E30 polarity issue for one..
That's surely a great insight. Never knew it had one, at least not from hearing it. Will have to listen for it (a
nd now that the seeds have been sowed, I'll never be able to listen to it again without keeping my ear out for it).
then multi filters which make it more complicated and not the purest.
To a lot of us, there is no such thing as pure. But it's great that you stated the reasons. Now somebody who's actually looking for experimenting with filters can understand why you consider the Modi 3 to be superior i.e. the lack of filters which can be complicated to some.
I may add here that there are 6 filters to choose from which can be cycled through the remote from the listening position - quite convenient.
Again as i said "I THINK".. which say its my opinion.. you may have a different opinion and thats perfectly fine. Let me know why you think Modi 3 is not a match or worst here
The intention was not to put you enguard but elicit more information. To elucidate, since I've heard the E30 and Ifi Zen Dac but not the Modi 3, I was curious to know the reasons which led you to believe that the Modi 3 is better.
In this hobby, I would imagine a person arrives at an opinion either from their own experience with the product, reading about it (specs, test results etc.) or hearsay (third person accounts or reviews).
It helps if the person tendering his opinion also states the reasons for it. That way, the querist can decide the amount of reliance he places upon any given opinion as well as benefiting other hifiers who may have similar questions (like I did).
For example, filters are
inter alia a feature i considered before getting the E30.
And while we are on the E30, and while I think that it has a perfectly good sound that won't disappoint, especially for the price, and a whole host of features and connectivity that someone might find more useful than the Ifi Zen DAC, the latter sounds better to my ears.
My reasons are that the Zen DAC has finer detail retrieval, has a softer presentation and yet, sounds more dynamic than the E30 despite the latter having a sharper overall sound signature. In fact, the very reason i went for the Zen DAC was because i wanted a softer presentation than the inbuilt DAC of my Cambridge Audio CXA81 (
which has a fantastic DAC in its own right but again, with a sharp sound signature).
In fact, the Ifi Zen DAC sounds very similar and goes toe to toe with my Chord Mojo when connected over USB from my PC.
It is only while connecting to a better source such as the Allo USBridge Signature that the Chord Mojo distinguishes itself and stamps its authority over the Zen DAC by delivering a superior mid range performance. To elaborate, the Chord has more meat on the bone and a richer midrange which the Ifi simply cannot muster making it sound drier in comparison.
And such is the performance of the Chord Mojo, and i shudder while saying this, that i think it is better than my RME ADI-2 DAC FS. While a second opinion from another set of ears is well warranted in what is otherwise an outrageous statement, my reasons are that the Chord has better tone and timbre and focuses (
or brings to the fore allowing the listener to focus) on the right cues and details in the music despite the RME clearly having the advantage in detail retrieval.
Coming back to the topic at hand, I have no reason for believing the Modi 3 is either better or worse than the Modi 3 or Ifi Zen DAC. Had you elaborated on why the Modi 3 was better than the Ifi Zen Dac V2 and the E30, i would at least have anecdotal information on this aspect and perhaps, have arrived at the same conclusion as you. But I'm yet to get that information.
