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REVIEW: Schiit Audio Modi Multibit DAC Processors

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Model: Modi Multibit
Category: DAC Processors
Suggested Retail Price: $249.00
Description: Small Desktop USB DAC with Schiit's Multibit architecture
Manufacturer URL: Schiit Audio
Model Picture: View

Review by EdAInWestOC on September 21, 2016 at 12:31:35
IP Address: 73.129.54.230
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for the Modi Multibit


I am no stranger to Schiit Audio products. I own two of their headphone amps and have respect for the value of their products. This newest purchase is to replace a DAC that has received some good reviews. The Schiit Modi Multibit replaces an iFi iDSD Nano. The iFi DAC was feeding a Schiit Magni 2 Uber headphone amp. This combination drove a pair of HiFI Man HE-400S headphones. This is my work system

The iFi DAC and Schiit headphone amp was driven via a Pangea Silver USB cable from a Toshiba S75Dt-A7330 laptop. This 17 inch touchscreen laptop has the standard 12GB of RAM but I upgraded the standard 1TB hard drive to a Crucial MX300 1TB SSD drive. The laptop is running MS Windows Home 10 and the music files are being played by Foobar2000 v1.3.11.

My copy of Foobar2000 is running the following optional components:
ABX Comparator v2.0.2
ASIO support v2.1.2
Foobar2000 Advanced Controls v0.6.7.4
Kernel Streaming Output v1.2.2
Lyric Show Panel v0.5
Playlist Organizer v2.6
Quick Search Toolbar v3.6
Super Audio CD Decoder v0.7.1

The original combo, as described above, was performing well. I removed the iFi iDSD Nano by unplugging the USB cable and removing the RCA jacks from the back of the Magni 2 Uber headphone amp. I installed the Modi Multibit by plugging in the Pangea Silver USB cable in the USB jack, installed an RCA phono interconnect cable between the new DAC's output and the Magni 2 Uber input and powered on the new DAC.

The three lights on the front of the Modi Multibit cycled for approximately 15 seconds, while my computer recognized the Modi Multibit, then the cycling of the lights stopped and the first of the three LEDs on the front of the Modi Multibit came on (the USB input LED).

I then had to go into Foobar2000's Preference dialog and selected Playback/Output. From the Device dropdown I selected "DS: Speakers (Schiit Audio Gen 2)" and under the Output settings in the ASIO settings I ensured that "ASIO for Generic USB Device" is listed in the ASIO drivers text box.

After saving the above, it was then time to listen...

I played the following tracks to test the performance of the Schiit Modi Multibit:
1) Queen - Love Of My Life (recorded from MFSL 1-067 at 24/192)
2) Don Henley - A Month Of Sundays (ripped from the CD Building The Perfect Beast)
3) Elton John - Levon (downloaded from Acoustic Sounds, DSD64)
4) Fleetwood Mac - Sara (ripped from the CD Fleetwood Mac's Greatest Hits)
5) The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps (recorded from MFSL 2-072 at 24/192)
6) Rickie Lee Jones - Easy Money (recorded from MFSL 2-45010 at 24/192)
7) Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want (downloaded from HDTracks 24/176)
8) Traffic - John Barleycorn (downloaded from HDTracks 24/192)

The Modi Multibit performed flawlessly and the multibit architecture apparently works. This approach is supposed to extract all of the samples in the music file. The popular delta-sigma approach throws away some samples (according to what I read).

The Modi Multibit DAC never sounded harsh or distorted. It was smooth, detailed and very neutral.

The Modi Multibit showed off more detail from all of the tracks listed above. Some of the tracks had very slight improvement (Elton John - Levon) while others showed off the DAC as something special (Rickie Lee Jones - Easy Money). On Easy Money, I could listen straight through the music back to my turntable and my main analog playback rig. It was pretty special for an inexpensive DAC.

The Modi Multibit has a way of making the music sound fuller. Each pluck of the guitar and beat of the drum is more complete. Sometimes I heard things I have not heard from the tracks before. In Fleetwood Mac's Sara the percussion and vocals at the end of the song were fuller and more defined than through the IFi iDSD Nano.

In the opening of While my Guitar Gently Weeps, the bass notes resonated in my right ear in a way I have not heard before. It was like the bass was stuck in the earphone cup. Very cool.

In You Can't always Get What You Want, Mick Jagger's voice has a resonance and character that I never heard before. Traffic's rendition of John Barleycorn Must Die shows off the ability of the DAC to recreate complex acoustical music, and it does it very well.

This new DAC seems to pick up everything in the music file and recreates it faithfully. It did everything that Schiit claims that it does. If you have $250 and are considering a new USB DAC you should seriously look at the Schiit Modi Multibit.

NOTE: The Modi DAC is sold in three different forms. You can buy it as the Modi 2, the Modi 2 Uber and the Modi Multibit. The Modi Multibit is the most expensive of the three and the only one that includes the multibit architecture and the Analog Devices AD5547 DAC chip.

This DAC is definitely worth the $250 asking price. It outperformed my iFi iDSD Nano, but the iFi iDSD Nano supports native DSD decoding. The Schiit Modi Multibit does not support native DSD playback. I do not consider this a problem.

I own several albums worth of DSD files. I currently play them back via the Super Audio CD Decoder component added to Foobar2000. This simply converts the DSD files to PCM for playback. I have it set to convert DSD files to 24/176 PCM. It works flawlessly.


Product Weakness: It does not support native DSD playback
Product Strengths: Extracts all details from music files and reproduces them beautifully.


Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Schiit Magni Uber
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): None
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Toshiba S75Dt-A7330 laptop
Speakers: HiFi Man HE-400S
Cables/Interconnects: Kimber Hero
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Classic Rock
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




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Topic - REVIEW: Schiit Audio Modi Multibit DAC Processors - EdAInWestOC 12:31:35 09/21/16 ( 12)