Schiit Modi Multibit

[rwartner]

I got a modi multibit last week. My first DAC... Tried it this weekend on both of my CD players. I can't hear ANY difference when I A-B with and without the DAC. RMA in process...

How did you hook this up? Are you connecting CD player to DAC? To me the whole idea is to make your computer sound as good as a CD player. Any magic is a plus. If your CD player sounds good then you don't need to connect it to DAC (it already has one) unless it is just for convenience.

 

[jahshines]

How did you hook this up? Are you connecting CD player to DAC? To me the whole idea is to make your computer sound as good as a CD player. Any magic is a plus. If your CD player sounds good then you don't need to connect it to DAC (it already has one) unless it is just for convenience.

I thought the idea was to improve upon outdated technology with tech that should be heads and shoulders above OEM DAC's regardless of transport or source. Am I wrong?

 

[Alobar]

My system sounds so great right now I'm not sure how much better things can get(Amber model 17 preamp, Kyocera 601 TT with NOS MA 3002 cart., Sony c8esd, Sure Electronics chip amp(replacing Yamaha M2!!!), JBL L65 speaks with mods, sometimes switching out with JBL L5s, powered Dayton sub). The system is so clear, sweet, and ethereal that I don't know what else can improve. I've got to be in the top 5% for musicality and emotional satisfaction. Chasing the final few percentage points may not be worth the hundreds/thousnds of dollars due to diminishing returns. But you all know how this works.....resist, then spend.

My opinion is that with the quality of your equipment you are in a good position to tell a difference with a DAC upgrade. You will never know what you are leaving on the table SQ wise unless you try tho. I would order one and really have a listen critically without interruptions and with familiar, and well mastered music. No a/b switching, it takes time to discern the detail. You have 2 weeks and if you don't think it is a good improvement you have a way out.

 

[Alobar]

I thought the idea was to improve upon outdated technology with tech that should be heads and shoulders above OEM DAC's regardless of transport or source. Am I wrong?

Yes. If you were expecting the Modi multibit to transform your music into sounding the same as a live performance you wasted your money. At best it will release a small bottleneck at the sourse and be somewhat more revealing. Having this small but significant (for some) improvement is probably for those seeking better sound and willing to spend a little to get it. No, a piano recording is still likely to sound like a piano recording regardless of the DAC involved. It could be that you are not that much of a critical listener. Probably a good thing as you can save money all the while enjoying the music which should be the point but is sometimes lost on those in the pursuit of the best sound possible.

 

[Jrflanne]

I think my next Schitt purchase will be the Wyrd box. I now experience a faint buzzing heard mostly between tracks timed when the hard drive light flickers with the new Modi multibit that wasn't there with the old one. I am guessing it is from a different driver in use but I am stuck with it and now the buzz is there even with my old Modi. It goes away completely when I use the power saver option so not too concerned. Using high performance power setting the buzz is constant, "balanced" option is not much better. I am guessing the Wyrd would eliminate this RFI. If not there is a 2 week grace period to send it back.

I've had a couple of USB problems. One was I had a Fulla that made some goofy R2D2 noises. Plugged in a Wyrd and the problem went away. The source of the problem was a crap cable. Another time I had some pops coming out of my main system (Nas, Mini, Gungnir Multibit). It happened after I upgraded OS X. Plugged in a Wyrd and that problem went away. You might want to try a different USB cable but hopefully the Wyrd can fix your problems.

I might add I own both a Gungnir and Bifrost Multibit DAC's. It is important to turn them on and leave them on. It takes a while for them to stabilize for some reason. Call it warm-up, call it break-in. Call it whatever, but the sound does noticeably improve over some time.

 

[rwartner]

I thought the idea was to improve upon outdated technology with tech that should be heads and shoulders above OEM DAC's regardless of transport or source. Am I wrong?

Amp requires analog in. So CD player must have DAC. If you are not bypassing CD player DAC then you are connecting DAC to DAC. If you bypass CD player DAC then you are comparing DAC to DAC.

I am not saying external DAC quality is not better, just that you want external DAC to sound at least as good as CD player. In my mind you are trying to make a computer sound as good as a (good) CD player. Then you get into all the discussion about whether it sounds even better.

As I said a CD player has a DAC so it is not necessary to plug it into an external DAC. But it is possible that the external DAC is better. Some CD players may sound better than external DAC.

