New Schiit DAC

[arpasquill]

https://www.schiit.com/products/modius

 

This has just been released and I'm curious if anyone has bought Schiit items directly from the States instead of local (and somewhat expensive local dealers) and what the import tax charges might be?

 

I was looking at the standard Schiit stack with the Modi 3 but this has my attention.

 

Thanks in advance

[Addicted to music]

I saw this the other day but refused to start a thread, because every time I do I get the “measurement means jack shcitt brigade “ trashing the thread.    
I’ve read somewhere that it’s not as good as the Modi 3 SQ wise and stand corrected if I’m wrong!  
However for a schiit Product it measures very well,  a sample from the factory  was actually sent to ASR for measurements and it looks like Schitt  now provide similar Documented measurements with the product.  The final resulting measurements could also be due to the fact they are now into using of the shelf opamps like Topping and SMSL. 
The Toshlink and Coax has isssues and is not as clean as the USB,  be interesting if you compare the USB to the s/pdif inputs to see if you can detect the difference which looks like “timing” errors. 
 

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/schiit-modius-balanced-dac-review.13769/

Edited June 6, 2020 by Addicted to music

[Greg Orr]

1 hour ago, arpasquill said:

https://www.schiit.com/products/modius

 

This has just been released and I'm curious if anyone has bought Schiit items directly from the States instead of local (and somewhat expensive local dealers) and what the import tax charges might be?

 

I was looking at the standard Schiit stack with the Modi 3 but this has my attention.

 

Thanks in advance

import taxes into australia are 10% gst   if its not collected by the seller chances are before releasing it you will have to pay it to Australia Post 

[MattyW]

Just the usual 10% GST when I've bought direct. That said the only Schiit item I've kept is the Schiit Saga and then only in the gym system. Even at their own price point there are always better sounding alternatives to Schiit though to be fair I haven't tried their amplifiers. On the other hand, at this price point no one else will back their product like Schiit.

Edited June 23, 2020 by MattyW

[Greg Orr]

7 minutes ago, MattyW said:

Just the usual 10% GST when I've bought direct. That said the only Schiit item I've kept is the Schiit Saga and then only in the gym system. Even at their own price point there are always better sounding alternatives to Schiit though to be fair I haven't tried their amplifiers. On the other hand, at this price point no one else will back their product like Schiit.

I own a Yggdrasil dac and mjolnir 2 amp, there absolutely superb . I challenge many to find better price to performance . Also the benefit that most of there components are now modular and can be upgraded with new dac cards usb cards etc. They are very unique in the market place. Also there after sales service is fantastic email schiit or addicted to audio, there australian distributors any issues are remedied quickly. I just love my schiit.

[Greg Orr]

On 06/06/2020 at 6:59 PM, Addicted to music said:

I saw this the other day but refused to start a thread, because every time I do I get the “measurement means jack shcitt brigade “ trashing the thread.    
I’ve read somewhere that it’s not as good as the Modi 3 SQ wise and stand corrected if I’m wrong!  
However for a schiit Product it measures very well,  a sample from the factory  was actually sent to ASR for measurements and it looks like Schitt  now provide similar Documented measurements with the product.  The final resulting measurements could also be due to the fact they are now into using of the shelf opamps like Topping and SMSL. 
The Toshlink and Coax has isssues and is not as clean as the USB,  be interesting if you compare the USB to the s/pdif inputs to see if you can detect the difference which looks like “timing” errors. 
 

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/schiit-modius-balanced-dac-review.13769/

I personally don't take much importance in measurements . If my ears like what they hear that's all I need. Always have a Liston before buying I reckon don't let numbers coloraturas your judgment . Does the gear sound good to you, if it does its a no brainer measurements or no measurements.

[MattyW]

14 minutes ago, grorr76 said:

I personally don't take much importance in measurements . If my ears like what they hear that's all I need. Always have a Liston before buying I reckon don't let numbers coloraturas your judgment . Does the gear sound good to you, if it does its a no brainer measurements or no measurements.

In complete agreement. Measurements don't tell you much of anything. Trust your ears.

