Modi Multibit Vs. Mudi Uber 2

colegget

New Member
I've had the Modi Uber 2 since May and have enjoyed it quite a bit, but when the Multibit version was announced I was very interested. Not finding any head-to-head comparisons between Modis, I went and read up on multibit vs sigma-delta DACs, and...came away really confused. Despite that, I went ahead and ordered the Multibit. After 2 weeks of using (and enjoying) the new Modi I finally had time to sit down and compare the Multibit with the Uber 2.

What do I think? Well, trying to describe the difference in sound is difficult, but ultimately I think that the Multibit is the victor. When I put the Uber 2 back in the system, it's presentation was appealing and made me think that perhaps I should have stuck with it. When I switched to the Multibit, though, everything seemed to have a bit more presence and impact. I've read that there are more differences between the two than just the converter chips themselves, so I can't give an opinion on multibit vs sigma-delta. I can highly recommend the Modi Multibit, though!
 
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The comparison makes sense. Sometimes when I contrast one unit against another ... the differences are not Night & Day ... but subtle ... or as I like to describe it ... more engaging or "musical".

What I have found also makes a huge difference is the source material used ... aka ... some recordings are just better than others. IMHO ... takes a well recorded master to really appreciate subtle differences.
 
^^^ what Condorsat says sums it up for me as well. Source media Sq is all over the map and no DAC is going to make badly recorded or mastered media, whatever the format sound good.
 
th


The comparison makes sense. Sometimes when I contrast one unit against another ... the differences are not Night & Day ... but subtle ... or as I like to describe it ... more engaging or "musical".

What I have found also makes a huge difference is the source material used ... aka ... some recordings are just better than others. IMHO ... takes a well recorded master to really appreciate subtle differences.
^^^ what Condorsat says sums it up for me as well. Source media Sq is all over the map and no DAC is going to make badly recorded or mastered media, whatever the format sound good.

Absolutely! I ended up using about five different recordings testing between the two units. I was rather surprised that after comparing I preferred the Multibit in every instance...I was expecting that at least one recording would sound better on the Uber 2.
 
I was into my 2nd week with my Schiit Modi Uber 2 when the Multibit was announced. I got on the horn quick and requested a return label for the MB. Lucky me. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to A/B the two. It's been 4 months now and the MB seems to keep getting better with continued use.

I was considering their Gungnir multibit but I think I'm going another direction and order the ifi spdif ipurifier [reclocker] to go between the Chromecast Audio > DAC and splurge for another set of the sublime Emission Labs 45 power tubes. $684 total vs $1249 for the Gungnir multibit.
 
Just ordered a Multibit for my first stand alone unit. Positive reviews outnumbering negative convinced me.
We'll see in a week.
 
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I've had the Uber for 2 days now and thought I'd chime in here as well. This is my second DAC, the first one was an Emotiva XDA-1. The Uber beats it easily in my opinion. I've been using it with an iPure-20 dock passing digital from the iPhone with optical. A really pleasant presentation that beats streaming to an Apple TV(reconverts everything to 48Hz apparently) connected by optical.

The XDA-1 sounded gross with the iPure. Tinny, bright and basically unusable. I haven't been back to Emotiva since then, and am becoming a fan of Schiit, as weird as that sounds!
 
I'll just add that Schiit email service made my jaw drop. I wanted to return the Modi Uber and get the Bifrost Multibit, but I'm outside the return window by 7 days. I emailed asking if I could return it as I've ordered the Biffrost to upgrade already! I got a return authorization in 8 MINUTES! Wow, those people take customer service seriously.
 
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Hey @colegget I currently am running analog out of my Chromecast Audio and am looking to add a DAC and running mini toslink out of the CCA. I feel like a quality DAC would definitely improve my sound. Would it be worth the extra $100 IYO vs the Uber 2? Thanks!
I've had the Modi Uber 2 since May and have enjoyed it quite a bit, but when the Multibit version was announced I was very interested. Not finding any head-to-head comparisons between Modis, I went and read up on multibit vs sigma-delta DACs, and...came away really confused. Despite that, I went ahead and ordered the Multibit. After 2 weeks of using (and enjoying) the new Modi I finally had time to sit down and compare the Multibit with the Uber 2.

What do I think? Well, trying to describe the difference in sound is difficult, but ultimately I think that the Multibit is the victor. When I put the Uber 2 back in the system, it's presentation was appealing and made me think that perhaps I should have stuck with it. When I switched to the Multibit, though, everything seemed to have a bit more presence and impact. I've read that there are more differences between the two than just the converter chips themselves, so I can't give an opinion on multibit vs sigma-delta. I can highly recommend the Modi Multibit, though!
 
I have both but never listened to them side-by-side. I don't trust my hearing memory to judge them unless I can A-B playing the same material on the same system. I'll have to setup a test and add my two cents. One minor point about the multibit, it has to load firmware when it powers up so there's about a 30 sec wait before its ready. The standard Uber model is ready to go once its powered on.
 
