Modi Multibit: Multibit for the masses.

I finally got my Modi Multibit and it's warm since about 2 hours and goddamn. Schiit (and SBAF''s people) doing God's work. This is the real deal. I only paid 300 Bucks for a high end DAC. You beautiful people.

Damn you Merv you magificient man

 

Awesome. What were you using before?

 

This Merv guy sounds amazing. I want to know him.

 

Vali 2 waiting with baited breath for Modi Multibit to arrive for my bedroom rig. Going to be slumming it with the phone for a few days.

 

I recently got the Modi Multibit. Will be testing a few things first before I ask questions.

 

Anyone notice that Marvey's post about waiting a few months for a Schiit USB product disappeared? I wonder if the item got axed and if it had anything to do with Schiit's "Manhattan" and "Cthulu". Just curious.

 

Schiit doesn't like to talk specifics about unreleased products, so maybe Marv took it down in deference to that. Either way, I think the tactful thing would be to let it go until there is an official announcement.

 

Just placed an order for a Modi Multibit and a Wyrd. Going to be my first Schiit DAC, interesting to see how well it pairs with a Valhalla 2.

Sales in the EU seem to be good, last shipment to Schiit-Europe sold out in a day or so.

EDIT: Adding some EU Schiit related thoughts/observations.

In most countries here - especially in Scandinavia - shipping costs are generally quite high. Also as Schiit is mostly a direct sales company, the two dealers here have to add a certain margin to the costs to make it worth their while. Examples: Modi Multibit is currently 300 euros (+50) and Bifrost Multibit 690 euros (+90e) without shipping. That being said, it´s still a fair deal as they are obviously operating under way lower margins than what is typical in high end audio. If Schiit were a traditional dealer network (i.e. sold everywhere like Audeze etc.) oriented company their stuff would cost 50% to 100% more.

Why am I writing this? Because this has an effect on the EU value proposition of the Schiit DAC lineup. The Bifrost is a much better deal there in the US where you can buy it cheaper and most importantly upgrade it much cheaper. If these reports that the Modi Multibit is extremely close to Bifrost Multibit performance (and some seem to prefer it) are indeed true, the Modi Multibit makes the current Bifrost Multibit version almost obsolete in the EU. Since upgrading is much more expensive here anyway, for us it easier to just eventually sell the Modi Multibit and buy another DAC. Plus cheap (for high end audio) gear like the Modi Multibit tends to keep a larger percentage of its value and is easier to sell in the second hand market. For example here in Finland I will very likely be able to eventually sell the Modi Multibit in a day or two for 175-200 euros.

Ideal EU strategy from a value perspective? Buy a Modi Multibit now and stick with it until you can jump straight to a Gungnir Multibit or the Bifrost Multibit is updated to a new model that is clearly superior to the Modi Multibit (it´s bound to happen eventually).

Last but not least, +1 to Schiit for making gear that cannibalizes their existing products. It´s a sign of a good company that genuinely cares for technological progress. Cheaper gear performing more or less the same as more expensive existing stuff is just how progress works. It happens all the time everywhere in consumer electronics, but for some odd reason it´s still quite rare in audio!

PS: Now I understand why people like to use the nicknames (Moby, Modi Multibit) instead...

EDIT 2: Got an offer for a high end D/S DAC (my take on the whole D/S vs. R2R thing is that high end versions of both do some things better than the other) that I just couldn´t refuse, so cancelled the Modi Multibit order after all. I´ll perhaps buy one later though just out of curiosity to hear what a multibit DAC at this low price range can sound like.

 

Wondering if I should bother with a Wyrd/Regen for the Modi Multibit, or is the USB just hopeless (compared to coax)?

 

The Regen has been a worthwhile investment for me on the Bifrost. Certainly can't hurt to give it a shot.

 

I ask because Modi Multibit is noticeably inferior with USB vs. SPDIF. Not sure if that's the case with the Bifrost Multibit.

 

Devices like the Wyrd and Regen are intended to clean up USB from the transmitting side. Not saying you won't notice improvements, but I don't suspect they will do as many favors for DACs with poor USB implementation (which is like, 95% of DACs on the market) when clean USB power is already in place from your digital source.

Considering the Regen is already half of the cost of the Modi Multibit, you would be better off investing in a non-USB source that won't break the bank and will work with future upgrades as well. There are many resources on here already about non-USB alternatives. FWIW I think the Modi Multibit is good enough to make this a worthwhile investment, just not from the USB de-fuckification angle.

Hope this helps.

 

Agree with @k4rstar above.
Stay away from going down the USB-clean-up-circles-of-hell-pathway , it doesn't ever stop

Read the first post here: http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...crapifiers-pro-interfaces-and-bears-oh-my.62/

Edit: the whole damn thread is actually a really helpful one, spanning over a long time it's really digging deep in to the what's and how's and why's of USB audio.

 

Yeah, Modi Multibit is so cheap, it doesn't make sense to add anything to it, although the Wyrd is cheap enough for it not to make much of a dent. But as was said, it wont make the Modi Multibit's USB perform better. Thanks.

 

Correct. I think there's a clear distinction between "sounds better" and "sounds different" that often is confused in this hobby.
When it comes to Modi Multibit, which I also own, I agree that the USB performance is not fantastic but the best solution might not be to go mad into USB-clean-up. Personally I had an Audiophilleo2 USB-S/PDIF converter that I bought during the dark times of believing and buying every USB-gizmo out there, and I believe it does the trick for Modi MB. But I'm not sure it's a case of sounding better or sounding different. Maybe it's more of a political statement: "NO NO USB MUST GO!"

 

At $600, it's good your probably had it around before Modi Multibit. Or did you buy it specifically for Modi Multibit?

 

I used the SPDIF pins on my mobo to add a coaxial output for my Modi Multibit and I've been happy with it. The little SPDIF board with the output cost me $13.

 

I bought it used for half price to use with the Linnenberg DAC I had at the time during a true USB nervosa period. Then went to Linn Klimax streamer so it got obsolete and I didn't manage to get it sold. Then I bought the Modi MB when it launched to use as a second system and figured I would put the AP to use. Not sure if it does any good but I just left it there. After selling the Klimax I bought Yggdrasil and the AP didn't do shit there.

A couple of tests back and forth tells me AP is better than USB for Modi MB but it would've been madness to buy the converter just for this purpose. Maybe any converter would do an equally good job...

 

There are some decent lower cost USB->SPDIF converters now available which all do a decent job. I also own a AP2 that I bought 2nd hand, but bought that initially to connect my AVR to my laptop, but now using it with my Theta DAC. I would already go with the coax input just for the consistency over the equivalent USB inputs which seem to vary depending on what you plug it into.

 

While we're on the subject, I've had the Modi Multibit now for about a month, and I've been using USB out of my 2009 Macbook Pro until yesterday. I decided to try optical, even though I've heard bad things about the Macbook optical implementation. Even with the poor implementation, I've heard great benefits, especially in imaging. It's much more expansive and I can more easily place where specific sounds come from.

I'll eventually pick up a USB to Optical converter, but I'm content with my setup for now. The Modi Multibit is absolutely fantastic for its price!