came here for keyboards 2 years ago now I'm back for dac/amps. you're the trusted tech guru for the average person, definitely deserve more subscribers.
I am just beginning my audio journey and even though I have more questions than answers, I am really grateful for your videos for explaining the basics with such detail~!
@@badseedtech for real? Cause that face fur is fire, and that's a video I would absolutely watch start to finish, ad block disabled (don't worry, I always disable it while watching favorite creators)
I've owned the MODI and MAGNI 2 since they were first introduced. I can confirm as an avid gamer and music lover that this is a great way to get into Hi-Fi
Yesssss. I was literally researching this and watching your old videos regarding this topic. Going to pick up the Schiit stack with an HD 6XX as soon as that sweet stimulus check hits.
Excuse me if my question is stupid, but do DAC/AMP stacks have drivers or related to house features such as equalizer, bass/treble boost, virtual surround (for stereo), etc.? I only have experience with a motherboard's onboard DAC, and I've been compensating for its quality by using software like Nahimic 2. A sound card was my original idea of an audio upgrade, but an external DAC/AMP seems to be capable of providing better quality for lower cost due to it not needing to reduce electrical noise/interference from the PC.
AlphaDelta Hersey and Magni 3+ should “sound” no different. Many people couldn’t pick them out in a blind test. These amps are Schiits way of trolling us all into re thinking our perception of amp topologies.
@@saucyg6371 not much has changed. you're still over paying for the level of sounds quality being delivered, which is easily matched (for real) by apple's usb-c to 3.5mm adapter. it's sad people still spend hundreds on magni/modi, even as they've been outsourced to china for everything but assembly.
I got my Schiit stack about 12 days ago. I thought about which amp to buy and finally settled on the Heresy. And for headphones I chose the DT 770 Pro 80ohms. Now just a disclaimer here... My hearing is damaged. Years working around jet engines and using firearms has taken a toll. But I can still hear the difference this setup makes with my music. It's kind of amazing when I think about it. Sad part is that I wouldn't have ever considered this as an option if I hadn't watched some of your videos. So Thanks Brian!
3rd video of yours I've watched today researching headphones and DAC/AMP setups. Trying to figure out how the hell you only have 162k subs. Video production and music selection is fantastic. And I love the way you present the info. Huge help in my search for info today. You just picked up another sub.
I just bought this stack last week (Magni 3+ and Modi) to use with my DT1990 Pros. Love the setup and I see why this is such a whirlpool of a rabbit hole. I have a feeling my future paychecks are already in danger of being spent...
ay what were you running the 1990pros on before and how big of a difference does it make i got dt1990pros and am currently plugging them into my pc motherboard i dont have any buzzing and i can hear them fine on low volumes so dont know whether getting a dac/amp is a good idea
@@fatigued I bought my DT1990s with a Modi 3 and Magni 3+ and used that for about 9 months. No issues whatsoever and sounded great. I wound up getting a THX 789 for a steal and have been running the DT1990s with that since. If you can afford the THX and a Modi DAC, I would spring for that. The additional detail and sound stage you get (to my ears) from the THX is fantastic, but I would call it a maybe 15% improvement. If that hadn't popped up, I would for sure still be using the Schiit stack. I only upgraded because I had an opportunity.
order the heresy last night and magni3+ and got the Sennheiser 560s very excited for amp and dac to come in. awesome content and very easy to understand and follow.
I was thinking, Ok, here we go. He’s going to find out how bad Schiit products generally measure from the testing at Audio Science Review and dunk on these.
So glad to see a video on Audio stuff. It certainly has been a while. The Schitt Modi/Magni stack is a perfect entry into audiophile headphone dac/amps. I agree with you about the value of adding amp first, then DAC. However, I think not enough appreciation is given to the DAC. I bought my Magni first, and could notice some additional things in the mix that I didn't hear before. But, going from my motherboard DAC to the Modi was like a switch being flipped on. The expansion of the soundstage was instantly noticeable, I could hear more space between instruments and vocalists. The analogy , listening to music with onboard MB DAC listening through a window just cracked open. Adding the Modi was like opening the window. Looking forward to the next video.
DUDE! I was literally looking up if you had a GOXLR video when i hear you say your now in talks with them! YES! I cannot wait for this to happen! You da best, keep up the great work!
Great video and so true that with a decent $350-500 headphone and a basic amp/dac stack, most people will have everything they need to hear truly beautiful audio. After that, and you are fighting the law of diminishing returns.
