Modi Multibit: Multibit for the masses.

I think you will like the Modi Multibit. You might look to a Vali 2 in the future as well. Together they offer a laid-back and spacious sound.

 

O.K. I'd like to turn this discussion over to those who own a TH-900 as I haven't heard it with any Schiit MB DAC. The one amp I heard it with was.....the one Marv hates with this headphone. It's solid state. Looks nice though.

 

Realistically speaking, my Stax L300 will get significantly more head time than the TH 900 just so thats out there. I use TH 900 for certain moods but overall the L300 are much more versatile and just flat out better.

@DigMe I've been wondering, will the vali 2 get me *that* tube sound? I have the opportunity to acquire a Cary Audio CAD 300 SEI, which is an old tube amp. I'm not sure if it would outperform the vali 2?

 

Hope you are not talking about Modi+Eitr...well, what about 179$ (Eitr's price) more expensive AMP than whatever AMP you have? I reckon that would resolve some nuances even more, would it not?


@AudioThief Honestly, do you experience some USB issues? If not, then why to start stealing from your budget for Eitr? It is like with cables; do not try to solve issues you do not experience. Stick to main components, invest in DAC, AMP and drivers. If you start experiencing problems with ground loops or other noises, then start to look where the issue is and as the very last resort, go with things such as Eitr, USB decrapifiers,...or just get Magni 3 for TH-900 and your other HPs...would be a way better buy I reckon.

BTW, Sonority Audio (schiit-europe and other domains) is not pretending, they are an official distributor and they are doing a spectacular job, bringing a number of off-shore brands to our reach in EU, Mr. Speakers, Aune and others included.

 

I already have a superior solid state amp over magni. The reason I am looking to get eitr is because people ITT are saying the Modi Multibit sucks without it.

 

1. Modi Multibit does not suck without Eitr.

2. Eitr improves Modi Multibit performance when a USB source is used.

3. Refer to number 1.

 

I will be using a USB source. I could of course just purchase the Modi Multibit and see for myself, and then get the Eitr later if I wish. Which is probably what I'm going to do actually.

 

Thanks I think I'm covered. I have an Eddie Current Black Widow.

 

Just so I'm not super confused here:

The general consensus, from those owning Modi Multibit and eitr, is that Modi Multibit via eitr orr non usb source sounds significantly better than without (i.e eitr easily worth it for those of us using computer as source) ?

 

I wouldn't personally use a Modi Multibit without the Eitr. I heard it first in my setup with the Eitr and thought it was outstanding. Removed the Eitr and I really did not like it.

 

I could live with straight USB if I had to, especially at the lower end of a budget. It's not the end of the world, and the money spent on Eitr could be spend upgrading your chain elsewhere. Just get the Modi Multibit first and see if you like it on its own.

 

I picked up a Modi Multibit shortly after the Schiitr opened and felt it was an immediate and significant upgrade from my then-antiquated ODAC. Resolution and imaging were much improved, all over USB. I was satisfied.

I recently picked up the Eitr and have found it to be an almost equal improvement. The blacker background and better extension on both ends with Eitr is immediately obvious when I take Eitr out of the chain and go back to Modi Multibit over USB, which now feels somewhat smeary and veiled in comparison.

Modi Multibit on its own is still good value for the price, and the Eitr is an excellent and worthwhile upgrade that takes it up a level. If you can't swing both at once, just split the purchase. You'll still be pleased in the end.

 

Thank you for the feedback. Purchasing a new DAC is confusing as hell. I've been reading about Chord Mojo, Modi Multibit, Wyred DAC 2, Chord 2Qute... I am not sure if jump in price is worth it or not.

It would seem that the "intelligent" or "level headed" choice would be to just get the multibit now and once the eitr becomes available, get that. People talk about digital glare in ESS dacs. This is the exact issue I feel my current DAC (DFR) has, and why I want to get into multibit. Realistically I would like to purchase a used Bifrost Multibit or Gungnir Multibit, but I see none for sale used in Norway, and new they would be very expensive. So again, the Modi Multibit seems like clearly the best choice.

 

I had Exactly the same impression.

 

I thought the Modi Multibit, even without the Eitr, was consistently better than any d/s dac that i've had in my system(s), including some 2-3x the price, comparing the same inputs from dac to dac, it was just that coax s/pdif was better than usb on all of them w/o the Eitr.

 

Is there a consensus about connecting the Modi Multibit to the source using spdif? Is it spdif usually found to be better than usb with eiter?

 

What source?

 

I found the Modi Multibit to sound better via coax s/pdif from a fiio x5 than via USB from a pc, and had the same result, to varying degrees, with all the other dacs with the same sources (x5 and pc/jrmc20 for s/pdif and USB respectively) available to me at the time. I found USB from pc/jrmc > Eitr > Modi Multibit sq-wise to be pretty much indistinguishable from x5 > s/pdif > Modi Multibit. Cannot say how much this was due to different sources being used, only that Modi Multibit via usb improved noticeably with Eitr over without it, to where sq was at least as good as s/pdif from the x5. Never had a source with both s/pdif and usb digital out to eliminate the variable of different source, i.e., pc vs. X5, so can't answer this question:

 

The Eitr is an S/PDIF source

OK, it's not complex. Don't connect your Modi Multibit via plain on-board USB. Don't use motherboard S/PDIF (coax or optical) ever. These are no-brainers of a really basic kind.

If you do have a clean S/PDIf source (Eitr, good Pi hat, other decent DDC, the odd rare CD player with good clocks etc.) then if the co-axial S/PDIF is electrically clean, use that. If not, use optical. The differences between cleanly clocked optical and co-ax will be small, as long as there isn't electrical noise or a ground loop (etc.) induced by the co-ax.

Just remember, motherboard S/PDIF is bad and will be an obvious quality bottleneck.. It's the land of janky derived clocks as a rule on motherboards, which means frequency smear-o-rama. The Modi Multibit onboard USB also has fairly rubbish clocks, and not much electrical isolation from the USB VBUS line,so that is a bad option too- really sells it short as a DAC.

HTH.

 

I'm currently using an Eitr with a Modi Multibit for my office setup. I thought the USB from the Modi Multibit was fairly decent until I decided to experiment with an Eitr. I was pretty blown away at the difference in sound quality using a proper SPDIF source with the Modi Multibit. A Raspberry PI with a SPDIF hat is another option if you like to tinker and what not. Alllo and HifiBerry make some really nice hats that also sound really good.