Happy as a Pig in Schiit: Introducing Modi Multibit

[Tuneslover]

Jut wanted to update all the Mimby owners that I've moved up to Gumby (Gungnir Multibit).

I wanted to share my thoughts about the differences for those thinking of upgrading. Is it worth it? YES. Mimby is an amazing DAC for the money, but Gumby is a world class product worthy of all the praise it gets. Mimby is just a taste of the Schiit multibit sound, an appetizer. Gumby/Yggy are the main course, and boy are they tasty.

I got a used unit, and it took about 10 days for it to stabilize its sound signature. But it started sounding great after about 2 days of warm up. On initial turn on (from cold), it still sounded better than Mimby, but there was alot of congestion.

The most obvious difference between Mimby and Gumby is the dynamics. Gumby slams MUCH harder and has a bigger, bolder presentation. The sense of PRAT/rhythm is greatly increased, and I find myself bobbing my head to songs alot more than I did with Mimby. Gumby is so dynamic it can be jaw dropping at times. The DAC's ballsy, grandiose nature is incredible, but it also never feel overdone or unnatural. It somehow retains an impressive sense of naturalism while slamming you harder with music. This is THE must have DAC for bass-heads. But we're not talking BEATS, with exaggerated, bloated bass... the bass is actually tighter, more controlled and better defined/textured than Mimby, while hitting much harder, and going deeper.

I was never a huge fan of Mimby's soundstage... it always felt cramped, with instruments feeling cluttered and too close together. Gumby completely reverses this, and is huge and expansive. Instrument/voice separation is much better. The soundstage also feels more cohesive and "orderly", as if everything is properly placed. But it never feels exaggerated.

Another obvious change is voices. Voices are much better articulated, with more depth, texture and detail. The sense of breath is more apparent. There is also better focus, with the singer becoming more lifelike and realistic, since you are hearing more information.

Gumby has much better imaging... the musical images have more solidity and are easier to identify. This also translates to a better sense of ease while listening, since you are not straining to hear anything. Sounds that are lower in the mix remain easy to pinpoint, whereas these same sounds were causing me to strain to hear them on the Mimby. Backup singers and voices are not as drowned out in the mix. Again, this translates into a more relaxed and easier listening experience. This is especially useful with classical music, with sections of the orchestra that were hazy on Mimby becoming clearly presented on Gumby, with no sense of compression or veil. It is like a picture coming better into focus for you to easily identify smaller details.

Gumby's dynamic range is increased. It is able to better resolve the differences in volume between sounds. Little bits of dynamic expression among the music are better presented... this is more obvious with classical.

Gumby is alot smoother. Mimby is relatively shouty/abrasive in comparison. Mimby was never offensive in this area when I owned it. It only became apparent when I upgraded just how much smoother Gumby is. Gumby's treble is also better extended, while retaining the smoothness. It is not harsh at all. But harsh music will still be presented accurately.

Gumby has better resolution. It resolves the music better. You feel like you are getting a much clearer picture of everything. There are things I heard with Gumby I didn't hear with Mimby. It is really like going from a 720P movie on a small 36 inch TV, to a 4K movie on a 70 inch TV. That's the best way to describe the uptick in resolution and clarity. Alot of this will greatly depend on your other gear. TOTL or near TOTL headphones will easily distinguish these differences. Mid-fi phones might not be able to as much, but I imagine you will still hear differences. Same with amps. But even something like the Magni 3 should be able to highlight the differences. The great thing about Gumby though is you have an endgame DAC that will massively scale-up any other equipment you buy. So it's worth it even if you don't have summit-fi gear yet.

Sounds like nirvana being such a huge elevation in sound.

 

[ColtMrFire]

Sounds like nirvana being such a huge elevation in sound.

Indeed.