Just discovered this channel the other day and at first i thought it was gunna be another "bad ass!' tech reviewer with the channel name and the beard. I was way wrong. This dude is very knowledgeable and articulate. He shares facts and is open to everyone's opinions and preferences. subbed.
I ordered a Magni 3+, Modi, and K7XX all on your recommendations. The silver Modi is apparently on back-order, so I have been considering changing to the Heresy and a black Modi, maybe I will wait it out though. Thanks for your work on these things Brian!
Loved the video as usual. Joined your discord this week and have to say it’s one of the most helpful communities on discord and the internet as a whole. Everything about your channel and brand has just blown me away in quality and entertainment. Keep up the amazing work BadSeed
Your reviews are always awesome and give a lot of detail in a way that’s easy for beginners like me to understand. I’m currently torn between getting a FiiO K5 Pro and saving up to get the Magni 3+ and Modi stack. In New Zealand the Schiit stack costs more than double the price of the K5 Pro and many have said they don’t sound that different, but the upgradability argument you mentioned here makes me wonder if a separate DAC+Amp is a better way to go. Just don’t know what to do!
Yes please review GSX1000 + JDS Atom combo! Also can u give us ur thoughts on whether a DAC is worth it over most modern motherboard built in sound? (I know the GSX offers 7.1 but I’m talking non-gaming DACs).
Thank you for making this video. Your recommendations really helped me clear my doubts and finalize which setup I wanted to go for. I wanted it primarily for gaming, but didn't wanna lose out on the music, and hence I decided to go with the Modi 3+ and Magni Heresy. Thanx again for your suggestions and for making this video. Keep up the amazing work. Liked and subscribed!
Im running the same schiit stack. Cant be any happier with the performance. For the money, it does its job well. Im not deep in the rabbit hole of audiophile and i dont want to. For me, this setup satisfies my needs. Currently outputting these into some audioengine a2+’s and soon to upgrade my cans to accomodate its performance.
Don't pull the trigger just off this, look at other options and see what you want for your budget. I thought I was going to be happy at with a schiit stack but honestly after moving to a slightly higher end dac/amp I can honestly say I would never go back. Like bst I own 1990s and other "audiophile" level headphones. With that said if you want a next level solution I would recommend the smsl su-8 and the thx 789 on drop. It is 100 bucks off right now so 300 instead of 400 which is a steal. It has been compared to amps that cost upwards of 1,200 bucks and rightfully so. A slightly cheaper alternative would be the sp-200 from smsl. But like he said at the end, you have to decide what you want. One of the biggest reasons I use what I use is to have super high res audio while still having "gaming" features through having a mixer. I run discord through it so I have a channel for gaming and one for that so I can easily turn up and down discord by itself without affecting the ingame volume. It also let's me monitor the mic input which is essentially the whole thing behind "gaming" features. Other than that is equalizers but you can simply download an eq to your computer.
@@ron2291 Thank you for adding! I've been looking a lot at the options, so I feel relatively book-smart but its nice to hear from someone who has experimented themselves. I was just super excited for this video because I love all of Brian's videos and seeing him cover a topic like this gets me excited. I'll look into the options you listed though! Also, do you have any opinions on the GoXLR mini? I know you said you wanted high res audio with "gaming" features with a mixer, so I was wondering if you had any thoughts on the GoXLR mini as a budget option. I already have hd58x jubilees for reference. Thanks!
@Ron Mic as well as dac amp. I've heard some not great things about the hardware inside of it in regards to its amp, but I've heard others say its great.
@@ivandosev8647 if you want something that uses a mic in as well look into the objective two, if I remember correctly it has a 3.5mm mic in though I would suggest moving away from gaming gear all together. Most gaming headsets are really really bad ( they aren't terrible for like 5o bucks but usually they cost a lot more ) and you can get something good for under 200 bucks headphone wise. But best thing you can do is decide of budgets for the parts you want and go from there
Great review, and consistent with my own findings. Simply put, you can't get a better dac/amp stack than the schiit stack without spending a decent bit more. I know a lot of people like topping products, but QC always seems to be an issue with them.
