Oy gents! Happily dropping in to report some findings after a LOT of testing, comparing, listening, and general playing with Schiit this week, including a wonderful conclusion with the PMax!
Like many on this forum, I go on and off the merry-go-round of gear - purging down to a sleek, compact setup, then getting restless, then days and weeks of reading reviews and pre-shopping, then sniping deals and making trades, until what once was was a clean 2-3 piece stack becomes what looks like a Radioshack liquidation sale...
The most recent example of this phenomenon has left me with the following in my stable:
- Schiit MMB1 and MMB2
- Lyr 3
- Magni Piety and Pietus Maximus
- Gungnir Multibit A2
- Border Patrol DAC SEi
For additional context, the unchanging variables in this escapade are my M1 Mac Mini running Apple Music lossless selections, and my headphones - Grado GH1, PS2000e, and Fostex T50rp 50th Anniv. Ed. (which are certainly different that their non AE counterparts).
So, the TL;DR? Gumby + PMax = sonic bliss
Longer version:
- MMB1 > Magni Piety - Beautiful, smooth, euphonic sound. Detailed, but certainly a bit smoothed, especially when A/Bing with other more proficient DACs. I really think this one may stay around as an office or bedside rig.
- MMB2 > Magni Piety - Still beautiful, but slightly less bloomy in the mids, and with a bit more energy up top. Definitely seems like a more grown up version of it's predecessor, but also a less traditional R2R sound. Depending on the headphone, the upper mid/treble range may be a little glare-y for some, but with relaxed cans, very listenable. NOS mode extends less at the top and bottom, getting you a little closer to the MMB1 sound.
- For MMB1 and B2 with the Lyr 3 - More low end weight, sense of space/stage gets pushed away from the head and instrument separation improves. Most noticeable in larger instrumentation or quicker/rhythmic material aka when things are busy. Interestingly, I found the Lyr 3 w/ MMB2 pairing very pleasant. The L3 seemed to smooth the top end of the MMB2 just a touch to make it a bit more relaxed without losing much else. Would go so far as to say that Lyr 3 and MMB2 are a highly recommended combo.
- For MMB1 and B2 with the Pietus Maximus - As you might expect, less tube-y. More even balance from bass to treble. To my taste, I enjoyed the L3 with either Modi Multibit more, but I also have pretty energetic headphones, so the fuller midrange/low end fills them out nicely. To my ears, both the Lyr 3 and PMax had similar soundstage presentations and drove all headphones with pretty similar authority.
- Border Patrol DAC - I've owned 2-3 of these in the past. A couple of SE versions, and now the SEi with the upgraded caps. All of the general consensus regarding this DAC are true. It's got a very 'vinyl' sound - pretty warm, bloomy, not syrupy, but not the last word in resolution for sure, especially at it's retail price. A well-matched Gumby or secondhand Yggy would run circles around it. BUT, I'll say if you want something euphonic, still decent in space and separation, and physically compact, this is a great option, especially if you can find one on the used market. Sounded good with the Lyr 3 and Pietus, the former offering a slightly bigger low end and ever so slightly smoothed tippy top. Pietus was more even-handed which may be a plus or minus depending on your preference. Didn't love it as much with the Piety, as the glare-y thing reared it's head a few times depending on the track, but I could heartily recommend either of the larger amps with the BP DAC if someone wanted a rich, smooth, vinyl-esque rig.
- Gungnir Multibit A2 - I've owned this one once before with an MJ2 and it definitely was good, but I was using it SE only with Grados and ended up not keeping it because it was a little to in-your-face in my setup. Fatiguing. Have been up and down the Schiit ladder the past year - auditioning two Yggy's, two BF2's, obviously multiple MMB's, and a partridge in a pear tree. After finding a rare black Gumby, I pulled the trigger just to see if it hit the right balance for me, and so far, with the right upstream amplification, it has! Compared to the other DACs in this list, the most noticeable difference is a greater sense of depth and placement. Everything is not nearly as 'in head' as the smaller DACs. It also has a great blackground, digs deep on hi-rez material, and slams when called up, all things it has a leg up on over aforementioned DACs.
Until this week, my rig has been Gumby > Lokius > Lyr 3 with a warmer tube and some low end boosting to get my Grados where I like 'em without sacrificing too much detail retrieval (something the PS2k does really well when given the chance). Wasn't really anything wrong with that rig, but well, you know, we get curious to know what could be better and well, here we are!
Not sure why I waited until the final iteration to try it, but pairing the Pietus with Gumby has been a wonderful thing, for me anyway. The EQ adjustments that were really a necessity for the L3 are no longer. The thick and rich low end I like is there in all it's solid state goodness. Blackground is excellent. Treble extension is there but balanced so beautifully with everything else that I don't find myself wanting to cut or boost anything. Compared to the other DACs, I also get to keep the expansive stage that only the Gumby offers. Also, I'll mention that I still am keeping the Lokius in rig, but not out of necessity - more just versatility. I do run XLR from Gumby to Lokius and then SE to the Pietus, BUT I'm in the camp that the 'gimped SE' of the Gumby is definitely something that's been overblown. If you go back and forth I'm sure you could nitpick some things between the two, but I could happily live SE to SE and not feel like anything is missing.
So in sum, this stack is the one I'm sticking with, the one that does everything as right as possible for me, and I can heartily recommend any potential Pietus owners give the Gumby a good go!
