[StanD]

That is actually an interesting hypothesis. You may be onto something here. BTW, how do you box the text that you are responding to??

Hit the "Quote" button,

 

[Music Alchemist]

That is actually an interesting hypothesis. You may be onto something here. BTW, how do you box the text that you are responding to??

 
I certainly think so.
 
Click the Quote button at the bottom right of posts. Or the Multi button for multiple quotes.

 

[StanD]

[size=13.3333339691162px]

That is actually an interesting hypothesis. You may be onto something here. BTW, how do you box the text that you are responding to??

 
[/size]

  Hit the "Quote" button,

 
Quote:

   
I certainly think so.
 
Click the Quote button at the bottom right of posts. Or the Multi button for multiple quotes.

 
He'll need to hit the "Multi" and "Quote" buttons on the last one.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  He'll need to hit the "Multi" and "Quote" buttons on the last one.

 
Yeah, that's what I meant, but neglected to explain. hehe. Or just click Post a Reply afterwards.

 

[nedifer]

I received my modi 2 uber nearly a week ago and couldn't be happier.  I haven't tried it with headphones (don't have any yet and can't afford them at the moment) or my IEMs (Havi B3 Pro 1s), but it sounds great in our modest, cobbled together home system (Cubox-iPro4 music server (ARCH linux running LMS and Squeezelite), Musical Fidelity X-T100 amp and Wharfedale 9.1 speakers).
 
When I ran the command 'squeezelite -l', it didn't recognize the Modi 2 Uber as a DAC, but as a device:
 
front:CARD=Device,DEV=0        - USB Modi Device, USB Audio - Front speakers
 
But using that worked just fine.  I only had to change one line in the /etc/systemd/system/squeezelite.service file that I use to run squeezelite as a service from and restart the service:
 
ExecStart=/usr/bin/squeezelite -o front:CARD=DragonFly,DEV=0 -a 40:4:24_3:1 -n ArchSqueeze -b 60000:200000 -p 90 -s <server IP address>
 
to:
 
ExecStart=/usr/bin/squeezelite -o front:CARD=Device,DEV=0 -a 40:4:24_3:1 -n ArchSqueeze -b 60000:200000 -p 90 -s <server IP address>
 
Easy and painless!  Schiit Audio might not support Linux (I can kind of understand why, being a small shop--it takes a real time/staffing commitment to support an OS).  But their products do work with Linux.  You just have to be prepared to tinker...
 
I tend to like to listen to a wide range of music so I've spent the week throwing a lot at it, including selections from:
 
* Lorraine Hunt Lieberson: 'Handel Arias'
* Angela Hewitt playing Bach: 'The Golberg Variations'
* The Sony re-release of the Budapest Quartet playing Beethoven: 'String Quartets Op. 127, 131, 132 & 135' (mono)
* Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention: 'Uncle Meat'
* Césaria Évora: 'Cafe Atlantico' and 'At the Olympia'
* Antoine Moundanda and Likembe Geant: 'Kesse Kesse' (Congolese finger piano)
* D'Gary: 'Dama & D'Gary' and 'Mbo Loza'
* Orchestra Baobab: 'Pirate's Choice'
* Souad Massi: 'Deb (Heart Broken)'
* Taraf de Haïdouks: ' Taraf de Haïdouks'
* Art Tatum: 'God is in the House'
* Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong: 'The Great Summit'
* Dexter Gordon: 'The Classic Blue Note Recordings'
* Pat Metheney: 'As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls'
* Spot 1019: 'Spot 1019'
* Asylum Street Spankers: 'Hot Lunch' 'Asylum Street Spankers: Johnstown Folk Festival' and 'Spanks for the Memories'
* Lucinda Williams: 'Car Wheels on a Gravel Road' and 'Essence'
* Nick Drake: 'Way to Blue'
* Norman Blake/Tut Taylor/Sam Bush/Butch Robins/Vassar Clements/David Holland/Jethro Burns: 'Norman Blake/Tut Taylor/Sam Bush/Butch Robins/Vassar Clements/David Holland/Jethro Burns'
* Ani DiFranco: 'Little Plastic Castle'
* Tower of Power: 'Back to Oakland'
* Pink Floyd: 'Wish You Were Here'
* Brian Eno: 'Before and After Science'
* King Crimson: 'Discipline'
* The Cowboy Junkies: 'The Trinity Sessions'
* B.B. King: 'Lucille Had A Baby' and 'Live at the Regal'
* The Seldom Scene: 'Live at the Cellar Door'
* Silvio Rodriguez: 'Triptico, Vol. 2'
* Atahualpa Yupanqui: 'Y Su Guitarra'
* Julio Jaramillo: 'La Voz de Oro'
* Milton Nascimento E Lo Borges: 'Clube Da Esquina'
* Gilberto Gil: 'Acoustic'
 
I'm very impressed with this little DAC!  It handles a wide range of musical styles and amplitudes very well.  It has force and snap, and can pull out a great deal of subtlety in the music.  I particularly like the fact that it handles playing at low volumes well, particularly since I live in a small house with two small boys sleeping one room over from the stereo.  I feel that it does a great job for a $150 piece of kit!
 
