Schiit Modius Balanced DAC Review

[A Surfer]

Can get a BT receiver pretty cheap with spdif out, and just feed it to an unused dac input.
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p...DMkwwcuZnXPnXoOrYa1B47Twje5wHd74aAkLPEALw_wcB

I had thought about that, but I am ultimately more comfortable with the Bluetooth being baked into the device itself. I have used external Bluetooth dongles before for various applications. Great suggestion though, thank you.

 

[Dana reed]

I had thought about that, but I am ultimately more comfortable with the Bluetooth being baked into the device itself. I have used external Bluetooth dongles before for various applications. Great suggestion though, thank you.

Myself, if I was going to use BT as a regular thing in my home system, I'd rather have it either as a separate box, or as an upgradeable module so that when bluetooth improves, it can be replaced without junking the rest of the DAC. I honestly don't use it at home though, since I have Roon. The only place I use bluetooth is on the portable speaker I lug around the lab at work

 

[tomstoll]

i just ordered one to pair with my node 2i. will compare it against the denon x3600 internal DAC.

 

[A Surfer]

Myself, if I was going to use BT as a regular thing in my home system, I'd rather have it either as a separate box, or as an upgradeable module so that when bluetooth improves, it can be replaced without junking the rest of the DAC. I honestly don't use it at home though, since I have Roon. The only place I use bluetooth is on the portable speaker I lug around the lab at work

For me, I already find Bluetooth to be audibly transparent so from a sound quality standpoint I am not really thinking there is room to improve. Not that I buy for short term use typically, but I think down the road when the M400 becomes more affordable I will grab that, in the meantime the SMSL M200 will do. I really, really, really hope that Schiit see the writing on the wall and make Bluetooth available, even as an option for their DACs. I owned the original Gungnir, Asgard 2 and a Valhalla so I do like Schiit stuff. I am even more likely to support them again now that Amir's holding their feet to the fire has worked and the engineering has improved. For those who don't care about Bluetooth this I suspect is going to be an amazing DAC.

 

[rickyhgarcia]

This test and its results are great. First, a US-made affordable DAC that measures at the top of the performance index. Second, a popular brand of hifi equipment that took seriously what this forum is all about. I was about to buy an Okto DAC-8 Stereo or an RME ADI-2 DAC (would never consider a Chinese anything), but this test shifted my interest into Schiit again (I also own a Mani phono preamp). Granted, this unit is minimalist compared to Okto and RME, but it will be connected to a high end Audio Research tube preamp, so I only need a DAC. Good work Schiit!!

 

[Steve Dallas]

Can get a BT receiver pretty cheap with spdif out, and just feed it to an unused dac input.
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p...DMkwwcuZnXPnXoOrYa1B47Twje5wHd74aAkLPEALw_wcB

Ouch! I wish that had been available, when I bought this:

https://smile.amazon.com/Upgraded-B...ild=1&keywords=bludento&qid=1591662651&sr=8-3

It works reliably and sounds completely transparent via its digital outs. The built-in DAC sounds about like your average CD player.

There are a lot of decent options out there now for solid BT receivers implementing aptX HD.

 

[A Surfer]

This test and its results are great. First, a US-made affordable DAC that measures at the top of the performance index. Second, a popular brand of hifi equipment that took seriously what this forum is all about. I was about to buy an Okto DAC-8 Stereo or an RME ADI-2 DAC (would never consider a Chinese anything), but this test shifted my interest into Schiit again (I also own a Mani phono preamp). Granted, this unit is minimalist compared to Okto and RME, but it will be connected to a high end Audio Research tube preamp, so I only need a DAC. Good work Schiit!!

Why would you not consider a Chinese anything? If for instance you are American, a massive degree of American wealth is firmly rooted in China. In fact, arguably America is extremely responsible for helping China rise to economic ascendency as people voted with their wallets and told domestic companies that they could sell more product by producing it overseas (China predominantly). Some of the very finest technological production possible on this planet is done in China and I would bet dollars to dimes that China has far more, and more technically sophisticated production facilities as well as a massive pool of skilled labour than is found in the US now. I know that it wasn't always this way, and China was just supposed to be a drone producer and never rise to such power. I remember talking to a distributor for Creek Audio who told me frankly that there were more problems and returns with the upper line of Creek gear that was still made in England than there was with the lines moved to China. Take a look around the house and see how many things that you use are made in China. Why are audio products not acceptable?

