[438555]

I may need to search...so please don't flame me,

But why do multibit DACs down sample 24/192 content?

Also is there a comparable quality, comparable price DAC unit that pays 24/192 content WITHOUT down sampling?

As far as I know, it does not downsample 192 kHz content.  It does round the 24-bit data to 16-bit, but the sample rate is 192 kHz.  44 or 48 kHz data is upsampled to 176.4 or 192 kHz using the megacomboburrito.  The yggy rounds 24-bit data to 21-bit...

 

[Noldir]

I may need to search...so please don't flame me,

But why do multibit DACs down sample 24/192 content?

Also is there a comparable quality, comparable price DAC unit that pays 24/192 content WITHOUT down sampling?

Good primer on it: http://www.head-fi.org/t/415361/24bit-vs-16bit-the-myth-exploded

 

[Metrops]

Getting many mixed messages, do you people put OS Volume at 100 percent and then adjust using your AMP or do you put a little less than 100 percent (like 80 percent) and then adjust on the AMP? Not sure if a tube AMP effects this at all. Just want to know what would be best with the Valhalla 2 and Mimby

 

[jcn3]

  Getting many mixed messages, do you people put OS Volume at 100 percent and then adjust using your AMP or do you put a little less than 100 percent (like 80 percent) and then adjust on the AMP? Not sure if a tube AMP effects this at all. Just want to know what would be best with the Valhalla 2 and Mimby

 
put the os volume at one hundred percent and control the volume with the valhalla.  with this approach, the os is passing the music bit-perfect to the mimby and the volume is controlled in the analog domain on the valhalla.

 

[Letmebefrank]

I may need to search...so please don't flame me,

But why do multibit DACs down sample 24/192 content?

Also is there a comparable quality, comparable price DAC unit that pays 24/192 content WITHOUT down sampling?

Most DS dacs will play 24/192 or higher but anything over 16/44.1 only lowers the noise floor.

So how long you people left your Mimby on for without turning it off?

Mine has been on for months at a time with no problems.

Getting many mixed messages, do you people put OS Volume at 100 percent and then adjust using your AMP or do you put a little less than 100 percent (like 80 percent) and then adjust on the AMP? Not sure if a tube AMP effects this at all. Just want to know what would be best with the Valhalla 2 and Mimby

With Windows volume at 25%, that is a 12db reduction in volume. 12db=2 bits, so if you have a 32 bit volume control you basically reduce the noise floor by 12db and the rest of the data continues on to the dac. I recommend reading this link for more info. Here is another good one.

 

[227qed]

I am just used to turning everything off once I have finished with it. Guess I will leave it on then

I turn mine off every night, but adopted the book method to help it heat up a bit quicker haha. From a technical perspective though, there are pretty small variations in the material properties with the temperature ranges in a normal home. ...Unless you have all your gear in an unheated garage and listen first thing in the morning during winter haha.

The whole idea here is pretty interesting though. Ifi advertises "C0G" capacitors in their products. There's nothing inherently special about this designation. It's just an industrial nomenclature standard that specifies how much variation in the capacitance that there is over a given temperature range at constant voltage. C0G cap vs temp is totally flat from -55 to 125 degrees C, so the performance of that part of their circuit is completely independent of whether or not the little guy is warmed up or not.

Other materials show much less predictable behavior so there is definitely a sweet spot the schiit engineers worked out when designing their schiit.

 

[leeperry]

  a little less than 100 percent (like 80 percent) and then adjust on the AMP?

 
http://www.musictech.net/2012/09/10mm-no211-inter-sample-peaks/

 

[Metrops]

   
http://www.musictech.net/2012/09/10mm-no211-inter-sample-peaks/

 
Tried to understand some of that, yet it is very confusing. Only just got into audio, so still learning what half of the terms mean, especially when looking at a research paper

 

[Tuneslover]

So how long you people left your Mimby on for without turning it off?

Mine has been on ever since I bought it about a year ago and it sounds terrific. I was told to leave my stand alone phono preamp on all the time too. It's been on since 2010 without issue too.

 

[leeperry]

 
Tried to understand some of that, yet it is very confusing.

 
Long story short 100% digital volume will clip on loudness war material.

 

[henryk9]

Well I've turned mine off, as the next three days we are having a heatwave here at the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia.
 
The forecast for next three days is 44/45/41C or 111/113/106F max.
 
I suppose some might say that the Mimby would really sing at these temps !,but would I be in a condition to enjoy it.
 
I have a split system AC, but at these temps its battling to cool the whole house, let alone possible rolling blackouts that have been mentioned.

