*Official Schiit Magni/Modi 2 ( Uber ) Thread*
Apr 28, 2015 at 11:52 AM Post #481 of 2,577
   You can(and should) leave the volume up around 80% on your Mac Book Pro and use the Magni's volume control to reach your listening level. This will assure that you get maximum dynamic range. However, it will drain your battery faster. 

 
For sources like portable players, car stereos, mixing boards, and anything else that has gain greater than 1.0, setting the output level to 75% is normal advice, and it's a good place to start.  It will normally keep your source from clipping which makes nasty noises when it happens.
 
But for computers, this advice is incorrect.  Computers generally do not have gain built in to their drivers.  So setting system volume controls to 100% normally just results in a passthrough of the sound.  No gain is applied and the signal is not reduced.  It just goes through as is.
 
I've tested this on my Macbook Pro by producing a full scale sine wave at 220Hz and playing it back from Audacity and JRiver.  Both played back a pure unaltered tone.  To test further, I amplified this full scale signal by a litle more than 1 dB, which produced clipping that I could see in the waveform.  Then I played it and it sounded "funny".  like two tones.  Because it was relatively severely clipped.
 
Note that the system volume and volumes of the media players were set to full for this entire test.
 
So, for the MBP, and every other computer I've experimented with, you can set the system volume to 100% and get a full signal with no clipping and no alteration or digital reduction.  Digital reduction *can* introduce sonic problems in some operating systems.  I like to have it at 100% as much as possible to eliminate any potential problems.
 
Brian.
 
Apr 28, 2015 at 2:39 PM Post #482 of 2,577
Magni 2 Uber is on the way! My first desktop amp :) I will initially be pairing it with my E07K to function as a DAC. Will probably get  Modi 2 Uber down the road to complete the setup.
 
Apr 28, 2015 at 5:40 PM Post #483 of 2,577
Do any of you have comparisons on the Magni 2U vs the O2 (Also Modi 2U vs ODAC)? I have a HiFiMan HE-400i, powered speakers (that don't have volume control), and a Shure SE215SPE. My questions are whether the RCA pre-amp outputs are controlled via the volume pot as well, and if it'll drive my HE-400i well, being able to power the SE215SPE without buzz and a decent noise floor would be icing on the cake. And on the Modi 2U allow just pure RCA pass through?
Thanks for any feedback,
Mark
 
Apr 28, 2015 at 5:43 PM Post #484 of 2,577
  Does anyone here use a long USB cable system for there Uber? If so are there any issues with it. For cable management reasons I will need about a 28 foot run from laptop to nightstand. I plan on using a 16Ft repeater extension USB cable combined with a standard 15Ft USB cable. Will this be a useable setup for the Uber? Thanks for any help.


I can't think of any reasons there'd be problems. If it doesn't work, you spent five bucks at Monoprice. Just skip Starbucks for a day and it's as if nothing happened. Plus, it's a USB extension cable. You'll find something to do with it someday.
 
Apr 28, 2015 at 5:44 PM Post #485 of 2,577
Do any of you have comparisons on the Magni 2U vs the O2 (Also Modi 2U vs ODAC)? I have a HiFiMan HE-400i, powered speakers (that don't have volume control), and a Shure SE215SPE. My questions are whether the RCA pre-amp outputs are controlled via the volume pot as well, and if it'll drive my HE-400i well, being able to power the SE215SPE without buzz and a decent noise floor would be icing on the cake. And on the Modi 2U allow just pure RCA pass through?
Thanks for any feedback,
Mark


I'll do some simple comparisons as far as the amps go, I hope. Everything I've read says theyre very similar, both in price and performance. ODAC/Modi seem to be regarded similarly as well, though I don't own an ODAC so I won't be able to speak to that.
 
Apr 28, 2015 at 5:46 PM Post #486 of 2,577
 
I can't think of any reasons there'd be problems. If it doesn't work, you spent five bucks at Monoprice. Just skip Starbucks for a day and it's as if nothing happened. Plus, it's a USB extension cable. You'll find something to do with it someday.


I did order it today. I talked with Schiit they said I would have to try it. They officially say 2 meters max. For $15 bucks shipped worth a try.
 
Apr 28, 2015 at 5:50 PM Post #488 of 2,577
 
Especially considering it's hardly a specialty cable. Like I said, I doubt it'll go to waste in the long run.


Long run no pun intend I'm sure LOL I'm pretty sure it will work. The repeater cable supposedly keeps signal at full power.
 
Apr 28, 2015 at 6:42 PM Post #489 of 2,577
 
Long run no pun intend I'm sure LOL I'm pretty sure it will work. The repeater cable supposedly keeps signal at full power.

There is a risk of a ground loop. Although if you have an M/M stack there isn't a ground connection to the power plug. Does your source have an optical SPDIF output?
 
Apr 28, 2015 at 6:45 PM Post #490 of 2,577
  There is a risk of a ground loop. Although if you have an M/M stack there isn't a ground connection to the power plug. Does your source have an optical SPDIF output?


No just usb and 3.5mm jack.
 
Apr 28, 2015 at 6:53 PM Post #491 of 2,577
 
No just usb and 3.5mm jack.

If you get noise due to a ground loop, you may have to pick up a USB Isolator, this is not the same as a Schiit Wyrd. You'll have to cross that bridge only if you come to it.
 
Apr 28, 2015 at 7:58 PM Post #493 of 2,577
Do any of you have comparisons on the Magni 2U vs the O2 (Also Modi 2U vs ODAC)? I have a HiFiMan HE-400i, powered speakers (that don't have volume control), and a Shure SE215SPE. My questions are whether the RCA pre-amp outputs are controlled via the volume pot as well, and if it'll drive my HE-400i well, being able to power the SE215SPE without buzz and a decent noise floor would be icing on the cake. And on the Modi 2U allow just pure RCA pass through?
Thanks for any feedback,
Mark

 
Can't speak on the DACS but I can give some of thoughts on the amps they both have a very engaging sound where they differ for me is the gain the Magni has a gain of 1.5 lo and or 6 high the O2 has 2.5 lo and 6.5 high which is the standard but I have custom O2 from jds with a gain of 1.0 lo and 2.5 high. With the O2 i'm better able to enjoy at very low vol or high with the Magni 2 I wasn't able to get satisfactory low listening level also the O2 has a much more smoother precise potentiometer. Just personal preference on gain for me other then that there both fine amps.
 

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