The modi multibit isn’t new and isn’t generally considered very good, the concensus is you can’t do multibit right at that price point, my understanding is that Schiit we’re going to discontinue it, but with the AKM fire it was at least temporarily saved.
The Modi 3+ is the subject of this thread.
duly noted
Aware, still waking up. My bad on that. still interesting to see the modi updated.
My curiosity once again consumes me. Modi 3+ arrived today and on a quick listening it seems the compressed mid and peaky treble have been improved. Will compare with Modius later. The equipment used for testing purposes is Atom and HD600, MacBook CD quality output.
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Very interested which is better modi 3+ or modius
@M0N are there any sound examples out there that are artificially compressed so one can learn what ‘compression’ sounds like?
In terms of like music? Yeah there are for sure, but amp or dac compression can sound different than that
mmm. nutz.
So I spent some time with Modi 3+ and Modius single ended. Equipment used same as above, HD600 and I use Atom for testing purposes to avoid any benefit of synergy. Music is female vocal as I want to find out whether the old problems with the mid and treble of modi still persist.
The short answer is I think 3+ has improved quite a bit from the old model, and if I’m listening to it alone I think it’s a product worth recommending. But I think those old problems are still noticeable once you compare it side by side with Modius which is not surprising since it’s 2x the price and they were able to design a brand new circuit.
Obviously people use the same terminology for different meanings, but here’s what I find with Modi 3+ that persists (albeit improves from old Modi):
Treble can be harsh from time to time and takes the form of poorly controlled sibilance. Modius seems to “weaken” or “roll off” the unpleasant harsh treble.
The mid is more forward and shouty, has that “in ur face” feeling that makes me feel a bit “compressed”. Due to the forward mid I also feel the background details especially instruments have faded.
It also feels “compressed” in a second sense that voice sounds a bit unnatural, not relaxed as if tot has been squeezed a bit.
Overall I’d say the old Modi is not as competent as other sub 100USD DAC I’ve heard and now I think it is. It may or may not stand out because it has a little bit of Schiit house sound (to me i have the impression that Schiit wants to present a slightly tube like sound altho i think the old modi and Magni 3+ are a disaster) whereas others (the Chinese brands i have in mind) may be a bit too transparent or, characterless.
but i dont think it matches the performance of modius single ended. i dont have a proper balanced amp (only a few THX AAA pseudo balanced) so i cant properly comment on how much modius balanced is better than Modi 3+ altho i suppose this is probably an unfair competition.
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Thank you very much for this. I actually like the forward shouty mids house sound. This makes me want to try the new Modi 3 plus. The Magni 3 amp also accentuates this shouty mids house sound of Schiit. My guess is that Schiit designs their equipment heavily to suit Sennheiser headphones. However, the newer Schiit Heresy does this less, so perhaps they are now trying to round it out. Anyhow, I think it may be time to spend $100. Thanks again.
No problem! In your case, I do think the 3+ combo would be very nice 
Gonna be recieving my Modi Magnus combo today. At least from ASR, it seems to measure notably better than my K5 Pro, though I wonder if I will percieve any difference i.e. Schiit “House sound.”
In any case, I’m happy to get a stack instead of a combo unit. I’d like that extra flexibilty of putting stuff in between the signal chain and such. Also, my ambition is to build a Schiit stack 5-high: Sys, Modi, Loki, Magni, Vali. :^)
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Live stream this Friday April 16th 1:00 pm PT (Los Angeles)
Topping E30 vs. Schiit Modi 3+ Battle of the Budget DACS Live Stream
Hope to see you all in the live chat!!!
Much Love,
Marcello
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I’m surprised we don’t have an official thread for Modi 3+ (that I can find), so I hope this is the right place to post.
The Modi 3+ replaces my Topping E30. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the E30, but I wasn’t using all the fancy features at my desk (especially preamp and remote). Figured I want to simplify my system (and have a more aesthetic-looking stack) so I got a Modi 3+ B-stock.
Initial thoughts:
- Chassis feels solid. No complaints at all. It’s a weighty DAC (450 g/ 1 lb) compared to E30 (supposedly 265 g/ 0.58 lb)
- Wish I could turn the device off but I guess I could unplug the USB cables every night if I really want to save power
- E30’s touch screen was fiddly and I’d have to touch the selector/power button in a very specific spot to get things done. So, I very much prefer Modi’s mechanical selector switch. However, it doesn’t feel as smooth or well built as the switches on Asgard 3. I can learn with live with it at this price point, but would have been nice if it was as good as Asgard 3’s switches.
Overall very happy! Looking to sell my E30, so send me a message if you’re in the UK and want a well kept E30 for a good price.
I just realised that Schiit advertises Modi 3+ to be capable of up to 24/192 but on my Audio MIDI Setup on Mac, I can get options up to 32 bit. Not complaining, but anyone know why?
How is the pairing as i am trying to decide between the e30 and modi 3 plus.
To be really frank with you, in my limited experience with standalone DACs (basically just Modi 3+ and E30), I really can’t tell the difference. Either my system isn’t resolving enough or I’m not attentive enough to the perceive the differences. Either way I feel there isn’t a day and night difference between the two DACs (which reviews seem to suggest too, even the one which do hear subtle differences in the presentation of the sound).
If I were you, I would make the decision based on which one had the right features for my use cases, which one is more easily available, and which one looked nicer. Those are the main reasons why I switched to the Modi. I think both sound good and not that different, and at this price point I wouldn’t fuss too much over it. That’s my two cents, anyway. Hope this helps.
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