I don't feel that I have a good vocabulary with which to review the hardware--I'm not a regular blogger or reviewer on such topics.  Nor do I have access to a wide range of other equipment with which to write a meaningful comparative review.  But I *can* say that I am very pleased with the purchase!  The recordings above are of varying quality - live vs. studio, new recordings vs. decades old.  Though the flaws in some of the rougher recordings can be revealed by the Modi 2 Uber in all their warts and glory (like Art Tatum in 'God is in the House' which was recorded on an early portable record maker), still it manages to do so in a way that doesn't interfere with enjoyment of the music itself.  It handles complex tracks with lots of voices/instruments well without getting muddy.  Though recordings in mono seem all squished to the center (of course), still the individual instruments are easy to distinguish and have lovely timbre.
 
As you can infer from the squeezelite commands above, I also have a Dragonfly 1.2 DAC which will now become my work/traveling Amp/DAC.  In terms of the differences between the two, I'd say that the Dragonfly is a little warmer but perhaps a shade less detailed than the Modi 2 Uber. On my home stereo system, the Dragonfly seemed to have a slightly larger sound stage but I can pick the precise location of the instruments out better with the Modi 2 Uber.  Overall, I prefer the Modi 2 Uber.
 
I can see how Jason Stoddard might have worried about the Modi 2 Uber cutting into Bifrost sales in his chapter on them.  But if it does, I hope that it at least makes up the difference in higher unit sales and as a gateway drug to draw happy customers up the product chain!
 
--Ned

 

[nedifer]

Now I just have to tear myself away from the stereo for a while to get some sleep and other things done!
 
--Ned

 

[Tuneslover]

Received my Magni 2Ü and SYS yesterday. Ran in the M2Ü for 25 continuous hours.

SETUP:

Out of my original Modi into SYS and out of SYS to both Original Magni and M2Ü.
Use the SYS to toggle between my original and new M2Ü.
Plug/unplug headphone as per SYS selector.
No fancy volume matching just as close as I could match by ear with the M2Ü in high gain position

I listened to a variety of music selections for about 3 hours switching amp and headphone during each track. Within each track that I listen to, I repeated selected brief sections through each amp.

Comparative listening was done first with Sennheiser HD650, then later with Hifiman HE500


Listening Results:

First off I must say that there certainly are differences in sound between the original and 2Ü amps, HOWEVER to my ears they are very minor. Only by doing intense comparative listening was I able to pick up the "new" sound of the Magni 2Ü.

The first thing that I picked up was the slightly softer bass on the M2Ü where the original punched a bit harder. On the other hand the rest of the sonic presentation, to my ears, was clearer sounding, which seemed to bring forward slightly more detail, especially with the vocals. The original Magni almost sounds a bit veiled by comparison. This improved clarity does seem to give the music a bit more depth with improved separation between instruments. However, these differences aren't huge, but they are noticeable.

I guess I would sum up the M2Ü as being a bit more detailed sounding but less bright or etchy sounding than the original Magni. I would say the overall presentation is smoother in character.

In summary, I don't think that the 2 amps sound different enough to warrant keeping both. Which one am I going to keep? I do like the high/low gain feature as well as the preamp feed capability of the new Magni. The sound certainly isn't too great of a departure from the original. I like the smooth, less etchy sound of the new Magni. I guess there's no rush but I'm liking the new evolvement.

So my comparative listening session is over.  As planned I moved the SYS to my main audio system leaving the original Modi and my new Magni 2Ü with my iMac computer setup.  Also in my computer setup are a pair of externally powered Audioengine A2's that I will now be able to include due to the M2Ü's preamp output capability!
 
Bummer!  It would seem that something is up with OUTPUT 1 on the M2Ü as I get no sound to either my headphones or my external powered speakers.  Skipped Output 1 and moved cable from Modi into M2Ü output.  Voila, now I have sound to headphone output but can't use the preamp output feature due to the Output 1 issue.  Sent email to Schiit for assistance.  Waiting for a response.

