[bcd127]

So, ive been looking in to getting one. Seems to be amazing for the price. The only thing is that right now i can't buy the whole thing. So my question is that is it possible for me to use just the Modi without any amp? I hope this isn't a dumb question. Just trying to figure stuff out. I dont really get how it all works. Thanks!

 

[LarryKingsShoes]

To use the Modi properly you'll need an amp of some sort. You could hook it up to a stereo receiver and use that headphone jack if you have one around. Otherwise, it's probably better to just start with the Magni. Frankly, that's probably the better plan regardless of whether or not you can use the Modi immediately or not. Amps are more fun than DACs.

That happens to be what I'm doing right now. I have an order in for the Magni with plans to grab the Modi in a couple of weeks. It should turn out to be a great value, if all of the stuff I've read holds up.

 

[bcd127]

Oh. okay. That makes sense now that i think about it. Because the dac doesnt have a jack... haha. I have a laptop, how would the amp be hooked up to my laptop? Oh and my headphone jack on the computer got messed up. 

 

[LarryKingsShoes]

Quote:

Oh. okay. That makes sense now that i think about it. Because the dac doesnt have a jack... haha. I have a laptop, how would the amp be hooked up to my laptop? Oh and my headphone jack on the computer got messed up. 

A simple 3.5mm to RCA cable would work in this situation. It's not ideal because of the lower quality converters in a typical laptop (which the Modi serves to bypass) but it would do the job until you could add the Modi to your rig.
 
If your headphone jack doesn't work, you might be able to retask the microphone port as a front left and right output. This might not be a very common feature but I know my older Dell XPS let me do it. Check it out and you might get lucky. Then you could just connect the mic port to the Magni with the 3.5mm to RCA cable.
 
Alternatively, you could get a cheap USB sound card from eBay or Amazon. The quality won't match that of the Modi but they're cheap, they'd (hopefully) work, and can be useful for when you're away from your desktop rig and want to use your headphones. If you get one of the <$10 options, your budget wouldn't take too big of a hit. There are other options but they'd cost more and, personally, I don't see the value in spending any more than necessary when you're already saving for an upgrade. The most I'd spend would be the $30 for a Behringer UCA202 but even that would be a stretch; that's nearly 30% of the cost of a Modi shipped to your door. The results would be better but it would make the Modi just that much further from your reach.

 

[bcd127]

Alright. So i can probably get the jack fixed, i just wasn't sure if it was something that i needed. But now i realize that until i get the modi i cant bypass the jack. Everything is making sense! Thank you very much for all of your help!