 

When I referred to sound quality, I'm referring to the lower end and midrange Schiit products. I've never experienced their top of the line DAC's so just can't comment. I'm sure they're very good 

Edited June 24, 2020 by MattyW

[chaddy]

My Modius just hit Hawaii. Will keep you updated. 

[was_a]

Agree with the previous posters regarding measurements - noise and distortion metrics are much of a muchness with modern chip technology. I read far more into power-supply design, the implementation of chips and the sound preferences of the designer / characteristics of brand. Ultimately our ears should be the deciding factor. 

 

Look forward to reading about your impressions, Chaddy, although recently I've had to wait up to 2 months for things posted from the US. (It's like a comedy reading "At ........... Airport Awaiting Departure" for four weeks in a row!

 

 

Edited June 24, 2020 by was_a

[Greg Orr]

Just now, was_a said:

Agree with the previous posters regarding measurements - noise and distortion metrics are much of a muchness with modern chip technology. I read far more into power-supply design, the implementation of chips and the sound preferences of the designer / characteristics of brand. Ultimately our ears should be the deciding factor. 

 

Look forward to reading about your impressions, Chaddy, although recently I've had to wait up to 2 months for things posted from the US. (It's like a comedy reading "At ........... Airport Awaiting Departure" for four weeks"..!

I had some records from the us go to Mexico and they are still there not moving. the seller was nice enough to refund me. shipping at the moment is just insanely a roll of the dice from both the UK and US.

[chaddy]

29 minutes ago, was_a said:

 

 

Look forward to reading about your impressions, Chaddy, although recently I've had to wait up to 2 months for things posted from the US. (It's like a comedy reading "At ........... Airport Awaiting Departure" for four weeks in a row!

 

 

Yes. I was quite surprised when I checked the tracking. Only ordered it Monday. Went with Fedex priority as USPS backlogged. 

[idiomatically]

I have quite a few Schiit products, but their DACS have always been underwhelming, The Yggy is horrible compared to my RME ADI2-FS.  After hearing a lot of their DACS I swore off them and only use their preamps/amps.  I have however just received the Modius and really rate it, it’s certainly the best Schiit DAC I have heard.

Maybe I am the odd one out around here but to me measurements do count, I have never heard something measure poorly that I thought sounded good and vice versa.  I trust measurements in every other endeavour in life, from engineering a wall to medical equipment, the design and measurements count and I fail to see how that doesn’t ring true for audio as well.

If I can get subjective people aligning with the objective measurements even better. 

[Greg Orr]

1 minute ago, idiomatically said:

I have quite a few Schiit products, but their DACS have always been underwhelming, The Yggy is horrible compared to my RME ADI2-FS.  After hearing a lot of their DACS I swore off them and only use their preamps/amps.  I have however just received the Modius and really rate it, it’s certainly the best Schiit DAC I have heard.

Maybe I am the odd one out around here but to me measurements do count, I have never heard something measure poorly that I thought sounded good and vice versa.  I trust measurements in every other endeavour in life, from engineering a wall to medical equipment, the design and measurements count and I fail to see how that doesn’t ring true for audio as well.

If I can get subjective people aligning with the objective measurements even better. 

The Yggy with a2 board and unison is stunning. All down to taste really. I’ve owned or heard nearly all there dacs. Yggy is top of the line for a reason especially ran balanced . As I said each to there own just reporting my experiences. 

[Addicted to music]

On 24/06/2020 at 9:45 AM, grorr76 said:

I personally don't take much importance in measurements . If my ears like what they hear that's all I need. Always have a Liston before buying I reckon don't let numbers coloraturas your judgment . Does the gear sound good to you, if it does its a no brainer measurements or no measurements.

Then don't buy this dac because it measure wells via the USB port and uses typical stock  opamps

[idiomatically]

21 minutes ago, grorr76 said:

The Yggy with a2 board and unison is stunning. All down to taste really. I’ve owned or heard nearly all there dacs. Yggy is top of the line for a reason especially ran balanced . As I said each to there own just reporting my experiences. 

I’ve not heard a v2 Yggy with the Unison upgrade, however it would want to be a dramatic upgrade over the v1 Yggy.  Certainly it comes down to personal preference, audio is a case of eye of the beholder for sure.  I am very impressed with the Modius however, using it in a balanced chain you will be very hard to beat it for bang to buck with such a good SQ.

