USB, Optical, and Coax Inputs; USB or External Power

September 21, 2018, Valencia, CA. Today, Schiit Audio announced the introduction the Modi 3, the third generation of its popular, high-value DAC. Modi 3 is a significant enhancement over previous Modi 2, offering 3 digital inputs (rather than just USB), a premium AK4490 D/A converter with active filtering and DC-coupled output, and the capability to be powerd by USB or with an external power supply. A 5V wall power supply and USB Micro cable are provided. Retail price remains at $99.

“This is how you define progress,” said Mike Moffat, Schiit’s Co-Founder, and chief digital designer. “The original Modi in 2012 was a USB-only DAC that worked only up to 24/96, and provided only 1.5V RMS output due to its simple USB power supply. Now, Modi 3 gives you three switchable digital inputs, a better D/A converter, 24/192 capability, a dual rail power supply and full 2.0V RMS output—and we included a wall-wart and a USB cable, for the same price as the original Modi.”

Despite its low cost, Modi 3 is quite a sophisticated design, using custom firmware and a Microchip microprocessor for system control and oversight. In addition, Schiit worked with C-Media to extend its power-sensing-and-reporting code from Fulla 2 to this higher-performance DAC.

“This helps us eliminate ‘draws too much power’ errors,” said Jason Stoddard, Schiit’s Co-Founder. “If you use the included external power supply, Modi 3 reports as a 0mA USB device. This means it works much better with phones and tablets, which usually don’t want a lot of power pulled from their USB ports. Or, you can just plug the single supplied USB Micro cable into virtually any computer, and Modi 3 will get both its power and data from there.”

This versatility allows Modi 3 to be used in the same way as the outgoing Modi 2 and Modi 2 Uber. Connect one USB cable to use it as a single-input, USB-only DAC, or use the included power supply and connect up your optical and coaxial digital sources.

In addition, Modi 3 is the first product developed using new investments in Audio Precision and Avermetrics test equipment, which has helped it to be the best-performing DAC Schiit has ever offered, when using conventional metrics. A full APx555 report is provided in the product specs.

Modi 3 replaces both Modi 2 and Modi 2 Uber, at $99. It is available for purchase now at schiit.com

About Schiit Audio

Founded in June 2010 by Jason Stoddard and Mike Moffat, Schiit has grown into a leader in affordable high-end audio, with a wide range of products spanning DACs, headphone amplifiers, and preamplifiers, from $49 to $2399.

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