 

[Angsty]

Why would you not consider a Chinese anything? ... Why are [Chinese] audio products not acceptable?

I can’t speak for @rickyhgarcia, but I do prefer to support domestic small businesses, when I can, to drive jobs and GDP.

I would (and do) buy Chinese audio gear, but when I have the chance to buy superior or equivalent goods manufactured domestically, I choose to do so. My rationale is that if domestic buyers don’t support audio entrepreneurship, it can be harder for domestic players to compete globally. I’d hate to see the US lose all of its high-end audio manufacturing prowess, as has happened in other industries.

I own a VPI turntable, a Sutherland phono, Grado headphones, a Schitt DAC, BJC cables and Thiel loudspeakers, all products of domestic innovation from small businesses. I also own components from Canada, the UK, Japan, Denmark, and China for the particular strengths they bring.

Part of my interest in the Modius is that it is a very competitive DAC, manufactured in the US.

 

[A Surfer]

@Angsty

Thanks for the thoughtful reply, and I most certainly agree that when possible, and reasonable, support local/domestic production. And my apology to the community for what is a lengthy off-topic post. I promise to not do this as a pattern. As I have said before, I have purchased 3 Schiit products in the past and quite a few from other parts of the world, and recently quite a bit from China. In all sincerity economics factor into many of those buying decisions, but not all of them. As I mentioned several times (my apology for the repetition) I do find that domestic companies are slower to embrace newer features such as Bluetooth, which is a shame. I am very much looking forward to buying another Schiit product, and I know it will happen again, but each time I consider doing so a Chinese company has done a better job delivering the features that I am most interested in, and of course the lower price is icing on the cake as I am not at all well off so discretionary spending on audio gear is quite a luxury.

I also think that we in the west have to just take our hats off to China and admit that they make many, many things extremely well. The China that many people rip on was a decade ago and longer when the quality of production and quality control/customer service was rather poor. For the most part that has all changed. If an audio firm wants to make their gear in China while also building the very best quality possible they can find the factories and companies to do so. Sure there is garbage production as well (domestic production can be garbage as well) but it seems to me that many people simply assume that goods from China are somehow inferior by default, and that has not been remotely my experience. Heck look at the struggles Audeze had for years with reliability and consistency.

We also need to realize that the idea of our GDP being rooted in domestic production is a ship that literally sailed to south east Asia years ago. So many American companies and domestic jobs are completely reliant on manufacturing overseas that it is best to consider GDP as a distributed entity and not domestically bound. Even if a country like America wanted to bring the jobs home it would take years and billions and billions of dollars in new factories, retrofits of existing factories and the training of a labour force who would have to work for far less than they once did. Then on top of that the extreme environmental degradation that China has endured, and it is unbelievably extreme, would suddenly become America's problem. Not so sure many American's would want the jobs back. Anyway, long and unwanted ramble, again my apology to the community, just to say that we all created China, and China has risen to a level that needs to be acknowledged. I don't think in the history of the world that any other nation has produced so much, so quickly, and that likely even includes wartime era production levels, but I'm not positive of that.

 

[Racheski]

@Angsty

Thanks for the thoughtful reply, and I most certainly agree that when possible, and reasonable, support local/domestic production. And my apology to the community for what is a lengthy off-topic post. I promise to not do this as a pattern. As I have said before, I have purchased 3 Schiit products in the past and quite a few from other parts of the world, and recently quite a bit from China. In all sincerity economics factor into many of those buying decisions, but not all of them. As I mentioned several times (my apology for the repetition) I do find that domestic companies are slower to embrace newer features such as Bluetooth, which is a shame. I am very much looking forward to buying another Schiit product, and I know it will happen again, but each time I consider doing so a Chinese company has done a better job delivering the features that I am most interested in, and of course the lower price is icing on the cake as I am not at all well off so discretionary spending on audio gear is quite a luxury.

