Schiit Magni Headphone Amplifier - Page 91

There is some bias around asynchronous USB audio mode behaving/sounding better than sync one.

Maybe that could count as a 1st improvement coming from udac-2 to Modi.

You use it primarily with computer/notebook systems? FLACs/ALACs, 320k mp3, what do you hear the most with MMs?

Mostly from my desktop. FLACs mostly and variable-rate mp3 encoded using LAME using the highest quality setting. I agree Modi is definitely an improvement over uDAC-2, but uDAC-2 treble sounds a little rolled-off even compared to an fourth-generation iPod to me. So this is the first in-your-face improvement, the amount and quality of the treble and detail. The better instrument separation and soundstage and the tighter bass are less evident. But very perceptible, don't get me wrong. The more I hear to the stack, the more I like it :)

One thing I noticed is that PowerDVD + Reclock (to be able to use Wasapi when playing Blu-ray discs) is that audio and video get out of sync more easily with Modi than uDAC-2. Probably due to the asynchronous USB audio mode in Modi. Anybody else experiencing this?

Koss Pro DJ100 is incredible with the Schiit Magni!! Sorry, I just had to get that out. If the Asgard 2 or Lyr is just a 5% improvement for this $50 headphone I'm buying it ASAP!

Oh and HD-650 is just as good with the Magni, but you knew that..I prefer my HD-650 and Q701 with my more expensive amp, but I'd have kept the Magni just for my favorite headphone.

It does seem like a docked Ipod Touch 2G to Magni makes the HD-650 ultra revealing and less forgiving. Of course I prefer my ODAC. Ipod Touch 2G is very similar though. I find it really cold...but still love it.

I hate to say it but the Magni is a bit overkill for my DJ100 or so it seems. I have to keep it ultra low or bass crackles..I didn't realize it was because the volume wasn't low enough. It wasn't even loud. DJ100 is 38 ohm after all. Strangely it happens less with a very well shielded headphone cable.

If the Magni is overkill I'll love to try my DJ100 with that monster the Lyr Maybe i'll try the Asgard 2 since it has like .0000000000000000000000009% distortion.I may be a bit off there.

Personally I wouldnt hook up a headphone below 50 Ohms into a Lyr, with that 6 watt output.

I actually found a guy at my school that own a Lyr, uses it to drive his HE-500s and DT990 600 Ohm. After around 2 hours of talking I was in his car on the way to his apartment to look at his equipment. Apon arrival he allowed me to lounge around and listen to his setup, which was the Lyr and a Bifrost, on the HE-500s. I gotta say I was AMAZED at how good the clarity and SQ was. 

Unfortunately I got the bright idea to see what would happen if I used a borrowed pair of Beats Solo HDs with the Lyr. Four seconds into one of my favorite dubstep songs a bass impact seperated the left driver from the magnet, right side still works but it buzzes alot for some reason. 

Long story short I now owe someone a pair of Solo HDs....

Don't all the Beats headphones that are noise canceling have a built in headphone amplifier? As far I know your not suppose to plug them into any headphone amps. That might explain why that happened. I've plugged all sorts of different impedances into my Lyr and never had any issues. I listen at average volume levels. Not to quiet but not blasting either. Just my 2 cents. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMBROWN911 

Don't all the Beats headphones that are noise canceling have a built in headphone amplifier? As far I know your not suppose to plug them into any headphone amps. That might explain why that happened. I've plugged all sorts of different impedances into my Lyr and never had any issues. I listen at average volume levels. Not to quiet but not blasting either. Just my 2 cents. 

Yeah only the Studios, remove that build in NC board and rewire the wires directly to the jack, port a few holes and you actually have a pretty good sounding headphone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron94 
Long story short I now owe someone a pair of Solo HDs....

 

Do them a favour and get them some decent headphones instead 

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamHedges 

 

Do them a favour and get them some decent headphones instead 

I offered to get him some M80s but he said no, seems like hes just one of the lost ones.

And to clarify the song was Redneck Vanilla by Zection, the drop on it goes from a banjo to a intense hit, and I had it on 80% volume. Thankfully they werent on my head at the time or Id have some hearing problems. I skipped the opening 40 seconds of the song so I could hear the drop, turns out it was a bad idea, cant help but wonder if it would have been fine if I had let the headphones warm up on the opening sequence. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron94 

I offered to get him some M80s but he said no, seems like hes just one of the lost ones.

