[DougD]

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
< snip snip >

 
That's a very cunning use of the Schiit SYS to help with A/B testing.

 

[plonter]

I have a question:  Is the modi2 uber takes its power for the usb operation from the usb input cable or power outlet? 

 

[Music Alchemist]

  I have a question:  Is the modi2 uber takes its power for the usb operation from the usb input cable or power outlet? 

 
Both. The wall wart still needs to be plugged in for it to operate.

 

[Sniperboy]

   
 
The USB port might be bus powered, however, the balance of the circuitry derives power from wall wart and linear power supply. I like the Uber, you're getting plenty of DAC for $150.

 
Passing it forward.
See post 886 on page 60.

 

[plonter]

  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.

Very nice read and helpful comments StanD!

 

[dog44]

Is a pop normal after the muting relay has done it's job? I have the Magni 2 Uber and it pops my speakers on the pre-amp output after turning on (after about 8 seconds or so) and when turning off (not as loud as when turning the amp on).

 

[plonter]

   
Both. The wall wart still needs to be plugged in for it to operate.

Thx for the comment.  but what is the reasoning behind this?  if it has an external wall wart, why is it need the usb power for?  it can only use the data and leave the power to be handled by its own PSU.
Maybe the dac chip is powered from the power outlet..instead of the usb power.

 

[StanD]

  Thx for the comment.  but what is the reasoning behind this?  if it has an external wall wart, why is it need the usb power for?  it can only use the data and leave the power to be handled by its own PSU.
Maybe the dac chip is powered from the power outlet..instead of the usb power.

I beleive I asnwered that previously. Other than the USB port the rest gets its power from the wall wart. You worry too much.

 

[plonter]

  I beleive I asnwered that previously. Other than the USB port the rest gets its power from the wall wart. You worry too much.

Yeah..sorry for that.  I just don't want to miss any performance gain going with the basic modi instead of the uber. 

 

[High Fidelity]

  Is a pop normal after the muting relay has done it's job? I have the Magni 2 Uber and it pops my speakers on the pre-amp output after turning on (after about 8 seconds or so) and when turning off (not as loud as when turning the amp on).

Mine pops as well. I'm using headphones, so I don't use the pre-amp output. AFAIK it's normal and not harmful.
 
On a related note, I get a popping sound through my headphones when I disconnect (from the Astro Mixamp) the 3.5mm to 2RCA cable that goes from the Magni 2 Uber to the Astro Mixamp.. Is that harmful? 

 

[superjawes]

 
I beleive I asnwered that previously. Other than the USB port the rest gets its power from the wall wart. You worry too much.

Yeah..sorry for that.  I just don't want to miss any performance gain going with the basic modi instead of the uber. 

Supposedly the 2 Uber is supposed to sound "better", but i think the biggest reason to go Uber over vanilla is the extra inputs. That is an objectively good reason to do it...that and the aluminum finish. That is shaweeeeet.

 

[gahung]

I don't know if anyone has an idea here for my question. I know Modi is a budget gear, but now I have a setup: 1) Marantz CD6004 - Lyr - headphone 2) CD6004 - Asgard 2 preamp - Yamaha R-S300 - speakers and subwoofer.
Since there is optical output in the CD player, I wonder if it will be a benefit to add a budget DAC like the modi 2 and feed it to the amp compared to my current setup. Thanks!

 

[Defiant00]

  Thx for the comment.  but what is the reasoning behind this?  if it has an external wall wart, why is it need the usb power for?  it can only use the data and leave the power to be handled by its own PSU.
Maybe the dac chip is powered from the power outlet..instead of the usb power.

 
Simple. If it was all powered from the wall wart, then when you turned it off it would disconnect from your computer. Since the USB portion is powered by USB, if it's plugged in then the computer can recognize it.
 
At least for me on a Windows machine this is the ideal behavior, as I don't want (or necessarily trust) Windows switching inputs every time I turn my DAC on or off.

 

[freddr]

Have anyone tried Modi 2/Magni 2 Uber with HD800?

 

[RickB]

   
Simple. If it was all powered from the wall wart, then when you turned it off it would disconnect from your computer. Since the USB portion is powered by USB, if it's plugged in then the computer can recognize it.
 
At least for me on a Windows machine this is the ideal behavior, as I don't want (or necessarily trust) Windows switching inputs every time I turn my DAC on or off.

Well, that's how it works with a Wyrd in my system. With the Wyrd turned off, the DAC disappears from Windows. I've never had a problem with Windows automatically choosing it again when the Wyrd is turned back on, as the DAC is set as the default device.