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I'm no longer a believer that multibit DACs sound any better than properly done DS units. I went through several agonizing attempts to find significant differences between a Modi Multibit and a Centrance DACMini CX and came to conclusion they sound pretty much the same to my ears, any differences there are I can pick may well be due to their analog sections. I have some other DACs that I can easily detect differences between, but these two are so close so it is almost disappointing. Having said that, the Centrance was a $700 device back in the days and Modi Multibit sells for $250, so there maybe a difference after all.
 
I think it says something that you can get equal performance out of the much cheaper Schiit. There are many different things to compare in the processing end of things that I know little about, and of course the analog section. The Modi uses a wall wart, which is definitely a budget move, and yet it gives equal performance to the Centrance. It makes me wonder what a $700 Schiit DAC would sound like, and I'm about to find out with the Bifrost Multibit(okay, 600 anyway!) I should have it in the next couple of days...
 
I think it says something that you can get equal performance out of the much cheaper Schiit. There are many different things to compare in the processing end of things that I know little about, and of course the analog section. The Modi uses a wall wart, which is definitely a budget move, and yet it gives equal performance to the Centrance. It makes me wonder what a $700 Schiit DAC would sound like, and I'm about to find out with the Bifrost Multibit(okay, 600 anyway!) I should have it in the next couple of days...

Schiit's wall-wart is a step-down transformer, and the rectifier/regulator are inside the DAC, so it has a linear and not a switch-mode PSU which is what commonly referred to as wall-wart. People find that Bitfrost MB sounds exactly as Modi MB, which makes sense given they are essentially identical design. The Bitfrost is upgradeable, that's about the only difference.

The Centrance has more stuff built-in, such as galvanic isolation, a Class-A heaphone amp, and AUX input, so that counts towards the price differential as well...
 
It's funny how those owner comparisons go. I've read some that can hear no difference, and many that hear an improvement. One believes what one will about this, but I chalk it up to different systems offering different levels of resolution. Then ears and hearing skills come into play.

I could be wrong here, but I don't think Schiit is going to build a bifrost multibit to sound just like the modi multi. They are straight shooters that reveal waaay more detail about their products than most others. YMMV.

That said, they have a lot in common. Its still very impressive that their budget $250 dac can run with a $700 dac. That's the kind of thing that has built up a huge very loyal fan base.
 
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It's funny how those owner comparisons go. I've read some that can hear no difference, and many that hear an improvement. One believes what one will about this, but I chalk it up to different systems offering different levels of resolution. Then ears and hearing skills come into play.

I could be wrong here, but I don't think Schiit is going to build a bifrost multibit to sound just like the modi multi. They are straight shooters that reveal waaay more detail about their products than most others. YMMV.

It was in the opposite order, the Modi multi is newer and borrowing tech from Bitfrost. And I'm not extrapolating other opinions, Mike Moffat of Schiit pretty much said it himself in the Modi Multibit forum on head-fi, Bitbrost being upgrageable is the dominating difference, well the Bitfrost has a better USB interface iirc. To step-up SQ-wise you need to get to their higher-priced DAC models.
 
(I didn't mean to infer any specific order of release)That's true, if you have a Modi multibit I suppose. I had the Uber and did not like the wall wart, the small size nor the color. To each their own. I was impressed with the Modi Uber performance wise though, it was easily better than the XDA dac I had from Emotiva. I'm always wanting more!

Edit: Jason talked about the Modo multi vs Bifrost multi as well, which is where I got my impressions from. He places a greater importance on the power supplies than you do, and also mentions that the Modi lost one processing chip over the bifrost design because of space constraints. Other than that, upgradable(something Schiit has proven they are committed to), longer warranty and looks along with the option of black all helped me make up my mind. I really don't care for the looks of the wall wart and the small size of the Modi, but that's me.

I've read more about the two and have seen more opinions that the two are roughly equal in performance. One guy using expensive headphones and comparison gear said he preferred the Bimby on a few songs, but the majority he could not tell apart. He said that if price was a consideration, then the Mimby was the one to have.
 
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(I didn't mean to infer any specific order of release)That's true, if you have a Modi multibit I suppose. I had the Uber and did not like the wall wart, the small size nor the color. To each their own. I was impressed with the Modi Uber performance wise though, it was easily better than the XDA dac I had from Emotiva. I'm always wanting more!

Yes, I was comparing Modi multibit to the Centrance, the latter being a DS-based DAC.
 
I'm no longer a believer that multibit DACs sound any better than properly done DS units. I went through several agonizing attempts to find significant differences between a Modi Multibit and a Centrance DACMini CX and came to conclusion they sound pretty much the same to my ears, any differences there are I can pick may well be due to their analog sections. I have some other DACs that I can easily detect differences between, but these two are so close so it is almost disappointing. Having said that, the Centrance was a $700 device back in the days and Modi Multibit sells for $250, so there maybe a difference after all.
Going back to my main point, you state here that you don't believe that multibit dacs are any better than properly done DS units.

But in your comparison, you compare a $250 Modi Multi to a $700 DAC, and find that it's basically a tie. Do you see anything wrong with this picture? If better sound is what you're after, then you'd at least try a Schitt dac that's in the same price range, who cares if it's a multibit or not. We all make compromises, it sounds like your bias was to keep the Centrance dac instead stepping up to the Gungnir.
 
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