Helicopter
Major Contributor
I am thinking about putting a Behringer Deq2496 between my Amazon echo link and modius with AES, and those can be found for $300-$500 new. There is a used one at Guitar center for $65.
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Schiit Modius Balanced DAC Review
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
What is some of the pro gear? Is it high dollar? And something like a CD transport?
Veri
Master Contributor
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2018
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If you don't know any "Pro" gear, where the hell do you get your claim of AES outputs starting at €800??
No, you're either looking for drama or doing your best to become the resident troll here. Unfortunately, you're not fun nor entertaining. In any case I'm not bothering with you anymore, ignored.
Yikes! On my way
Helicopter
Major Contributor
Go for it. I don't need the temptation.
I got mine used for $150... They are fun to play with. At $65 I'd buy it for a spare.
Helicopter
Major Contributor
IIRC, on his book blog Jason Stoddard indicated Schiit has something in development positioned above the Loki. I wonder if there will be a 'Lokius' with PEQ (my dreaming only) that I can put in the stack. Another reason, other than budget to wait a bit.
Helicopter
Major Contributor
They have a lot of them around 150. The older ones seem to have buttoms at right angles versus slanted buttons on the new ones. I am guessing the functiinality is pretty similar since Behringer used the same model number.
I have 2 Modius, I really like them and have no problem with the USB power. I'm no electrician but I was curious as to how the 5 volt(?) USB supply makes dual 4 volt outputs with the XLRs. You know what they say if it works, it works. I could be reading it wrong, maybe it pulls more power than that. I use the AC converter plug along with the computer line like Amir did, made more sense.
Same reason I am holding off on my next amp. I hear they have a big amp (finally) on the way and they don't tease it just appears on their site like Magnius and everything else.
That's an equalizer? I thought it was a transport for some reason. Wishful thinking on my part. Any AES transports out there for reasonable $$? I really don't want to add circuits between disc and amp.
Zensō
Major Contributor
Nope. A sighted listening test is a test done with knowledge of the equipment being compared. Testing in this manner introduces expectation bias, thus rendering the comparison mostly meaningless and also uninteresting to many people on a science forum such as this one. All subjective comparisons and reviews fall into this category.
A properly conducted blind, level-matched test, on the other hand, removes expectation bias and produces results that can be considered objective, making them useful and interesting to people here.
Here’s a good primer on expectation bias in audio if you’re interested: http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2012/04/what-we-hear.html
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Helicopter
Major Contributor
I hear from Jason Stoddard's blog, that Schiit's working on a transport too.
Other than the cables feeling nice, I am not convinced AES is any better. I would need to see data to be convimced it sounds different. I have been using this CD player's optical output, and I am happy, on the rare occasion I listen to a CD.
"Come here to have fun, be ready to be teased and not take online life too seriously."
That's the banner at the top of this site. Words to live by, as they say...
I'm not taking online life too seriously and I don't jump in and challenge others posts if they run counter to what I think. I'm open minded and I love to hear what others have to say.
Forum: a place, meeting, or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged.
Echo chamber: An environment in which a person encounters only beliefs or opinions that coincide with their own, so that their existing views are reinforced and alternative ideas are not considered.
This a forum. You are a cool and very knowledgeable guy. I love every person's input here. Especially that engineer guy from Adelaide who looks like Lex Luthor, he's the best. I feel like Mike Moffat or Dan D'Agostino are paying a visit when he chimes in. Yeah, I'm a lifelong stereo geek.
Zensō
Major Contributor
I think you’ll find that many end up here to escape the extreme subjectivism and disregard of science found on a majority of the other audio forums. Keeping that in mind will most likely make your interactions here more pleasant and fruitful.
Makes sense. I had already read a ton on the Topping D90 (not saying I had overblown expectations) so I ordered it and it didn't sound right below around 200 hz. Maybe I was accustomed to my other DACs all of which had either the ESS 9038PRO or ESS 9012 chip.
Not really saying either has a house sound, I'm told that simply cannot be true since it can't be demonstrated in lab testing. But many people think so and I tend to agree, at least on this DAC after after spending weeks with it, constantly switching back and forth, day and night with my other DACs. It was better sounding in some other areas (not slightly either) but the lighter (or just different) sounding low end and mid bass was the deciding factor.
After thinking of all the glowing D90 reviews I had watched and read I kept going to the bit where the reviewer commented how the D90 'has the bass and slam'. I can't believe I didn't notice their careful parsing of words. Every DAC has bass and slam, duh! That was window dressing, an ambiguous empty statement glossing over what I found out too late.
I also notice they were ALL using KEF Q50s or the like. Can't believe I missed that. Not saying they were uttering false statements but no. That must be taken into account. You can't disconnect the tweeters in a pair of speakers then wax poetic on an amps delicate treble.
A reviewer cannot speak credibly regarding something the speakers they tested with simply cannot create. It defies logic. Now, with a caveat of granted my 5.25 woofers don't really shake the foundation, this DAC seemed to have adequate bass" would have been honest and painted a more complete picture of the DACs attributes. My Tekton Double Impacts show definition, pitch and volume below 200 hz like no other speakers I've had, even my legion of subs. Not saying DACs reviews need this degree of bass resolution but it would be cool if they did. The Tektons do NOT reveal what Magnepan 3.6 do in the rest of the spectrum. Can't have everything in one speaker I guess.
The D90 may have been the truth teller for all I know, if I had spent years living with only AKM 4499 DACs perhaps the new 9038PRO may have been the squeaky wheel getting the grease. It remains my reference till i can hear the RME ADI-2 another member here picked over many others. Or maybe if we ever get a AK4500. My Modius uses a AK4493 and it doesn't have the same issues for some reason. It can produce the same dirt and gritty texture of the ESS DACs, when it's in the material of course.
I don't know if it's been done yet but I've seen cool multi spectral imaging pics of the on / off axis performance of speakers. It would be amazing (paging Dr. Amir) to do the same thing using the same system only with different DACs, of course level matched, etc.
Then we could establish whether two different DACs, say the D90 and a W4S or SMSL M500 actually sound different is said areas, or any areas, with 'hard evidence' since our own ears fool us for a barrage of reasons apparently. DAC numbers: Good. Spectral decay proof of DAC frequency performance: Better. My money says they would not produce identical images with the same material, not just test tones although that alone might shed light on this.
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Cool, I use a Sony NS3100 DVD in one rig and a Oppo BDP 105 player in the other. I guess they do as good as any with coax digital out
It's just another way to transmit data. I've never noticed any differences between AES/EBU and spdif/toslink. In fact, most of what I've got will 'run' just fine at shorter distances running spdif into AES. Found that after getting a converter and realizing I could just use an adapter.
People don't come out of the woodwork, they respond to unfounded and unsupportable subjectivist claims that fly in the face of rationale evidence. Sorry, this is a community where objective evidence is not just desired, it is required. If you can't provide said evidence or even a substantive theoretical basis for a claim, this isn't the community to drop it in and act surprised when it doesn't go unchallenged.
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