Hello, newbie here.
Will Modi 3 sounds significantly better than my onboard audio? I have Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H (VIA VT2021 codec, 110 db SNR).
Thanks.
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Hello and welcome @Primordiarch. I can’t comment on the motherboard but as far as I am aware the Modi 3 is a great Amp. You may also want to look at the Atom as it’s a fantastic amp for the money. It has lots of distortion free power.
With regards a big difference in sound, mmm, headphones will always make the biggest difference so unless the motherboard is really poor what you’ll mostly get is lots of clean power to drive your headphones as they should be.
Good luck and keep us updated with your choice.
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Welcome!! Like @prfallon69, I can’t say much about the motherboard , but a own both basic/simple Schiit amps, Magni 3 and Vali 2 and they are both great!! My 85% to go is Vali ( is a matter of taste and nothing to do with the output ),but the performance and build of Magni is awesome for the price.
You can also take a look at the new Asgard for $199 without module, just the amp.
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Just to clarify comments by @prfallon69… the modi is a DAC, not an amp. You can’t plug your headphones into it without an amp. (although you can go RCA out from the Modi to powered monitors)
As for comparing to the audio on the motherboard, I have that board on one of my home systems so I can speak directly to it and say that it depends entirely on your downstream gear. If you are plugging in a cheap pair of $20 on-ear headphones, then no. You won’t hear a difference. If you have a reasonably good set of cans (eg., HD6xx), a decent amp, and decent ears, then yes… I suspect you will hear a difference, most likely a very significant difference.
From my standpoint, I was running from that motherboard into an EITR -> Modi MB -> Bottlehead Crack -> HD6xx and the difference compared to plugging the HD6xx directly into the motherboard was night/day. Better imaging, better resolution, improved bass tightness, less noise, etc, etc. Before the Crack I used a Vali 1 as an amp (which I actually preferred to the Vali 2, but I’m a strange duck that way) and that was also dramatically better than the audio out from the mobo.
I would expect any decent downstream gear to sound much better than direct to the audio out on any motherboard. There really is little comparison… the on-board audio on motherboards just isn’t very good for anything other than gaming. Even a fulla would probably be a tremendous improvement with decent headphones.
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Yes sorry my mistake. I must have been half asleep. Of course it’s a Dac I was thinking of the Magni 3. Thanks for pointing it out. Sorry for any confusion caused.
With regards to significantly better sound. You have to be careful in generalizing too much as some motherboards do amplify really well and sound pretty decent too. It can of course be the Dac that is often the weak point with regards the internal noise and interference. So getting an external dac does bring significant benefits in this case. If his motherboard has good amplification and decent dac then saying that he will see a significant change may lead him to expect too much and set him up for disappointment. I do agree that generally you will hear an improvement and if your motherboard is of poor quality then significant gains can be made with an external amp and dac. But I didnt want to over generalise. Again thanks for the pick up.
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Great response! I agree especially with new comers, you don’t want them to expect angels to come out of there transducers and sing to them…or succubus to do the same and whisper sweet nothings 
(not religious using these entities more for visual and a 
so sorry if it offends anyone)
It isn’t until later down the road with experience that one can really pick up the difference in gear…well except in the situation you describe with a 
motherboard DAC lol…then yes a pretty good difference should be heard =) or better headphones =)
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Thanks. I have fallen into this trap myself a few times. Not with motherboards per say but like you I can get sucked into the hype and only ever up being disappointed with over expectation. It’s my fault really for buying into hype and over thinking things with excessive research. Especially via the internet. As I get older I try to not get over hyped but unfortunately it’s in my nature.
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This!!! lol…I over hype and over-research too much! But I also will do dumb things in search of a “deal” like find similar but less expensive things…which 80% are crap and I shouldn’t have wasted my money on them lol, and just picked up the original thing I was researching, as I 90% usually end up buying it in the end…
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Haha, we’ve all been there.
