Good to hear--I had a brain lapse-and was meaning to imply Yiggy More Is Less-with the TI chips.
Sorry for the confusion.
The TI chipped DAC's are going in a different direction sound wise
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Schiit Fans ?
- Thread starter Frank Sol
- Start date
Sorry for the confusion.
The TI chipped DAC's are going in a different direction sound wise
Another Ladder type DAC (NOS-AND filterless) one can have fun with is a Project DAC BOX FL, or S FL.
www.hifinews.com/content/pro-ject-dac-box-fl-£195
www.head-fi.org/showcase/pro-ject-dac-box-s-fl-silver.21406/
If you have a set of Heil or Emit's-it helps for sure with these.
I.E-the cleaner-less colored your high frequency reproduction in your system is -the better with this type of DAC.
I had one of these sometime ago with my older system and moved on-but cam across another one @ a good price-so revisiting it.
My keeper is the OG BF2.
I like it being a bit unrefined to tell you the truth.
Just my take the real refinement should really be in your speakers first-then preamp/amp
Analog with a good cartridge is much the same way.
You still hear all the layers/tempo changes etc-with out the digital refinement issues.
The Great Heils and Emits I use seem to like this DAC as well.
Frankly the Modi 3+ with the Velvet chips is a keeper as well.
www.hifinews.com/content/pro-ject-dac-box-fl-£195
www.head-fi.org/showcase/pro-ject-dac-box-s-fl-silver.21406/
If you have a set of Heil or Emit's-it helps for sure with these.
I.E-the cleaner-less colored your high frequency reproduction in your system is -the better with this type of DAC.
I had one of these sometime ago with my older system and moved on-but cam across another one @ a good price-so revisiting it.
My keeper is the OG BF2.
I like it being a bit unrefined to tell you the truth.
Just my take the real refinement should really be in your speakers first-then preamp/amp
Analog with a good cartridge is much the same way.
You still hear all the layers/tempo changes etc-with out the digital refinement issues.
The Great Heils and Emits I use seem to like this DAC as well.
Frankly the Modi 3+ with the Velvet chips is a keeper as well.
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RunOutGroove
Addicted Member
Ok... I finally got my Schiit Magni 2 in the mail today. It's been just about a week since I ordered it and with the time I would have expected for them to fill the order and then get it sent out, supply chain issues, USPS issues, etc I thought that it may have taken longer.
Anyway, I hooked the thing up and made sure that the settings conformed to what I read online for the specs for my Denon DL110 high output MC cartridge. I wanted to try this thing because of the extra settings that it has over other phono preamps (at least ones affordable to me) since I felt like my old Cambridge 651P preamp wasn't quite working with this cartridge, which came on a new (to me) Yamaha PF800 turntable. The sound I was getting was very good, but I was a bit disappointed that the gain was so low and that I had to turn my amp up so much to get the same volume as I got with my old table, not to mention from other sources. I put on a bit of two albums: Yes - Close to the Edge and John Abercrombie (with Jack DeJonette and Dave Holland) - Gateway (both records that are great for testing audio IMHO) with the old and then the new preamp to compare, noting the db levels I was getting with the old so I could indeed see how much louder the new one is. With the gain on the Schiit set at 48db, which in my research seemed to be the consensus for this cartridge, the volume was dramatically louder... like maybe 8 or so db. What I realized though, which is probably obvious to many if not most of you, is that beyond a certain volume, the sound starts to get compressed and ugly so that the extra gain going into the amp doesn't mean so much as one needs to turn the amp down a bit anyway for everything to sound really nice. That being said though I still think that I may have gained something in that department as I do think that everything sounds better a few db louder (with the volume know turned up less far) than before, it just isn't fully the 8 db better than the actual difference in loudness between the two preamps (if that makes sense, it's a difficult point to get across).