I also think that we in the west have to just take our hats off to China and admit that they make many, many things extremely well. The China that many people rip on was a decade ago and longer when the quality of production and quality control/customer service was rather poor. For the most part that has all changed. If an audio firm wants to make their gear in China while also building the very best quality possible they can find the factories and companies to do so. Sure there is garbage production as well (domestic production can be garbage as well) but it seems to me that many people simply assume that goods from China are somehow inferior by default, and that has not been remotely my experience. Heck look at the struggles Audeze had for years with reliability and consistency.

We also need to realize that the idea of our GDP being rooted in domestic production is a ship that literally sailed to south east Asia years ago. So many American companies and domestic jobs are completely reliant on manufacturing overseas that it is best to consider GDP as a distributed entity and not domestically bound. Even if a country like America wanted to bring the jobs home it would take years and billions and billions of dollars in new factories, retrofits of existing factories and the training of a labour force who would have to work for far less than they once did. Then on top of that the extreme environmental degradation that China has endured, and it is unbelievably extreme, would suddenly become America's problem. Not so sure many American's would want the jobs back. Anyway, long and unwanted ramble, again my apology to the community, just to say that we all created China, and China has risen to a level that needs to be acknowledged. I don't think in the history of the world that any other nation has produced so much, so quickly, and that likely even includes wartime era production levels, but I'm not positive of that.

Well said. The poster stating, “would never buy a Chinese anything” came off at best misinformed, and at worst xenophobic.

 

[rebbiputzmaker]

Well said. The poster stating, “would never buy a Chinese anything” came off at best misinformed, and at worst xenophobic.

Now I think you are really out of line! He knew exactly what he was saying. He researched everything and posted his message using his iPhone.

 

[MichaelP]

i just ordered one to pair with my node 2i. will compare it against the denon x3600 internal DAC.

Report back on how this works out. Sounds like we're both pairing a Node 2i with the Modius. Curious how all three compare.

I received my Modius today and did an A/B comparison between the Node 2i standalone and Node 2i + Modius. Both are going into a 2 channel preamp (Adcom GFP-750). Node 2i to unbalanced connections, Modius to balanced. The Modius is definitely louder, tried as best I could with matching levels. All that said, to my ears, I really can't discern much of difference in the 2 channel system. I think I'm hitting some diminishing returns here. Maybe my listening room sucks. Or perhaps my system isn't resolving enough. This might be more-so the case. Keep reading..

Next I compared the two using headphones. That 2 channel preamp -> Schiit Magni -> Sennheiser HD-650. Yeah, for sure a difference. More detail and resolution. Pretty convinced it's a step up from whatever is going on with the Node 2i.

 

[Asylum Seeker]

I can’t speak for @rickyhgarcia, but I do prefer to support domestic small businesses, when I can, to drive jobs and GDP.

I would (and do) buy Chinese audio gear, but when I have the chance to buy superior or equivalent goods manufactured domestically, I choose to do so. My rationale is that if domestic buyers don’t support audio entrepreneurship, it can be harder for domestic players to compete globally. I’d hate to see the US lose all of its high-end audio manufacturing prowess, as has happened in other industries.

I own a VPI turntable, a Sutherland phono, Grado headphones, a Schitt DAC, BJC cables and Thiel loudspeakers, all products of domestic innovation from small businesses. I also own components from Canada, the UK, Japan, Denmark, and China for the particular strengths they bring.

Part of my interest in the Modius is that it is a very competitive DAC, manufactured in the US.

When you buy American only, you are engaging in protectionism. You are protecting American manufacturers from competition. Which means that they have less pressure to innovate and be efficient, which means that they become less competitive, which means eventually they go out of business or you end up subsidising inefficiency or outdated tech, which ultimately does the US and its people no good. Let the US exit this relatively low tech niche and focus on high value added, high wage technology. The path to hell is paved with good intentions. You are not doing anyone any favors ultimately. Sorry to burst your populist bubble.

 

[solderdude]

When someone buys 'local' or 'own country' products only he/she/it is merely limiting him/her/its own choices based on personal beliefs while being convinced he/she/it is doing the right thing.
It's a life choice everyone is free to make for themselves.
No need to get in a knot over someones personal decisions.

