Schiit Modi 3

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by purr1n, Sep 21, 2018.

  1. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    The Schiit Modi 3+ faq surprisingly isn't that clear on what the changes are for the 3+.

    I did some digging and it seems like it's mainly the Unison USB? Also saw some lower distortion figures but nothing else seems to have really changed. Anything I missed?
     
  2. Woland

    Woland Friend

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    Jason does a writeup with each product launch.. here's the one on Modi 3+
     
  3. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

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    According to the above post on HF, "Dave put Unison USB into the Modi 3, then we did a rev that added a few analog tricks from the Modius."

    Looks like still the same OPA1662 output op amps, just like Modius as well. The previous Modi 3 also had OPA1662, so I am not sure what they are doing differently.
     
  4. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    It went from 0.001% distortion to 0.0003%. Probably some minor optimization somewhere.
     
  5. señorhifi

    señorhifi Friend

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    Big Modi3 fan here too, sounds more resolving than the Modi Multibit and the Teac UD301 I had before. In fact, this kinda breaks the market (why buying a 450€ UD301 when you can get a 140€ Modi3?!).

    I do feel though that AKM Velvet sound thing more and more. Attacks and treble sound smoothed over. This thing just doesn't slam as it should. Also, it sounds quite warm and congested on busy music passages. Maybe the congestion is a side effect of the added warmth (which is always present on this DAC). IDK, this definitely is more of a flavor DAC. I dig it, but the oddities do stand out.

    Honestly, I recommend getting the Modi MB V2 over this (hur, hur, that price tag though in EU). It looses some detail, but doesn't suffer from the Velvet Sound issues. Maybe Modius is better in terms of not being VelvetTM smooth, but I have yet to receive mine.
     
  6. robot zombie

    robot zombie Friend

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    It's improved with the Modi 3, but you can't really get past it. I noticed that when I went from an m2u to modibit. That was a 4490, one of the first. The 4490 is VERY that thing that we call 'velvet sound'. It just tends to make everything it goes in sound similar. It's pleasing, in its own way. I didn't always mind it so much. But then there would be those times where I'd go "Tch... *sigh*" It served me well for a good while but it sounds a little... sleepy.

    Modibit has a flavor of its own, but I find it a lot more agreeable with everything. Spdif is icing on the cake. And it does slam better. I had to turn my sub down. The velveeta sounds like it has pillow bass by comparison. Modi 3 improved on this aspect, though. But... you still can't get past it. Once you hear it, you can't unhear it.
     
  7. ColdsnapBry

    ColdsnapBry Almost "Made"

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    Modi 3+ is a pretty good piece of kit. I spent some time last night listening to it versus my Bifrost 2 and internal AK DAC in my Asgard 3.

    The internal AK DAC inside the Asgard 3 is just simply a DAC, you get a wall of sound that doesn't sound tuned or considered in any way. It's just digital music.

    The 3+ is actually tuned pretty good. I hear slam, a bit of layering and well tuned vocals. It's really easy to use with just a micro SD cable. And the USB doesn't entirely suck. It's very, very subtle - to the point of maybe I'm kidding myself - but it does sound just a touch more digital compared to the Bifrost 2.

    Bifrost 2, I actually don't hear any additional slam in this over the 3+. What I do hear is just a tad more seperation and the vocals take a step back into the mix a bit. There's something a tad more organic sounding. It's extremely subtle though, so much so I'm actually considering selling my Bifrost 2 as I only use one amp now and don't need the balanced out of the Bifrost 2.

    Note on Bifrost 2 usb: it's really, really good. If I turn my Asgard 3 up to 100% volume and turn on my graphics card I can hear the cards EMI through myheadphones on the Modi 3+, it's silent with the Bifrost 2. I don't think I can hear this at normal volume levels, but something to note.
     
  8. Wilewarer

    Wilewarer Almost "Made"

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    There was something about the Modi 3+ that I didn't like but couldn't quite put my finger on, and it didn't become apparent until 3 weeks of listening or so. Until then, it sounded a lot better than the other 4490 DAC it replaced (JDS OL DAC). And really, it still does in every way I could describe - more detailed, more dynamic, clearer, less weird hash, what-have-you, but eventually something started bothering me that never did with the OL DAC. Maybe the lack of clarity (or, well, everything) was somehow working in the OL DAC's favor - that one was less fatiguing to me, but I'm not really sure why. I don't know what it is between these two, but to me the "worse" one is somehow more listenable despite being obviously worse.

    I felt the Bifrost 2 was a very big step over both of them. The most obvious thing was just that I could get what I wanted out of music at a noticeably lower listening level. On Aeon Flow Closed, with a Magni 3+ on low gain, it was about the difference between 9 o'clock on low gain from the Bifrost 2 and 10:30 from the Modi 3+ (I'm hoping this was actually what I think it is, and not some DAC output level difference).

    Which isn't to say that you can just crank the volume up with the Modi to get the same detail/presentation/etc, because you can't, but I probably shouldn't do a precise blow-by-blow without actually plugging the Modi 3+ back in, and I'd really rather not. From memory, vocals were the most noticeable thing to me - compared to the Bifrost 2, both 4490 DACs were sometimes just obviously worse to me. Too much feral hiss, JPop girl vocals taking on a twinge of Dr. John or Tom Waits... well, that overstates it a lot, but it's how I came to think of what I was noticing.

    Mostly my point is that given you have both of them, you might want to give the Modi a bit more time before really deciding it can do what the Bifrost can, or at least that it doesn't bother you somehow.

    (all of this is from each source's USB out)
     
  9. ColdsnapBry

    ColdsnapBry Almost "Made"

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    So true, I saw a member here say this;

    Also hearing the small differences during a comparison is not like living with those differences. It all adds up with time as Mike Moffat once said.
     
  10. señorhifi

    señorhifi Friend

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    I actually got to play around with a Modi 3+ and compare it (just by memory though) to my older Modi 3 (non +).

    I cannot get into too much detail since I don't have them side by side, but the Modi 3+ sounds slightly less smooth to me in the upper midrange and treble. It's as if they somehow tried to get rid of the velvet sound. Not sure how the change in USB implementation changes this, but that's what I hear.

    Either way, the difference is so small, I might as well be going nuts... In fact the first thing that came to mind when I listened to it for the first 1h, was that they were the same. If the difference is indeed there (and I do think it is), it's very minor and might even be preferable (slightly less velvety, just a hair more bite). Solid DAC as always ;)
     
  11. MaxBuck

    MaxBuck New

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    If anyone is interested in a very lightly used Modi 3+, please message me. Very good DAC.
     
  12. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Dude make a sales thread if you wanna unload.
     
  13. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    Which would necessitate a donation to earn Contributor status.
     
  14. MaxBuck

    MaxBuck New

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    Sorry; wasn't trying to piss anyone off. Didn't know this was verboten.
     
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