Schiit Modi 3 with Tidal

[mayukh80]

Hello FM's,

I am currently running my Tidal using "Auris Blue me HD" streamer. Although the DAC is commendable at this price range, I heard that Schiit Modi 3 is a commendable product which delivers rich sound.

I was looking forward to use the Schiit Modi 3 as a DAC to plug in the Auris using SPIDF.

PLease share your inputs, recommendation.

 

[chander]

Schiit Modi 2 Multibit sounds beautiful. It is a warm relaxed sound though if that's your cup of tea. It made my tannoys very composed with a vintage amp and I was using a shitty 1500 rs BT on it. No clue about the modi 3, but if it is a similar sound, you know what to expect.

 

[mayukh80]

Schiit Modi 2 Multibit sounds beautiful. It is a warm relaxed sound though if that's your cup of tea. It made my tannoys very composed with a vintage amp and I was using a shitty 1500 rs BT on it. No clue about the modi 3, but if it is a similar sound, you know what to expect.

Read and seen some good reviews of it.

 

[Santy]

Schiit Modi 3 is hard to beat at its price point. I have one for gaming and looking to get one more for my TV as well.

 

[pogballistics]

Get an MQA DAC if you are using Tidal.

 

[apbinu]

Get an MQA DAC if you are using Tidal.

4+ yrs down the road & Schiit still doesn't provide MQA on their products (Video timestamp 3:50 min) & few other manufacturer's are yet to join the bandwagon.
Does MQA really makes it that significant? I'm not yet on Tidal & never heard MQA tracks till date, hence asking this question am i missing something?

 

[raghupb]

Honest assessment technology and business wise.
Even today, I think MQA still has some licensing terms for DAC manufacturers.
Just like how AVR manufacturers need to pay royalty to Dolby, maybe DAC manufacturers need to pay Meredian, I dunno.

"DACs for music that you already have ..."
I think this sums it up nicely

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[jai1611]

MQA is basically a scam. Proprietary encoder to get more money from manufacturers and users. Feedback on sound quality are mixed at best so there isnt any real benefit from the extra cost. Only reason it's its around is Tidal insists on putting their high res streams behind this proprietary format. Qobuz doesn't have this issue. If Spotify gets into high res or Amazon gets serious, i guess Tidal will be forced to drop it

 

[raghupb]

Schiit can still do Tidal Hi-Fi, that's like lossless FLACs, right?
I've heard Tidal Hi-Fi through two of the DACs at home (Modi2, Parasound).
Sounds pretty good. There is a cost factor though. Tidal ain't cheap enough for many of us.
If you can afford it check out Tidal Hi-Fi. Personally, I don't feel the need for lossless streaming, YMMV.

As of 2020, mass market streaming is still with Spotify (free/premium) and Amazon Music.
Have subscribed to Spotify premium 320 kbps vs 160 kpbs on the free stuff.
Yeah there is a bit of an improvement in SQ by going premium, but no ads, and offline mode is what you really pay for.
Locally, I think Gaana rules, just from a content perspective.
Gaana quality? Eh ... What can I say, that's the one place where I can get tons of old Hindi/Kannada music.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[pogballistics]

I am using both Tidal and Qobuz.
Both Hires and MQA are really good anf there's no scam here. Some tracks sound better in MQA and some better in Hires. Hires cannot offer more than 192kHz whereas MQA has file recording upto 352.8kHz which takes the quality to DSD level.
To have these two options is a blessing and rather than belittling something we should embrace them and enjoy music as we always do

 

[raghupb]

I am using both Tidal and Qobuz.
Both Hires and MQA are really good anf there's no scam here. Some tracks sound better in MQA and some better in Hires. Hires cannot offer more than 192kHz whereas MQA has file recording upto 352.8kHz which takes the quality to DSD level.
To have these two options is a blessing and rather than belittling something we should embrace them and enjoy music as we always do