I think the best usage is computer to DAC. I want it to sound as good as a CD player but have all the convenience of the computer. More than that is incremental. I know folks are looking for ultimate DAC, squeezing out the final bits.
My DAC works fine I am happy.

 

[thehof]

My Mimby shows up tomorrow I'm so excited to see my Fiio X3 1st Gen obsoleted

Sorry for the emoji overload but I'm so stoked I just want to go to sleep until the mail shows up tomorrow.

 

[Alobar]

My Mimby shows up tomorrow I'm so excited to see my Fiio X3 1st Gen obsoleted

Sorry for the emoji overload but I'm so stoked I just want to go to sleep until the mail shows up tomorrow.

Be sure to give it a week or so, maybe leave it playing when you are out. Call it break in or not depending on your personal belief system!

 

[thehof]

Be sure to give it a week or so, maybe leave it playing when you are out. Call it break in or not depending on your personal belief system!

Will do! How you liking your Mimby?

 

[Alobar]

Will do! How you liking your Mimby?

I like it a lot. Wasn't for me a difference thatwas instantly obvious over the first edition Modi I had (which was a very good upgrade from the internal sound card) but over an hour or so of listening to familiar music, the detail starts to stand out, and this trend continued for the next few weeks. I am terrible about describing SQ in words, but I would agree with those that say there is a blackness or seporation between the various instruments and vocals. Also to borrow another description, the Modi MB sound is like it has been dipped in very smooth chocolate! These descriptions however silly are my impressions with my system in my listening room with my music heard through my ears and interpreted with my brain. Others will have different impressions no doubt and some will not hear any differences too. That doesn't make anyone wrong, just different strokes..
I hope you like yours and feel it was well worth the money! Let us know your impressions..

I might add I own both a Gungnir and Bifrost Multibit DAC's. It is important to turn them on and leave them on. It takes a while for them to stabilize for some reason. Call it warm-up, call it break-in. Call it whatever, but the sound does noticeably improve over some time.

I have recently started leaving mine on although it always goes against my impulsive thinking that I wouldn't leave my truck idling in the drive... It seems to have made an improvement, but I just built new crossovers for my JBL's and I am sorting out that upgrade too...

 

[satellite65]

How did you hook this up? Are you connecting CD player to DAC? To me the whole idea is to make your computer sound as good as a CD player. Any magic is a plus. If your CD player sounds good then you don't need to connect it to DAC (it already has one) unless it is just for convenience.

I thought the idea was to improve upon outdated technology with tech that should be heads and shoulders above OEM DAC's regardless of transport or source. Am I wrong?

That's what I was led to believe... a little closer to analog than an internal DAC on a cheap CD player, but my old ears couldn't hear any difference between the multibit DAC and the Onkyo C-7030 or Teac CD-H750 internal DACs when A-B ing. The Modi Multibit cost more than either of those CD players, where the DAC is a fraction of the unit's price. As for using the Multibit on my PC, I have absolutely no interest in playing music thru my PC.

YMMV...

 

[red 111]

i just received the Schiit modi multibit....i didn't try it on my macbook but,on my cd player ,it really was an inprovement over my old dac...right away i noticed with a cd that never held my interest,,,,that this dac is digging deep & pulling out music .I say that its a big upgrade for me...if a cd is mastered good ,it shines! for $250 & free home tryout...you have to try it for yourself...i used Kimber kable pbj rca to preamp & Monster silver digital coax to the Schiit.

 

[belgianbrain]

Nice. Cables worth more than the gear.

 

[MikE]

100 posts and little if anything on how it............actually sounds.

Anyone?

Full disclaimer, I did not conduct A/B listening between the two Schiit dacs [since I returned one for the newly released Multi-bit] and subsequently made two changes since it's introduction; power tubes and reconfigured my speaker cables.

My system was sounding harsh so I had my 15 YO tube amp serviced by a tech who said it checked out fine but suggested replacing the power tubes. Replaced NOS with JJ 2a3-40 tubes and swapped the DIY 24awg (5n) 99.999% pure silver / 20awg Teflon "cables" for Silverline Audio [copper] cables.

Sure enough the tubes that "tested good" were shot. The JJ's were a bit rough initially but after several weeks settled in nicely. All I can say is that after the three changes [dac, cables, tubes] my system has never sounded so good in this room. I'm in the process of replacing the LCR electrolytic ps capacitor with a pair of Mundorf mtube polypropylene, so more changes coming.

