Finally, Modi 2 Uber Arrived.
First impressions is it is well built, looks nice and that new brushed aluminum is nice. I think i saw somewhere the button rattle is the way it was designed (not to be shaken like a martini) . Edges are a little sharp nothing to worry about for me.
Now the Comparison between the original Modi and the Modi 2U.
Please keep in mind I am not using headphones. Modi and Modi2U go to my NAD pre amplifier which then goes to powered monitors so that may play a factor in my results
At first I just swapped out the usb and rca cables and ran through some songs on the Modi 2U then went through the same on the Modi and then I realized oh schiit the wyrd is still in mix so removed it from the chain. I will get to the wyrd in due time.
I bounced Back and forth Between tracks from Debbie Williams, Daft Punk, Hurt, Lady Antebellum, Zac Brown Band, Lindsey Stirling and When I say back and forth I switched each Modi in at least 4 times. Using the same tracks from each artist. And the Verdict is... Modi2 U still has the signature of the Modi. I would describe as clean and detailed and fairly well balanced but here is what jumped out at first and I mean immediately, Modi 2 U has a Wider Sound stage and improved clarity in the higher frequency. Cymbals and higher notes on guitars and even female vocals are more refined and the almost stand out in a very pronounced and very pleasant manner over the Original Modi. After more listening i found the Mid range appears slightly set back from the original Modi which can be because f the more pronounced highs but is presented in a more refined manner over the original Modi. There seems to more extension into the lower frequencies and was controlled well.
I have seen an earlier post say not much difference between modi and modi 2 Uber. I will say that "not much" is arbitrary to each individual.
Now onto Modi + Wyrd and Modi 2U + Wyrd
When I first plugged in the Modi 2 Uber other than the wider sound stage and more refined highs it sounded similar to the Original Modi. Noise floor seemed similar and the sound stage was not as wide but lower on the Modi. Until i had the oh schiit moment and realized wyrd needs to go. The results are
Wyrd + Modi is a very good combo for me I noticed a lower noise floor, more detail and wider and lower sound stage on the Modi+ wyrd as opposed to Modi alone.
The Modi2U + Wyrd . The noise floor difference if any is negligible but the sound stage is just a bit lower. The highs and mids seemed just slightly smoother. There may be a more pronounced difference on cans. I may utilize the headphone output on my Preamp one day to dig deeper.
Overall my impressions is there is a more refined sound to the Modi 2 Uber. Based on the slight mods to the Standard Modi 2 from the original I would expect the difference in the Modi 2 And the Modi 2 Uber to be similar to the Modi and the Modi 2 Uber. ( Hopefully someone can make that comparison to either confirm or prove me wrong as I dont have one to compare ) The most Glaring thing again is the wider sound stage which may or may not be evident on headphones but the highs are more detailed and up front and very exciting to me ( Like when I say treat, And my dogs ears perk straight up type excitement). and it seems to reach deeper into the lower frequencies to create an overall wider range than the original modi. Noise floor is lower, which may be more prominent on headphones.
The other thing is the Modi2 Uber + Wyrd made small differences to the sound stage, detail and noise floor which to me is still worth it, but honestly I would not miss it much with the Modi2 Uber like I would with the original Modi. Its not a scientific double bind test no fancy charts just my impressions.
For any one on the fence of Modi upgrade to Modi 2 Uber or looking into a Modi 2 at all I would highly recommend looking into the Modi 2 Uber. If the Modi and Modi 2 are similar in their sound signature as I suspect then the Modi2 Uber is absolutely worth the extra $50 over the Standard Modi 2.And for those who was curious about the wyrd with the Uber. if you have it run with it but unless you want to squeeze out the every extra drop from the modi 2 Uber you may not even need it. I have crappy power and crappy usb ports. Even the Schiit website does not guarantee any changes, so its a gamble overall but with Modi 2U it's an even bigger gamble if you will notice a difference since at least to me the difference is small. With Modi 2 Uber you had to really listen for it. I believe if I did not have the wyrd i would not feel the need for it, the improvements to Modi 2 Uber possibly the use of a wall wart has made that much of a difference.
Now the Boss is home and she has a headache. I have to go turn the music off so If you all will excuse me I have a Shiny new Fulla to go play with so I don't get a monitor thrown at my head.
Modi 2 uber + original Asgard
