🔷 Schiit Modius

[WaveTheory]

@JHilderson

Would there be a big difference between magnius/modius stack and Jotunheim with multibit?

IMO, yes, but not because of the Modius but because of the Magnius. Magnius is the best amp of its kind that I 've heard so far - it’s kind being a measurement-focused amp. But, it gets thoroughly outperformed by its same-priced brother the Asgard 3. The Jot 2 is another semi-step up in performance from Asgard 3 but has the rare party trick in the price tier of having roughly equal performance from its SE and balanced headphone outs with slightly different signatures. I reviewed Jot 2 here. I’ve not heard the Schiit MB dac module but have heard conversation around that it’s pretty close in performance to the Modius but the Modius gives you the flexibility of having more inputs and more upgrade paths. If you were willing to spend the money on the Jot 2 with MB module I would recommend the Jot 2 + Modius combo instead.

[JHilderson]

Thanks for the detailed reply, that’s very interesting and will take this into consideration.

And I take it I could than still have the loki with that combo if I use single ended? I just like to twist knobs

[WaveTheory]

You’re welcome. And sure. You can put the Loki between any amp and dac with SE connections. You wouldn’t be able to use Loki if you went with Schiit’s MB card.

[JHilderson]

Perfect! Sounds a great solution for music madness

[lrjshabaz]

Wait until that Lokius finally drops.

[WaveTheory]

Check this out:

Is Balanced Better? Pros & Cons of Balanced vs. Single-Ended

To Balance or Not to Balance? That is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler to buy a balanced amp or DAC or an unbalanced (or single-ended, aka SE, the two terms are interchangeable) amp or DAC is the focus of this post. There have been lots of questions around this forum about whether a balanced amp or DAC is better than a SE amp or DAC. Should you explore balanced? Is balanced better? It’s understandably confusing. After all, in the English language, ‘balance’ is often used in the context of desc…

[IcemanTVx]

Hi. I just ordered the Asgard 3 and Modius to drive my new dt880 600 ohm headphones. Is the Unison USB better to use to connect to my pc than s/pdif optical? I want to use whatever is the best quality audio. Thanks!

[WaveTheory]

Congrats! Those are excellent pieces.

@IcemanTVx

Is the Unison USB better to use to connect to my pc than s/pdif optical?

I can’t tell much of a difference between USB and SPDIF on the Modius, TBH. Try both and pick the one you like. On Schiit’s higher-level DACs, like BF2, Gungnir, Yggy, the Unison USB comes with galvanic isolation, and that makes a difference. IMO the BF2 sounds much better from USB than SPDIF. But Modius doesn’t have galvanic isolation to save some cost, so it’s whatevs on that one.

[IcemanTVx]

@WaveTheory

Congrats! Those are excellent pieces.

I can’t tell much of a difference between USB and SPDIF on the Modius, TBH. Try both and pick the one you like. On Schiit’s higher-level DACs, like BF2, Gungnir, Yggy, the Unison USB comes with galvanic isolation, and that makes a difference. IMO the BF2 sounds much better from USB than SPDIF. But Modius doesn’t have galvanic isolation to save some cost, so it’s whatevs on that one.

Thanks! I think I will try the USB for it. That cable comes with the modius right?

[WaveTheory]

I don’t remember. Also I got my Modius second-hand and I don’t think there was a cable in it. I think the stock packaging comes with a small power brick and 3 foot micro usb cable, though. But don’t quote me…

[lrjshabaz]

Do USB. Reviews have remarked that it is the superior input on these. Jitter measure on SPDIF was the culprit.

[IcemanTVx]

Does the type or brand of micro usb cable matter to connect the DAC to the PC? 2.0 or 3.0 cable thickness etc.? I plan to use one to power it and a different one to run to the PC. Thanks!

[Blackscreen]

You only need a micro USB 2.0, Micro 3.0 is actually a wider connector (Schiit does provide one). Also, you only need to use one USB cable if you’re connecting the DAC to a PC, that’s specifically how Schiit designed it. The USB power port is only meant to be used if the source is something other than USB.

[Frazzled]

I just bought some regular braided cables. Works fine for me. I’m sure some “snake oil” cable might make one feel better so It’s up to you.

[IcemanTVx]

Thanks. I do not want to power it from my PC. I would rather power it from the wall. it has both a power usb input and a data input on the back of the modi 3+. Is there any disadvantage to using both?

[Blackscreen]

There’s nothing in their manual that mentions anything wrong with doing so, though their manual is fairly sparse. I don’t know if they have anything in place to stop power from flowing in from both ports simultaneously:

[Blackscreen]

There’s only one acceptable Snake Oil “cable” for a Modius…

Balanced XLR Hardwood Mini-Link Interconnect for Schiit Modius/Magnius

[Frazzled]

Ha! Nice name

[Ans246]

Did anyone ever try to take the balanced out of this DAC into SE in of an amp via adapter cable?

[bruh.wav]

If I’m not mistaken, people in SBAF had done that and they noticed that there’s a difference between the SE and Balanced output.

@Ans246

via adapter cable

BTW, I don’t recommend anyone to do this. If you want to plug the balanced out to a SE amp, you should use a proper converter. You can do it by buying these two things:

• https://www.amazon.com/Radial-Passive-Line-Level-Isolator-Standard/dp/B0010CV3SA
• https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Female-Amplifier-Microphone-JOLGOO/dp/B082F18FQL/

Or SBAF also has a balanced to SE converter box project which uses transformer

Or I think @MazeFrame also has a recommendation for which converter to buy.