Tardcore Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Sort of off topic for a Vinyl forum but I imagine that at least a few people have run into the same problem that I have. Not too long ago, I put together a bedroom system with an Apple TV as the primary source. setup: Marantz PM5004 integrated amp Definitive Technology 350 speakers Since the PM5004 does not have any sort of digital input...I needed to come up wtih a DAC and I did not want to spend $300+ I don't know if anybody else has shopped for a decent DAC with an optical input in the sub-$100 price range, but they really do not exist. Most DACs in this price range that I found are either: A) USB only, B ) Terrible, or C) Both. I ended up picking up a Fiio D3 for $30 because the reviews seemed to indicate that it was pretty ok and if it sucks, I'm only out $30. Well, it sucks. I'm out $30. Moving on. Today I saw a post on head-fi from Schiit announcing that they are now offering their bottom tier desktop DAC with either optical or USB versus simply USB only. Given Schiit's reputation, I am pretty confident that this is the solution I am looking for. I placed an order and will follow up with some impressions once I receive it if anybody is interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uniquemel0dy Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I'd be interested. I personally have a Mangi that doesn't get enough attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidamnesiac Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I briefly had a Fiio D7 (D3 upgrade) in my bedroom setup and I though it performed satisfactorily. The nice thing about it too, was that it could handle Dolby Digital and DTS audio streams. I ended up using the speakers elsewhere, though and got rid of the Fiio. I think you'll be happy with the Modi, I've heard good things. Personally, I use a JDS Labs ODAC on my main setup and love it, but they don't have an option with optical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trevorxramage Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I have the Asgard headphone amp and absolutely love it. I'm sure you'll feel the same about this thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 I briefly had a Fiio D7 (D3 upgrade) in my bedroom setup and I though it performed satisfactorily. The nice thing about it too, was that it could handle Dolby Digital and DTS audio streams. I ended up using the speakers elsewhere, though and got rid of the Fiio. I think you'll be happy with the Modi, I've heard good things. Personally, I use a JDS Labs ODAC on my main setup and love it, but they don't have an option with optical. I briefly considered trying the D7. However, I have a bit of an aversion to throwing more money to a manufacturer after they sell me a bad product. I was mostly ok with the D3 for light TV/movies and a little music until I noticed some horrible distortion on the opening chord of AC/DCs Shoot to Thrill. I seriously thought I had blown a tweeter or something. I swapped around different speakers and tried the dac in a different system with the same results. If your product can't handle AC/DC, send your engineers back to the drawing board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tides Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I've recently been considering the Modi for laptop audio so I'm happy to see this thread. Is there any noticeable difference in sound quality with USB vs Optical? Is Optical just more versatile? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 I've recently been considering the Modi for laptop audio so I'm happy to see this thread. Is there any noticeable difference in sound quality with USB vs Optical? Is Optical just more versatile? I was in the middle of typing up a response recommending optical, but realized I was completely wrong. For a laptop, you should probably go with USB because: 1) if you go optical, there is an addtional power adapter that you need to cart around. 2) you need to find someplace to plug in said power adapter 3) Optical cables aren't really ideal for carrying around from place to place. they aren't really durable and the connection points should be covered when not plugged in. For all other stationary applications, I would probably say go optical simply because you can plug it into more devices and you don't have to worry about the misc USB power issues that can come up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidamnesiac Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 If your product can't handle AC/DC, send your engineers back to the drawing board. Lol. Yeah optical and USB should provide similar if not exactly the same results. Just know your hardware. My Mac mini can output 44.1-96kHz on both USB and optical, but optical does not support output at 88.2kHz. Not a huge deal because 88.2kHz upsampled to 96kHz presents little to no discernible difference from native playback, but there's another example of why you might choose one option over another. I agree with Tardcore that USB is probably your best option if you only plan on using the DAC with a computer source, especially in this case since the USB also provides power. Optical provides the option to connect to more types of hardware (TV, game consoles, BluRay players, etc.). Also make sure you have an amp or powered speakers if you plan on using this DAC with a computer. You're bypassing your internal DAC/amp and replacing it with just a DAC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Nevermind I dumb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kannibal Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Nevermind I dumb.If you're going to post something, at least post something new. agaetisbyrjun and NoFatChicks 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidamnesiac Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Nevermind I dumb. If you're going to post something, at least post something new. I like you guys. agaetisbyrjun 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number11 Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Only just heard about the Sys Passive