Modi Multibit: Multibit for the masses.

Would a dedicated USB card, even if basic and "audiophile grade" help? I know many use audio focused USB cards, but what about just a basic USB card? Would that do any sort of data isolation?

 

Gents, while this USB chat is an interesting aside, it's, um, maybe getting a bit tangential.

Or maybe it isn't. Could be that it's just well above my pay grade.

 

Thanks. I think my question belongs here since I only care about adding a USB card if it will make my Modi Multibit via USB sound better. I'm not interested in making any other DAC via USB better

 

According to atomicbob's measurements, if I'm reading them correctly, the Modi MB jitter noise floor with USB was higher than SPDIF.

 

There is no reason to debate about PC or MAC. If you want to hear full potential of your DAC keep away from computers. Computers will never sound good and it is weakest link in your chain. Source component is the most important component of them all. If you want to hear what your DAC can sound like buy good streamer. Buy Sonore microRendu + Small Green Computer microJukebox and be done with that. DACs will come and go, but good source component will stay and you will never want to go back to PC or MAC for music reproduction.

 

I've always used USB for my high end audio. The Regen definitely improved things.

But I couldnt resist trying the digital coax from an old Sony DVD player I had lying around into the Momby.

I was shocked at how much better it sounded than USB. Cleaner, sharper, more articulate with much better transients. Bass also improved...becoming extremely subtle with percussive instruments. The entire sound signature just became more involving and less "grimy" for lack of a better term. Its possible my laptop had shitty USB implementation or whatever but it doesn't matter because I just sold my Regen and USB cable, going back to CDs.

Also I miss the idea of handling a physical disc for playback and having a more tactile feeling to my music collection.

I used a stock RCA cable because it was all I had lying around and it sounds great, but went ahead and ordered a dedicated digital coax cable from blue jeans.

Now I know why Moffat hates USB.

 

USB is not ideal, but in most cases issue is on transport component side. In your case computer. Regular computer PC, MAC, notebook is not designed for audio reproduction. They are noisy and they are degrading the sound of your DAC. You can just start with RASPBERRY PI 3 with HiFiBerry Digi+ and good linear power supply and you will get an idea how your DAC can sound like with good streamer.

 

Yes was quite a revelation for me as well to compare USB with SPDIF (Gungnir Multibit in my case). There's no shame in spinning discs!

Momby seems to be quite the bargain. Would think it'd be my downsizing target, should that need for funds ever arise.

 

But now he can add power filters to tame the noise generated by the switching power supply in the DVD player, add vibration control to the chasis, disc frisbees to reduce disc vibrations, color the edges of the CDs, try different length coax cables, add coax attenuators, etc...

Most of the DVD players that I've tried as transports haven't been that great but they are cheap at thrift stores and you can usually get a descent one for less than $15.

I will say that the very short time I've auditioned a Schiit DAC it didn't seem as fussy about transports as my Audio-GD DAC so that's probably a plus.

 

You guys should really read & catch up on the two pi/i2s/spdif threads!

 

For those of you who have experienced degraded audio via usb, have you had any luck trying a split usb cable to only deliver data and not power to the dac?

 

I was doing exactly that by putting a thin piece of tape over the power pin in the USB cable (letting the Regen power the Modi Multibit with an ifi iPower adapter). It made the sound slightly better, but nowhere near the jump from USB to coax.

 

Any measurements to back up the benefits of non-USB vs USB?

 

http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/schiit-modi-mb-technical-measurements.2603/

 

@schiit : From what I have known Modi Multibit uses AD5547 DAC chip like Bifrost Multibit but in the manual, it is AD5545. So, which is the real one? I'm pretty confused about this.

 

Nothing to be confused about, it's a typo.

 

Real, honest TFG WE396A's with 2C51 adapters really scratch my itch with a V2