 

[ScOgLiO]

Well, it's now 2 weeks with the Mimby for me (and I have read literally the whole thread...took a while), so I'd like to give my layman opinion: it is a pretty amazing piece of equipment indeed!
I've been upgrading my audio gear a bunch of times in the last few months, so I've tried to get accustomed to the new sound before rushing to conclusions about how I liked the result of such upgrades and I think I now have a clear picture of the Mimby, confronting it with my previous DAC (Creative X-Fi HD).

The Mimby hits a bit harder in the low frequencies, which I really don't mind (given I use HD600s as headphones) and the detail is pretty damn impressive. I'm a sucker for detail and soundstage in music, they're the two things I like to be able to notice when listening (more or less critically) to my favourite music and the Mimby sure is a big step up in this sense

I was especially surprised to notice that when using my speakers (monitors, to be precise: Yamaha HS50M) rather than the HD600: frankly, even after getting the Magni 3 a while ago, I thought I would be spending the most part of my listening time on the HD600, considering the HS50s a couple of decent yet a bit unimpressive speakers. And yet, the soundstage has incredibly widened with the Mimby and I find myself firing up the speakers way more than I used to, because of that: much more enjoyable.
I still consider the HD600 my go-to choice for listening sessions and they sound better now (again: a tad more bass, more detail and a wider soundstage), but the improvement is maybe a bit less marked than on the speakers setup.

Anyway, I couldn't be much happier with my purchase, frankly. Now I'm done upgrading (at least until this forum doesn't drag me in further impulsive buying, that is) and finally enjoying great music on a daily basis

 

[ColtMrFire]

One more thing about Gumby vs. Mimby.

I find myself listening to alot more music now, and listening to albums all the way through, as opposed to before where I would eagerly skip tracks with Mimby because it wasn't as engaging. Gumby makes everything sound so amazing you just want to soak it all in...

This is alot more esoteric and harder to describe, but it is as if Gumby perfectly captures the soul of the recording... not just the music itself, but you can clearly hear what type of microphones were used and the quality of the master, whether it was degraded or pristine. You can sort of hear this with Mimby, but it is way more pronounced and obvious with Gumby.

Also forgot to mention that the soundstage is much more holographic, with a much better sense of 3D to the music. And distances between instruments become much more pronounced. Especially obvious with classical.

Gumby's sense of control is also incredible, with no instrument(s) being drowned out in the mix, and I can clearly hear instruments that were previously being drowned out during busy passages on Mimby. Busy passages of classical performances never fall apart and remain sharply defined, and it is alot more obvious what the players are trying to accomplish individually with their instruments... the sense of artistry as it were, it way more preserved.

I find myself appreciating certain music ALOT more with Gumby, because I can now clearly hear the intention of the artist. It also makes each listening session feel more special, and I have a deeper connection to the performances.

This isn't to crap on Mimby, because it really is an amazing DAC... but there is a whole other level waiting for those who are interested.

 

[luckybaer]

One more thing about Gumby vs. Mimby.

I find myself listening to alot more music now, and listening to albums all the way through, as opposed to before where I would eagerly skip tracks with Mimby because it wasn't as engaging. Gumby makes everything sound so amazing you just want to soak it all in...

This is alot more esoteric and harder to describe, but it is as if Gumby perfectly captures the soul of the recording... not just the music itself, but you can clearly hear what type of microphones were used and the quality of the master, whether it was degraded or pristine. You can sort of hear this with Mimby, but it is way more pronounced and obvious with Gumby.

Also forgot to mention that the soundstage is much more holographic, with a much better sense of 3D to the music. And distances between instruments become much more pronounced. Especially obvious with classical.

Gumby's sense of control is also incredible, with no instrument(s) being drowned out in the mix, and I can clearly hear instruments that were previously being drowned out during busy passages on Mimby. Busy passages of classical performances never fall apart and remain sharply defined, and it is alot more obvious what the players are trying to accomplish individually with their instruments... the sense of artistry as it were, it way more preserved.

