Schiit Modi and Magni comparison to Bifrost and Asgard

[antikryst]

I like the look of the schiit stacks. Probably going MM. If I go bifrost asgard that means no new headphones and I'll be using the schiits with my SRH940.

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That's not a terrible thing.  I have the 940 as well and why they aren't the best they're definitely good enough that you will be able to appreciate the difference between the two stacks and give you time to look around/save money for an even better pair of cans.

What worries me about that is that going bifrost asgard costs more haha. And that I'll probably buy new headphones before I should.

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[jeffbear7]

Would the modi/magni combo drive Mad Dogs well? Or is there some alternative in the same budget to think about?

 

[Parallax982]

This may be just a bit off topic, but after quite some time with my Modi, which I run through AudioEngine A5+ speakers (mostly streaming MOG), I'm very happy with my choice. Really glad I didn't go for a lesser "starter" DAC (like the AE D1). I had thought for a while of upgrading to the Bifrost but the longer I sat with it, the less important that felt. People say the Bifrost sounds a bit better but I'm not sure I would notice the difference and it doesn't feel important enough to spend $400 when I'm completely satisfied with what I have.
 
I know this isn't the norm on an audiophile site and I post it just to offer a perspective not heard everyday.

 

[Defiant00]

  Would the modi/magni combo drive Mad Dogs well? Or is there some alternative in the same budget to think about?

 
The M&M should provide more than enough power, but as usual I can't say for sure if you'll prefer the sound signature over other potential options.
 
You may want to wait another week or two and consider the Schiit Vali as well when it's officially released.

 

[dailydoseofdaly]

Defiant I noticed you have an Asgard2 now in your sig, do you think you would be able to identify it in a blind test easier against the magni, or would your initial tests still be pretty accurate.

My bad if you discussed this in the thread and I over looked it.

 

[Defiant00]

Hey! Haven't talked with you in a while.
 
Unfortunately, I don't really know, as it was months in between when I had the Magni and A2. I suspect I might be able to hear a little difference, but I'd have to have a Magni again to actually verify that.

 

[dailydoseofdaly]

That's cool, didn't know if you still had both.

Your always welcome to compare to mojo/gung if your headed through town

 

[Defiant00]

When next I'm up that way I'll definitely want to hear them

 

[chili dude96]

I have a question. I am looking into getting a DAC or an amp or both for my Audio Technica A900Xs. They need very little power and my IEMs don't need much power either. So do I need to buy both the magni and the modi or would I be ok with just the modi?

 

[Defiant00]

  I have a question. I am looking into getting a DAC or an amp or both for my Audio Technica A900Xs. They need very little power and my IEMs don't need much power either. So do I need to buy both the magni and the modi or would I be ok with just the modi?

 
You need an amp of some sort; while you could get an adapter that would let you hook your ATs up directly to the Modi, due to electrical properties that I don't claim to understand it would sound horrible as the output isn't meant to drive headphones.

 

[hydrans5]

Has anyone ever paired the Asgard 2 with the Modi? Are there any downsides or negative effects of pairing these? For me, I want the ability to drive the adam audio F5s and my headphones(therefore Asgard 2) but i think its a stretch to spend 5X more for a fully loaded bifrost for a DAC. Just wondering if anyone is using the Asgard 2 and Modi together and their opinion on how it sounds. thanks!

 

[Defiant00]

  Has anyone ever paired the Asgard 2 with the Modi? Are there any downsides or negative effects of pairing these? For me, I want the ability to drive the adam audio F5s and my headphones(therefore Asgard 2) but i think its a stretch to spend 5X more for a fully loaded bifrost for a DAC. Just wondering if anyone is using the Asgard 2 and Modi together and their opinion on how it sounds. thanks!

 
That's what I'm using now and it's great if you only need USB. The Bifrost is a bit better, but if you don't need coax/optical inputs or 24/192 then the Modi is an excellent place to start.

