[bixby]

   
Fair enough. I did that and, as usual, opinions are all over the place. It's like asking people what car I should drive.
 
My take-away, however, is that the Bimby is reported to be more detailed/aggressive/clearer than the M2U, but nothing about the lower mids that I could find. I find the 'more clarity' comment interesting, because the M2U almost sounds clinical to me and one poster wrote that he actually prefers to the Modi 2U to his Bimby for some music.
 
I put my Modi 2U back into my 2-channel system, replacing an NAD D 1050 for the weekend and spent Saturday listening to music. This really is a good DAC - great DAC for the money - especially with classical music. I am impressed with the clarity, imaging and soundstage.
 
But then I listened to some classic rock and I found myself playing with the subwoofer controls to add more low-end meat to the sound.
 
I think that when you have a DAC that sounds very detailed, you are hearing more detail because there is less 'muddying' sound from the lower mid-range, which is how I would characterize the NAD D 1050.
 
I don't know... I am probably acclimated to a warmer sound (e.g. my Rega DAC is warm sounding, but also has tons of detail - of course, it's 10x the price, so there you are). And, my 2-channel system's speakers are entry-level mid-fi, so the neutral Modi 2U sounds thin to my ears with some music.

That is the problem with opinions, haha.
 
I would not call the Bimby more aggressive (unless one is trying to dfine how it pushed the soundstage forward a bit), more detailed or clearer, maybe but not compared to my reference dac.  The modi 2 uber I owned was just too bright in my modest headphone setup.  It really did sound like so many lower costs dacs, similar to the Ross Martin, but for me lumped ahead of some rather boring dacs like the Yulong D200, Even with the normally polite Lake People amp it sounded too thin.  
 
And yes, I do think there might be some perceived emphasis with the Bimby in the lower mids.  My problem with Bimby was with resolution, bows on strings, reverb trails, etc.  Just not up to what I felt it should be.  And I did not care for the slightly pushed forward mid instruments and voices.

 

[Krutsch]

  ... My problem with Bimby was with resolution, bows on strings, reverb trails, etc.  Just not up to what I felt it should be.  And I did not care for the slightly pushed forward mid instruments and voices.

 
By the way, I enjoyed reading your blog review of the Bimby. Nice work!

 

[JuanseAmador]

How does the Uber setup compare to the regular one?

 

[bixby]

How does the Uber setup compare to the regular one?

please use the search function for the thread up top, asked and answered more than once.

 

[JuanseAmador]

How does the Uber setup compare to the regular one?

please use the search function for the thread up top, asked and answered more than once.

I actually looked it up but couldn't find a comparison of both stacks.

 

[willowbrook]

Call me crazy, but I noticed a significant increase in brightness today when I plugged my Modi 2U directly into the wall rather than plugging it in a generic extension cord. I remember yesterday I wasn't very impressed with the overall tone and was looking to upgrade to a sabre based DAC, only difference today was to plug it in the wall directly. Now it has gained some grainess or air that I wanted instead of sounding too natural. Maybe I was too tired yesterday or something happened, I don't know. Anyone else have any similar experience?

 

[bixby]

Call me crazy, but I noticed a significant increase in brightness today when I plugged my Modi 2U directly into the wall rather than plugging it in a generic extension cord. I remember yesterday I wasn't very impressed with the overall tone and was looking to upgrade to a sabre based DAC, only difference today was to plug it in the wall directly. Now it has gained some grainess or air that I wanted instead of sounding too natural. Maybe I was too tired yesterday or something happened, I don't know. Anyone else have any similar experience?

Your CRAZY!
 
Just kidding, but you asked 

 
I don't think anyone knows for sure why you heard what you heard but you did.  A possible explanation is that there is some rfi on the extension cord that is not riding on the wiring in you wall.  RFI is not really do noticeable when you do not know it is there until it is gone.  Removal of rfi from the power circuits sounds like an opening up of the upper frequencies.  An RFI contaminated circuit sounds rather lifeless or dullish in the highs depending on the degree of noise.  It sounds a bit compressed dynamically and when it is removed by eliminating sources like switch supplies from the same circuit you get a more open extended soundstage and treble.
 