 

[Sniperboy]

  I've been comparing my Modi 2 Uber and Bifrost Uber USB2. I plugged both into my laptop at the same time and used the Windoze Control Panel Sound applet to switch the default playback device between both DACs, Between that and switching audio jacks it still takes a few seconds which circumvents a proper A/B comparison but gets closer.
So far, if you ask me, good luck picking them apart in a proper blind comparison. I'd say that other than bragging rights and so on, most people should be happy with a Modi 2 Uber and a Magni 2 Uber. I'm still keeping my Bifrost and Asgard 2 as well as the Modi 2 Uber and Magni 1. I now have two Schiit piles.

 
Thanks so much for posting that.  Now my anxieties can rest in peace.  The switching method you suggested is pretty simple and ingenious.  Thanks for sharing that.

 

[Tuneslover]

Received my Magni 2Ü and SYS yesterday. Ran in the M2Ü for 25 continuous hours.

SETUP:

Out of my original Modi into SYS and out of SYS to both Original Magni and M2Ü.
Use the SYS to toggle between my original and new M2Ü.
Plug/unplug headphone as per SYS selector.
No fancy volume matching just as close as I could match by ear with the M2Ü in high gain position

I listened to a variety of music selections for about 3 hours switching amp and headphone during each track. Within each track that I listen to, I repeated selected brief sections through each amp.

Comparative listening was done first with Sennheiser HD650, then later with Hifiman HE500


Listening Results:

First off I must say that there certainly are differences in sound between the original and 2Ü amps, HOWEVER to my ears they are very minor. Only by doing intense comparative listening was I able to pick up the "new" sound of the Magni 2Ü.

The first thing that I picked up was the slightly softer bass on the M2Ü where the original punched a bit harder. On the other hand the rest of the sonic presentation, to my ears, was clearer sounding, which seemed to bring forward slightly more detail, especially with the vocals. The original Magni almost sounds a bit veiled by comparison. This improved clarity does seem to give the music a bit more depth with improved separation between instruments. However, these differences aren't huge, but they are noticeable.

I guess I would sum up the M2Ü as being a bit more detailed sounding but less bright or etchy sounding than the original Magni. I would say the overall presentation is smoother in character.

In summary, I don't think that the 2 amps sound different enough to warrant keeping both. Which one am I going to keep? I do like the high/low gain feature as well as the preamp feed capability of the new Magni. The sound certainly isn't too great of a departure from the original. I like the smooth, less etchy sound of the new Magni. I guess there's no rush but I'm liking the new evolvement.

So my comparative listening session is over.  As planned I moved the SYS to my main audio system leaving the original Modi and my new Magni 2Ü with my iMac computer setup.
 
Bummer!  It would seem that something is up with OUTPUT 1 on the M2Ü as I get no sound to either my headphones or my external powered speakers.  Skipped Output 1 and moved cable from Modi into M2Ü output.  Voila, now I have sound to headphone output.  Sent email to Schiit for assistance.
 
 
Me bad...I forgot to unplug the headphones from the Magni 2Ü...which Nick explained mutes the preamp out.  All is good once I unplugged the headphones.

 

[StanD]

   
Thanks so much for posting that.  Now my anxieties can rest in peace.  The switching method you suggested is pretty simple and ingenious.  Thanks for sharing that.

The next trick is to use an A/B switch to connect both DACs to the same Amp. I wish I had something like the SYS but with two volume controls so I could match volumes when switching.
It's easy to say stuff about equipment based upon our perceptions which are easily fooled by our own expectations and bias or just repeating the usual forum chatter. It's better to be able to compare for yourself and learn what's really going on and what human limits truly are. Some of the stuff I read is simply ridiculous.

 

[Sniperboy]

I just reread your post, sir.  Did you test the Bifrost and Modi without an amp at all?  Or did you test the MM stack vs the BA stack? 
Personally my expectation bias mimics yours that there is little to no difference, but I am still curious if I somehow misread your post, or the context was simply lost in the miasma of other posts in the last 10 pages.
 
 
 

 

[StanD]

  I just reread your post, sir.  Did you test the Bifrost and Modi without an amp at all?  Or did you test the MM stack vs the BA stack? 
Personally my expectation bias mimics yours that there is little to no difference, but I am still curious if I somehow misread your post, or the context was simply lost in the miasma of other posts in the last 10 pages.
 

