[GearMe]

I've verified Schitt doesn't walk on water in one way.

I've had a lot of variation in the VAC coming into my house lately. My Ragnarok and Gumby multibit sound fine at 117 VAC and above - goes up to 122 at times. My VAC meter is out of direct sight so a few times a week things suddenly don't sound so well. Kinda bright, kinda flat. I look over and its 114, 115, low 116.

This syncs up with my results back in the day (early 00's) when I was running an ARC SP-15, with an assortment of amps (Pass X-150, Pass Aleph-5, Classe CA-400).

Therefore Schiit on its own cannot overcome weak VAC...

Speaking of Gumby, it's the major reason I gave up my TT rig, and my 12.3k and some odd vinyl collection.

Hmmm...you must have the ears of a bat! I've owned much of that same gear (ARC pre-amps/amps, Threshold, Bryston, Classe, Sumo, Forte, etc.) never noticed the variability that you've been able to.

In fact, it was my experiences with Forte and Sumo that made me come to the conclusion that I should spend the overwhelming percentage of my hi-fi $$$$$ on speakers (now headphones); which, to me, had (have) the overwhelmingly largest influence on my setups' sound.

 

[bagwell359]

Hmmm...you must have the ears of a bat! I've owned much of that same gear (ARC pre-amps/amps, Threshold, Bryston, Classe, Sumo, Forte, etc.) never noticed the variability that you've been able to.

In fact, it was my experiences with Forte and Sumo that made me come to the conclusion that I should spend the overwhelming percentage of my hi-fi $$$$$ on speakers (now headphones); which, to me, had (have) the overwhelmingly largest influence on my setups' sound.

Electronics cannot work without electricity. Electronics are built to operate within in a range of VAC. Electronics are supposed to operate between 114-126 VAC (might even be a UL thing). The most extreme example I can recall is VTL Deluxe pre-amp (first one), it was absolutely horrid at 114 VAC.

Obviously transducers are the critical thing, but, transducers (speakers/headphones) need electrical input to operate. While it would be a neat trick to hear electrons, you and I both need a transducer to hear what is going on. Two nights ago, I was deeply involved in critical listening, and was whoa - what happened, and looked over to my VAC meter. It had been 120 about 12 minutes earlier, then 114. Turned away about 3 minutes later things picked up - looked over 117.5. It's as reported. Did it drop to 110 somewhere in the middle of this - and I didn't catch it? I don't know, nobody else was there. The music changes, and there are gaps between cuts.

Believe what you like, I've again proven to myself 16-17 years on that below a certain limit, ones rig doesn't sound as good as when it gets more, and I should walk away and come back later when the incoming VAC is sufficient.

 

[jimmers]

...Jason said it has 10x the noise of Apple's wall wart's and I want to buy a better one for my Modi 3.

Luckily, the company we use for wall-warts had a nice, fairly-low-noise, Samsung-esque-but-butt-ugly-gray 5V ...

...Aside to the aside: but, here’s the punchline: none of the DC wall-warts made a significant difference in the test results of Modi 3 on our APx555 audio analyzer, no matter how noisy they were. Nor does it matter if you plug the Modi 3 straight into the noisy USB output of a computer for power....​

Don't you believe Jason?

 

[artur9]

Each and every one. Each one is different. It is like shipping a Mike Moffett with each DAC.

I would totally love to have a Mike Moffat in my DAC.

I can see why some boutique electronics can be so outrageously expensive if they do that (big if). I imagine the values will also drift over time as the components age?

 

[caenlenfromOCN]

Don't you believe Jason?

My buddy who owns Stax 009 setup says Schiit only focuses on numbers because that is what sales, as far as noise, etc, but that any USB powered device will have noise that alters the sound some no matter what. So I am just not sure who to believe honestly, I am getting two stories, both who are engineers and have high end gear setups.

My ears probably won't notice the difference with the wall wart though your right, maybe my friend was only taking about in reference to electrstats, I have no idea honestly.

 

[GearMe]

Electronics cannot work without electricity. Electronics are built to operate within in a range of VAC. Electronics are supposed to operate between 114-126 VAC (might even be a UL thing). The most extreme example I can recall is VTL Deluxe pre-amp (first one), it was absolutely horrid at 114 VAC.

Obviously transducers are the critical thing, but, transducers (speakers/headphones) need electrical input to operate. While it would be a neat trick to hear electrons, you and I both need a transducer to hear what is going on. Two nights ago, I was deeply involved in critical listening, and was whoa - what happened, and looked over to my VAC meter. It had been 120 about 12 minutes earlier, then 114. Turned away about 3 minutes later things picked up - looked over 117.5. It's as reported. Did it drop to 110 somewhere in the middle of this - and I didn't catch it? I don't know, nobody else was there. The music changes, and there are gaps between cuts.

