Schiit Magni Headphone Amplifier - Page 39

Someone actually already tried the comparison against the Asgard, and posted the results here. Then again, it may not be the same for everyone, and it probably also depends on the headphones used.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Voldemort 

Exactly... all marketing. I doubt there are actually any audible differences between them. At the most, one may be more "noisy" than the other with very sensitive IEMs. 

I did a full comparison here ( http://www.head-fi.org/t/643368/schiit-modi-and-magni-comparison-to-bifrost-and-asgard ) but the short conclusion was that I couldn't tell any difference between the amps and only a slightly difference between the DACs.

Edit: Haha, beaten to it. And I fully agree, different cans and ears could definitely yield different results.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Voldemort 

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfetan44 

  Sure.

Is it that hard to believe? Or rather, is it that hard to accept?  

It's not true. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc-holliday 


Wow I can't tell you how many times I have raised that same question on here....... Why do things always seem to "burn in" for the better? Good to see someone else who sees the same inconsistency in logic.
Did jason actually say that? That the little schiits murder the bigger schiits mentioned here? If so someone please link me

I think he said the opposite: The A&B Murder the M&M.  I would like to see the link too...

Quote:

Originally Posted by pelli 

 

I would like to see the link too...

Found it.  It is a quote from an email:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/640783/schiit-magni-headphone-amplifier/240#post_8968286

I guess the reasoning would be the topology, which doesn't have anything to do with how the devices perform though.

<sarcasm>It must be the higher output impedance, THD, IMD  of the Asgard ... </sarcasm>

Got my Magni in today. Here's some very early impressions after a few hours:

I noticed when I plugged it into a huge surge protector it sounded considerably worse. I removed that and connected it straight to the wall.

I guess some surge protectors with a ton of noise filtering hurt the sound slightly. This one is from APC.

I'm also using it with the ODAC.

I'll do updates when I try more headphones.

Koss Pro DJ100.

Nice and full sounding. Everything sounds like it should. Everything seems quite well balanced with nothing sticking out too much.

It hasn't made it any bassier, warmer or more treble happy. Actually I DID notice the treble being a bit more "there" than it always has been, but not like in a bad way.

I did notice in one track, this subtle low bass isn't very present as it is out of my Sansa Clip+ or Headroom Micro Amp+ODAC (both should measure ruler flat).

I doubt the Magni has rolled off low bass, but it's possible right? For $99, I don't care much. The E9 does slightly too.

Soundstage was OK. Not as large as that of the E9 or Micro Amp based on memory. I always felt the E9 seemed to magically make the soundstage of my headphones bigger than they should be. Probably impossible right? BTW it doesn't sound as crystal clear as it does with the Micro Amp and E9. I would say it's probably better sounding with the E9. I don't mean more "musical". This sounds a bit flatter though..at least with the DJ100.

Q701 (should skip this part, hardly fair since the amp is new out of the box)

Yuck! I can't say I believe or don't believe in amp burn in, but i'll amuse myself and do it anyway. I'll say that right now this is the thinnest i've ever heard the Q701. Some random spikes of something to my ears. At the moment it sounds more like my Koss A/250 or AD700. Warm recordings are considerably less warm sounding than they should ok (on the Q701). I'll burn it in some more. I mean the Magni has plenty of power, so that can't be it. At the moment the Q701 sounds way better from the E9 and Headroom Micro (both measure fairly flat). I think the E9 has some bass and treble roll off slightly.

FYI I've owned the Q701 for a year or more and this is not how it sounds on any amp. I'm a bit weirded out by this, so we'll see how it goes. The Q701 gets more than enough volume. I'll try my K601 and see how the Magni likes that. I hope the O2 doesn't sound like this with the Q701.

Basically this sound like an underpowered Q701, but this is IMPOSSIBLE. I know the Magni has tons of power. I should point out that I didn't buy the Magni for this headphone, but for the DJ100 and HD-650 only.

EDIT: After about 8-12 hours of use, the Q701 is sounding a bit better. The Magni doesn't add any more warmth to the Q701 that I can tell and that's a good thing for me. The Q701 doesn't need this IMO. I'll give it a another week to see if I can suggest it for the Q701, but I'm surprised at how much better it sounds. I did notice it's soundstage is a lot larger! Some distant background details are a bit harder to hear, but no fault of the amp.

HD-650

So far so good. Can't notice any dramatic changes. Perhaps a little more treble. This HD-650 is weird because with my setup it's not VERY forgiving and quite revealing of each track. Sometimes when switching tracks it can sound like a totally different headphone depending on the recording quality.

BTW..short update, but after an hour of listening to the Magni+ODAC with the HD-650, i'm pretty impressed.

EDIT: The Magni+ODAC sounds so crystal clear with the HD-650. I wonder if the O2 is even clearer and just as neutral sounding? The Magni doesn't seem warm at all to me, which is a huge plus.

I would say that buying the Magni for the HD-650 alone would have been worth the $99.

I should try it with the 600 ohm Sextett and K601 . K601 is the toughest headphone I have to drive (IMO).

Magni seems pretty revealing so far for being only $99. I guess the ODAC helps too.

AKG K240 Sextett (600 ohm)

Sounds great! Best i've heard it so far. Not even kidding. It does feel like it got a little more treble and increased sound clarity. Is it my imagination? Maybe...or not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Lust Envy 


You're the only one I know that talks about amp sound differences like two different headphones. Not that I don't believe you, but you tend to exaggerate the differences quite a bit.

Then ignore my impressions silly. It's not too hard to do and I'm not trying to be a jerk about it.

Oh yeah..it is TRUE that the differences between amps are generally subtle sometimes. Especially when they measure flat.

All these different sources like the Ipod Touch 2G or Clip+ measure ruler flat but could never sound any more different to me..

I mean the Clip+ sounds rather warm, but still measures flat.

So far with the HD-650/DJ100 the difference between all my amps isn't massive. With the Q701..yes, it's quite a large difference. I won't guess as to why and I don't want to debate this and ruin the thread.

My main goal with an amp though is have it not change my headphone's sound signature in any area. My Micro Amp doesn't change a thing and so far the Magni is doing quite well in this area with my HD-650/DJ100. If I wanted to add some coloration, I'd just get a new headphone or EQ it.

Also.. sometimes I've had headphones that sounded 100% the same on every single amp. I wish all headphones were like that! I think my HD-598 is like this. My DJ100 and HD-650 will sound different with any amp or source that's not really flat or is slightly colored. I don't really want a darker amp, but that's due to preference. My DJ100 sounds bad on them..so it's a big no-no for me.