Happy as a Pig in Schiit: Introducing Modi Multibit

[willowbrook]

This has to be a game changer...very tempting to ditch portable setup.

 

[Bob A (SD)]

Dayum!  And I just added a Wyrd to my Modi 2.....

 

[xuan87]

Now, all we have to wait for is the Fulla Schiit Multibit!

But joking aside, Jason, will you suggest us getting a better power supply and do you have any to suggest?

 

[leobigfield]

Woaaa now I'm pumped up to get a multishiit stack!

 

[Matro5]

So, I have an Apple TV pulling Tidal off my Macbook or iPhone and Apple Lossless off my iMac. Just typing that makes me realize how preposterous I am, but forgive me for being an Apple fan boy for a second....but, do I benefit at all from going Multibit?
 
I have a Modi 2 Uber in there already, but need a new DAC and would move the Modi 2 Uber to the office. 

 

[bigro]

Now, all we have to wait for is the Fulla Schiit Multibit!

But joking aside, Jason, will you suggest us getting a better power supply and do you have any to suggest?

 
 
From the Modi 2 Product page
 
"Modi 2 Uber and Modi Multibit: Included 16VAC wall-wart with 100% linear power supply"
 
If you have schitty power in your house Get a good power conditioner if you think you need it, but a linear PS out of the box means there is not much more you need to do on that end.

 

[ph0n6]

So can the modi multibit be usb powered? Also no way to change it to simple mode I presume?

 

[bigro]

  So can the modi multibit be usb powered? Also no way to change it to simple mode I presume?

No Not USB powered. USB powered is not exactly the best power source and while for some it may be fine for others it can be noisy, which is why one of the big improvements of the Modi 2 Uber and now the MB over the Regular Modi is the addition of the Linear Power supply. Simple Mode is only an issue if you have a Windows machine and are using USB. Linux and Mac OS do not need drivers.

 

[sheldaze]

  So, I have an Apple TV pulling Tidal off my Macbook or iPhone and Apple Lossless off my iMac. Just typing that makes me realize how preposterous I am, but forgive me for being an Apple fan boy for a second....but, do I benefit at all from going Multibit?
 
I have a Modi 2 Uber in there already, but need a new DAC and would move the Modi 2 Uber to the office. 

I have not heard the Modi Multibit. But like you, I do own the Modi 2 Uber. I bought the Modi Multibit in the blind. Why?
 
I have owned the Bimby, Gumby, and Yggy - I sold the Bimby, because I did not have a use-case for it. It was not as good as the Gumby, nor was it balanced for those rare opportunities I have to connect to something balanced. But each of these closed-form digital filter and R2R implementations has sounded fantastic, to my ears.
 
I would love to be able to share that fantastic sound at a meet in the more transportable form factor that the Modi Multibit provides. That is why I bought it in the blind.
 
For you, however, I'd ask a few questions - what do you think of CD-quality audio? Are you happy with it or happier with high resolution audio? Does $100 seem too much of a gamble to find out? Can you wait a couple days for impressions to start to roll in?
 
I thought CD-quality audio was kind of junk from first hearing it in the late 80s until around 2000. Then as my audio equipment got better CD quality simply got worse. It was cool in that I could skip tracks and there were no longer the pops from records or the warped sound from cassette. But it truly was just a commodity sound, meant to be played back at low volume. Regardless of the quality of the equipment I used for playback, it just left a edge or etched sound in my mind. I certainly was more happy with high resolution audio, which I got into into the mid-2000s. But even that depended greatly on quality of the recording on the disc. Some DVD-Audio discs were good, and some SACD discs were good. But I kept coming back to my CD collection with great unhappiness. Gumby was the first R2R I heard, followed a few days later by Yggdrasil at a local meet. The depth of information and the ease of listening to CD-quality audio was surprising.
 
That is my experience. I would say that if you are impatient, and the $100 gamble is not too much to bare, you can get the Modi Multibit today. Otherwise, I would recommend a wait and see attitude to let a few ears have their listen and to report back impressions.

 

[ph0n6]

 
No Not USB powered. USB powered is not exactly the best power source and while for some it may be fine for others it can be noisy, which is why one of the big improvements of the Modi 2 Uber and now the MB over the Regular Modi is the addition of the Linear Power supply. Simple Mode is only an issue if you have a Windows machine and are using USB. Linux and Mac OS do not need drivers.

Yes USB powered is problematic source but still they are convenient, I'm just asking if it's even an option? I found on reddit that the uber can be usb powered so I'm just asking if it's the same for the mimby.

 

[koven]

  I have a Modi 2 Uber in there already, but need a new DAC and would move the Modi 2 Uber to the office. 

 
this is exactly what im doing.. just placed the order for multibit and moving modi 2 uber to office

 

[9dlewild]

 
Contact orders@schiit.com if you bought a Modi 2 or Uber within the last month and are interested in moving up. We'll take care of you.

 
This is indeed generous of the company.
 
I gingerly checked to see if my (shipped June 1st) Modi 2-B can be taken care of. Not only am I firmly outside the 30-day limit (understandable), B-stock units do not qualify for this offer as the company does not accept such returns. Peeps with B-stock units, your best bet is to sell and upgrade.
 
Would have been awesome to be able to return B-stocks (only when upgrading), even for a small re-stocking fee, just to avoid the hassle of selling to recoup some of the cash.These are, after all, products aimed at college student-audiophiles

 

[bigro]

  Yes USB powered is problematic source but still they are convenient, I'm just asking if it's even an option? I found on reddit that the uber can be usb powered so I'm just asking if it's the same for the mimby.

I agree USB powered is convenient, If its possible to use with straight usb power, I Don't not think you will get a Confirmation from Schiit. An electronic device designed for 16 Volts running on 5v prolonged does not seem like it would lend it self to proper operation and more importantly could affect the longevity . The Modi and the Uber variant probably have more in common with their design than with the MB so its not entirely a suprise the uber can be made to work sans power supply,. You have the DSP an Entirely Different DAC etc in the Multibit Modi, from reading the Post from Jason about the Multibit prototype running hot because it required more power i would say trying to run straigh usb may be an issue.
 
"Regulator got too hot," Dave said. "We needed a second one."
 
Mike and I nodded. That wasn't surprising. The DSP and the industrial-strength D/A converter use more power than the consumer-grade chips they replaced."

 

[XERO1]

  So can the modi multibit be usb powered? Also no way to change it to simple mode I presume?

 
Quote:

 
No Not USB powered. USB powered is not exactly the best power source and while for some it may be fine for others it can be noisy, which is why one of the big improvements of the Modi 2 Uber and now the MB over the Regular Modi is the addition of the Linear Power supply. Simple Mode is only an issue if you have a Windows machine and are using USB. Linux and Mac OS do not need drivers.

 
 
The Modi 2 Uber's USB input (and possibly its DAC section) are still bus-powered by the PC.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/748067/official-schiit-magni-modi-2-uber-thread/240#post_11381710
 
I'm pretty sure the external PS is only used to power the coax and optical sections of the Modi 2U.  I don't know if the Modi MB is configured the same way.

 

[caenlenfromOCN]

Does this new DAC 5xxx chip sound harsh like the MOdi 2 DAC chip? I can't stand the harshness of my Schiit Stack v2 compared to my Dragonfly Black/Jitterbug combo.