Agreed. If one has the means and opportunity, go for it.
My point is different:
- Tidal (Hi-Fi/MQA) and Qobuz is really gunning for the traditional 2 ch at home; dac/amp/speakers setup
- Spotify/Amazon is catering to the on-the-go segment; mobile users (low data rate stuff)

When MQA came out, remember Pono Player put out a series of listening tests.
I took them and failed miserably, could not differentiate 8-bit vs 16-bit
That's when I drew the line at 16/44.1

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[manniraj]

Also I guess its not dependent entirely on the DAC perse for MQA decoding, for example if you are using Roon then the decoding of the MQA I guess is done by the Roon and passes on the PCM to the DAC. So its dependent on the player through which you are trying to play the MQA file. I see that if you are using mConnect mobile app (paid version) to playback Tidal it does the decoding and casts to the CCA or other UPNP/DLNA renderer. So I am not sure if this is true.

 

[apbinu]

Also I guess its not dependent entirely on the DAC perse for MQA decoding, for example if you are using Roon then the decoding of the MQA I guess is done by the Roon and passes on the PCM to the DAC. So its dependent on the player through which you are trying to play the MQA file. I see that if you are using mConnect mobile app (paid version) to playback Tidal it does the decoding and casts to the CCA or other UPNP/DLNA renderer. So I am not sure if this is true.

thats interesting fact, becoz even i had read somewhere MQA decoding happens at the software level & forcing HW/DAC manufacturer for get its certified is too obvious strategy to mint money based on proprietary. In case of Network streamers/players it makes sense as the software is bundled with HW & decodes the package this is in case your listing to your personal collection/lib of MQA stored on separate media/HDD, which is almost equal to nil at this stage. So i guess buying MQA enabled DAC even at this stage doesn't make much of sense.

Cheers,

 

[rpmahale]

From last one and half year I am using Tidal streaming music service. I am using through Tidal Desktop app which do first unfold. I have connected my Laptop to Marantz avr through HDMI port. I have four different sources to access Tidal...
1. Tidal through desktop app on Laptop
2. Tidal on phone through bluetooth
3. Tidal on my Sony 55x9000e TV
4. Tidal on Marantz Heos app
I am able to stream Tidal effortlessly on all four options but I prefer Laptop desktop app due to better sound quality and easy usage.......
Most of the time I listen albums recorded with MQA then FLAC
Numerous time I have compare same album with same source in MQA and FLAC ( Tidal have both versions available) and I always felt that MQA have an edge over FLAC. MQA is lot better on every aspect of music. MQA just lift the entire music listening experience to next level. It has tonally rich, detail and clear presentation of music. If you have better system then this experience gets more highlighted and a warm feeling passes through body and your music listening sessions get extended. Once you habituated to MQA you may not turn to FLAC. Sadly no Indian music albums are available in MQA and I am waiting for that. I am waiting to add a MQA eneble DAC or streamer in my chain to take full advantage to MQA . MQA has the capacity to re-invent CD if recorded with MQA format. Onkyo and Pioneer have already included MQA in their stereo receiver .Marantz ,Denon and CA yet to come. Near future we may see MQA on av receiver. ifi also included MQA on vide range of dac amplifier and ifi zen dac may be the cheapest option to take full advantage of MQA. Schitt modi yet to introduce MQA on their entry dac which may be a big selling point .

 

[raghupb]

<snip>
Schitt modi yet to introduce MQA on their entry dac which may be a big selling point .

They have firmly said they are never gonna do MQA.
So no point dreaming about it. Here is another recent interview (2018)
It comes up in discussion towards the end.