Believe what you like, I've again proven to myself 16-17 years on that below a certain limit, ones rig doesn't sound as good as when it gets more, and I should walk away and come back later when the incoming VAC is sufficient.

Obviously...Electronics cannot work without electricity.
Like I said...you must have very discerning ears....good on you!

Never had the issue you're talking about; maybe I was just lucky that the houses I've lived in have had very stable voltages

PS - did you ever consider a UPS with Automatic Voltage Regulation?

PPS - not really a fan of 'critical listening' any more; found I was 'listening' to the gear and not the music...

 

[artur9]

Jameco sells 1A wall linear regulated power supplies for $11: https://www.jameco.com/z/DDU050100M...-TRANSFORMER-SINGLE-OUT-5V-1A-5W_1953612.html

I have multiple 5V/1A and 12V/1A; they’re great.

I've had good experiences with Jamesco. I got their LPS to power my SoTM SMS-200 (when I had that) and it seemed to improve the sound.

 

[caenlenfromOCN]

I've had good experiences with Jamesco. I got their LPS to power my SoTM SMS-200 (when I had that) and it seemed to improve the sound.

Can you link me a Jamesco PSU that terminates in micro usb that will work on Modi 3? i'd like to try it to compare

 

[GearMe]

.

 

[yonson]

I would totally love to have a Mike Moffat in my DAC.

I can see why some boutique electronics can be so outrageously expensive if they do that (big if). I imagine the values will also drift over time as the components age?

Careful what you wish for, remember you still have to feed/water him, take him for walks etc...

 

[bagwell359]

maybe I was just lucky that the houses I've lived in have had very stable voltages

This is certainly the most variant VAC I've had in 15 years, even this place was quiet and stable as recently as six weeks ago.

PS - did you ever consider a UPS with Automatic Voltage Regulation?

Mildly, wasn't such an issue for a long time, rather put the money into a headphone and avoid listening when the VAC isn't favorable. I'm semi retired so find time slots to listen is easy.

PPS - not really a fan of 'critical listening' any more; found I was 'listening' to the gear and not the music...

That's an issue for sure, but I made assertions here about the Senn HD-600 vs the HFM HE-500, and I felt bound to revisit them in a critical setting to either bolster or change my opinions.

I've written here and elsewhere about finding gear you are happy with, and sticking with them and avoiding reviews, dealers, and even friends opinions to increase enjoyment and avoid audio nervosa). I take my own advice as I've owned some gear for 10-20+ years more recently when I was flipping gear like used clothing from '75-'97 (helped being a salesman, and dealer investor).

 

[earnmyturns]

My buddy who owns Stax 009 setup says Schiit only focuses on numbers because that is what sales, as far as noise, etc, but that any USB powered device will have noise that alters the sound some no matter what. So I am just not sure who to believe honestly, I am getting two stories, both who are engineers and have high end gear setups.

My ears probably won't notice the difference with the wall wart though your right, maybe my friend was only taking about in reference to electrstats, I have no idea honestly.

You might -- just might -- be able to detect subtle differences from low-voltage power sources the most resolving DAC, amp, and transducers, but it would be silly to worry about that for a $99 DAC which should be paired with solid but not extravagant downstream gear. The same way as it would probably be not the best choice to use a $99 DAC with $3,800 headphones. My wife -- who did know the specific gear configurations she was testing but has great hearing -- was able to distinguish reliably between some digital sources and power supplies when I asked her to evaluate the alternatives, but there we are talking about multi-$1K setups (check my sig). Really, if the Modi 3 is a good fit for your needs/budget, the last thing you should worry about is which power supply it is using. Instead, focusing on well-recorded music, a nice matching amp, and solid headphones would make a lot more sense.

 

[Paladin79]

Very well stated.

 

[JamminVMI]

My buddy who owns Stax 009 setup says Schiit only focuses on numbers because that is what sales, as far as noise, etc, but that any USB powered device will have noise that alters the sound some no matter what. So I am just not sure who to believe honestly, I am getting two stories, both who are engineers and have high end gear setups.

My ears probably won't notice the difference with the wall wart though your right, maybe my friend was only taking about in reference to electrstats, I have no idea honestly.

We all deal with this daily, and it’s difficult to separate, agenda, bias, opinion, etc from fact. And even then, we are each different. From my particular POV, I love the way my gear sounds, and I appreciate the candor with which the folks at Schiit both volunteer information and answer questions about their schiit. I suppose it could all be marketing hyperbole (Jason was, after all, an agency head), but... see anywhere else where you can audition product for a couple weeks at home and then send it back?

Find gear that you can afford and that sounds KILLER to your ears.

 

[Paladin79]

My portion of a DIY project is nearly completed. The feet and top are temporary, I had some extra quartered oak and copper laying around so it was nice to use them up. Dual 100k stepped Alps pots.


The finished Class A tube type headphone amp should have a couple sets of inputs to accommodate a Schiit DAC or other device.