Just saw Zeos review and it was absolutely hilariousā¦ one of the best Iāve seen from him in months. Man I love me some fired up zman.
But he didnāt talk about:
- Accuracy
- Toneality
- Resolution
- Superior USB (flat out ignored and it sounds the best)
Even for Z, he missed something in his features and finish (which is the focus of a lot of his later videos) of quite possibly being the cheapest DAC with balanced out and AES. Personally, Iām kinda sad because the sound from that DAC is something I REALLY have to give a thumbs up and the only DAC I have tried that actually makes me LIKE my THX 887 (he avoided testing with the 789ās right next to it). I hate to say it, if youāre interested in the Modius, that recent review is not one I would personally recommend.
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Fair enough my commentary was more related to the entertainment value of it and not the technical acumen. I find that Zero Fidelity, The next Best Thing, Thomas, Currawong, & Headphone show do better at reviewing the technicals. But Zman is akin to me watching savagegeese, the straight pipes, and throttle house for auto reviews.
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Just throwing that here, but the modius and the SMSL DA-8s would give you a full-balanced passive speaker setup.
Zeos complaints about the usb micro interface are bandwagon and baseless. As Iāve said the micro usb interface was standard for years on android phones and by and large performed well for devices that were plugged and unplugged THOUSANDS of times over their lifetime. A DAC simply wont ever be plugged in and out enough to have any problems as a result of wear.
I think itās a huge distraction from the fact that he didnāt actually review the dac itself. He praised the finish (why doesnāt he complain about the toy boxes other manufacturers use) and showed it being used with an amp that almost ZERO people who buy this dac will be using with it.
Really bad review that gives almost no useful information about a product that fills a pretty big hole in the market.
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Also, your point about USB micro is on point. It almost belongs in the rant thread. There really is nothing wrong with USB micro. Yes, it only goes in one way. Iāve personally never understood why that was a problem. Most things that plug in only plug in one way. And yeah, once your system is wired up, thereās not that many times youāll need to unplug/replug things. Also, my Samsung GN8 phone is almost 3 years old and its USB C jack is getting every bit as loose as previous phonesā micro jack.
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I donāt own anything USB-C and avoid it when I can.
Like someone said āwhen someone plugs a device using a non-compliant USB-C cable, a blue flash appears and burns the device to a crisp. This feature was less appreciated than anticipated.ā
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USB micro-b holds up better over time if you leave it plugged in. USB C is preferable when swapping a lot. With that said, the USB argument is something for reviewers to worry about since they cycle gear so often.
I have to disagree with the ābandwagonā aspect on the hate for USB micro. My anecdotal experience with it is nothing but bad. Any phone Iāve had with it would need the charger to be held at a specific angle for it to actually change after about a year. My topping NX-4 had the data port strait up break (less than 2 years of owning and I baby my gear). While it is not a deal breaker for me that the Modius uses a micro since it will rarely by unplugged, it certainly is no upside either. USB micro is just not a durable port. I would also complain about a USB C on the Modius as it is a DESKTOP unit. Why are we getting these tiny little plugs meant for portable devices on a unit as large as the Modius? Itās not like they needed to save space. Personally I would have preferred a full sized USB A as (in my experience) it is a much longer lasting port and makes more sense to me for a full sized desktop unit.
As for Zeosā review, it was particularly unhelpful, even for him. I know he likes to āgo in bindā so to speak by not looking up any other reviews and what not, but he realy should have mentioned at least the separate RCA and XLR output stages and maybe even the āunisonā USB input as they are the main reason to get this DAC beyond ābalanced at $200ā.
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Most of his insights and opinions are gleaned from his Patreon supporters.
They not only provide the information, but also the products for him to review, all at their own expense. 
And he laughingly opens up said product because the Patreon ādidnāt say not toā.
That was weird. He doesnāt do that in every review but just decided to that with someone elseās unit this time? 
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If this is true, these videos could get progressively weirder with only a little effort. How far can they make him go?
Well, he kept peeling the pads off of the Rosson Audio Rad-0ās, and those belonged to a Patreon as well.
Just like Audeze, once you peel the pads the glueās seal isnāt as strong.
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We need an Asgardius with XLR inputs for the Modius now. 
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The only review that I trust completely is when I put the headphones on and press playā¦thats the one that countsā¦
Its not that I dont respect several noted reviewers or opinions, I do.
But it comes down to what I like for meā¦
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Thinking that Schiit is well aware how a nice balanced matching amp would go with the Modiusā¦
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Please we so need this creation. A fantastic amp like asgard 3 but balanced would be amazing especially in the $200 range. I would buy it
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I would be quite surprised if they hit that price point, unless they abandon SE and itās balanced only. I think their best bet is to refresh the Jotenheim and sell it for $300-350. That would be a direct assault on THX tech in that price range.
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well I did say rangeā¦ if it was like $250 - $300 I can still see it being worthwhile and a great companion to the modius but at that price point your competing also with the new ifi zen combo unit from drop as well. Since both would be $500 stacks. They could do well to make a balanced amp/dac combo too like the schiit hel step it up a bit so they have a little more flexibility on the combo units
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Hmmā¦
A skinny jot to match the Modius?