[jbarrentine]

That's too bad then. I consider electronic and all its different subclasses one of my favorite genres, it's actually about half of my entire collection, but I think on the whole it has less depth than even simple acoustic folk. I have fun listening to the electronic stuff, but I get more out of the folk. Jazz and classical are some of the deepest music types possible.

 
The world changes. Even if it were to disappear, there're more than enough out there for your entire lifetime. 

 

[Nic Rhodes]

just finished listening to Mahler 4 Solti and then  the amazing Ataulfo Argenta doing 'Espana' with LSO in 1957. The Vali is incredible as an amp. What fun... This rocks.

 

[kstuart]

Originally Posted by FraGGleR /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
And on the soundstage thing, I don't think it sounds closed in at all. 

The Vali doesn't sound closed in - it sounds very open - the excellent detail includes room reflections and other cues that help it sound open.
 
But the soundstage is shallow and slightly narrow, and that makes things sound "up front" and present.  It is first row seats, not the middle of the hall.

 

[Xyzygy]

  Usually it is older people who have the money and interest in more expensive audio gear.  These days, due to the economy, it is even more true - younger people are having even more difficulty than usual getting jobs, paying off student loans, etc.
 
And, for whatever reason, polls and sales show less interest in acoustic music amongst younger people than ever before.  It seems possible that classical music and acoustic jazz music may both die out in the coming decades.
 
So, not referring to any particular person, but statistically, a thread on an inexpensive amp is going to get more younger head-fi'ers, and thus less acoustic music use.

 
Since you're unable to show a correlation between any of your citation-less statistics that would create an accurate profile of a "younger head-fier," your conclusion is baseless.

 

[manbear]

I specifically said "majority" because it was simply a demographic analysis, not an assessment of any particular person.
 
Usually it is older people who have the money and interest in more expensive audio gear.  These days, due to the economy, it is even more true - younger people are having even more difficulty than usual getting jobs, paying off student loans, etc.
 
And, for whatever reason, polls and sales show less interest in acoustic music amongst younger people than ever before.  It seems possible that classical music and acoustic jazz music may both die out in the coming decades.
 
So, not referring to any particular person, but statistically, a thread on an inexpensive amp is going to get more younger head-fi'ers, and thus less acoustic music use.
 
I did listen to a bunch of EDM (older Daft Punk) last night uisng the Vali with the Mad Dog and my laptop's built-in DAC, and it sounded very enjoyable.  I'm going to keep it for that late night use.  The excellent detail and fast response of both the Vali and the Mad Dog makes the pairing ideal for modern electronic music.

The thing is, you don't need to listen to classical or jazz to hear a variety of instruments. I don't know if jazz really has a greater variety of instruments than a lot of rock music, either... I'm not actually offended (since I am a young person and it's true that I neither listen to jazz nor classical much), it just seems like you're making an unfair characterization that comes off as rather dismissive. You'll hear just as many if not more different instruments on a Shpongle or Dead Can Dance album than you would on a classical album, to give an example. There is also plenty of acoustic indie rock and folk music that benefits from timbral accuracy just as much as Diana Krall or whatever the old farts listen to these days 

 

 

[TheGame]

  Okay, so I received my Modi and Vali today and hooked them up to my PC.  Apparently my Windows (Win 7 Ultimate 64bit SP1) doesn't recognize Modi. Are there some special drivers to be downloaded in a case like this or something? 
I linked Vali and my old uDAC 2 together and they sound fine, but without my Schiit stack complete I feel dead inside. I'd hate to return the Modi, plus I live in Europe so there's that extra hassle over international shippings etc. Wat do? 

Hi Zojokkeli,
 
According to Schiit:
 
USB Powered, No Drivers
Modi plugs into virtually any computer—Windows, Mac, and some of the most popular Linux distros, as well as iPhones and iPads—and requires no drivers to deliver great sound, up to 24/96 sampling rates. It features asynchronous transfer with individual crystal oscillators for the 44.1 and 48k sampling rates, and uses the USB Audio 1.0 standard over USB 2.0, and is powered by the USB port.
 
So no you shouldn't need any drivers for the Modi. Have you tried different USB ports, prefererably a USB port that is directly on your PC's Motherboard (not a USB hub)? It is also recommended to use a USB 2.0 cable 3 Meters or less.
 
Have you went into the Windows Control Panel - > Sound -> and made sure that the Modi was set as your default audio device?
 