Was reading/watching about their newer Unison USB stuff.
They seem to talk about it a lot, because it apparently gives them a fair amount of control on how to use it.
It may worth checking out, specially folks who are into desktop systems.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[pogballistics]

Also I guess its not dependent entirely on the DAC perse for MQA decoding, for example if you are using Roon then the decoding of the MQA I guess is done by the Roon and passes on the PCM to the DAC. So its dependent on the player through which you are trying to play the MQA file. I see that if you are using mConnect mobile app (paid version) to playback Tidal it does the decoding and casts to the CCA or other UPNP/DLNA renderer. So I am not sure if this is true.

Incorrect. There is an MQA Audio Development and Reviews group on facebook which is good and helps in understanding the technicalities.

However, Roon / Audrivana / UAPP are softwares that have an MQA Core decoder which only does the first unfold and passes on the signal to an MQA Rendering DAC for further unfolds.

If you are using an MQA Decoding + Rendering DAC then you don't need the Software's core decoder and can pass through so that you have a hardware Decoding step followed by Rendering. This is a better option compared to software decoding due to shorter signal path.

Some examples of MQA Rendering DACs are the ifi audio Zen Dac, Zorloo Ztella etc

Some examples of MQA Decoding + Rendering DACs are SMSL500, 400, D90 MQA, Project Prebix S2 Digital etc.

 

[Naala]

Registered basically just to post this... Spotify VS Tidal master / MQA is technically a modern VHS vs Betamax.

Spotify is VHS
Tidal is Betamax

Spotify cater to the masses sort of what VHS did

Tidal focus on quality and has a cost to boot like Betamax did

No one ever said VHS was better then Betamax and it was not

Main reason VHS won and why Spotify is winning this race is low cost and huge integration VHS also had longer recording time doubled if i remember right not that it is a factor here.

People in general are not going to pay for "slightly" better quality they normally want a big boost so its "worth" the money

i am using both Spotify premium And Tidal master subscription, Spotify for Smart home integration when cooking just play some music through google home etc and then i have Tidal for when i'm chilling in the couch with a glass of whiskey or at the PC.

when and if Tidal gets better integration with smart home and voice control AND similar feature as Spotify connect then i will drop spotify completely no question.

i'm no audiophile there is a lot i don't know but i want quality over quantity in my opinion if i spend 400 - 1000 euro / dollar or what have you on a dac i want the best i can get. otherwise i see no point in spending so much money and might as well buy budget stuff.

Found this forum by shear accident when i googled for a Shiit dac with MQA support since that's what i'm currently looking for since i recently got new headphones and is in need of a Dac / amp and heard Shiit is a good brand.

Also Tidal has a x-mas offer now 4 euro (rough conversion) for 4 months on any Plan which also include Tidal family (up to 5 users) great bang for those who want to try it out "https://tidal.com/offers/holiday-offer" not affiliated just throwing it out there since some offers during x-mas gets lost in the snow

 

[Bloom@83]

I am using both Tidal and Qobuz.
Both Hires and MQA are really good anf there's no scam here. Some tracks sound better in MQA and some better in Hires. Hires cannot offer more than 192kHz whereas MQA has file recording upto 352.8kHz which takes the quality to DSD level.
To have these two options is a blessing and rather than belittling something we should embrace them and enjoy music as we always do

Have you ever done a blind test between 16/44 and 24/192 ? Most human beings won’t be able to tell the difference.

 

[shyamv]

Have you ever done a blind test between 16/44 and 24/192 ? Most human beings won’t be able to tell the difference.

I beg to differ. On a decently resolving system of even $2-3K, the difference between 16/44 and 24/192 is quite obvious. Maybe not as night and day as 320 kbps and 16/44 but there is a difference. This becomes more obvious in well-recorded music from 70s and 80s without the dynamic range compression that most recordings since the 90s suffer from. In fact, I would go out on a limb and say that Spotify 320kbps is enough for 90% of today's music. But if you listen to Jazz, Classical, Classic Rock or Blues recorded prior to 1995, resolution of your audio files matters.

 

[shyamv]

accident

There is no Schiit DAC with MQA..they have categorically said that MQA is a scam and they won't support it even in the future.