 

[hydrans5]

From your original post on the pictures i guess they were smart enough to make the modi chassis small enough so it doesnt cover the heat vents on the asgard 2 right? no problems stacking the modi on top of the asgard 2 and using the RCA PYST cables?
 
 
What kind of sources are people using that they need coax/optical? TV? record players?
 
I breezed through the thread but can you explain the quality difference between let's say 80% max comp volume and 20% on your amp vs 20% comp volume and 80% on your amp? Which is better, why and what happens that its better?
 
Anyone know if the asgard 2 will stay at 250 when the vali comes in at 120? If tubes are all the rage im surprised that the hybrid vali comes in at half the price of the asgard 2....

 

[Defiant00]

  From your original post on the pictures i guess they were smart enough to make the modi chassis small enough so it doesnt cover the heat vents on the asgard 2 right? no problems stacking the modi on top of the asgard 2 and using the RCA PYST cables?
 
 
What kind of sources are people using that they need coax/optical? TV? record players?
 
I breezed through the thread but can you explain the quality difference between let's say 80% max comp volume and 20% on your amp vs 20% comp volume and 80% on your amp? Which is better, why and what happens that its better?
 
Anyone know if the asgard 2 will stay at 250 when the vali comes in at 120? If tubes are all the rage im surprised that the hybrid vali comes in at half the price of the asgard 2....

 
Yes, you could comfortably put the Modi on the far left side of the A2 without covering the vents. I wouldn't expect the heat from the A2 to be a problem, but personally I've got the A2 on a stand and the Modi below it just to make sure. I'd recommend shooting Schiit an email before leaving the A2 on for hours with the Modi on top if it just to make sure.
 
Other inputs...well, a lot of people here feel that those are "better quality" than USB (although personally I think Schiit's USB is quite good). Most computers and at least a reasonable number of laptops have optical. Also, yes, as you guessed, dedicated source components like CD players (not vinyl though since it's already analog).
 
The easiest way to get the best quality is 100% computer volume and just use the amp's volume control. However, if you run your DAC at a higher bit rate than your files (for example, Modi set to 24 bit and you're playing 16 bit FLACs) then you actually have 8 bits of digital volume before you start losing any actual data (if both are at 16 bit then turning it down digitally is actually discarding audio data). Whether that's a good idea is almost entirely dependent on the noise floor of your DAC, so it's not the easiest thing to issue a blanket statement about. In general though, the A2's volume control is good enough that you should just leave digital volume at 100% and use the A2's volume.
 
Going off of all the pricing history we have on Schiit, the A2 is almost guaranteed to stay at the same price. A2 is significantly more versatile than the Vali; it can drive many more types of headphones (IEMs, etc), has a much lower noise floor, puts out more power, and can be used as a pre-amp.
 
With that said, I definitely intend to try the Vali at some point since it seems like it'd be a great fit for my HD600s.

 

[hydrans5]

Hey thanks for taking the time to answer my questions... just a few more if you dont mind: 
 
Talked to schiit and they seem to think stacking modi on A2 for long periods of time is no big deal. Just hope they say that if/when i have a warranty problem haha.
 
I understand what youre saying but is there any drawback to run modi at 24 bit while playing 16 bit FLACs and leaving 100% comp volume and using A2 volume control? or is there just a drawback when you run modi at 16 while playing 16 bit FLACs and you don't have comp volume at 100%? 
 
In the same vain, how about when im using an aux cable in my car with an iphone? I guess i would want to keep my iphone at 100% and using the stereo to control how much output i want?
 
So as i mentioned i'm thinking about getting the Adam Audio F5s which are powered monitors. I'm going from usb to modi to asgard 2 to F5s. I guess Asgard 2 is helping to preamp the signal before it picks up noise from the modi to the F5s? Is the quality going to be that much better than if i go from modi straight to the F5s? I'm guessing the Asgard 2  can drive passive speakers as well?