Schiit Modius Balanced DAC Review

[Ultor]

Wouhouhouh!
Glad I didn't order my stack with modius and monolith

Can't wait for Amir's measurements

 

[T.M.Noble]

For those who have the Modius and want a matching fully balanced amp with the same chassis and much better pot than the Magni Heresy:

https://www.schiit.com/products/magnius

@T.M.Noble Are you sending one to Amir for review and measurements?

Amir was the first person outside of Schiit to receive a Magnius. I imagine the review will go up today.

 

[Infernosaint]

Amir was the first person outside of Schiit to receive a Magnius. I imagine the review will go up today.

Awesome, can't wait! Though you better not make my A90 jealous. It looks fine with the Modius!

 

[T.M.Noble]

Awesome, can't wait! Though you better not make my A90 jealous. It looks fine with the Modius!

I am no homewrecker.

 

[Matias]

Amir was the first person outside of Schiit to receive a Magnius. I imagine the review will go up today.

I can see the swinging pather already.

 

[elchupahueso]

For those who have the Modius and want a matching fully balanced amp with the same chassis and much better pot than the Magni Heresy:

https://www.schiit.com/products/magnius

@T.M.Noble Are you sending one to Amir for review and measurements?

Now wait, that's interesting...

 

[Vasr]

Isn't there any stand-alone balanced crossover box to add a sub to these DACs that would split the balanced outs to affect both mains and sub?

Making the sub the crossover and routing it through the sub to the mains isn't really a viable option to most use cases and won't likely keep it balanced.

Seems like this should be an inexpensive box that does not add too much noise or distortion to the excellent outputs of these DACs and commensurate with the prices of these units.

Or alternatively, these DAC boxes could add a crossover and have a sub out as well (even if RCA).

Don't know the technology involved. So don't know if this is a technology bottleneck or market size bottleneck.

@T.M.Noble any thoughts?

PS: No, buying a $300+ miniDSP to add to the chain if one exists doesn't make sense.

 

[Matias]

Isn't there any stand-alone balanced crossover box to add a sub to these DACs that would split the balanced outs to affect both mains and sub?

Making the sub the crossover and routing it through the sub to the mains isn't really a viable option to most use cases and won't likely keep it balanced.

Seems like this should be an inexpensive box that does not add too much noise or distortion to the excellent outputs of these DACs and commensurate with the prices of these units.

Or alternatively, these DAC boxes could add a crossover and have a sub out as well (even if RCA).

Don't know the technology involved. So don't know if this is a technology bottleneck or market size bottleneck.

@T.M.Noble any thoughts?

PS: No, buying a $300+ miniDSP to add to the chain if one exists doesn't make sense.

Most recent active subs have built in variable low pass filters anyway. So out of the preamp would go full range to both the speakers and the sub, but the sub should be cut where the speakers stop, and level match them.

 

[Vasr]

Most recent active subs have built in variable low pass filters anyway. So out of the preamp would go full range to both the speakers and the sub, but the sub should be cut where the speakers stop, and level match them.

It never works well, because no main speakers I know "stop" anywhere cleanly or predictably as in a crossover slope. So the crossover region always gets messy where there is an overlap (there is either a dip or a bump).

 

[amirm]

Amir was the first person outside of Schiit to receive a Magnius. I imagine the review will go up today.

Indeed you were. Thank you very much. Here is the review: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-magnius-balanced-headphone-amp-review.15252/

 

[Ultor]

Amir was the first person outside of Schiit to receive a Magnius. I imagine the review will go up today.

Review is up, what do you think about it ?

I'm seriously considering taking your stack, I must admit, and the test is more than positive on the "balanced" part, just the SE part that makes me grind my teeth a bit :/

Edit: Amir just replied to a comment about this, for me it was clear, this stack will be mine

Edit 2 : Any advice to order from France without having to call my bank ?
I previously buy the Modi/Vali 2 stack, and custom fees made me cry xD

 

[T.M.Noble]

Review is up, what do you think about it ?

I'm seriously considering taking your stack, I must admit, and the test is more than positive on the "balanced" part, just the SE part that makes me grind my teeth a bit :/

I was a design choice. We have an SE amp that performs for cheaper and we were trying to aggressively hit a very specific price point. Plus we didn't like how the Se sounded summed. You will not find an amp with that power in an all metal chassis with that good of a pot and balanced at anywhere near that price.

 

[Ultor]

I was a design choice. We have an SE amp that performs for cheaper and we were trying to aggressively hit a very specific price point. Plus we didn't like how the Se sounded summed. You will not find an amp with that power in an all metal chassis with that good of a pot and balanced at anywhere near that price.