Other than the loudness thing, I have to admit I don't hear big differences. For me, unless I can do a back and fourth A/B test, I kind of have difficulty comparing things, at least if they're fairly close. I feel like maybe the old Cambridge is more open and airy on the top end (which I like!), but the Schiit has a bit more presence with vocals (midrange) and with the upper end of the bass. On the Close to the Edge album, I missed some of the spaciousness that the Cambridge had, but Jon Anderson's voice seemed to be more present and Chris Squire's bass seemed to have more of that clanky upper end that he's known for. Kind of a tossup between the two and knowing that I might not have bothered upgrading to the Schiit, but then again as cheap as that thing is it seemed worth the gamble, and even if it isn't quite blowing my mind, it does sound very good.
I have to wonder if this kind of thing is something that's considered to need a break in period? If that's the case, then it may be that this thing isn't yet showing me what it can do and after some hours of use it could sound far better than the old preamp...
I somehow feel the need to say that with this preamp, I now have 3 pieces of Schiit in my system! I have the Modius DAC, the Vali headphone amp and now this thing... all in the sparkly brushed aluminum version (by far my favorite over black). My only complaint, and it's admittedly a very small one, is that the three pieces aren't really well proportioned to go together. The Vali and the Magni are very small but still too large to both be set across the top of the much larger Modius.
Anyway, I hooked the thing up and made sure that the settings conformed to what I read online for the specs for my Denon DL110 high output MC cartridge. I wanted to try this thing because of the extra settings that it has over other phono preamps (at least ones affordable to me) since I felt like my old Cambridge 651P preamp wasn't quite working with this cartridge, which came on a new (to me) Yamaha PF800 turntable. The sound I was getting was very good, but I was a bit disappointed that the gain was so low and that I had to turn my amp up so much to get the same volume as I got with my old table, not to mention from other sources. I put on a bit of two albums: Yes - Close to the Edge and John Abercrombie (with Jack DeJonette and Dave Holland) - Gateway (both records that are great for testing audio IMHO) with the old and then the new preamp to compare, noting the db levels I was getting with the old so I could indeed see how much louder the new one is. With the gain on the Schiit set at 48db, which in my research seemed to be the consensus for this cartridge, the volume was dramatically louder... like maybe 8 or so db. What I realized though, which is probably obvious to many if not most of you, is that beyond a certain volume, the sound starts to get compressed and ugly so that the extra gain going into the amp doesn't mean so much as one needs to turn the amp down a bit anyway for everything to sound really nice. That being said though I still think that I may have gained something in that department as I do think that everything sounds better a few db louder (with the volume know turned up less far) than before, it just isn't fully the 8 db better than the actual difference in loudness between the two preamps (if that makes sense, it's a difficult point to get across).
Other than the loudness thing, I have to admit I don't hear big differences. For me, unless I can do a back and fourth A/B test, I kind of have difficulty comparing things, at least if they're fairly close. I feel like maybe the old Cambridge is more open and airy on the top end (which I like!), but the Schiit has a bit more presence with vocals (midrange) and with the upper end of the bass. On the Close to the Edge album, I missed some of the spaciousness that the Cambridge had, but Jon Anderson's voice seemed to be more present and Chris Squire's bass seemed to have more of that clanky upper end that he's known for. Kind of a tossup between the two and knowing that I might not have bothered upgrading to the Schiit, but then again as cheap as that thing is it seemed worth the gamble, and even if it isn't quite blowing my mind, it does sound very good.
I have to wonder if this kind of thing is something that's considered to need a break in period? If that's the case, then it may be that this thing isn't yet showing me what it can do and after some hours of use it could sound far better than the old preamp...
I somehow feel the need to say that with this preamp, I now have 3 pieces of Schiit in my system! I have the Modius DAC, the Vali headphone amp and now this thing... all in the sparkly brushed aluminum version (by far my favorite over black). My only complaint, and it's admittedly a very small one, is that the three pieces aren't really well proportioned to go together. The Vali and the Magni are very small but still too large to both be set across the top of the much larger Modius.