A2 =  Bifrost Uber USB2
Mo2U = Modi 2 Uber
Ma1 = Magni 1
 
I tested different ways, always with an amp.
Mo2U-Ma1 vs B-A2 (Fastest test: Advantage of not switching wires and having to tweak the volumes when switching wires)
Mo2U-Ma1 vs B-Ma1 (Switching wires to the one amp, thats why I want to use the A/B switch to speed up this process)
 
I used Sennheiser HD600's and HifiMan HE-500's for headphones. So there was plenty enough of testing. I did not compare the headphones in these tests as I used one headphone per set of tests.
 
Observations:

• Maybe the Bifrost Uber was quieter, if so by a whisper. I have to be able to switch faster to one amp to be sure, if at all.
• The B-A2 may have been cleaner on transients of certain music when played very loud, uncomfortably loud. Not a practical advantage and barely noticeable if at all.

 
In the past I've compared the Ma1 and A2 using a Y cable to the B and a switch to flip my headphones between Amps. I could flip the switch back and forth to instantly switch amps which were matched to the same volume (only needed to do the volume match once). My main motivation was to see if the Magni was brighter (treble) as some folks claimed. It was not brighter. The only observation I could make was the same as in #2 above and that may have been a result of expectation bias.
 
Conclusions:

• At $300 the Mo2U/Ma2U stack is the deal of the centuary. The non Ubers are probably just as great with less features.
• I'm still keeping my Bifrost because it looks cool, keeps my hands warm in the Winter and is big enough to stack with my A2 on top. I also need two stacks.
• Once distortion levels get to a certain low point, human beings are not as good as test equipment.
• We never see transient distortion specs, I know of no standard for this, anyway.
• These tests are time consuming.
• Schiit makes great Schiit.

 
I will do some more tests in the future.
 
If you ask me, us meat popsicles (ask Bruce Willis) are such Bull Schiit artists.

 

[Music Alchemist]

@Billheiser
Thanks for the LightDims! Now my eyes don't have to suffer.
 
@ anyone who has experience with reportedly accurate headphones that sound like someone turned the bass all the way down and the treble and mids all the way up: if it's not too much trouble, I need some help figuring out what's going on. I started a thread about it.

 

[Sniperboy]

  Conclusions:

• At $300 the Mo2U/Ma2U stack is the deal of the centuary. The non Ubers are probably just as great with less features.
• I'm still keeping my Bifrost because it looks cool, keeps my hands warm in the Winter and is big enough to stack with my A2 on top. I also need two stacks.

 
Thank you Stan for taking the time to post these clarifications.
I wish you had posted these a month earlier as I had been given a Valhalla on indefinite loan by a good friend that caused me to dive back into the hobby, and against my better judgement I gave in and picked up a Bifrost Uber USB2 to pair with it.  My only regret is that I had sold my MM stack before I could do the comparison testing for myself.
 
Still, I do want to buy a MMU2 stack since I want to test your thesis for myself now and also do find the pre-amp outs useful.  However I recon I already know the results of the upcoming testing as in the past I could not discern a noticable difference between the Magni vs Lyr vs Valhalla. 
Perhaps I simply lack the ability to pick out the differences.  I got on here to share a common hobby with my baby brother and was quite happy with my HD600s that he had given me.

 

[StanD]

   
Thank you Stan for taking the time to post these clarifications.
I wish you had posted these a month earlier as I had been given a Valhalla on indefinite loan by a good friend that caused me to dive back into the hobby, and against my better judgement I gave in and picked up a Bifrost Uber USB2 to pair with it.  My only regret is that I had sold my MM stack before I could do the comparison testing for myself.
 
Still, I do want to buy a MMU2 stack since I want to test your thesis for myself now and also do find the pre-amp outs useful.  However I recon I already know the results of the upcoming testing as in the past I could not discern a noticable difference between the Magni vs Lyr vs Valhalla. 
Perhaps I simply lack the ability to pick out the differences.  I got on here to share a common hobby with my baby brother and was quite happy with my HD600s that he had given me.

Don't be hard on yourself for being honest about your observations. It is more difficult to not find something when we expect to or are expected to by others. It is easier to say something popular about something being bright, dark, euphonic or whatever. I believe that many people will hear what they are told or expect to. I've learned to resist that,it is not always easy, especially when you own the beloved product.
At times I may think that I've heard something and will go back and carefully see if it was real or not. Sometimes we fill in the blanks and have to go back to make sure.
Some people honestly believe that a power cord will affect soundstage, treble and so on. I believe that at times this can introduce noise and other interference related artefacts, for most people I don't think it does anything. If I lived under the magnetic field of a huge power distribution transformer, I'd pack up my Schiit and move.
If anyone believes contrary I have no problems with that. I will however, express my thoughts politely.