 

[Baldr]

  Well I've turned mine off, as the next three days we are having a heatwave here at the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia.
 
The forecast for next three days is 44/45/41C or 111/113/106F max.
 
I suppose some might say that the Mimby would really sing at these temps !,but would I be in a condition to enjoy it.
 
I have a split system AC, but at these temps its battling to cool the whole house, let alone possible rolling blackouts that have been mentioned.

Ugh, we get that here at my abode in the summer as well.  Good luck!

 

[Sam Lord]

The whole idea here is pretty interesting though. Ifi advertises "C0G" capacitors in their products. There's nothing inherently special about this designation. It's just an industrial nomenclature standard that specifies how much variation in the capacitance that there is over a given temperature range at constant voltage. C0G cap vs temp is totally flat from -55 to 125 degrees C, so the performance of that part of their circuit is completely independent of whether or not the little guy is warmed up or not.

 
iFi is appealing only to veteran electronic designers here.  The temp performance of C0Gs is not important per se, but attaining that performance leads to very substantial audio gains.  C0Gs are absolutely superb in bypass or coupling, hideously expensive but worth every penny.  X7Rs are very good too, much cheaper, but nobody tries them because of fears of piezoelectric properties.  A shame because it's very rarely an issue in their use in audio.  It is important to avoid magnetic leads in all these monolithic ceramic caps, and you cannot trust the makers for correct information, you must test them with a strong magnet.

 

[rydoggsc2]

First post here but I have been a lurker for a couple years.  I received my Modi Multibit yesterday and thought I would share some initial impressions.  My current gear I have been using is Modi 2 Uber, Lyr 2, into a pair of HD600 and also a pair of Beyerdynamic T1.2 that I dislike and will be returning (that is another story though).  I listen with Foobar2000 in WASAPI mode with lossless only files.  I listen to primarily jazz, rock, and metal music.
 
Installing the Mimby USB drivers was a pain in the butt on my Windows 10 machine.  Windows would not load drivers for it and the neither would the Schiit driver installer.  It would tell me that I did not have a device connected and cancel the installation.  In device manager it would just sit there and with the dreaded exclamation mark no matter what I tried.  I had to go in and manually install the driver that was already installed for the Modi 2 Uber.  I wish that Schiit would simply provide the drivers for their DACs rather than requiring a exe to install them.  Maybe I am just old fashioned that way.
 
Now that the DAC was working it was time to do some comparisons with my Modi 2 Uber.  I was expecting some very obvious differences between the DACs but am so far really not hearing it.  They both sound great but incredibly similar.  The Mimby is louder but once volume matching is done to the Uber much of the perceived difference are eliminated.  After extensive AB comparisons for the next couple hours I can say I never preferred the Uber to the Mimby which may be meaningful or complete bias.  At times the Mimby seemed to offer a little more resolution to individual notes in piano pieces and maybe a little more air around the instruments in certain jazz albums.  Many times I would switch and notice no differences at all.  The differences I felt I heard at times between the Schiits could easily be attributed to confirmation bias...time will tell.
 
A lot of the glowing reviews that I see for the Mimby in this thread are people coming from on board DACs and I have no doubt that the difference that they are experiencing is significant though if volume matching was done I also suspect would diminish some.  I am just not hearing very significant changes coming from a quality budget DAC.
 
I look forward and will continue to do some critical listening over the weekend and see if I notice any changes.

 

[227qed]

   
iFi is appealing only to veteran electronic designers here.  The temp performance of C0Gs is not important per se, but attaining that performance leads to very substantial audio gains.  C0Gs are absolutely superb in bypass or coupling, hideously expensive but worth every penny.  X7Rs are very good too, much cheaper, but nobody tries them because of fears of piezoelectric properties.  A shame because it's very rarely an issue in their use in audio.  It is important to avoid magnetic leads in all these monolithic ceramic caps, and you cannot trust the makers for correct information, you must test them with a strong magnet.

Good info, thanks man.  I actually work at a company that sells ceramic capacitors and am always trying to learn more about their applications as a I am more or less just in sales and process engineering.  Our C0G and X7R caps are actually the same price though, so I'm curious what the other companies are doing. 
 
Any way, I have a mind to understand how some of these audio gizmos can be in the 4 or 5 digit price range given that a single multilayer cap can cost as much as a mimby haha. 
 
I mentioned the iFi advertising to my boss, but he didn't seem to interested in pursuing applications in the audio industry.  And he cut our headphone use policy to one ear only iem, so I'm pretty bummed about his lack of understanding how much it means to employees to have the freedom to jam while we work.  If it was a more welcoming environment I'd bring in a desktop setup but perhaps at my next job!