[schneller]

I am looking for feedback from those who have had extensive time with all three of these fine Schiit DACs. I am purposefully excluding the Bifrost MB as it occupies the most odd market segment of the Schiit DAC lineup. 
 
Who has done a BLIND comparison of these three?
 
Who can best compare the sound signature of these three?
 
I have compared the Gungnir MB and Yiggy on my home setup and have my own conclusions there. The Modi2 MB is what really makes all this interesting IMO. I have not heard it yet, but perhaps I can say differently on October 16...
 
These three DACs represent three distinct pricing categories: inexpensive, mid-market, and more premium.
 
The main question for me is, which of the three delivers the most satisfaction per $, or in other words, which of the three is the value leader? This is not such an easy question, as I have read that the Modi2 MB offer 85% of the performance of the Yiggy at about 12% the price. The Yiggy is said to compete favorably against DACs costing 600-700% more. 
 
Is the Modi2 MB closer in sound signature to the GMB or to the Yiggy? 
 
I personally have NO need for balanced outputs and am interested in a smaller footprint. Score two points for the Modi2 MB. The Yiggy is the best DAC I've heard and is worth its asking price IMO. I can part with $2300 but does the Modi2 MB get me 85% of the way there, especially with respect to SE output, at 10% of the cash outlay? The GMB is the darker horse for me. It lies in the middle of the price range, offers featured I don't need (balanced output), offers a compromise with regards to footprint, but compared to Yiggy, offered a slightly warmer, perhaps slightly darker, sound that was well and good but not as addicting!
 
The other thing I keep in mind is that if I bought a Modi2 MB, or even a GMB, there is money for "USB cleaners" or even a U2S; such would not at least initially be the case with a Yiggy purchase.
 
Thoughts? 

 

[Mr Rick]

Thoughts?
 
You fail to mention the rest of your gear. DACs do not stand alone and must be considered in a system configuration.

 

[schneller]

  Thoughts?
 
You fail to mention the rest of your gear. DACs do not stand alone and must be considered in a system configuration.

It is in my signature...
 
Current Hi-Fi: Custom CAPS HTPC > Meridian Director DAC > NAIM SuperNait2 > Dynaudio Focus 260
Cables: Chord Cobra VEE3 RCA-DIN Interconnect | Tellurium Q Black 3M Speaker Cable

 

[schneller]

Crickets. Hard to believe really. Oh well hopefully I get to hear all three this weekend...

 

[Coolzo]

The Modi Multibit is very, very good indeed, however with your setup, I reckon you might miss the higher resolution of the more expensive Schiit DACs. It's not to say that the modi Multibit is bad by any stretch (in fact, I'd say it's better than any other dac under $500 at least, resolution wise. I use it in my rig because of its price/performance ratio), but it does smooth over the very finest "plankton". One thing it does do well like all the other Multibits, is realistic timbre- I find this particularly evident in percussion, strings, and bass (and it is indeed more neutral than the Gumby).

 

[schneller]

I guess I find myself still wishing Schiit would make a Yiggy Lite: a Yiggy without balanced outputs with improved USB and power input filtering but the size/footprint of a Metrum Musette / NAIM V1. For the price of a 2Qute. And with a choice of silver or black

 

[fccn75]

  It is in my signature...
 
Current Hi-Fi: Custom CAPS HTPC > Meridian Director DAC > NAIM SuperNait2 > Dynaudio Focus 260
Cables: Chord Cobra VEE3 RCA-DIN Interconnect | Tellurium Q Black 3M Speaker Cable

 When you get it, I am very much interested in your comparison between the Modi MB vs the Meridian Director as the latter is pretty much considered one of the better DACS a few years back with MSRP >$600.

 

[schneller]

So I had a chance to A/B Modi2 MB and Yiggy. If anyone wants to know my impressions then I'll post them here.

 

[Coolzo]

So I had a chance to A/B Modi2 MB and Yiggy. If anyone wants to know my impressions then I'll post them here.

I'd be interested to know! I still have to do the same direct comparison myself, as I've only heard the top and bottom Multibits independently of one another.

 

[VeerK]

So I had a chance to A/B Modi2 MB and Yiggy. If anyone wants to know my impressions then I'll post them here.

You can't just say you A/B'd them and then not post impressions, thats the worst kind of tease.

 

[schneller]

Well, first all the credit goes to @sheldaze for organizing a local meet along with @Barry S (who was sadly not there and whose presence was missed by several). Sheldon never ceases to amaze me with his passion for our hobby. He is meticulous with his equipment and is ever gracious to attendees to allow them to play with his toys. He is calm and patient and helpful. A true gentleman without whom communities like this simply would not thrive. 
 
Sheldon is famous among these parts for bringing his Schiit. And boy, does he have his Schiit together! 
 
He was using an iPad, using TIDAL HIFI as a source. This was connected via the iPad's connector to a dock of sorts that had two optical (SPDIF) outputs, one going to a Chord Mojo and the other to a Yiggy or to Modi2 MB. These then could feed a variety of HP amps, either via balanced and/or single-ended output. There was a Jotunheim, a Simaudio Moon 230HAD, a Cavalli Liquid Carbon, and a DNA Sonett 2. In terms of headphones, I spent most of the meet using his Focal Utopias but also at the end I very much enjoyed using my own Audio-Technica CKM500 IEMs, which isolated a good bit better. I also spent a brief amount of time with the Sennheiser HD 800S but the Focals were clearly superior. 
 
I should note that I limited the number of demo audio tracks over the 2-3 hours to really only three artists: Miles Davis, Led Zeppelin, and Andrew Bird. I can't remember the specific tracks. Perhaps "All Blues," "Stairway to Heaven," and "Left Handed Kisses," / "Drunk by Noon," respectively. I did this so that I could listen over and over again using as many constants as possible to isolate if/how the equipment itself was impacting the sound.
 