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All of the new Schiit gear announced and being discussed… and I’m over here way too excited about the Modi 3 now available in a black finish 
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Honestly, I would look hard at the Hel…it is really good…I need to look at the specs but I think the power is kind of comparable…but the Magni would have more power…but the Hel is more versatile and has one of my current favorite DAC chips built in…
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Hi there!
New guy here. Just have a question:
So i have the HD700 (love the energy of this set so please dont bash it 
) and im running it through the Xduoo XD-05 with Burson v5i opamp. But after trying my bro’s Ifi Micro, i could immediately hear the difference in the smoothness and clarity of the vocals and other small details… (massive price difference so i expected that).
Question is… I recently ordered the Schiit Magni 3+ and was looking for a decent DAC upgrade to pair with it. Would the Magni 3+ and Modi be a step up? And would the Modi MB be a better option in terms of ‘upgrade’ or are both seen as ‘sidegrades’ due to my current setup?
Thanks!
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welcome Ze_Snake!
I did not hear any Schiit products yet.
I am sure you get your answers from someone with enough experiance in time
what you spoke of with the ifi micro is the Burr Brown DAC - I’m also a fan of these in my ifi xDSD
Sure nobody will call you out cause of your HD700 choice 
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Hi and welcome!!
I have the IFI Micro BL and also Modi 3-Magni3 ( in their boxes right now). To be honest… between those two I prefer the Ifi, but, transportability and features was the main reason for that choice.
I’ve never use the Modi MB, but @Torq have impressive reviews of those small Schiit dacs somewhere in here.
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Modi would be an upgrade…so would the iFi products. That being said it is a DAC so difference is a small margin, but your statement of hearing a difference with your brothers iFi leads me to believe you would hear the difference in the Modi.
Also the Modi-Multibit is the “better”upgrade but you pay for it. If you like the iFi micro you might want to check out the iFi Nano (I call it the NiBL) I believe it has the same DAC chip as the micro just not as powerful, and you would need an adapter 2.5 to RCA to run it with other amps
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Thanks for the responses and the warm welcome! Im keen to see what best pairs with my Magni 3+ for the best quality sound. Im going to try pairing it initially with the XD-05 if possible, and then see whats the best DAC upgrade for me. So far im looking at the Modi MB or the Modi 3 for the best synergy… But im def open to suggestions too
Will check to see if @torq gave any impressions on the Modi MB too thanks!
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Hello and welcome @Ze_Snake. This isn’t the type of forum where you’ll be ‘bashed’ for owning a certain type of gear. It an incredibly inclusive and friendly place. Everyone may not agree with your personal choice but ‘each to their own’ is the best way to look at things in all aspects of life. By the way I owned the HD700 and think it’s a fine headphone. It sounds a little funky and not everyone likes it. But those that do really love it. Once again welcome and enjoy.
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Hey there!
I’m new to audio and new to this forum. I’m currently rocking a HE4XX, Asgard 3, and the Apple USB-C to 3.5 mm dongle as my current setup connected to my PC. Been wondering for a bit whether or not the Modi 3 would act as a sizable upgrade to my current chain DAC-wise in terms of sound quality. Seemingly measures cleaner than the dongle DAC I currently have, though I don’t have much reason just yet to have it’s extra inputs. Plus, the black color scheme seemingly compliments the current look of my desktop. I’d consider waiting for a Bifrost 2 to stack with the Asgard 3, but so far I’m very short on funds, and also rather hesitant to believe any claims regarding their multibit architecture really sounding any different than something like the Modi, or heck, even the dongle. I know my thoughts sound pretty confusing, but all this information I’ve been reading on hasn’t exactly been cohesive, and it has made it confusing on whether or not upgrades outside of headphones are worth it in the first place.
Would definitely love to read up on any clarifications if possible, thanks!
This could be helpful in your research…
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Yes.
I can hear a difference. The interwebs is full of “information”, what you choose to believe is up to you. Of course, unless you experience it for yourself and form your own opinion, you’ll never really know, will you.
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