 

And to clarify the song was Redneck Vanilla by Zection, the drop on it goes from a banjo to a intense hit, and I had it on 80% volume. Thankfully they werent on my head at the time or Id have some hearing problems. I skipped the opening 40 seconds of the song so I could hear the drop, turns out it was a bad idea, cant help but wonder if it would have been fine if I had let the headphones warm up on the opening sequence. 

Just to note again, that happening had nothing to do with it being a Lyr. Would have happened with another amp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninjames 

Just to note again, that happening had nothing to do with it being a Lyr. Would have happened with another amp.

What makes you say that? Most amps dont put out 6 watts of power like the Lyr, on Schiit FAQ page for the Lyr they even says something about damaging headphones.

Couldn't retrieve Beats Solo HDs' impedance, even reading the user manual...

32 ohm maybe?

Perhaps Ninjames meant this could have happened with many other amps, not all of them.

But if this headphone is 32R, one should be at least very cautious on turning that knob indeed... 

Because it's not the fact of its headphone  impedance it's that the Beats have a built in amplifier.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron94 
Personally I wouldnt hook up a headphone below 50 Ohms into a Lyr, with that 6 watt output.

No offense, but this part of your post is something that others can and will misinterpret. Schiit even says on the Web site: "up to 6W into 32 Ohms". The 6W output capability doesn't mean the Lyr is always outputting 6W into 32 Ohms. Headphones will use only as much power as they need. According to Schiit, you can use headphones as low as 8 Ohms on it. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that all low-impedance headphones will necessarily sound good on the Lyr (or even be usable with the 10x gain), but low-impedance headphones can certainly be driven by it with no negative effects.

Also, volume is not power. Turning up the volume does not mean the amp is sending more power to the headphones, nor does it mean that just because you can turn up the volume really high the amp is "powerful". Tiny battery-powered amps are capable of extremely loud volumes too, does that mean they're powerful? (Answer: No.) Most headphones use mere milliwatts to achieve loud volumes, so a high volume setting really doesn't mean anything. (Especially when amps actually attenuate the signal for some headphones, as opposed to actually amplifying.) The "up to 6W" of the Lyr really only comes into play when using it to drive orthodynamic headphones which tend to be very inefficient. Most regular dynamic headphones won't use anything close to the 6W headroom of the Lyr.

The only way to "break" a set of regular dynamic headphones with the Lyr (low-impedance or not) is to take the headphones off your head and turn up the amp volume to max, using really, really loud music (dynamically-compressed material would help). That would definitely do it.

Maybe I'm completely wrong, but for the sake of clarifying some ideas,

I'd like to discuss the following:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asr 

 

The 6W output capability doesn't mean the Lyr is always outputting 6W into 32 Ohms. 

 

 

True.

Originally Posted by Asr 

 

Headphones will use only as much power as they need. 

 

 

Not true. For example, my headphone is 32ohm/30mW max power. If you supply more, it will be damaged.

Originally Posted by Asr 

 

According to Schiit, you can use headphones as low as 8 Ohms on it. 

 

 

True.

Originally Posted by Asr 

 

Turning up the volume does not mean the amp is sending more power to the headphones.

 

 

It means exactly that.

 

 

Originally Posted by Asr 

 

... just because you can turn up the volume really high the amp is "powerful".

 

 

 

And this is true.

 

 

If an amp is capable of applying 6W to a 300ohm headphone at full volume (knob at max position),

and you plug a 32ohm headphone, with for instance 100mW max power rating, with the knob still at max position,

it will surely damage the later phone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asr 

Also, volume is not power. Turning up the volume does not mean the amp is sending more power to the headphones, nor does it mean that just because you can turn up the volume really high the amp is "powerful". Tiny battery-powered amps are capable of extremely loud volumes too, does that mean they're powerful? (Answer: No.)

I agree to most of what you wrote but this doesn't make sense to me.

Volume is directly related to power. P = V * V / R. Turning up the volume, lets say doubling the output voltage, increases the power that is put out by a factor of 4.

Also, how do you define "powerful"? A tiny battery-powered amp can be quite powerful and clean, enough to ruin your hearing.