[CobraTaco]

Everything I ordered showed up today. Including RCA cables and the USB A to B for the modi. It was all waiting for me when I got home after work. Couldn't have been more perfect.
 
 

The Schiit Modi 2U is actually way smaller than I anticipated haha. Its actually cute. Here's a typical handy knife for comparison.

Look at that crystal clear acrylic. I swear I'm gonna get it scratched and dusty within a week

 

Here's my desktop setup now  The brightness of my screens threw off my camera so it looks really bad lol
 
I've been listening to some tracks and I can say, the upgrade from on-board to Dac+Amp is pretty sweet. My beyers (dt770pro80) have really come alive. The soundstage opened up immensely. I'ts like I'm hearing sounds from depths I haven't experienced. I consider myself to have pretty sharp ears, but DAMN when I concentrate I can pick out different instruments and details so easily compared to on-board. Something i noticed with my beyers is their tendency to "one trick pony" thump the base is pretty much gone. I can hear the tonality in different bass notes now. Overall I'm very impressed with my initial impressions of my new audio setup. I could probably say alot more but I've got some music to listen to 

 

 

[lvince95]

  Everything I ordered showed up today. Including RCA cables and the USB A to B for the modi. It was all waiting for me when I got home after work. Couldn't have been more perfect.
 
 

The Schiit Modi 2U is actually way smaller than I anticipated haha. Its actually cute. Here's a typical handy knife for comparison.

Look at that crystal clear acrylic. I swear I'm gonna get it scratched and dusty within a week

 

Here's my desktop setup now  The brightness of my screens threw off my camera so it looks really bad lol
 
I've been listening to some tracks and I can say, the upgrade from on-board to Dac+Amp is pretty sweet. My beyers (dt770pro80) have really come alive. The soundstage opened up immensely. I'ts like I'm hearing sounds from depths I haven't experienced. I consider myself to have pretty sharp ears, but DAMN when I concentrate I can pick out different instruments and details so easily compared to on-board. Something i noticed with my beyers is their tendency to "one trick pony" thump the base is pretty much gone. I can hear the tonality in different bass notes now. Overall I'm very impressed with my initial impressions of my new audio setup. I could probably say alot more but I've got some music to listen to 

 

 
 
 
Another victim of HeadFi. RIP wallet

 

[vapman]

You have a lot of listening and jumper jumping to do!
It took me over a month before I even made it from the bottom up to the top of the amp going thru all the settings you could. It's so deep.
Enjoy it!
 
P.S. I thought my acrylic case would be scratched and dirty and smudged too. I've had it for 3? 4? months now and it still looks like the day i got it. Not a speck of dust or any fingerprints somehow.
 
Hint: Try running software EQ into the polaris. You'll be surprised at how well it does EQing.

 

[CobraTaco]

Okay. I've been tweaking jumpers and ive found with the attenuation jumper on & low gain the polaris can actually handle my IEMs with ease.
 
Quick question though, can i stick a mini screw driver in here and change the LED brightness with this little screw? That's what the manual alludes to but I wanted to check with you guys. 

 

[iancraig10]

Yes, that's the one. I turned mine down as well. I found it difficult to read what each jumper was while being blinded by the light and was covering it up so I could see properly.

 

[CobraTaco]

Yes, that's the one. I turned mine down as well. I found it difficult to read what each jumper was while being blinded by the light and was covering it up so I could see properly.

cool thanks for verifying. I was pretty sure, but wanted to be certain

 

[CanadianMaestro]

^ Heck, I didn't even know that screw was there for tuning brightness! I just switch on/off entirely. 

 

[CobraTaco]

  ^ Heck, I didn't even know that screw was there for tuning brightness! I just switch on/off entirely. 

The only reason i know is because I checked the manual for what the attenuation jumper does. From what I gathered it reduces the signal strength resulting in overall lower volumes which is perfect for my IEMs. I'm still not sure what attenuation does though, but I know the end result is less volume.

 

[bixby]

  The only reason i know is because I checked the manual for what the attenuation jumper does. From what I gathered it reduces the signal strength resulting in overall lower volumes which is perfect for my IEMs. I'm still not sure what attenuation does though, but I know the end result is less volume.

you guys are on the right track.  
 
Attenuators reduce the input signal in this case.  So your dac might be outputing 2 volts through your interconnects to the amp.  And 2 volts input to the amp will be amplified (gain).  This fully amplified signal then hits the volume control (a kind of attenuator) and you reduce the signal before it hits the headphone jack.
 
If the input signal is too strong, the amplified signal may not be reduced enough by the volume control.  1217 recommends to run the volume control above 9 o'clock for linear tracking.
By lowering the input to the amp with an attenuator, let's say to 1 volt, the amp does its thing, but now you can turn the volume knob up higher to get the same volume of output via the headphone jack.  So for highly efficient cans it is a great solution, because you can design the amp to have good gain for ineffcient cans,.
 
think of it as a fire hose coming from the dac with lots of water pressure, then you screw an adapter that limits flow and pressure and connect it to a garden hose.  When you water your plants, you are not cutting them to shreds with the water.
 
All clear now?

 

[CobraTaco]

Thanks Bixby that makes perfect sense. Logically the attenuator is placed just beside the inputs since it directly affects the input signal.

 

[Luckbad]

I use the 100k attenuation module in my Sunrise III and will likely do the same with my Ember or Horizon (ordered one alongside the amps for $1).

 

[CanadianMaestro]

  you guys are on the right track.  
 
Attenuators reduce the input signal in this case.  So your dac might be outputing 2 volts through your interconnects to the amp.  And 2 volts input to the amp will be amplified (gain).  This fully amplified signal then hits the volume control (a kind of attenuator) and you reduce the signal before it hits the headphone jack.
 
If the input signal is too strong, the amplified signal may not be reduced enough by the volume control.  1217 recommends to run the volume control above 9 o'clock for linear tracking.
By lowering the input to the amp with an attenuator, let's say to 1 volt, the amp does its thing, but now you can turn the volume knob up higher to get the same volume of output via the headphone jack.  So for highly efficient cans it is a great solution, because you can design the amp to have good gain for ineffcient cans,.
 
think of it as a fire hose coming from the dac with lots of water pressure, then you screw an adapter that limits flow and pressure and connect it to a garden hose.  When you water your plants, you are not cutting them to shreds with the water.
 
All clear now?

iow, it's like a gain control?

 

[bixby]

 
iow, it's like a gain control?

yes, it fixes the input at a certain level before it hits the real gain stage, the amplification stage.  And of course there are adjustable settings there.

 

[CanadianMaestro]

  yes, it fixes the input at a certain level before it hits the real gain stage, the amplification stage.  And of course there are adjustable settings there.

thanks.

 

[Solarium]

I'm thinking of getting the Polaris to pair with my m9XX for my HD800 and T1. For those with such a combination, how do those pair up?
 
Also, how does the Polaris compare to the Gustard H10, as it's currently on MD for $290 around the same price range as the Polaris.