Modi 2 Uber vs Bifrost for Beyerdynamic T1
Jul 23, 2015 at 7:52 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14
Royal Amethyst

Royal Amethyst

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So I just purchased the beyer t1 from the amazing Focus Camera deal they had on ebay. (Emailed Pete Carini from beyerdynamic and confirmed Focus Camera is an authorized seller and they will honor the warranty).
 
Now I need to drive this beast. Currently, my PC has a Xonar Essence STX, which has worked well for my Sennheiser HD 598s and HD 600s, but I know the t1 needs a good amp to really bring out its sound. I've pretty much settled on pairing it with the Schiit Valhalla 2. I've heard that the warm sound of tube amps and the Valhalla 2 especially works well with the t1. I've also heard that the t1 has some sibilance in its highs, and a lot of people find it harsh. Would a warm amp help mitigate this a bit? I do listen to a lot of classical and orchestral music and love me some violins.
 
Anyway, the question on hand is what DAC to use. If my research has taught me correct, headphones aren't as picky about DACs as they are amps. A DAC is either quality or not quality, and doesn't effect the "type" of sound that comes out of the headphones, correct? That's why I'm not sure if I should put the Valhalla 2 with its stack partner, the Bifrost, or save a lot of money and get the Modi 2 Uber. Even Schiit's website jokes that the Modi 2 Uber is basically "Honey I shrunk the Bifrost!" Considering the Bifrost is $349 standard, +$70 for Uber Analog, and +$100 for a Gen 2 USB input, the $149 pricetag for the Modi 2 Uber with optical and USB is looking good.
 
Does Bifrost's Uber Analog give any particular benefit over Modi 2 Uber? Is Bifrosts Gen 2 USB any different from Modi 2 Uber's USB or are they the same?
 
Here's how I have the tallies so far:

Modi 2 Uber
+ Inexpensive at $149
+ Newer than the Bifrost
+ Has all the same inputs as the Bifrost
- Can't stack with the Valhalla 2, would look awkward together
- If my audiophile collection grows, this cheaper DAC might feel inadequate sooner
 
Bifrost
+ Stacks with Valhalla 2!
+ Arguably lower intermodulation distortion (<0.002% vs <0.003%)
+ Future-proofing if my music source quality or audiophile gear improves/expands
- Over twice the price of the Modi 2 Uber and 3.5x the price when fully upgraded with Uber Analog and Gen 2 USB
 
Theoretically, there is room on the side of the Valhalla 2 to stack the Modi 2 Uber sideways next to the vacuum tubes, but if I'm right, tube amps run much warmer than DACs and should probably be on top or by itself, right?
 
Any other thoughts or opinions would be appreciated.
 
Jul 24, 2015 at 11:32 AM Post #2 of 14
I agree. I wouldn't stack any electronics on top of a tube amp, even if it is to the side of the tubes.

Yes. There are audio science arguments to be made that DACs such as the Modi 2 are already accurate within the range of human hearing, and spending more can't give you increased accuracy that you can hear.
 
Jul 24, 2015 at 6:41 PM Post #6 of 14
If you decide not to get a tube amp, there are plenty of good combo dac/solid state amp units out there. Combo tube amp/dacs are a little less common, but you might look at something like the Woo Firefly: http://www.wooaudio.com/products/wa7fireflies.html
 
Jul 24, 2015 at 8:55 PM Post #7 of 14
Can't help you much here, all I can say is that I normally use the Beyerdynamic T1 with Schiit Modi 2 Uber + Schiit Asgard 2 and they sound great.
 
Bass is warm and precise, smooth midrange and upper treble, no sibilance issues, pretty frontal and clear soundstage, you get the idea...
I can get the Bifrost 2 Uber, or even Gungnir or something else, but every time I thought about it, or read about it, I decided keeping this setup.
 
T1 (mine at least) is bright but close to 9kHz, not around 6kHz, then it's not prone to sound sibilant (specially when compared with DT880 or HD800)
 
Best Luck!
 
Jul 24, 2015 at 10:40 PM Post #8 of 14
Yeah, I kind of want a tube amp for the warmer tones it's supposed to give the t1. But I also want to be able to stack them neatly. Wouldn't be as much of a problem if the Valhalla 2 was smaller than the Modi 2 Uber. I can look around for other options too. The Woo Audio stuff is way too expensive for me right now.
 
Jul 26, 2015 at 11:21 PM Post #9 of 14
Okay, I'm starting to seriously consider just getting the Modi 2 Uber and the Valhalla 2, and finding something to put next to the Modi 2 Uber to allow the Valhalla 2 to stack on it. I'm just seeing no reason to get the Bifrost right now.
Unless you guys think I should invest in the better DAC instead and just get a temporary amp? I am running an Essence STX, so I don't know how much of an upgrade the Modi 2 Uber would be over it.
 
Jan 7, 2016 at 1:39 AM Post #10 of 14
me x3 said:
  Can't help you much here, all I can say is that I normally use the Beyerdynamic T1 with Schiit Modi 2 Uber + Schiit Asgard 2 and they sound great.
 
Bass is warm and precise, smooth midrange and upper treble, no sibilance issues, pretty frontal and clear soundstage, you get the idea...
I can get the Bifrost 2 Uber, or even Gungnir or something else, but every time I thought about it, or read about it, I decided keeping this setup.
 
T1 (mine at least) is bright but close to 9kHz, not around 6kHz, then it's not prone to sound sibilant (specially when compared with DT880 or HD800)
 
Best Luck!
Click to expand...

Hi, I also have the Asgard 2 and am thinking about adding the modi 2 uber. I'm wondering how to stack them because of the size difference.
 
Jan 7, 2016 at 2:28 AM Post #11 of 14
capt369 said:
  Hi, I also have the Asgard 2 and am thinking about adding the modi 2 uber. I'm wondering how to stack them because of the size difference.
Click to expand...

 
You don't, really - just put it to the side. The Asgard needs a lot of ventilation around its chassis, and the heat radiating from it (which doubles as its heatsink) will just go to the DAC. At least when it's on top of a Bifrost there's a larger surface area of the Asgard exposed to open air.
 
If you don't need SPDIF on the Modi2Uber there's always the ODAC, which given its "straight DAC" design can be tucked in somewherebehind the amp following the same line as the cables.
 
Kind of like here where I use the Ibasso D-Zero MkII portable DAC-HPamp as a DAC at home. Where is the D-Zero? Exactly.

 
Jan 7, 2016 at 2:43 AM Post #12 of 14
capt369 said:
  Hi, I also have the Asgard 2 and am thinking about adding the modi 2 uber. I'm wondering how to stack them because of the size difference.
Click to expand...

Modi 2 Uber is next to the Asgard 2 (on the right side) with short PYST RCA Cables. No way to stack them, but still handsome together.
 
Jan 7, 2016 at 4:27 AM Post #13 of 14
protegemaniac said:
   
You don't, really - just put it to the side. The Asgard needs a lot of ventilation around its chassis, and the heat radiating from it (which doubles as its heatsink) will just go to the DAC. At least when it's on top of a Bifrost there's a larger surface area of the Asgard exposed to open air.
 
If you don't need SPDIF on the Modi2Uber there's always the ODAC, which given its "straight DAC" design can be tucked in somewherebehind the amp following the same line as the cables.
 
Kind of like here where I use the Ibasso D-Zero MkII portable DAC-HPamp as a DAC at home. Where is the D-Zero? Exactly.
Click to expand...


Thank you.
 
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