[PioBeer]

Don't know about the Topping D50 or the old Bifrost (although I will know about the D10 in a couple days) but what I can tell you from experience is that Modi 3 is OUTSTANDING. It beat the Audio-gd R2R-11 in every category. It was especially transparent with killer soundstage and imaging. This DAC is one heck of a deal. Honestly, don't know how much better the higher end ones coul be.

 

[dematted]

Does anyone think these will pair well with the Focal Elex? From what I've read here it seems like they might calm down and smooth out the sound a bit.

 

[Asahi Templar]

I currently have the Modi 2 Uber, Topping D30, and Grace SDAC.

I love the Asgard 3, but I didn't want to be tied down with a card. Im thinking of getting another DAC and I have it down to three choices...

Modi 3 black $99
Topping D50S $185
Bifrost 4490 closeout in black $250

Has anyone actually tried a 4490 Bifrost and is it that much better?

I DO NOT CARE ABOUT MEASUREMENTS. I care about sound quality and tonality. (Sorry for shouting, dont want any ASR comments).

Not tried the Bifrost but both the Modi and the Topping D50 (the original) were great dacs. I dont really remember any significant sound quality differences with them and both of them were natural/neutral sounding solid D/S based dacs. I assume the D50s is the same just now with Bluetooth.

The Topping has a lot more features as it lets you choose your digital filter and has digital volume control which can be nice if your amp doesnt have a gain setting. Not really an issue with the Asgard 3. It is either powered by USB or you have to buy a 5v barrel power adapter which is not included. I thought that aspect of the Topping was irritating.

The Modi can be powered via USB or via a microusb cable and the power adapter is actually included with the Modi which I liked. You also get a 2 year warranty with the Modi rather than the 1 from Topping.

If I were choosing between the two I would say if you only care about PCM performance get the Modi, its cheaper and just as good soundwise. It also just works great and doesnt have a LCD screen that will fail in the future

If you are interested in DSD or want Bluetooth then get the Topping as the Modi cannot play DSD/bluetooth.

I think the 4490 has USB gen 5 which would be the main appeal of it, along with obviously looking awesome stacked with the Asgard. It also has a discrete output stage rather than a op amp based one so it will likely sound different than the other two do and if I had to guess I would say it sounds better.

Personally I am going to wait and see if a Asgard 3 sized affordable new dac comes out in the future. Not been formally announced but it looked like Jason was considering it earlier in this thread. Modi will sound great until then!

 

[henree]

I was wondering if you guys think this would be a good match for my HE-400's. I have a Magni right now. But it is lacking in Bass for me. And the sound is a little on the thin side. I want more bass impact. Would the Asgard be a marked difference? Dac is a Bifrost Multibit.

 

[genck]

I was wondering if you guys think this would be a good match for my HE-400's. I have a Magni right now. But it is lacking in Bass for me. And the sound is a little on the thin side. I want more bass impact. Would the Asgard be a marked difference? Dac is a Bifrost Multibit.

You are in luck, I have a Magni 1, Asgard 3 and HE-400 (original one, not i or s or xx etc). The bass impact is not much different between the two I'm sorry to say. If you want better bass look into swapping pads, I use some fake ori pads from ali express that fit the HE-400 fine. These:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32957776585.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.147b4c4dk3gdwK

Swapping pads is much cheaper and you'll get better results in frequency response changes. These ones in particular do offer more bass than the stock or velour pads at the cost of some airiness since they are much thicker.

 

[GearMe]

I was wondering if you guys think this would be a good match for my HE-400's. I have a Magni right now. But it is lacking in Bass for me. And the sound is a little on the thin side. I want more bass impact. Would the Asgard be a marked difference? Dac is a Bifrost Multibit.

Have the Magni 3 and the Asgard 3...

Not sure which version of the HE400 you have but I have the 400i and both amps work well with them.
If you have the 400S, then they're a little basslite compared to the others by design.

I personally wouldn't be looking to the amps to tweak the bass on these but more to EQ (Loki) or Pad Rolling (per Tyll below). YMMV.

TBH...while pad rolling is the most cost effective, if I wanted headphones with more bass or a 'fun' sound signature, I'd be looking at adding another set of cans.