@@VeI_2.0 For the DAC, it really depends on what you want/need out of one. With well-designed DACs, it all comes down to features you want and things like warranty and reliability. I'd probably drop $300 max on a DAC, maybe a bit more if I wanted balanced, but realistically, the DAC space has become extremely competitive over the past 10 years or so, so competition is fierce. My modi3/magni heresy combo are still serving me well. 🙂
Red cables are not available currently. But get the whole stack at once. It does make an amazing difference in gaming (COD and Dead by daylight) and music (google music, spotify, & youtube from what I tested). I got the Schiit Magni 3+ and modi and am listing currently with some Philips Audio Philips SHP9500, with Premium 2 RCA Plug/2 RCA Plug M/M 22AWG Cable to connect them. Once my mass drop head phones come in I will update. Thanks for the great advice! Your preference at the end of the video is correct, I am supper set for a good amount of time. I didn't realize my friends who gamed and like musics (Nerds am I right) got pumped when I told them I went this way (most have the sec gen of this set up). I also bought a modmic to talk to people while gaming and conferencing. This set up is most pimp for the low cost way of testing audiophile and sounding like you have a boom mic while working. Thanks again my bearded brethren for leading me the right way!
I just ordered the Magni Heresy yesterday. I really like the styling, but now wonder if the 3+ would have been the better option. When I was really into home audio, I know cables and speakers could compliment system components. Hopefully I can pair some good headphones down the road with the detail signature of the Heresy. Great Discord channel BTW. I got great advice in there!
I talked my wife into getting me a Schiit Stack for Xmas 2020 and went with the Modi/Vali 2 (tube amp). I couldn't be happier!! For now, I am using some Philips Fidelio X2HR cans and it's pretty blissful. I am considering adding the Loki EQ to it as well. Great Vidz BTW!
The big gripe I hear from the GSX is the lack of ability to push higher OHM headphones. Does this stack handle that issue, plus provide all the features of the GSX? Like, can I push 300-600 ohm headphones properly with this stack? I want the mic input, and I want love the features on the GSX, but I am worried about the need to upgrade as I change headphones. Thanks
Sound blasterx g6 will drive all headphones. And it’s easy to add an upgraded amp to the line out of the g6. The Surround sound is on par with gsx. Or I believe it’s better in my opinion. You can check out the review of the g6 on this channel.
Hi! Is it possible for you to do a review and comparison of Hel 2 and Modi 3 & Magni Heresy mostly for gaming. Also will magni + modi can handle DT 990 600 Ohm?? Thanks!
Mr Brian, I partially blame you, DMS and Z Reviews. Im planning on purchasing the Schiit stack with the short throw rca cables and the usb cable on your recommendation. I recently purchased my endgame headphones, which are the DT 1990's and like you said, I'm scared of falling down this rabbit hole. But at the same time, I'm not.
I’ll be going Heresy stack with HD 6xx I’m extremely excited, my previous set up was the GSX 1000 and Game ones. I loved the audio, but I couldn’t help but feel like there was more on the table for me to enjoy for gaming. Thanks to your videos I will be buying with confidence!
Great video!! Super in depth and a ton of useful info! Im going to have to start looking into the audio world once I get back to work. Beard is on point!
@@badseedtech thank you sir! Its all gunma. Change, sold one of my Ultrawides, gunna grab a 4k60 32" for console gaming and vertical stack it on the Alienware.. And i need a new chair.. Mines done and it won't match the new color scheme.
I've been eagerly awaiting this video!!! Another well done video, i'm seriously considering that magni 3+ and modi stack. I'd love to see a quick jds review.
Very nice to see someone talking about gaming + music. I'm very much in the same boat, but all my recommendations are coming from the music side of things since there are very few reviews from the gaming side. How would you 'stack' up all these dacs + amps against the 7.1 channel support of the gaming dacs? Do the 7.1 add any perceptible advantage to gaming, or do the sheer quality of the music dacs make up for it?
You mentioned a putting together a flowchart - probably in jest - but I for one would really appreciate something showing how to move from an in-PC on-board audio solution with a "gaming headset" with built-in mic to the edge of the precipice you mentioned in workable increments. Love your work, btw!
Thanks Brian, I Luv seeing you do audio. You do everything great. But luv your delivery in it. I know you have passion for all you do. 💯 Stay safe brotha 🎧✌🏼 PS always dig deeper 😆
Thank you very much for the excellent review. I was going back and forth between the 3+ and Heresy. Another reviewer was not able to hear any differences, but I’m glad you were able to separate the audio qualities of both. Since I’m sensitive to high-frequency glare, sibilance, etc., it looks like I’d be better off with the 3+. Agree?
