Schiit Modi 3+ D/A Converter - Delta-Sigma DAC (Black)

I’m using USB in on the Schiit Modi 3+ for 2.1 music and video. The only other dacs I’ve used are home studio interfaces, currently SSL 2+ and UA Volt, and recently the SMSL SU-1. The SU-1 was an experiment to see if a dedicated DAC was worth buying instead of using an audio interface as I’ve always done. The answer was a solid YES. With the SU-1 I was very impressed, able to hear detail on par or better than the best analog consumer turntables. In fact the clarity is astonishing. But that detail is at the expense of sounding natural. There is little warmth or richness in that laser like clarity. And on the second day the left channel failed. It was annoying but gave me a chance to decide not to replace it. I loved what a dedicated DAC could do, but didn’t love the sound of this one. Impressed yes. Loved no. I did a little more research and was intrigued by reviews of the Schiit Modi 3+. I liked that it was said to be uniformly rich and detailed through the entire frequency range. And that unlike the other, it had a smoother sounding chip and good TI op amps for the output audio signal. I find that the Modi 3+ lives up to everything good said about it. The clarity is there, but doesn’t punch you in the head like the SU-1 does. Because it’s clarity is embedded in rich old school HiFi warmth. So instead, it sounds kind of…normal. And it made my little Q Acoustics 3010s sound…WAYYY better. Now I can stream my favorite albums without being pissed off I lost my vinyl collection. Classic albums are now in the ballpark of my lost modified Technics SL-1210, and modern tracks simply kick a$$. If you are looking for a wonderful sounding inexpensive DAC, and prefer old school HiFi sound, I can say without doubt this gets you there. P.S. Don’t skimp on interconnects. I’ve used conventional stranded and solid core. I think solid core sounds smoother because it attenuates highs. To me it degrades the high end. My go-to wire is Mogami. With it I hear EVERYTHING. By comparison that is. I’m sure solid silver would be nice. Don’t need it. I DO need the Schiit Modi 3+. I would never go back to what I had before. PPS. For the home recordists out there: (The UA Volt sounds noticeably better on playback than the SSL 2+. The Modi 3+ blows them both away) just sayin’. P.S. Since writing this I have switched out my Mogami interconnect cables for the PYST cables from Schiit. They have all the clarity of Mogami, but are also richer in the mids and low end. They call them “Snake Oil” cables. The joke is that you don’t need to spend more on high priced cables. THOSE are the snake oil, and these from Schiit prove it. Highest recommendation for all things Schiit!

MODI3+ DAC is working out pretty well. I’ve got it going into SMSL DA-9, unbalanced RCA outs and ins of course as the MODI is not provide balanced output. I realize I’m not taking full advantage of the amps features but it sounds really good. I guess I need to say that the SMSL DA-9 is the only amp I’ve tried it with because it’s the only amp I’ve used since I got it. That being said, I don’t really feel the need to change that for the foreseeable future. It’s that nice but no onboard DAC. I will probably get a cd/media player soon that is balanced to open up that feature. Sounds great though. Nice detail and was surprised the sound of Spotify set to highest rate (still over WiFi) USB to MODI from my old MacBook Air that’s still fine. Crip clear and maybe a little heavy on the low end. Adjusting sub box a little more than usual? It’s good And for 130? I think 🤔, it’s impressive. I’m putting my tube pre in the mix today probably. This is my main system in the den too. There’s just a lot of good inexpensive audio stuff to play with now so basically that’s what I’m doing. I would listen to vinyl all the time but records don’t really give you playlists and anything you might want to hear at any time with a couple button pushes. I guess I’m trying to get my streaming tunes sounding better and this helps. If you think you might want one then you should get one. You will find a spot for it even if it’s not your main system. Solid build and quality product. 👍🏼✌🏼-c. I’ll be changing things around constantly and I’m sure I will be using this little black box for a while.

This is an absolute must when streaming music if you care about the quality of what's being played. I hooked this up to a WIIM as well and it sounds fantastic with my vintage pioneer receiver.

Hello all... I've been the owner/user of the original Schiit Modi 3 for a year now, and although I enjoyed using it - whether as a stand alone DAC or coupled with a Head Amp - I was still looking for more. I later found that the iFi ZenDAC was to be superior with regard to sound-staging, depth, and higher frequency reproduction. Yet I've always been an admirer of Schitt products. So over the past month I ordered the new Modi 3+ and have found it to be an improvement - albeit a marginal one at that. By "improvement," I mean to imply that I was focusing on the overall sound alone. As usual, Schitt DAC products blend quite well with your PC (Mine is obviously Windows 10) and no special drivers are required. The Modi 3+ was recognized immediately and from what I understand, Schitt has made it a breeze to connect via USB with new technology in the plus model. Now enter the sound. The first thing I noticed was that the mids and highs were more defined - although initially, they were a tad harsh sounding and dry. This was noticeable right away, especially when playing classical music where instruments such as strings playing in the upper registers, cymbals, and a few others sounded a bit grating. Of course, we're talking about "initial" results here. As time went on and as the unit became more broken-in (warmed up), the sound changed only slightly, now becoming just a tad warmer - but the highs could still be dry and not as smooth as some competing models. Now do note that I always keep my audio gear on all the time and this makes a world of difference in the sound, tending for the overall balance to become warmer as time goes on. The biggest improvement over the earlier Modi 3 is (in my opinion - keep that in mind): 1. A tad more depth - that is, separation of instruments from rear to rear with an excellent sound stage. 2. A very dynamic bass capability. 3. Mids and highs are more defined - with an improved ability to discern instruments much better (in particular, in large orchestral scenarios such as found in classical music, big band arrangements, etc). But although there appeared more depth to the music, I found the high to sound a bit drier overall. Obviously, if all you want to do is to use the DAC by itself, that is easily done. However, if you want to pair the Schitt Modi 3+ with an absolutely superb budget Head/Amp and Preamp design, then you have a wealth of head-amp options out there. What makes this simple platform so enticing is the small size (and of course the sound). Now keeping in mind that there is no way that this $99 DAC (t's $119 on Amazon, but that's because it includes the $20 shipping charge built in also) is going to sound like the far more expensive higher-end Schitt products, but it does a fairly good job at it. So in keeping with my philosophy of judging a unit by its price and then measuring its performance, the Schitt Modi 3+ easily rates a personal 4 stars.