Some options ($100 to $200ish) for open-ish cans with 'more' bass are the AQ NightHawk, X2, or DT990; different treble profiles -- dark, medium, or bright respectively.

If you've got more budget, then Audeze.

My $0.02...etc.

 

[GearMe]

You are in luck, I have a Magni 1, Asgard 3 and HE-400 (original one, not i or s or xx etc). The bass impact is not much different between the two I'm sorry to say. If you want better bass look into swapping pads, I use some fake ori pads from ali express that fit the HE-400 fine. These:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32957776585.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.147b4c4dk3gdwK

Swapping pads is much cheaper and you'll get better results in frequency response changes. These ones in particular do offer more bass than the stock or velour pads at the cost of some airiness since they are much thicker.

Ha...just saw your response after posting my reply...great minds!

 

[Ichos]

The internal MB card is smooth and organic but it severely lacks dynamics , transparency , detail and it is rolled off at both lows and highs.
Tested this with Lyr 3 and it was holding the amp back.
The only benefit I see for this instead of modi 3 is lack of space.

 

[henree]

Have the Magni 3 and the Asgard 3...

Not sure which version of the HE400 you have but I have the 400i and both amps work well with them.
If you have the 400S, then they're a little basslite compared to the others by design.

I personally wouldn't be looking to the amps to tweak the bass on these but more to EQ (Loki) or Pad Rolling (per Tyll below). YMMV.




TBH...while pad rolling is the most cost effective, if I wanted headphones with more bass or a 'fun' sound signature, I'd be looking at adding another set of cans.

Some options ($100 to $200ish) for open-ish cans with 'more' bass are the AQ NightHawk, X2, or DT990; different treble profiles -- dark, medium, or bright respectively.

If you've got more budget, then Audeze.

My $0.02...etc.

Thanks. Now I can save me 250 bucks. I think I will go back to my receiver then. I also have a Matrix Mstage and Little Dot +. It seems like modern headphone amps just don't come near the sound of a old school receiver. Specificialy the thick, rich, and impactful sound of a strong bass line.

 

[ev666il]

Why not EQ to the Harman Target Curve?

You could try it for free using AutoEQ in combination with either HeSuVi or Peace EQ, and ... well, there's a reason why the Harman Target Curve is preferred by the majority of test subjects in Olive Sean's research. It sounds good

 

[gwitzel]

The internal MB card is smooth and organic but it severely lacks dynamics , transparency , detail and it is rolled off at both lows and highs.
Tested this with Lyr 3 and it was holding the amp back.
The only benefit I see for this instead of modi 3 is lack of space.

This was exactly my impression with the Asgard 3.

 

[genck]

This was exactly my impression with the Asgard 3.

with the MB card?

 

[KukoCL]

Is there any reason to get a Modi Multibit separately since I need to replace my Modi as well? Or does it make more sense to get the new Asgard with Multibit DAC included?

Some people here says that using the modi multibit instead the MB card gives more volume and air and space to the sound. (I think it's just the usual appreciation when you compare something with more volume, it seems to sound better).

But as I have the Asgard 3 with MB card I can't deny that though.

In my case, I would not want the modi MB apart from the A3 because I travel with it in my bag every week, so I prefer to have just one device.

 

[gwitzel]

with the MB card?

Yes, my impression was as well that the MB card was tonally nice but lacks dynamics & transparency in comparison to my Modi 3 D/S.

However, I would like to be careful: it is indeed hard to match the volume, and additionally I have not a full overview what USB implementation is on the card vs. in Modi 3. I had some effects in the past coming from my old Mac's USB ports. So I don't want to be too catedorical here. But the impression for me is strong enough that I will return the A3 with MB card and change to A3 + Modi. Not yet decided whether I will buy Modi D/S or MB (this whole setup is supposed to be a gift).

But this is an A3 threat, and I really like how the A3 makes the DT880 sound. This setup (including my own Modi) is really very nice for the price.

 

[Baten]

Thanks. Now I can save me 250 bucks. I think I will go back to my receiver then. I also have a Matrix Mstage and Little Dot +. It seems like modern headphone amps just don't come near the sound of a old school receiver. Specificialy the thick, rich, and impactful sound of a strong bass line.

Old school receivers mostly have HIGH output impedance, having an effect on bass. Isn't it just this that you're "missing" ?