After moving into a dedicated space I'll retire the Modi Multi-bit for home theatre action and upgrade to Gungnir for the two channel.

 

[ScareDe2]

hey everyone,

I am looking to upgrade my sound. I have Lyr 2 with holy grail russian reflektor from year 1975, Schiit Bifrost Multibit and a pair of Audeze LCD2.2 with fazor with after market solid silver cables. Satisfied but not entirely. The imaging is a little fatiguing. Sometimes I have difficulties to point exactly where instruments are. Also I beleive the basic Modi DAC while clearly has less resolution and clarity is a bit more fun than the Bifrost MB. That lead me to think the Bifrost MB is perhaps the element I should consider upgrading. What you guys think? Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[KA2Z]

Mine are this. I would rather have my source to be accurate or maybe clinical if it means accurate. Then if I want to I can get warm sounding speakers, tube amps etc. That is just me however and everyone has their own method.

That makes sense.

 

[SoNic67]

The magical MacBook Pro uses the same audio chip as any PC: "Intel High Definition Audio". So yes, a dedicated DAC will be theoretically better. Of course, this is only if you are listening lossless files, or straight from CD, not streaming from the internet.

 

[lofiluther]

Thought I'd share my experience here as a new owner of a Modi Multibit . . . I found the posts about this so intriguing that I had to get one! That, and my cheap, but well-reviewed Super Pro DAC didn't seem to be doing anything to help the music anymore. I should say here too that I have two listening environments: a living room system with an NAD 315bee, B&W DM1400s and Blue Lola headphones. The second environment is a project recording studio with an Allen & Heath ZED-R16 console (that also does ad/da), Equator Audio d-8 self-powered coax speakers, and Altec 604b monsters powered by a 6-watt Decware Zen Taboo. I can tell you that replacing the Super Pro was more revealing on the living room setup than I was honestly expecting, and bypassing my studio DAC with the Modi Multibit was equally enlightening. I've only had 24 hours with the unit, so I'll share my detailed thoughts later, but the overall noticeable difference has been more clarity in the low-midrange and enhanced sense of natural attack in percussive sounds. More later!

 

[automojo]

Well I have a earlier version of the regular Schitt Modi Uber, and a latter version.
The later version sounds way better, better bass, much fuller, less grainy, and differentiates between the tones and layers much better. It also runs warmer, the case gets warm after a few hours, the other does not. I spoke to Schitt, and they said it had ben updated, with a different chip.
I also just ordered a Multibit today, so will see the difference between the newest Modi, and newest Mutibit.
That said they need 10-20 hours to break in-yes it's true, it makes a difference. But I could hear a difference right out of the box with the newest non multibit Modi and the earlier version.
Having said that, the earlier version is still a great bang for the buck, and perfect for computers, maybe not so much with a high resolution full size system.

 

[automojo]

Yes. If you were expecting the Modi multibit to transform your music into sounding the same as a live performance you wasted your money. At best it will release a small bottleneck at the sourse and be somewhat more revealing. Having this small but significant (for some) improvement is probably for those seeking better sound and willing to spend a little to get it. No, a piano recording is still likely to sound like a piano recording regardless of the DAC involved. It could be that you are not that much of a critical listener. Probably a good thing as you can save money all the while enjoying the music which should be the point but is sometimes lost on those in the pursuit of the best sound possible.

Well. it's impossible to create a true live , indistinguishable sound in your living room, regardless of your system or speakers. Why? Because you are always going to be able to tell the difference if a band is playing in front of you, or the "best" sound system out there. You simply can create the same exact sound, and impact. Any one with tin ears could tell the difference in a blind test.
The best you can do, is have your system 'disappear', and you can concentrate on the music, rather then concentrating on your system reproducing the music.
Having said that, if your system is of high enough resolution, you could benefit from the new Schitt Modi Uber for sure, well see if their is a difference in the Mutibit.
There is also system matching taking into consideration. The fuller bass of the new Modi Uber might not be up to everyones taste, It's not loose by any means, tight, yet full, but some people like their bass extremely lean. If so, the earlier Schitt Modi Uber would be the ticket. And probably a great match up to a tube amp/preamp.