Do you need a high end AMP and DAC? Schiit Modius & Magnius
|Do you need to spend a combined $400 on this “Schiit Stack”, to enjoy legitimately high end audio? For someone like me, who doesn’t have all that much high end audio gear, is this the best way to do it? Let’s find out, but first, if you haven’t already, consider subscribing for more videos every Monday, Wednesday and Friday!
The obvious answer to those questions is no. You don’t need these, nor do you need them to enjoy breathtakingly good audio, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t good. Quite the opposite, this pair, the Modius and Magnius is one of the best AMP and DAC setups you can get, and for what they are, they are pretty damn reasonably priced. As with everything audiophile, the prices seem to go up exponentially. Even Schiit’s own Amp and DACs can set you back thousands, so a $400 setup seems great.
The reason you’d spring for the Magnius and Modius over the half price Magni and Modi is likely futureproofing, and one extra feature that discerning listeners might enjoy, balanced audio. According to advancedmp3players.co.uk, balanced audio helps further reduce noise by inverting the source audio to cancel out any noise accrued. The Magnius also has more power – around double – which makes it ideal for driving even the highest end planar magnetic headphones like the Audeze LCD2s.
Again, that’s not to say you shouldn’t buy the Magni and Modi, in fact I’d probably recommend them over this setup if you are as new to the high end audio game as I am, but if you want to be sure you won’t pretty much ever need to upgrade your AMP and DAC setup, this is a great choice.
Listening with the Audio Technica AD700Xs, and even my friend’s Sennheiser HD650s really doesn’t do these things justice. At least with the Sennheisers, you are able to get a lot more out of them than you can with more common products like your built in audio or even things like the Creative Soundblaster G6, so much more clarity and character comes through with these. It’s amazing.
It actually gave me a few moments of shock and awe, listening to tracks I thought I knew well, only to hear details I didn’t know were there, hear elements in an all new light, and honestly just a mind blowing experience for me.
The 300 ohm impedance on the HD650s definitely put Magnius to the test, but unsurprisingly it didn’t break a sweat, and provided crisp and clear audio with literally no problems. Compared to the AD700X’s 38 ohm impedance, well it didn’t have to try very hard at all.
So, should you spend $400 on this killer audio system? Odds are, probably not, because Schiit’s Hel or Fulla AMP and DAC units are a much better value, and are plenty fine for the vast majority of headphones and even speakers. If you are a little more discerning, the Modi and Magni are still probably a better bet, coming in at exactly half the price too. Only if you expect to make use of the balanced outputs and extra power requirements should you really consider this setup. But, if you do splash out, my god what an experience.