Noted, I've already modified my message by the way

 

[pocoloco]

I'm having this sporadic issue where the modius doesn't output sound after my macbook wakes up. Even though the macbook recognizes the modius, I usually have to unplug/replug at the dac to get output. This doesn't happen with my other Topping and Schiit dacs. Thoughts?

 

[Ellie]

I too am having some interesting experiences with my Modius.

I was previously using a Scarlett Solo as a DAC by using the Line Outs in the back into my Monolith 887, and it sounded really good, very detailed to my HD6XX's.

When I plugged in my Modius, it seemed more.. deadened? I dunno how to explain it, but a lot of what I was hearing before I kind of can't now, even when matched for volume. I'll have to do some testing, I ordered cables so I can swap between them easily and listen closely, but those won't get here till Friday.

Does the Scarlett Solo do something to its output that's different, considering that the Modius is supposed to measure super clean and transparent? I can't really find a review on its outputs here, only a brief look at the internals of the 2i2.

 

[Xenio]

Hello,

I like schiit products cuz I'm dumb, I like their design etc. I know I shouldn't choose because of that but ... well, not everyone is perfect

I have been using a schiit bifrost 1st gen (neither multibit nor 4490) since like 6 years, and apparently it's not really good... well I believe you guys. And apparently upgrading it to multibit or whatever is stupid... Okay
Hard to say if it's good or bad since I basically never used any other DAC since then. Always plugged to my speakers and headphone amp...

I use a schiit magni that my GF offered me... not really fan of it honestly... (I have a HD 600)

So I'm pretty happy to see that there are still good products from them, but is this Modius still interesting if you can't (in the near future at least) use the balanced part of it ?
Same for the Magnius ? EDIT: "Performance using 1/4 inch headphone is ordinary from measurement point of view so I don't recommend getting it just to use it that way although the benefit of XLR input remains. " Saw this for the magnius...

Seems like they are the "best" schiit products no ? Even if I had a higher budget ?
I saw the Bifrost Multibitthingydumbthing review, and it isn't appealing lol. But it's not the same version as the current one which has balanced output ? They don't use the same Multibit, now it's "true multibit" lol, so maybe it's better. Are there any review from you guys ? Don't think it's going to be an interesting DAC anyway, but the review should be interesting. And I struggle finding my way here since I'm new.



.... Maybe I'll just buy a Topping DAC or smth when I'll change my current DAC .... Same for the amp

 

[Veri]

So I'm pretty happy to see that there are still good products from them, but is this Modius still interesting if you can't (in the near future at least) use the balanced part of it ?
Same for the Magnius ? EDIT: "Performance using 1/4 inch headphone is ordinary from measurement point of view so I don't recommend getting it just to use it that way although the benefit of XLR input remains. " Saw this for the magnius...

The Modius in any case is a solid DAC, be it from RCA or XLR output. The Magnius however, does not have too good single ended performance, which Schiit themselves admit. It shines as a budget XLR amplifier. If you won't use it balanced outputs, I would recommend a cheaper amp like magni heresy or topping L30. Because why get magnius to just use an SE output that cheaper amps offer, too, and do it better at that.

 

[Xenio]

>topping L30

It's funny because i've just recommended to a friend the L30 and the E30 DAC for his new HD 600, I should just recommend this to myself too maybe lol

>Because why get magnius to just use an SE output that cheaper amps offer, too, and do it better at that.

Apparently if my DAC and amp support balanced signal, the only thing I need to do to use it with my HD 600 is to buy some cables no ? It doesn't seem that much expensive too. So I could either buy the cables right away, or wait a bit and know that whenever I want I can buy the cables and go balanced.
So I was thinking "sell my shit bifrost and magni and buy modius/magnius + balanced cables", wouldn't cost me too much and I could try balanced audio.

Or maybe balanced audio isn't that worth ?

 

[Veri]

Apparently if my DAC and amp support balanced signal, the only thing I need to do to use it with my HD 600 is to buy some cables no ? It doesn't seem that much expensive too. So I could either buy the cables right away, or wait a bit and know that whenever I want I can buy the cables and go balanced.
So I was thinking "sell my shit bifrost and magni and buy modius/magnius + balanced cables", wouldn't cost me too much and I could try balanced audio.

Or maybe balanced audio isn't that worth ?

Yep you are correct all you need is the balanced HD6- series cable. PS you don't strictly need a balanced DAC, you could totally use bifrost and magnius. SE DAC into balanced amp can still do balanced, albeit with less max power output.

 

[raindance]

https://www.analogplanet.com/content/schiit’s-199-modius-dac-total-schiit