 

[bboris77]

There are some advantages to buying locally or at least within the same continent. An obvious one is the speed of shipping and ease of sending back things if you don’t like them or for repairs. I am in Canada and while I prefer buying from the US, import and extra shipping charges as well the exchange rates put a bit of a damper on this. There are a few Canada-based manufacturers (Tom Christiansen) but nothing the size of Schiit, Audeze or JDS Labs.

Topping has done a smart thing by going through Amazon.ca since this simplifies purchases/returns for Canadians. I would be hesitant to order directly from China because of shipping delays although I have heard they have gotten a lot better.

At the end of the day, I have no ideological preference towards buying from any country. I used to believe that US-made products have a better quality control but that myth got quickly dispelled after buying a few Gibson guitars. Plus, the Chinese companies have really stepped up their QC.

Where I see the American companies still have an edge is the originality of design and engineering and being able to sell a story behind it. This forum has been instrumental in ensuring that the story is at least grounded in reality.

Competition can only be a good thing for the end user as the last few years have shown.

 

[EchoChamber]

Looks like the Modius is the Schiit DAC to have in 2020. I just ordered one for my office/desk system, but will be comparing it with the stellar D90 MQA now living in my main speaker system. $200 for a balanced DAC showing a good SINAD is hard to beat.

 

[tomstoll]

Report back on how this works out. Sounds like we're both pairing a Node 2i with the Modius. Curious how all three compare.

I received my Modius today and did an A/B comparison between the Node 2i standalone and Node 2i + Modius. Both are going into a 2 channel preamp (Adcom GFP-750). Node 2i to unbalanced connections, Modius to balanced. The Modius is definitely louder, tried as best I could with matching levels. All that said, to my ears, I really can't discern much of difference in the 2 channel system. I think I'm hitting some diminishing returns here. Maybe my listening room sucks. Or perhaps my system isn't resolving enough. This might be more-so the case. Keep reading..

Next I compared the two using headphones. That 2 channel preamp -> Schiit Magni -> Sennheiser HD-650. Yeah, for sure a difference. More detail and resolution. Pretty convinced it's a step up from whatever is going on with the Node 2i.

i also bought a S.M.S.L Sanskrit 10th MK II H for my desktop setup to pair with my audioengine a5+ to replace a monolith usb dac that has a fair bit ok background noise. will see if it makes any difference.

 

[A Surfer]

Report back on how this works out. Sounds like we're both pairing a Node 2i with the Modius. Curious how all three compare.

I received my Modius today and did an A/B comparison between the Node 2i standalone and Node 2i + Modius. Both are going into a 2 channel preamp (Adcom GFP-750). Node 2i to unbalanced connections, Modius to balanced. The Modius is definitely louder, tried as best I could with matching levels. All that said, to my ears, I really can't discern much of difference in the 2 channel system. I think I'm hitting some diminishing returns here. Maybe my listening room sucks. Or perhaps my system isn't resolving enough. This might be more-so the case. Keep reading..

Next I compared the two using headphones. That 2 channel preamp -> Schiit Magni -> Sennheiser HD-650. Yeah, for sure a difference. More detail and resolution. Pretty convinced it's a step up from whatever is going on with the Node 2i.

I also run a two channel system and headphones (HiFi Man Edition X V2, Pioneer SE Monitor 5, Klipsch HP-3, Verum One) and for certain headphone listening will reveal quite a bit more detail. It is the nature of the beast as essentially you are strapping a pair of speakers to your ears! I have some pretty nice speakers and they are driven quite well, but even though they are setup nicely in a nearfield listening environment they still can't bring the level of detail out that headphones can. Assuming of course that the headphone is driven adequately and itself capable of good audio reproduction.

 

[A Surfer]

Now I think you are really out of line! He knew exactly what he was saying. He researched everything and posted his message using his iPhone.

LOL

 

[Asylum Seeker]

When someone buys 'local' or 'own country' products only he/she/it is merely limiting him/her/its own choices based on personal beliefs while being convinced he/she/it is doing the right thing.
It's a life choice everyone is free to make for themselves.
No need to get in a knot over someones personal decisions.

Yes, but sometimes 'personal decisions' - and they are all ultimately personal decisions -are made on the basis of faulty assumptions or flawed logic. And they can be self-defeating and injurious to others. This is an objectivist forum, ain't it? We debate ideas, concepts, right? Don't appreciate your, panty knot, stifling of discussion comment.