I find myself appreciating certain music ALOT more with Gumby, because I can now clearly hear the intention of the artist. It also makes each listening session feel more special, and I have a deeper connection to the performances.

This isn't to crap on Mimby, because it really is an amazing DAC... but there is a whole other level waiting for those who are interested.

Good for you. At $1,000 more than a Modi 2 Multibit, Gungnir Multibit better be providing a world of difference.

 

[433521]

Jut wanted to update all the Mimby owners that I've moved up to Gumby (Gungnir Multibit).

I wanted to share my thoughts about the differences for those thinking of upgrading.

My bank account kindly asks you to just shut the fchuck up.

ps Should I get a Lyr first, or just jump straight to Ragy / Yggy?

 

[humblesquad]

How about "Eitr + Mimby" vs Gumby?

I recently got Eitr and it boosted Mimby's dynamics significantly.

 

[ColtMrFire]

How about "Eitr + Mimby" vs Gumby?

I recently got Eitr and it boosted Mimby's dynamics significantly.

All my comparisons were done with Mimby's coax input, which is quite noticeably superior to USB.

 

[ColtMrFire]

Good for you. At $1,000 more than a Modi 2 Multibit, Gungnir Multibit better be providing a world of difference.

Gumby is under-priced tbh.

 

[luckybaer]

Gumby is under-priced tbh.

All of Schiit’s products appear to punch way above their price point. Gumby is on my shortlist for building a full-sized system. Thanks for your impressions!

 

[ColtMrFire]

All of Schiit’s products appear to punch way above their price point. Gumby is on my shortlist for building a full-sized system. Thanks for your impressions!

I should have said Gumby is perfectly priced, considering all the inflated prices in hi-fi audio. But it easily competes with multi-thousand dollar DACs I'm sure.

 

[ColtMrFire]

My bank account kindly asks you to just shut the fchuck up.

ps Should I get a Lyr first, or just jump straight to Ragy / Yggy?

Rag is wonderful. But if you're not using speakers, I don't recommend it. Take that money and get a used Zana Deux S.

 

[limelake]

Some here have posted about hearing distortion with their Mimby.....I never have. Last night during a very enjoyable listen, I decided to cycle my Mimby to see if it made a difference sound wise.......WOW ! WOW ! Did it ever ! It wasn't in my head at all. I encourage others to try it while listening and see if it does the same for them. My Mimby had been turned on for 2 weeks straight (at least).

 

[timb5881]

So after reading about Multibit dac’s, I dug out my old Adcom GDP 600 DAC. Took me a while to get it fixed and working(a power cable on the inside needed redone). Anyway it is a R2R PCM63 dual dac converter, not a single bit. On relistening to it, it sounds great. I think I might install new caps and replace the resistors with metal film ones.

 

[gvl2016]

So after reading about Multibit dac’s, I dug out my old Adcom GDP 600 DAC. Took me a while to get it fixed and working(a power cable on the inside needed redone). Anyway it is a R2R PCM63 dual dac converter, not a single bit. On relistening to it, it sounds great. I think I might install new caps and replace the resistors with metal film ones.

I'll say this. I had a brief affair with a Mimby sold it in the end. I recently picked a Parasound DA/C-1000 for less than I sold the Mimby for, it is a similar to the Adcom PCM63-based design, and if I were to write a comparison between it and the Mimby it'd end up being very similar to the one above about the Gumby. It won't do hi-res (a 24/96 mod is available for the Parasound tho) but if redbook is what you listen to there is really no need to spend 4 digits on a multibit DAC if you can find one of these PCM63 DACs used. The Assemblage lineup is another one to be after. Unlike Schiit units these DACs are sensitive to jitter, so pay attention what you're feeding them with for best results. It looks like it should be possible to add an I2S input to mine, which will hopefully bring it to the next level as the incoming SPDIF circuitry in them has high intrinsic jitter by today's standards.