The All Purpose Advice Thread

Im about to get a DAC and I was looking at the Modi MB, 250, a lot seem to use the Eitr also and I think I would want that as well because the only spidif on my computer is optical. 179 that puts me at 429.

Ive seen gen 5 usb Bimbys on the used market for 450. Is that a better option or are we just talking about aesthetics and wall wart management/reduction at that point, which is definitely worth considering don't get me wrong.

 

A lot of "that depends" here @loki993 .

1) Bifrost - if you can get it for $450 that's a solid deal. Upside is that I'm guessing an update will be coming out for it at some point that will raise it's performance. The Modi is what the modi is so there's no hope for future upgrades.

2) Modi/Eitr - The upside here is that if you ever sell the Modi, the Eitr can stick around and be useful with future DACs. That's not the case with the Bifrost, obviously. Some would argue that the Modi is more natural sounding than the Bifrost. I'd say this is possible depending on the pairing with other gear.

So, I suppose it comes down to how likely you are to change gear. If you think this is your DAC for the long haul (and assuming you find it for $450), I'd choose the Bifrost. If you see a DAC change at some point down the line, then go for Modi Multibit/Eitr as it gives a little more flexibility when making changes later.

If buying brand new, I'd recommend the Modi Multibit/Eitr, hands down.

Form factor is another consideration if that's important to you.

 

How is Schiit about doing upgrades to second hand gear? I'm guessing they aren't fans of the idea...

 

I wish I remembered where I read it, but Jason stated that he was fine with doing repairs on non-modded second hand gear. I would guess it would be the same for upgrades.

 

As long as DAC hasn’t been modded, I’m pretty sure they’re cool with it. There’s always been talk of the benefit of buying a used DAC with an available upgrade, sending it in and with the upgrade getting a new-to-you warranty.

ie. Buy an Uber Bifrost at a steal, send it in for the MB upgrade and Gen5 and possibly get it for less than new with a 2 year warranty.

 

Edit , Ive done some searches in a few places and it seems the going rate for a Bifrost Multibit with gen 5 is around 450.

Form factor is a bit of a concern but not so much that i would have an issue with say a magni 3 sitting on top of a bifrost. Which is the basic plan.

A Magni 3, Modi Multibit and Eitr all sitting on each other along with the mess of wall warts that comes with them is almost more bothersome to me. So the floor wart would probably be a required purchase with these 3 as well.

I am also trying to get as close to a relatively low cost solution, that still sounds good, because Im hoping there are things that could be upgraded, or released, sometime this year that I will want to get instead..but I need something now for the meantime. So I do suppose resale could be a consideration to what I buy now.

That may not be the worst idea either..it could cost more than a straight used Bifrost Multibit solution but the warranty could be nice.

 

So I gave my cousin and her fiance the greatest gift one can give over xmas: low mid-fi headphones, and an introduction to nervosa!

Specifically 99 Neos, as they both have tiny hedz (no fit issues) and wear glasses with stereotypical thick, severe Italian frames (tames the bass).

This was to prevent fighting over tv/music volume when one of them is working/studying, which is always since one is an aeronatical engineer and the other an m.d.

... so, now they fight over who gets to use the headphones! Great success!

Now I'm looking for another headphone as marriage present.

Fit with small heads, easy adjustability, comfort, inoffensive sound, works with thick glasses. Say, no more than 300€?

K712s were considered, but I don't know how they do with glasses, ditto for Momentum 2s.

 

I wonder if you should get them an identical headphone (or headphones). They might fight over who uses the better one.

 

Cough, cough, noo, that's terrible and doesn't sound cute and fun at all!

 

Maybe I could ask this here...
How can you reduce/remove dip in headphone response? Only by changing effective cavity volume? Or are there other tweaks?

 

I am planning to get a balanced cable for my Andromedas and Sony NW-WM1A.

Preferably I wouldn't mind some more oomph / bass / slam.

Any recommendations?

 

I’ve liked all copper cables from Forza. But that was for full size phones, I don’t have experience with the IEM cables.

 

K712 would not be too good for a small head/thick glasses combo - they'd be a loose fit and the frames would lift them off enough to markedly reduce already fairly light bass. Some would say they'd fail the 'inoffensive sound' requirement too.

I'd say follow @Dino 's advice: if the 99s are working for them, get one more pair.

 

Can anyone recommend a good amp for the focal clears? I want something that's clearly a step up from the soekris dac1541 that's tube-based. I was thinking of higher offerings such as the ECP T3( not being sold at this time). Can't afford to go exotic like an EC AF or ZDS yet.

 

Also maybe try to get ears on the NAD Viso hp50. I use these portably with an x5/e12 portable stack and quite enjoy the sound. For me they are circumaural, but I have small ears. Cups are pretty small.

 

So I was about to buy a Schiit Jot without the Dac and use it with my modi 2, but then I see the massdrop LCX+SDAC come up. I managed to track down and listen to a Jot and thought it paired nicely with planars (specifically I have an LCD2C) and my 6XX. Should I just proceed with my plans to get a Jot or should I consider the LCX+SDAC instead? I don't have powered monitors so the preout is a non-issue.

 

@scapeinator1 Do you mean modi 2? With the magni 2 and Jot, you would still be short a dac...

 

Sorry my bad yes the modi 2. Im running on like zero sleep right now. Well damn there goes my street cred.

 

He does fine IEM cables too. He's a solid guy.

 

Thanks, I had thought about Forza as well. Now I have to make up my mind if I should get hybrid or copper. I will just ask him for advice.