Recent DAC purchase underwhelming

[rog2020]

I recently purchased the Schiit Modi and Magni DAC/Amp combo because my current PC soundcard, Soundblaster-Z, does not want to work with Linux. My thought was that since the digital output of the Soundblaster does work in Linux, I could use that and send to a DAC to listen to my headphones. When I'm in Windows, I would use the Soundblaster analog output.

I'm pretty disappointed in the sound I get out of the Schiit setup. It's really not even comparable to the Soundblaster, which I think sounds great. I'm a newbie when it comes to audio and DAC's, so I guess my question is am I doing something wrong here? I am using Audioquest Evergreen RCA cables, which look like good quality. My headphones are Sennheiser HD280 pro.

If I went with a different DAC, can I expect to get anything similar to the sound I get with the Soundblaster?

Thanks

 

[A Surfer]

Provide more detail please, exact OS and the full signal chain. That will help people. I can't imagine that the Soundblaster-Z would sound better than the Modi. Which Modi version by the way. Welcome to the community.

 

[raif71]

Yes, welcome to ASR. If I understand you correctly, I'd would bypass the soundblaster digital out and connect straight from PC usb to the Modi usb in.

 

[rog2020]

OS: Windows 10 64-bit

Sound card: Soundblaster-Z

TOSLINK: KabelDirekt – 10 feet – Optical Digital Audio Cable (Fiber Optic, TOSLINK, Male to Male, Home Theater, Gold Plated, for Playstation/PS4 & Xbox – Pro Series)

Modi 3+

Audio quest Evergreen RCA Male to RCA Male Cable 1.97 ft.

Magni ( not sure the version, purchased 5 days ago)

Sennheiser 1/4" Adapter - 549346 Authentic Genuine Universal 6.35mm Adapter Jack - 3.5mm (1/8 Inch) to (1/4 Inch)

Sennheiser HD 280 pro

Im using the provided power adapters for the Modi and Magni.


I suppose I could try testing using my onboard soundcard digital output.

 

[rog2020]

Alright, I tried the PC USB to the Modi USB in and it does sound much better, louder even. Can a fiber cable cause sound issues? I was under the assumption digital is digital especially when traveling over fiber? I suppose it could be the Soundblaster digital out that is the issue as well.

With that being said, something still sounds a little off compared to the Soundblaster. Maybe I'm just used to the sound and that's the style I like, but things like voice and symbols crashing don't seem as clear. I'm listening to flac files, Avengend Sevenfold - Roman Sky, which is like a long crescendo, and it just sounds lacking when the end hits on the Schiit setup. Unfortunately, I think I'm going to return it and bang my head on trying to get the Soundblaster working in Linux.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Budgeter]

Alright, I tried the PC USB to the Modi USB in and it does sound much better, louder even. Can a fiber cable cause sound issues? I was under the assumption digital is digital especially when traveling over fiber? I suppose it could be the Soundblaster digital out that is the issue as well.

With that being said, something still sounds a little off compared to the Soundblaster. Maybe I'm just used to the sound and that's the style I like, but things like voice and symbols crashing don't seem as clear. I'm listening to flac files, Avengend Sevenfold - Roman Sky, which is like a long crescendo, and it just sounds lacking when the end hits on the Schiit setup. Unfortunately, I think I'm going to return it and bang my head on trying to get the Soundblaster working in Linux.

Thanks for the help!

Digital to digital can still be a mess if a hardware implementation is somehow broken, I would say this is an edge case and rarely happens though. My guess is that you are used to the sound of your current setup. Personally, I used to own Sound Blaster Omni 5.1 DAC/AMP for several years until I changed to new stuffs. When I move on to Fiio E10k, D10 + Atom, I initially feel the new setups are much worse.

After a while, I conclude that new gears are better than my old SB card. The funny thing is, unless a person has a good or trained ear (E.g: musician), I don't think s/he can form a baseline for what "good" sound is. For me, what if I start from E10k and go back to SB card? I don't know, maybe I will think SB is better then.

In short, if you think the product is not good, then just return it for a peace of mind. Unless you are willing to keep the gears no matter they are good or bad to have new experience.

 

[AnalogSteph]

The Windows drivers of SB cards of this generation tend to come with all kinds of DSP crap turned on by default, including a severe bass boost. That's the first thing I disabled on the Audigy FX. If that wasn't done previously, you may be comparing apples and oranges.

BTW, a years-old, fairly mainstream card like the SB Z still isn't supported by Linux? Bummer. I wouldn't have thought it would be this hard.