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

Current setup:DAC: Schiit Modi 3EAMP: Vali 3 with 6922 Genalex Gold LionHeadphones: Dekoni BluePrevious DAC: Scarlet SoloI bought a Vali 3 to replace my Schiit Fulla 2's, and ran my signal through the Scarlet Solo's built in DAC. Initially I was very disappointed by how muddy the audio quality was. Highs sounded capped and I couldn't make out any of the details from low to high. I decided to try out the MODI 3e before refunding the Vali 3 and going for the Fulla 3 or HEL. I still had no idea a DAC could make such a big difference.After installing the MODI 3e, I've regained all that depth and clarity plus so much more. The lows are clear and punchy, the detail is back and sharper than ever, and with the music I listen to I haven't heard a single note hit that ceiling that just kills the experience for me.I rarely write reviews but I had to say something about how big of a difference the MODI 3E made. Thanks for making something affordable that completely changed my listening experience again.

Great sounding Dac. Its nice to see that there is stereo equipment made here in the USA that's affordable and is well made and sounds great. If I needed another Dac, Schiit audio would be my first choice. Big bang for the buck. This Dac actually made my SVS prime tower speakers come to life.

I was looking to upgrade my modest desktop setup that consisted of a laptop, a Fosi Audio BT20A integrated amp, and decades old NHT SuperOne Xu speakers. A DAC seemed to be the most sensible option as I believed I could hear noise from my laptop thru the speakers and thought a DAC could mitigate that, which it did. What wasn't expected was the other sonic improvements I have noted after only a day or so of listening. Specifically, the quality of the bass seems much improved. What I mean is that without the Modi 3E it was difficult to hear the different notes on a bass guitar, they all sounded similar, but with the Schiit in the mix I can pick out distinctly different notes on the bass guitar in some of the older Sublime live concert YouTube videos. In addition to bass quality, I noticed that lyrics seem more natural (if that makes sense) and I was actually able to understand some of the lyrics in Kid Kudi's "Marijuana" that I couldn't before introducing the Schiit to my system. Setup was beyond easy and this unit has everything I need and nothing I don't, such as a volume control or a headphone jack. I actually e-mailed the company about one of their smaller amps (10 watts) and received a helpful and quick reply, which is nice, and from what I can tell this company seems to be run by a bunch of folks who really like audio, and the fact that the devices are made in TX and CA is a bonus. If you don't need volume control or a headphone jack, this may be the ticket. Highly recommended.

Great little DAC. All as expected and arrived quickly

I bought this DAC to replace a cheap ($20) DAC that drove my stereo rack from my Windows laptop. The connection is a high quality 50ft S/PIDF Toslink optical cable. The sound quality of the Modi 3E was markedly improved - it was much cleaner and bass reproduction notably stronger. Initial impressions were good.However, as other reviewers have mentioned, I started hearing brief dropouts that didn't happen with my previous DAC. These are completely repeatable -- they happen at the same time in certain tracks. They sound similar to scratches on vinyl records. Some reviewers mentioned "jitter" in the optical signal as the potential cause. In any case, these glitches are intrusive and ruin the listening experience.Nothing I could do in optical output settings in Windows seemed to made a difference. So, I am giving up on the Modi and switching to a FiiO K11 DAC. Will update this review if it seems to avoid this issue.7/17/2024: Update: I believe my issue was due to settings on my Windows laptop rather the Schiit DAC. Changed my rating to 5 stars. I love the sound of this unit.

Like others mention, this DAC does not work for all applications. Has connectivity issues.Schiit knows this is an issue and ignores the problem. Trying to work with them is near impossible. They make it really difficult.I thought they were reputable and a great US company.This DAC cuts in and out every 5 seconds or so. I did what they told me to to troubleshoot, nothing worked.I have two of these. I thought the first one failed after 2 years (I thought) so I bought a new one. Same issues.I have a Schiit Modi +. Everything works with it. The Modi 3E is highly problematic.I have 7 Schiit products. Bought some via Amazon, some through them. They question you where you bought the product from, like that matters. They drop ship Amazon orders from their location. I’m done with them.Do not buy this product. Be wary of Schiit.