Schiit Modius Balanced DAC Review

[elchupahueso]

So Modius or Soncoz LA-QXD1?

I struggled with that exact question. I ended up with the Modius because it didn't have to come from the other side of the planet, shipping was cheaper/faster. I regret nothing. The modius has been fantastic for me since i got it. It also ticked all the right boxes for me without any extra stuff I didn't want. I also got it in black so it was matchy/matchy with my Denon receiver.

 

[EchoChamber]

So Modius or Soncoz LA-QXD1?

My vote also goes for the Modius (I have one). In terms of product design, the Schiit has an edge and is a properly designed product. The Soncoz looks more like a hack, it looks like they used an existing case designed for a different product and made a DAC out of it. The icons on the buttons don’t make any sense...

 

[Racheski]

I’d say it would come down to aesthetic preference, shipping cost to your location, etc. I like the Modius’ ability to run off USB power, eliminating an extra cable.

If you’re in North America, it would probably be a lot easier to get warranty service if anything goes wrong. It looks like Schiit has a two-year warranty and Soncoz only has one year of support.

Cmon man, the Soncoz runs off a better USB type for power, type-C.

my advice is neither. The SMSL M300 MKII is $40 more, has bluetooth 5.0, a digital display, a better d/s chip, a remote, and Balanced output. Also comes in 3 colors.

 

[Theriverlethe]

Cmon man, the Soncoz runs off a better USB type for power, type-C.

my advice is neither. The SMSL M300 MKII is $40 more, has bluetooth 5.0, a digital display, a better d/s chip, a remote, and Balanced output. Also comes in 3 colors.

How is USB-C a “better type for power?” It’s just a different connector. In this case, two connectors instead of one.

 

[Theriverlethe]

Cmon man, the Soncoz runs off a better USB type for power, type-C.

my advice is neither. The SMSL M300 MKII is $40 more, has bluetooth 5.0, a digital display, a better d/s chip, a remote, and Balanced output. Also comes in 3 colors.

For $40 you could put a piCorePlayer together and run Modius off the USB port.

 

[turbotuff]

advice is neither. The SMSL M300 MKII is $40 more, has bluetooth 5.0, a digital display, a better d/s chip, a remote, and Balanced output. Also comes in 3 colors.

Looks like it doesn't have a Toslink input?

 

[Theriverlethe]

Looks like it doesn't have a Toslink input?

It has a 3.5mm combo jack.

 

[Theriverlethe]

How does the unison usb compared as a usb input vs the gen 5 usb input to an Eitr and then to a Modi in regards to noise/jitter elimination?

I never experimented with the Schiit Eitr, but I can say Modius is very well-filtered from USB power. If I set Asgard 3 to max volume in high gain with my LCD-2 (easily capable of 130dB SPL) and generate a very low level test tone to prevent the DAC from muting, I don't hear any noise but the tone. When I fire up Furmark's GPU stress test and cup my hands over the earcups, I can hear a small amount of PSU noise. I'd say it's below -110dB, so completely inaudible under normal circumstances.

 

[Racheski]

For $40 you could put a piCorePlayer together and run Modius off the USB port.

You could do the same thing with the SMSL M300 MkII, and have a remote

 

[Racheski]

How is USB-C a “better type for power?” It’s just a different connector. In this case, two connectors instead of one.

That was worded poorly on my part. They both will supply power just fine - most people prefer to use type-C because it doesn't matter which way you orient the connector. This was more about you stating that you prefer the Modius because it runs off USB power, while the Soncoz does the exact same thing.

 

[Theriverlethe]

That was worded poorly on my part. They both will supply power just fine - most people prefer to use type-C because it doesn't matter which way you orient the connector. This was more about you stating that you prefer the Modius because it runs off USB power, while the Soncoz does the exact same thing.

Yes, but the Soncoz requires two cables.

I don't see the point in having a remote to lose when I can just control the piCorePlayer from my phone.

 

[Racheski]

Yes, but the Soncoz requires two cables.

I don't see the point in having a remote to lose when I can just control the piCorePlayer from my phone.

Ah I see, Modius does PD and Data via USB. Soncoz still has a USB-B plug in.

I still think the SMSL is a better deal, but all 3 of these will be good.

 

[MichaelP]

Modius specs state max sample rate and bit depths are 24/192. The AKM DAC it uses apparently supports up to 32/768. Has anyone tested a higher bit depth and rate signal into the DAC? Any idea how it handles the extra data? Truncation?

 

[EchoChamber]

Modius specs state max sample rate and bit depths are 24/192. The AKM DAC it uses apparently supports up to 32/768. Has anyone tested a higher bit depth and rate signal into the DAC? Any idea how it handles the extra data? Truncation?

It shows support for 32 bit in Audio MIDI Setup:

And this is what Roon does when set to max oversample (power of 2):

 

[Theriverlethe]

Modius specs state max sample rate and bit depths are 24/192. The AKM DAC it uses apparently supports up to 32/768. Has anyone tested a higher bit depth and rate signal into the DAC? Any idea how it handles the extra data? Truncation?

The AKM4113 Spdif receiver only accepts up to 24/192 but Unison appears to support 32-bit input. I have no idea how or why you could attempt to use higher sampling rates.

 

[MichaelP]

The AKM4113 Spdif receiver only accepts up to 24/192 but Unison appears to support 32-bit input. I have no idea how or why you could attempt to use higher sampling rates.

Interesting stuff. I’m using USB. Wonder what happens with that 32-bits of data.

Regarding upsampling. Does it make any sense to upsample at all with a DAC like this? Does the AK4493 do upsampling internally? It seems to route everything through a Delta-Sigma Modulator. Anyone understand any of this stuff? See diagram: https://www.akm.com/content/dam/doc...dio-dac/ak4493eq/ak4493eq-en-productbrief.pdf

 

[Theriverlethe]

Interesting stuff. I’m using USB. Wonder what happens with that 32-bits of data.

Regarding upsampling. Does it make any sense to upsample at all with a DAC like this? Does the AK4493 do upsampling internally? It seems to route everything through a Delta-Sigma Modulator. Anyone understand any of this stuff? See diagram: https://www.akm.com/content/dam/doc...dio-dac/ak4493eq/ak4493eq-en-productbrief.pdf

It’s probably just an oversight on Schiit’s product page. You’d have to ask T.M.Noble or their tech support if you’re really curious.

Upsampling in general is pointless on the consumer side, unless you manage to screw something up to the extent that it’s audible. The spec sheet says 256x oversampling, but this is internal to the DAC chip and not something you need to worry about.

 

[Theriverlethe]

I can confirm that this unit runs off a Raspberry Pi and provides full output over XLR. The DAC case is cool to the touch. I’m not sure why Schiit doesn’t make a bigger deal of this in their marketing. Maybe energy efficiency would hurt their audiophile cred.

 

[MichaelP]

It’s probably just an oversight on Schiit’s product page. You’d have to ask T.M.Noble or their tech support if you’re really curious.

Upsampling in general is pointless on the consumer side, unless you manage to screw something up to the extent that it’s audible. The spec sheet says 256x oversampling, but this is internal to the DAC chip and not something you need to worry about.

Think I found my answer in the FAQ here:
https://www.schiit.com/products/unison-usb

What formats does Unison USB support?
PCM, up to 24/192. That's it.

 

[Theriverlethe]

Think I found my answer in the FAQ here:
https://www.schiit.com/products/unison-usb

What formats does Unison USB support?
PCM, up to 24/192. That's it.

Odd that it would report 32-bit support to the UAC2 driver, if that's the case.