mimby... Has anybody else experienced differences like this? Is Zeos wrong? Am I crazy or my brain skewed? I NEED ANSWERS!

 

[alpovs]

Already 10 seconds into the first song (Communique, Dire Straits) I had to check if I had any DSP turned on. The bassline was even stronger an fuller than with the Aune. Then comes the hi-hats and cymbals, and my first reaction is that the treble is more recessed. But upon further listening, I think it is just smoother, yet it still feels more detailed. Mark Knopfler's voice is more focused, with more depth (or texture, maybe, can't find the right word) and is easier to pick out from the rest of the mix.

These were exactly my thoughts when I started listening to Mimby after listening to some AKM and Sabre based good DACs. Maybe both our brains are playing identical tricks on us but more likely our impressions are real...

 

[makne]

These were exactly my thoughts when I started listening to Mimby after listening to some AKM and Sabre based good DACs. Maybe both our brains are playing identical tricks on us but more likely our impressions are real...

This is comforting, but it means my thoughts about dac impact on sq were completely wrong... F*ck you Zeos! My mind is officially blown.

 

[Letmebefrank]

Just got my new mimby up and running, aaand I'm VERY surprised. So much that I felt the need to write a post here.
Already 10 seconds into the first song (Communique, Dire Straits) I had to check if I had any DSP turned on. The bassline was even stronger an fuller than with the Aune. Then comes the hi-hats and cymbals, and my first reaction is that the treble is more recessed. But upon further listening, I think it is just smoother, yet it still feels more detailed. Mark Knopfler's voice is more focused, with more depth (or texture, maybe, can't find the right word) and is easier to pick out from the rest of the mix.
Bottom line the mimby sounds warmer/darker, smoother and yet more detailed.

Can a dac upgrade really make this kind of difference, or is my brain playing tricks on me? I wasn't really expecting much of a difference (I've watched Z reviews a lot) and was completely surprised by this. Maybe my brain is still confused from my session with the Susvara earlier today, but I made sure to listen closely to my Elears with the Aune before connecting the Mimby... Has anybody else experienced differences like this? Is Zeos wrong? Am I crazy or my brain skewed? I NEED ANSWERS!

Yes I've experienced basically the same exact thing as you with my Mimby. The highs and lows are really where the multibit tech makes the biggest difference. Personally I focused on highs when evaluating my Mimby, and to me the difference was very clear that on the Mimby, cymbals sounded like how they sound in real life without any of that digital crunchiness, and the two other DACs that I had available (Modi 2 Uber Ak4396, and DacPort slim AK4490) had a definitely unnatural, almost digital sound to cymbals in comparison.

I like Zeos but one thing I've always disagreed with him on is DACs. In his own review of the bifrost multibit he states right in the beginning his bias against expensive DACs, this to me automatically sets him up for negative/neutral placebo.