Frank Sol
Lunatic Member
@RunOutGroove
I've found over the years since electronic devices are getting smaller and smaller due to technology they usually sound better powered on all the time. Otherwise your Magni will probably sound better with more hours on it
Also... With Phono Preamps I like to keep the gain as low as possible , within reason , and let the main Preamp do the heavy lifting
Enjoy
I've found over the years since electronic devices are getting smaller and smaller due to technology they usually sound better powered on all the time. Otherwise your Magni will probably sound better with more hours on it
Also... With Phono Preamps I like to keep the gain as low as possible , within reason , and let the main Preamp do the heavy lifting
Enjoy
RunOutGroove
Addicted Member
Hmmm... my instincts are telling me "no," but at some point I'll probably give into curiosity and adjust the Schiit to a lower gain setting and see if it opens up a bit. I have it set to the gain that is listed in the specs for the cart, but it could very well be that an "off label" setting could sound better to me...
I hate the idea of leaving anything powered on all the time, at least anything with an on/off switch, but maybe I'll try that. At least if not on all the time, on while I'm home and have the amp on 9even if at any given time I may be listening to radio, TV, or CDs instead)
drjohnnyfeva
Well-Known Member
I leave my Loki and two daisy-chained tube pre's on all the time... unless I'm going out of town for a couple days. I just turn off the receiver when I'm done for the day.
RunOutGroove
Addicted Member
Update: After listening to the Mani 2 in my system for longer last night, I'm beginning to feel that it is indeed an improvement on the Cambridge Audio 651P that I was using before. Maybe having the thing on for longer or my ears adjusting (and some very mild chemical enhancement), etc but I was really starting to enjoy what I was hearing. Hard to really put my finger on it without an A/B comparison (what stereo shops are great for), but without really thinking about it, I found myself at some point more engaged with the music than I typically am and at the end of the day that's really what it's all about... or at least what I feel that it should be.
Funny, but the sound of that new table, new cart and now new phono preamp was so good that though I've always been one who says that analog sound tends to be over rated and digital under rated that now what I'm getting out of my TT setup seems like the winner for sound quality. Still, the value of the stuff on the turntable side is probably 7x what I have invested in the digital side (the Modius is a nice DAC, but it its not that good) so I still think that if I spent loads more on a much nicer DAC, the two might be closer to equal. Either way, I'm impressed with the sound that I'm getting from those old records and extra-impressed that something as inexpensive as the Schiit Mangi is part of the equation...
Funny, but the sound of that new table, new cart and now new phono preamp was so good that though I've always been one who says that analog sound tends to be over rated and digital under rated that now what I'm getting out of my TT setup seems like the winner for sound quality. Still, the value of the stuff on the turntable side is probably 7x what I have invested in the digital side (the Modius is a nice DAC, but it its not that good) so I still think that if I spent loads more on a much nicer DAC, the two might be closer to equal. Either way, I'm impressed with the sound that I'm getting from those old records and extra-impressed that something as inexpensive as the Schiit Mangi is part of the equation...
Frank Sol
Lunatic Member
New Klipsch 600m II are $450 now
Hard to believe... Sorta feel for the guys who paid full price just a few months ago
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per Jason Stoddard 2 days ago
RunOutGroove
Addicted Member
Well... I don't want to say that I've lost any of that "Schiit spirit" (OK, maybe a little) as I realize that there's such a thing as synergy and that isn't always achieved, even if the gear is well made and well designed. I've just realized though that one of my "pieces of Schiit," a Vali mkI headphone amp, doesn't sound (to me anyway) nearly as good with these new Hifiman Sundra phones that I have as plugging those things directly into my Marantz 2270 receiver. I got that thing when I got my last pair of headphones, Sennheiser HD600s (which need a repair and I can't seem to track down parts for) and with those phones it seemed to add some life to it, vs the Marantz receiver, but with my new Sundara phones the sound of it is really thin and without much mids or bass. The differences with the Sundara phones between the Vali and direct to Marantz are surprisingly dramatic and the Vali is just not good...
I'll be selling the Vali (no doubt that it'll work well for someone and has very little miles on it) as the headphone out on the Marantz sounds so good that I'm not left wanting better. Still, I am kind of curious if something like the Vali 2 would work better for the Sundaras and then if it's likely to sound even better than the Marantz receiver headphone amp. It's not something that I'm considering in the near future, but if I could be get a really oblivious improvement in sound quality, then I could be convinced to eventually invest in another headphone amp... as long as it's relatively cheap like the Vali mk2. The other couple of Schiit devices I have, a Mani 3 and a Modius, I've been really satisfied with and are really great, particularly for the low $ that they cost.... so despite the fact that my Vali mkI isn't working well for me, I would still look to this brand first for any of the kinds of stuff that they sell...