I would take it over ANY other Schitt DAC i have heard to date, esp given it’s price tag.  Schiit have really stepped it up, i am shocked even by how good this thing is.  You would need to get to a RME or Topping D90 level to beat it imo.  

[Bengineer]

Just ordered mine. Now the wait. How long did yours take?

 

I'll compare it to a DX7 (9038Pro) when it arrives for those playing at home.

[jomjom]

On 28/06/2020 at 8:18 PM, idiomatically said:

I have quite a few Schiit products, but their DACS have always been underwhelming, The Yggy is horrible compared to my RME ADI2-FS.  After hearing a lot of their DACS I swore off them and only use their preamps/amps.  I have however just received the Modius and really rate it, it’s certainly the best Schiit DAC I have heard.

Maybe I am the odd one out around here but to me measurements do count, I have never heard something measure poorly that I thought sounded good and vice versa.  I trust measurements in every other endeavour in life, from engineering a wall to medical equipment, the design and measurements count and I fail to see how that doesn’t ring true for audio as well.

If I can get subjective people aligning with the objective measurements even better. 

Did you leave it switch on 24/7 and how many (days ,weeks  run in)before you come to this conclusion that it is horrible.

Which digital input,and  analog output did you use, and do you listen to headphones or speakers .Assuming you have A1 version, the info I gathered it take 3 weeks before the magic blossoms.

 

[idiomatically]

@jomjom The 3 weeks thing is a load of rot to be honest, like this 300+ hour crap for speaker burn in.  Even the designers say its a myth, Andrew Jones etc actually have written papers on why burn in is not really a thing.

 

Schiit actually even removed all mention of “warm up” from all the owners manuals, and even then they used to say it only took a few ours for them to reach thermal equilibrium, not days or weeks.  Mike Moffat himself actually stated “It needs around 2 hours, it is not the DSP which needs to thermally stabilize.  It is the DAC chip which needs to settle into its INL spec”

 

However with that said, yes all my gear is on 24/7, USB in, XLR out to preamp to speakers balanced all the way.  The RME blew it out of the park, not even remotely was it in the same league as the RME.  I lived with it for almost a year before moving it on, I also note the person I sold it to has also moved it on.

Like I said I can only talk about the v1 and found it over rated and glad to be shot of it.  That is why I am so impressed with the Modius. 

[chaddy]

Well it’s finally here. Initially Schiit sent a Modi 3 by mistake. Rectified same day with Modius Fedex’d and arrived exactly 7 days later. Worth paying Fedex Priority as I’ve heard USPS has a bit if a backlog. Initial impressions are good. 

[arpasquill]

50 minutes ago, chaddy said:

Well it’s finally here.

Was it much cheaper to buy it direct from the US?

 

Glad to see that all got sorted. I am extremely curious to hear what you think - IF you decide to sell my folks-in-law are in Wollongong so I can nip past.

[chaddy]

1 hour ago, arpasquill said:

Was it much cheaper to buy it direct from the US?

 

Glad to see that all got sorted. I am extremely curious to hear what you think - IF you decide to sell my folks-in-law are in Wollongong so I can nip past.

It was AUD$400 all up. Last time I checked A2A don’t have the Modius listed so it will be interesting to see what they retail it for. I can’t really compare SQ as I have it hooked up to a headphone amp which I’ve only just purchased. Suffice to say it’s way better than the laptop headphone output.  My main system uses an Oppo 205 as Roon endpoint. USB connection was seamless with The Schiit being recognised by both Roon and the laptop. No power toggle but I guess it’s OK to leave on, will help with the burn in

[arpasquill]

10 minutes ago, chaddy said:

Last time I checked A2A don’t have the Modius listed so it will be interesting to see what they retail it for

I had an email from A2A mid way through May and they said:

 

"They would be around $469."

[jomjom]

Well I have to try it and experience it myself..  

Day one it sounded crap more like a topping D10.YMMV off course.

Fast forward 25 days  later and Mike Moffat is my hero.
I think this is were I get off  the merry go round wagon.

Current version Yggdrasil 2.