Make sure to do the above step, and after you click on sound select the "Playback" tab. With the Modi connected via USB, under the playback tab it should show up as a playback device. Make sure you select it, then right-click on it and select "Set as Default Device"
 
Hope this fixes your issue. If not, please report back.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

I would avoid USB3 ports (stick to 2) and also prefer driving the Modi from a powered USB HUB box (with separate PSU) in preference from just the laptop.

 

[Zojokkeli]

 
Hi Zojokkeli,
 
According to Schiit:
 
USB Powered, No Drivers
Modi plugs into virtually any computer—Windows, Mac, and some of the most popular Linux distros, as well as iPhones and iPads—and requires no drivers to deliver great sound, up to 24/96 sampling rates. It features asynchronous transfer with individual crystal oscillators for the 44.1 and 48k sampling rates, and uses the USB Audio 1.0 standard over USB 2.0, and is powered by the USB port.
 
So no you shouldn't need any drivers for the Modi. Have you tried different USB ports, prefererably a USB port that is directly on your PC's Motherboard (not a USB hub)? It is also recommended to use a USB 2.0 cable 3 Meters or less.
 
Have you went into the Windows Control Panel - > Sound -> and made sure that the Modi was set as your default audio device?
 
Make sure to do the above step, and after you click on sound select the "Playback" tab. With the Modi connected via USB, under the playback tab it should show up as a playback device. Make sure you select it, then right-click on it and select "Set as Default Device"
 
Hope this fixes your issue. If not, please report back.

 
Hi! And thanks for the reply!
 
I tried all the usb-ports on my PC and none of them recognizes Modi. I have an usb 2 rated cable and it's less than 2 meters short. I also tested Modi and Vali on a Macbook Pro and they worked perfectly, so there's nothing physically wrong with Modi. Modi shows up as an Unknown Device on my device manager, and it doesn't show up in audio devices either. I contacted Schiit and they told me that the problem is with my Windows, which I don't doubt. Here are a couple of screenshots, if they would clarify the problem.
 

 

 

[Traum]

Hey Zojokkeli,

Are you hooking your Modi up to a USB hub of some sort? Have you tried plugging it directly into the PC?

Another possibility is, you might not have installed the chipset drivers that are supposedly required for your computer's motherboard. Depending on whether your PC is a whitebox or brand name machine, I would go to the motherboard manufacturer (for whitebox PC) or the brand name manufacturer and look for the motherboard chipset drivers to download and install. But this is unlikely to be the problem since when I did a fresh re-install of Win7, the OS recognized my Modi right off the bat from the DVD installation. But it is still worth a try though.

 

[Zojokkeli]

Hey Zojokkeli,

Are you hooking your Modi up to a USB hub of some sort? Have you tried plugging it directly into the PC?

Another possibility is, you might not have installed the chipset drivers that are supposedly required for your computer's motherboard. Depending on whether your PC is a whitebox or brand name machine, I would go to the motherboard manufacturer (for whitebox PC) or the brand name manufacturer and look for the motherboard chipset drivers to download and install. But this is unlikely to be the problem since when I did a fresh re-install of Win7, the OS recognized my Modi right off the bat from the DVD installation. But it is still worth a try though.

 
Hi Traum!
 
It's hooked straight to PC. I tried the chipset driver install but it didn't work. Thank you anyway!
Hopefully the problem can be resolved somehow, I'd hate to let it go. 

 

[Traum]

If you are feeling brave, I would consider frying your copy of Win7 and do a complete fresh re-install. It is a major PITA, but it is also something that I try to do once every 12 - 24 months when my copy of Windows starts getting sluggish and acts weird. Still, it may or may not solve your Modi issue, but again, is something worth considering.

 

[leesure]

These are the times I thank God I made the switch to 100% Mac about 10 years back.

/stirs off topic pot and runs

 

[RMiller]

If you are feeling brave, I would consider frying your copy of Win7 and do a complete fresh re-install. It is a major PITA, but it is also something that I try to do once every 12 - 24 months when my copy of Windows starts getting sluggish and acts weird. Still, it may or may not solve your Modi issue, but again, is something worth considering.

Same problem happened to me once and I did have to reinstall in the end... maybe there is another solution to that problem, but finding it may take more time than reinstall itself

 

[Traum]

These are the times I thank God I made the switch to 100% Mac about 10 years back.

/stirs off topic pot and runs

LOL~ I know of some Mac issues and quirks in regards to our lovely hobbies as well.

 

[Murdocderdon]

Do someone uses DT880s with the Vali?
I would like to know how this pairing sounds.