Preamp... http://schiit.com/products/sys-passive-preamp At the moment my system consists of a phono preamp connected to a headphone amp. I also have a Modi DAC.. so I'm constantly disconnecting wires between the DAC and phono preamp. I'm guessing the Sys solves my problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kannibal Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Only just heard about the Sys Passive Preamp... http://schiit.com/products/sys-passive-preamp At the moment my system consists of a phono preamp connected to a headphone amp. I also have a Modi DAC.. so I'm constantly disconnecting wires between the DAC and phono preamp. I'm guessing the Sys solves my problem? You're asking us? It states your exact situation in it's description. Naming this product as the solution. All it is is a switch with the ability to turn down (only) the music. Do you need the volume control? Now I'm sure the components are nicer than some of the cheaper switches out there, but it may not matter to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 You're asking us? It states your exact situation in it's description. Naming this product as the solution. All it is is a switch with the ability to turn down (only) the music. Do you need the volume control? Now I'm sure the components are nicer than some of the cheaper switches out there, but it may not matter to you. There are a few switches about, I'm sure you would be able to pick one up in any Radio Shack, Maplin our equivalent over here stocks them so i'd be surprised if Radio Shack didn't. A good passive pre if you are using a proper power amplifier is a good thing though and is the easiest bit of hifi for the enthusiast to construct if you are of that mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share Posted May 1, 2014 for $50, I would probably pick up the Schiit Sys. It will match the other Schiit on your desk and the defeatable volume pot is a nice feature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tides Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 I am currently using a Creative Sound-Blaster X-Fi notebook card with my laptop (seen here: http://www.trustedreviews.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-X-Fi-Xtreme-Audio-Notebook_Peripheral_review ). While it sounds alright, is it safe to assume that the Schiit Modi will be a nice upgrade from it...especially since the Modi is USB audio? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted May 2, 2014 Author Share Posted May 2, 2014 the review doesn't mention any actual specs to compare but the modi should be way better. After missing Fedex TWICE, mine is supposed to show up today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tides Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 the review doesn't mention any actual specs to compare but the modi should be way better. After missing Fedex TWICE, mine is supposed to show up today. Yeah, it's pretty difficult to find much information about that card. Creative's stuff seems pretty average anyway so I think I'm going to go for the Modi. Thanks for the reply and I hope you enjoy yours...if you could let us know how it is, I'd really appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted May 2, 2014 Author Share Posted May 2, 2014 got my modi have have been playing around with for a little while A/Bing between my Emotiva XDA-2 and am liking it so far. Overall, I prefer the XDA-2 but that isn't really suprising. Bass/Mids are less crisp and discernible on the Modi but it has no background noise and none of the distorted treble sounds I was getting with the cheap-o Fiio D3 I was using with my Apple TV. It does exactly what I need it to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 You're keeping it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted May 3, 2014 Author Share Posted May 3, 2014 You're keeping it? yup. It is going in the bedroom system as a replacement to the Fiio D3. I may actually get a second USB version and the matching headphone amp to use with my PC in the living room. I am really impressed with Schiit's build quality and straight-forward feature set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Good to know. I've had one in my cart since this was first posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted May 8, 2014 Author Share Posted May 8, 2014 not sure this deserves it's own thread, so I'm just throwing it in here. I'm thinking about picking up a few more Schiit products and in the process of researching*, I came across this thread on head-fi. It's basically the first half of a short book that the co-founder is writing about the "Schiit story" and posting one chapter per week directly on head-fi. I thought that the technical topics were explained extremely well (see the USB rant) and even if you have zero interest in audio hardware, it's still a pretty good read. There is a great deal of (seemingly) solid advise on starting and running a (seemingly) successful small business. * "research" is when you spend time searching for and studying pre-existing documented information on a topic rather than simply stumbling around online and demanding that others search out, study, and summarize said information for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biodigitaljazz Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Not trying to hijack the thread here, I have a question I think is closely related. Would it be better to take audio from a Macbook hooked up to an HDTV from the USB out to a DAC and then receiver, or through the HDMI connection to the TV that already exists, and then optical out from the TV to a DAC and then receiver? Probably could get the Schiit Modi DAC... Or is the headphone out to the receiver even an option here? I was just using Audioengine A2s until a friend gave me a receiver and while it's not great, I'm going to get the Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 this weekend probably so I'm trying to find the best course of action until I can either get a better receiver, or sell my phono stage and get a Marantz integrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.