I will note that the best pairing of the day for me was source > Yiggy > (SE connection) Moon 230HAD as an HP amp only. (I never listened to the Moon's DAC but several people mentioned it was inferior to the Schiit offerings.) 
 
At one point we had the Yiggy running to the Jotunheim via Balanced and the Modi2 MB running to the Jotunheim via single-ended. I listened to them both, toggling the switch on the Jotunheim back and forth between inputs. As first, I could not believe what I was hearing. So much in fact I had to take off the headphones (Focals) and discuss what I was hearing. I then passed the headphones to two other attendees, telling them to look away while I adjusted the toggle between DACs to make the comparison more "blind."
 
What was the general consensus?
 
The Modi2 MB is an apple that falls directly off the Yiggy tree. I mean they have the same sound signature. At first, besides the additional volume gain heard from the (balanced) Yiggy versus the (SE) Modi2 MB, there was no telling them apart at first listen. Zero. Nada. One of the three of us noted some differences, which I will mention in a moment.
 
It was after this shocking development that I started to play with other amplification, all being fed by the Yiggy and listening through the Focals. Save the Chord Mojo, which was relying on its own internal DAC. It surprised by being more enjoyable than the last time I heard it. In fact, I heard it for the first time almost a year ago during a similar local meet and Sheldon had just bought it and it wasn't broken in yet. I thought it was sibilant and shrill. Hated it. Well, since that time it has settled in. Very enjoyable, perhaps offering the smoothest treble of the day. 
 
In the end, I settled into loving the Moon 230HAD for providing amplification duties. At one point I decided to put down the Focals (not easy I know) and insert my CKM500 IEMs. As I noted before, these isolated better and in fact made pin-pointing sound even easier, something that would be necessary for my next task: to switch between Yiggy (SE) and Modi2 MB (SE) into the Moon. I want to say I spent a good 30-45 minutes on the same 1-2 tracks, switching back and forth between the two. The differences were at first subtle as before on the Jotunheim, but as I concentrated the differences became more apparent. Again, Yiggy vs. Modi2 MB is not apples vs. oranges. It's more apples vs. apples, where one is perfectly ripe and the most delicious you've eaten versus being picked say a few days too early. How to explain it? The roll-off or decay of a cymbal being hit: it rolls off another millisecond or so on the Yiggy. The background is darker. There is more weight, control, and nuance of the bass on the Yiggy. The treble is ever so slightly smoother. We're not talking massive differences here, but if you have the equipment that can take you deeper, the Yiggy will lead you there.
 
At the end of the day, I was left with the question: is the Yiggy worth 900% of the Modi2 MB? It depends. For me, someone who would use a Yiggy with NAIM amplification and Dynaudio speakers (Focus 260 now and perhaps Contour C30 in a year or so), I think the answer is yes. The Yiggy still offers an absolutely addicting combination of depth, smoothness, and coherency, that to my ears, remains unmatched. But for others who don't have such resolving equipment, I think they would very much enjoy the Modi2 MB. Unlike the GMB and the BMB, which to my ears had a slightly different, perhaps warmer, signature than Yiggy, the same cannot be said of the Modi2 MB. In terms of tonality, it is right in line with the Yiggy. Also after having heard the Modi2 MB today, GMB and BMB a few months ago, and Yiggy both then and today, I am more confused than ever about the logic of BMB. From a price/performance standpoint it makes the least sense in the lineup to me. The Modi2 MB offers unprecedented value. The GMB offers balanced outputs and a slightly warmer sound signature. Finally, the Yiggy brings it all with an unparalleled combination of resolution, depth, smoothness, and musicality.

 

[wasupdog]

nice review!  the bimby doesn't make sense now but it was out before the mimby.  they don't have a problem releasing a lower priced component at the cost of cannibalizing their other lines which only benefits us more. 

 

[Coolzo]

Thank you for the impressions! A great read- now I can rest easy, and enjoy the Mimby for eternity. Maybe after eternity, I can justify the purchase of an Yggy

To anyone who is "considering" or "thinking" about the Mimby, at $250... Cmon, just go for it.

 

[artur9]

At the end of the day, I was left with the question: is the Yiggy worth 900% of the Modi2 MB? It depends. For me, someone who would use a Yiggy with NAIM amplification and Dynaudio speakers (Focus 260 now and perhaps Contour C30 in a year or so), I think the answer is yes. The Yiggy still offers an absolutely addicting combination of depth, smoothness, and coherency, that to my ears, remains unmatched. But for others who don't have such resolving equipment, I think they would very much enjoy the Modi2 MB. Unlike the GMB and the BMB, which to my ears had a slightly different, perhaps warmer, signature than Yiggy, the same cannot be said of the Modi2 MB. In terms of tonality, it is right in line with the Yiggy. Also after having heard the Modi2 MB today, GMB and BMB a few months ago, and Yiggy both then and today, I am more confused than ever about the logic of BMB. From a price/performance standpoint it makes the least sense in the lineup to me. The Modi2 MB offers unprecedented value. The GMB offers balanced outputs and a slightly warmer sound signature. Finally, the Yiggy brings it all with an unparalleled combination of resolution, depth, smoothness, and musicality.

 
Now you make me wonder.  I like the sound of my UberFrost.  Will the Yggy be too analytical?

 

[schneller]

"Analytical" to me in audio terms translates to detailed, revealing, yet sibilant, harsh, and fatiguing. The Yiggy is perhaps a paradox because it is the former without being the latter.