Schiit Modius DAC announced

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by JohnCarter17, Jun 2, 2020.

  1. schiit

    schiit SchiitHead

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    Unison USB™ means that it is out own UAC2 implementation, running our own proprietary code, as opposed to another manufacturer's implementation (like C-Media and XMOS).

    We have never used the term "galvanically isolated" for any product, instead preferring the less ambiguous "electrostatic and electromagnetic isolation" to describe our specific isolation solution, which uses transformers rather than optocouplers.

    That said, the implementation of Unison USB in Modius is not transformer-isolated, so we are not claiming "electrostatic and electromagnetic isolation."
     
  2. m17xr2b

    m17xr2b Friend

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    Galvanic isolation is overrated, any 1:1 transformer will give out what many think of isolation as in electrons jumping over thin air tot the next wire. Charge isolation is such an obscure topic I wonder why anyone would care and if those persons know what a charge even is and to extension symmetry.
    Unison is best in class so far, electromagnetic and electrostatic effects are misunderstood and less relevant to audio apart for measurement measurbators. PSU quality is still the forefront of audio any why this dac is less than 200$. I still don't understand how Schiit manage to sell this sort of gear for such a low price. Even with economy of scale, try to DIY and you'll see what I mean.
     
  3. RedFuneral

    RedFuneral Facebook Friend

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    Does the custom USB input offer superior noise rejection than the more off-the-shelf solutions? I've been having issues with modern budget DACs and activity related noise coming from the USB input(EMI from mouse movements or GPU under load) which I didn't have with older equipment from the days before XMOS & C-Media.
     
  4. bboris77

    bboris77 Friend

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    Electromagnetic isolation of the USB port is the best way of avoiding ground loops, especially when used with typical noisy PCs with powerful video cards. It has very little to do with measurements as it is quite audible when you have it in your setup. In fact, most measurebators on ASR do not even mention it and I have never seen it properly measured by anyone.

    This issue is moot with the Modius itself as it does not use a three-prong power cable and it avoids the pitfalls of a ground loop. If you are using it with the Jotunheim or the Asgard 3 and a PC, it is very likely that you will need to get an EB Tech Hum-X ($99) to avoid your classic ground loop noise. The Hum-X will have to be installed on the amplifier power cord end to eliminate noise the ground loop.

    1:1 transformer on the RCA line will solve the ground loop as well, but at the expense of some audio quality. The only way to preserve the integrity of the audio signal and eliminate ground loops is to isolate the USB input or use the Hum-X as recommended by Schiit.
     
  5. bboris77

    bboris77 Friend

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    What equipment do you use? If you use three pronged devices, you will need one Hum-X for each of them, except the PC to deal with this. That or an Intona USB isolator on the USB input of your DAC. Or a Bifrost 2 :)
     
  6. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    Thanks for confirming.

    And yes, I put "galvanic" between quotes because I know you and Mike are allergic to that term. If you were French, you'd have a different feeling about it, because that's the term they teach in EE class for "breaking the ground" and, no, it has nothing to do with galvanizing metal, but rather the "inventor"'s name: Luigi Galvani.
     
  7. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    Ground loops are one thing. Noisy USB bus are another. There is still benefit to not bringing noisy USB power into your DAC.

    Case in point, the Hugo 2 sounded considerably less etched when fed by a tablet with OTG USB, versus my desktop PC, despite driving headphones directly and not being hooked up to anything else that was connected to the mains.
     
  8. ohshitgorillas

    ohshitgorillas Friend

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    I'll just hang on to my Bifrost 2, but I am very jealous of the AES input! I can still dream about an I2S card (edit: I2S, not AES which wouldn't fit) to replace Unison, even if it's never going to happen.

    I have the feeling this thing is going to be extremely popular...
     
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2020
  9. RedFuneral

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    Asgard 3 right now but I've gone through many amps with the issue. Everything is plugged into the same battery backup(UPS.)

    It's an annoying issue as I put a lot of thought into my new PC to reduce USB noise. PSU with the lowest 5v ripple I could find & a board which advertised the filtering quality/protection. End result was the same as the old PC with budget board & failing PSU. Perfectly silent on old USB DAC with generic async input & vulnerable to noise on new DACs. I really don't want to buy a filter that costs as much as my gear(or deal with another power cord.)
     
  10. PacoTaco

    PacoTaco Friend

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    AKM4493 and 4499 have less of the velvet sound (nearly gone in the case of the 4499) than the rest of the chips, which has me particularly interested. I've always been a fan of the D/S Bifrost Uber, and this seems like the logical progression past that.

    Since I basically have these Sendy Aiva's sold, I may just order one tonight before I get hit with the "backorder." This seems like a logical pair with the Jotunheim (or Gilmore Lite Mk2...might have to order some XLR->RCA cables again.)
     
  11. bboris77

    bboris77 Friend

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    I have been there, done that. Unfortunately, various components, mainly powerful video cards, seem to dump a lot of electrical noise down the common ground. What happens when you connect your DAC to the PC via USB and then your Asgard 3 to the DAC using the RCA cables is that you create a ground loop. The final nail in the coffin there is the fact that the Asgard 3 is individually grounded to the common ground via its three-pronged power cord. That creates two different paths to the common ground (one via PC power cord, the other one via the Asgard 3 power cord). The result - lots of low-level coil whine noise through the speaker proportional to the video card activity.

    In my case, both the Asgard 3 and the D70 use 3-prong power cords, so I had to get 2 Hum-Xs to eliminate the ground loop. The Bifrost 2 would have done the trick as it breaks the ground loop at the source (USB connection). If your DAC only uses a 2-prong cord, you can get away with just one Hum-X.
     
  12. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    Does the new AKM chip have selectable filters as well? I always liked the old d/s bifrost as well, wonder what that one was and what filter Schiit selected in the modius, I hope it is not the "natural sound" one that many companies selected for the 4490.
     
  13. SineDave

    SineDave Friend

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    I ordered one - figured it can't hurt. Because I'm a glutton for punishment and really wanted to let my own ears decide, I picked up a Topping D90 (LOL) so I'll be more than happy to let these two fight, measurements be damned.

    The D90 hasn't impressed me thus far, but it was still worth hearing it myself.
     
  14. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    Yeah it's surprising to see this thing with an AES input but everything but Yggdrasil does not, despite Gungnir and Bifrost having balanced outputs... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
     
  15. raif

    raif Man made lobster/plankton

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    I was actually in the market for a DAC after downsizing during the COVID tymes. Thanks to purr1n's recent thread, I had already been looking at Schiit as a viable "objective" option with the Modi 3 so this feels like a no brainer.
     
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2020
  16. Hrodulf

    Hrodulf Prohibited from acting as an MOT until year 2050

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    I doubt it. RME ADI-2 DAC has a clear edge in features. Two different markets.
     
  17. Pogo

    Pogo Friend

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    Hope Schiit made a lot of em, ordered in black.

    I will say you missed a marketing opportunity here
    "Modius Maximus" has a certain appeal to the name, kinda like " Trojan XL"

    Any chance of a "Lokious Maximus" with balanced in/out being released this year?
     
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2020
  18. Yethal

    Yethal Facebook Friend

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    Kinda feels like a product made to pander to asr folk. Delta-sigma chip, opamp based output stage and focus on measurement all look like things amir would be all over.
     
  19. HotRatSalad

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    Great chapter a lot of what was said hit home for me. Ordered in black !
     
  20. Mithrandir41

    Mithrandir41 Friend

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    The Modi 3 may have catered to that same group, but it still sounds good.
     

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