I'll be selling the Vali (no doubt that it'll work well for someone and has very little miles on it) as the headphone out on the Marantz sounds so good that I'm not left wanting better. Still, I am kind of curious if something like the Vali 2 would work better for the Sundaras and then if it's likely to sound even better than the Marantz receiver headphone amp. It's not something that I'm considering in the near future, but if I could be get a really oblivious improvement in sound quality, then I could be convinced to eventually invest in another headphone amp... as long as it's relatively cheap like the Vali mk2. The other couple of Schiit devices I have, a Mani 3 and a Modius, I've been really satisfied with and are really great, particularly for the low $ that they cost.... so despite the fact that my Vali mkI isn't working well for me, I would still look to this brand first for any of the kinds of stuff that they sell...
I just decided to go back to an integrated after most of the last year with Schiit Vidar/Saga S/Modi 3E separates. I liked the Schiit gear and had no issues with it. Well, there was one quibbling dislike, which was having to reach into my console and behind the Vidar and Saga S to turn each on when I wanted to use the system. There was also the one minute delay for the Saga before it was ready to use, but these are such minor complaints! They sounded really good as well, although I would guess that the user who can do with less power would do best with the Aegir vs the Vidar.
Because of my seemingly unfixable yearn to engage in gear churn, I found myself recently looking at integrated amps, particularly the Yamaha A-S801, which I owned for a short time before the Schiit gear. I really covet the upper-tier Yamahas starting with the A-S1200 but my gear churn yearn includes an unfortunate value drive, so $2000+ for the better integrated amps wasn't in the cards at this time. Anyway, I found an A-S801 at a substantial discount and grabbed it. The good news for Schiit fans is that my Vidar/Saga S/Modi 3E were very easy to sell, although they didn't hold value quite as well as some other makes I've owned. I sold them for quite a bit more than the Yamaha cost, so there is that. As far as sound quality, they're pretty close to my ears, and now one button on, on the remote control instead of two in the back of the console.
So, for the first time in a number of years I own no Schiit gear at all. I'll continue to follow them and would guess that I'll be back for more Schiit in due time.
Because of my seemingly unfixable yearn to engage in gear churn, I found myself recently looking at integrated amps, particularly the Yamaha A-S801, which I owned for a short time before the Schiit gear. I really covet the upper-tier Yamahas starting with the A-S1200 but my gear churn yearn includes an unfortunate value drive, so $2000+ for the better integrated amps wasn't in the cards at this time. Anyway, I found an A-S801 at a substantial discount and grabbed it. The good news for Schiit fans is that my Vidar/Saga S/Modi 3E were very easy to sell, although they didn't hold value quite as well as some other makes I've owned. I sold them for quite a bit more than the Yamaha cost, so there is that. As far as sound quality, they're pretty close to my ears, and now one button on, on the remote control instead of two in the back of the console.
So, for the first time in a number of years I own no Schiit gear at all. I'll continue to follow them and would guess that I'll be back for more Schiit in due time.
Frank Sol
Lunatic Member
StimpyWan
Addicted Member
A new Schiit DAC today!
Yggdrasil+
Nothing on URD.
Oh, a limited run Modi Multibit 2 dropping sometime in December....!
Yggdrasil+
Nothing on URD.
Oh, a limited run Modi Multibit 2 dropping sometime in December....!
Frank Sol
Lunatic Member
The main selling point of the Freya+ (2nd generation) was the 3 stage output... Much of the time I run it in Active SS to save on tube wear. But when I'm sitting in the sweet spot for a longer listening session then it is time for the tubes
Like right now I have it in Active SS listening to FM radio while I'm doing internet stuff
Like right now I have it in Active SS listening to FM radio while I'm doing internet stuff