Please do a video on the GSX/Adam stack, that would be awesome!! Is it possible to still hear your own voice with sidetone/chatmix with this setup? Also is it possible to hook the GSX 1000 and the Schiit Magni 3+ plus the Schitt modi somehow for improved fidelity and use chatmix/sidetone ? Love your approach to audio, electronic equipment and so on. I find myself spending a lot of my free time watching your videos... they are really good , informative.. and very well made... thanks for all your time and effort.. A big thumbs up from me XD
I really like your reviews on these kinds of products and I’m thinking about starting with this stack. Can you recommend some headphones that will take advantage of these in both open back and closed back options?
I love the audio quality I got from my Schiit Stack and it was great for the one month that I had it, as of today it started burning/overheating then sparked a small flame inside it.... trying to sort it out with Schiit as of right now, but it happened only an hour ago. back to my old setup right now with a steelseries DAC while I shop for better options and get answers from Schiit audio
And here I am with my wimpy $30 amp from sybasonic. For what it's worth it's a nice intro to the amp an dac world, I'm using it to run my shp9500 with a vmoda boom mic based off of your recommendation. Keep up the quality work.
I would recommend JDS Lab Element II. Insane look and build with extremely good sound. You can even engrave it with your custom picture for free. For those who are on a budget they can get the original JDS Lab Element.
I've been using the magni 3+ and modi 3 for a couple of months. Feels good to know I picked a good stack. This was coming from the GSX1000, which I still love.
Hey Brian this video helped me to decide for a modi/magni stack paired with the dt 990´s. This thing sounds sooooo freaking good! I´ve been using a gaming headset Senheiser PC350 for years and the schiit stack is total endgame for me, thx man!
Renfield Donnie, What ( ohm ) are your DT 990s? I am getting the 250ohm version, once they are back in stock at Amazon. Also, did you get the 3+ or Hersey with Modi?
@@robertckassow8445 I have the DT 990 250 Ω and the Magni 3+. Good stuff. The DT pro version was not available on Amazon so I picked the Edition version which was availabe, it is super comfortable and both have the same drivers. About the Modi DAC I´m using a Toslink optical fibre cable for the digital input and an iPad source power, it sounds even better this way.
@Renfield Donnie What made you decide to go with 3+ over Heresey? Also, how's the directional soundstage? I am looking at just getting Dolby Atoms for $15 over a stack... Thoughts on this?
Can you do a video on Goxlr with the schiit stack or what you have for mic integration for streaming as I’m running a shure mv7 to usb c but would like more adjustability. Keep up the great work thanks.
Love the straight forward style of your vids!!! Looking for a friend... Currently using powered KRK5's thru onboard from Legion T7i. Is it a better option to: A)get Schitt stack (Magni Heresy + Modi 3+) B)adding KRK 10S2? Not a gamer, just RU-vid, iTunes, Netflix, etc.. Btw, my cans are Sennheiser HD380, HD598 and Razer Kraken Ultimate for meetings. I also have a Fiio FIE18 Kunlun E1 if that fills the void without shelling out for the stack? TIA!!!!
Could I ask you (or whoever knows better than me) 3 simple questions: -What volume should I set windows to? -Is there a difference between optical or usb cable? (I already have an optical cable ready on my desk) -Do you hear a quality difference even when listening to 320kbps spotify audio and not lossless audio? I'm thinking of going schiit stack Thank you!
I've had my schiit stack For about 3 years now and I gotta say that they're fantastic and hold up amazing well and I'll swap between a set dt990s and some jubilee headphones and love the sound from both honestly imo I don't think I'd ever need a replacement for audio unless I'm just upgrading the stack like the video mentioned
Have you tried the Sound Blaster AE9 yet? For those using XLR Microphones seems to be a good option that can drive higher resistance headphones. I've just bought one and will git a try as soon as I get my hands on them, but from what I heard it does have a pretty impressive DAC and AMP for the package plus it adds a phantom powered XLR to the mix. Would love to hear your thoughts on that.
Dude yes please! Been rocking my gsx1000 for a couple of years now with the 32 ohm dt 990s and wanting to upgrade my cans with something more interesting and would love ur input on the gsx adams stack. Legendary video always love ur content
So go all for the same brand and you end up Schiit Pyst!? Just starting to venture in to the audiophile PC world and would love to see a vid on the GSX Atom having just picked up the GSX1000
Late night yt watching of going through your channel like always.You're making me want to chuck my current headset across the room and buy a new one and get a dac/amp
Great video! There is definitely a rabbit hole you can go down with this. Do you use an audio interface for recording your audio or USB microphone? If an audio interface, have you tried using it as your DAC for music and gaming and just hook up your headphone amp to it to drive your high ohm headphones?