I am a bit concerned about the grain you describe as I never really experienced that with my modi2uber, when I had it.  It could be just revealing some hf information that previously was being masked.  If running usb, perhaps try a different cable to see if hte grain abates, does not have to be expensive, some just sound better.

 

[willowbrook]

  Your CRAZY!
 
Just kidding, but you asked 

 
I don't think anyone knows for sure why you heard what you heard but you did.  A possible explanation is that there is some rfi on the extension cord that is not riding on the wiring in you wall.  RFI is not really do noticeable when you do not know it is there until it is gone.  Removal of rfi from the power circuits sounds like an opening up of the upper frequencies.  An RFI contaminated circuit sounds rather lifeless or dullish in the highs depending on the degree of noise.  It sounds a bit compressed dynamically and when it is removed by eliminating sources like switch supplies from the same circuit you get a more open extended soundstage and treble.
 
I am a bit concerned about the grain you describe as I never really experienced that with my modi2uber, when I had it.  It could be just revealing some hf information that previously was being masked.  If running usb, perhaps try a different cable to see if hte grain abates, does not have to be expensive, some just sound better.

Well, it's only my second day into my setup. The only logical step from here would be switching plugs back and forth (I don't know why I didn't do that yesterday). It is only my second day, so I may have missed out on a lot of things at first listen. If I do notice a clear difference from outlet, it is the outlet. However, if I don't I am probably just crazy. Thanks for the possible explanation by the way.

 I don't have any other sources for line out except for USB, but my cable is only 1.5m long with ferrite cores on both sides and decent shielding. I said grain, but in fact it's air and I think its just the nature of my headphones. I don't even know what 'grain' is technically because I've never experienced it before. There is absolutely 0 noise floor and distortion. Using Gustard H10>HE-560 btw, sounds fantastic with Burson V5 singles upgrade.

 

[willowbrook]

I went back and forth and the sound was the same. I guess I was not paying too much attention at first impression. Damn the upper midrange on 560 hurting my ears with modern recordings...need those focus a pads. Everything aside Modi 2U is definitely one of the value killers ^^ I am guessing the only upgrade from here would be something like bifrost MB.

 

[emester]

Considering picking up either this or the Little Dot MkI. I already have an AudioEngine D1 that I plan on using as my DAC for the setup (currently it does both the former and amplification). Should I go for the Schiit, experiment with tube amps or just stick with what I got?

 

[bixby]

  Considering picking up either this or the Little Dot MkI. I already have an AudioEngine D1 that I plan on using as my DAC for the setup (currently it does both the former and amplification). Should I go for the Schiit, experiment with tube amps or just stick with what I got?

Please take this with a grain of salt, but I heard the D1 with a Vali2 and was not impressed.  I think my first move might be a better dac.

 

[emester]

  Please take this with a grain of salt, but I heard the D1 with a Vali2 and was not impressed.  I think my first move might be a better dac.

I really do enjoy how my D1 sounds, so i guess personal preference is also a factor here as well. Also I would be going for the Magni 2 (or if wanna go a bit deeper the Uber) rather than the Vali. Hope that does make a positive impact. Eventually will pick up the Modi to supplement it though

 

[utee05]

Recently got a Modi 2U and like some have said it is brighter. It is clearer for sure but with my HE400s it does not help much. I may need to look into something else or EQ a bit to tone down the brightness. 

 

[lenroot77]

I recently got the magni 2 uber and found it a bit bright for my liking also. I went back to the Gustard H10, which is a super amp for the money. Cost a bit more but super versatile and for sure sounds awesome with hifiman's planar headphones.

 

[willowbrook]

I recently got the magni 2 uber and found it a bit bright for my liking also. I went back to the Gustard H10, which is a super amp for the money. Cost a bit more but super versatile and for sure sounds awesome with hifiman's planar headphones.

You should upgrade the single opamps to V5s if you haven't already. Makes a big difference IMO. Stock duals are pretty good already.