*Comparison and Review* Magni/Modi vs O2/ODAC - Page 10

Quote:

Originally Posted by iMusicLover 

Hello guys O2+ Odac are good for HE- 500 or i should see for other my max budget are 300$.

They work great. They can power them to ear-splitting volumes.. I have mine with 1x/2.5x gain and use it with 1x gain.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrokeStudent 

 

The guy is nuts to think that you need to add another $100 worth of cables to get good sound out of the M&M stack. All you're missing is a single USB cable and RCA cables. You don't need to spend any more than $5 on a USB cable, the RCA's are up to you.

 

Also, if he's so set on his $80 USB cable, how come he doesn't add it to his Aune T1 stack? The cable that comes with it must surely(/sarcasm) be worse then the $80 one he mentions, so why not add it to the cost of the T1 stack too ?

 

Next thing I'm going to hear is that the stack needs special fairy electricity to sound good, which is another $100 at least!

I agree, Headfonia's reviews are generally a crapshoot and mostly on the crap part of that. Once a reviewer claims to hear a difference in USB cables or RCA cables I can't help but write off everything they say.. and Headfonia is all about that..

Quote:

Originally Posted by papazoid 

here is a Magni/Modi review from Headfonia....

 

http://www.headfonia.com/schitty-magni-and-modi/

 

 

the review,  while giving the magni/modi combo high marks, suggests that the Aune T1 (amp & dac combo) is better than the magni/modi for sound quality and tube customization options, while being very close in price after adding in cables.

 

any comments ?

The Review Says:

"It is a great entry level Hi-Fi amplifier that will be adored by anyone who does not want congestion on their desk at work, inside their college dorm room or perhaps even on their bedside table. I can see it working extremely well in these types of situations, but never as a primary home amplifier for Orthos."

Then it says:

"The Magni’s 1.2watt output is generally overkill for use with the HE400. I would not call the Magni a great match up for this Hifiman headphone, it just lacks the bass quantity to get the job done by itself."

Umm . . . what? Either it makes enough power, or it doesn't. Amps don't have bass quantity, headphones do.

"Sadly, the HE-400 really showcases too much sibilance with the Magni for my ears. 1,200mw into 32ohm is very good for $99 and will drive any Ortho with plenty of volume."

Wait, so it works great with the HE 400? Didn't you just say it didn't?

"There is no doubt the Asgard has better sound stage all around, but it sounds more grainy to my ears."

Uh, what?

"The Magni is well suited for use with the more budget oriented IEMs and surprisingly worked out very nicely with my ClearTunes CT-200 Customs. I detect a very small amount of hiss, but it goes completely unnoticed when music starts up. She’s quiet…real quiet."

So the amp hisses. That would make it BAD for IEMs and other headphones in general. Having hiss does not = quiet, real quiet. Unless you are are used to blaring hiss, I guess.

"I can’t really recall any portable amplifiers that sound as clear or as smooth as the Magni…and I’ve been through dozens of portables this year alone. I feel safe in saying the clarity on the Magni for this price is a 10/10 and that clarity is on par with portable amplifiers 4x its price."

I can't really recall any portable amplifiers that claimed to compete with dedicated desktop equipment either, so this is a pretty apples to oranges pointless comparison. I am sure that my O2, at 1/1000 the price of some equipment is also "equally clear" - lol.

"I’ve never kept any portable amplifiers I have ever owned, but I do want to keep the Magni. By that fact alone, I think my ears pick up more clarity through the Magni than they have with any portable amplifier I have ever heard."

I am equally sure that anyone that wants portability will never, ever buy the Magni. Because its not portable.

"I’d avoid bass-heavy headphones, as well as sets known for great soundstage depth. The Schiit Combo just doesn’t cut it in those areas."

Doesn't cut it in what areas? An amp can't add bass or take it away, unless it is a s*** amp. So which is it?

"the Magni does not have the low end to do justice with the Ortho headphones or anything bassy. Beyond that, the sound staging qualities are not up to par with the Schiit Asgard, so it doesn’t go well with spacious sounding headphones."

Got it - avoid using this amp with bassy, spacious headphones. Even though you've contradicted yourself for two pages, this rules out every buying this amp, since I doubt people are shopping for bass-less headphones with no soundstage.

If he gets paid to write this sort of absolute useless crap review, I will be very disappointed. Because I could write something even crappier, and I am looking for work.

Still waiting for a professional review *with measurements*.

Oh god 

"I’ve never kept any portable amplifiers I have ever owned, but I do want to keep the Magni."

Quote:

Originally Posted by proton007 

Still waiting for a professional review *with measurements*.

This.

Quote:

Originally Posted by proton007 

Still waiting for a professional review *with measurements*.

Oh no, please not another measurements discussion :D

Btw, I just read in the comment section that the guy who wrote the article is no longer writing for Headfonia, that was his last review

So the guys is gone....That makes it much better.....

What no measurements??

Whats wrong with facts versus opinions,,, rather have opinions based on facts...

The O2 spectacular performance is built around good engineering, design, implementation and getting the most out of the lowest dollar components to prove a point.

It has caused many other amp vendors/OEM to step up to the plate with measurements that in the past have'nt been that well published etc...

Its a good thing! IMO.

Alex

Quote:

Originally Posted by adydula 

So the guys us gone....That makes it much better.....

 

What no measurements??

 

Whats wrong with facts versus opinions,,, rather have opinions based on facts...

 

The O2 spectacular performance is built around good engineering, design, implemenation and getting the most out of the lowest dollar components to prove a point.

 

It has caused many other amp vendors/OEM to step up to the plate with measurements that in the past havent been that well published etc...

 

Its a good thing! IMO.

 

Alex

 x100.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrMateoHead 

 

"I’d avoid bass-heavy headphones, as well as sets known for great soundstage depth. The Schiit Combo just doesn’t cut it in those areas."

 

Doesn't cut it in what areas? An amp can't add bass or take it away, unless it is a s*** amp. So which is it?

 

Where did you get this idea? Tons of good (and high quality) amps have rolled off bass. I would say that could "take it away".

This includes the Fiio E9, E5, Ipod 5.5's amp, Total Airhead and a few others. My crappy Nuforce Icon Mobile rolls off at 100hz or something(!!!).

I probably couldn't hear much low bass at all. That fits your description of a "s***" amp though, but the others don't.

The reviewer claims it doesn't roll off the bass, yet it's bad for anything bass heavy. Makes no sense. Since he labels it as "smooth sounding" theres no reason i should be bad for a bass heavy headphone. When I first head the Magni I felt it possibly had some rolled off low-bass. But for $99 some minor roll off is OK.

The Magni's soundstage is great. It's very large and almost seem artificially huge but that's impossible right? Some background details on my Q701 are so distant that it's almost like they're at the point of going missing. I have a few good tracks for testing soundstage size. It's probably as good as the Asgard if not better in this area. It improved my HD-650 so much in this area, same with the Sextett. The DAC plays a huge role too of course.

I also can't believe someone would find a person saying they hear a difference in RCA cables to be offensive. I believe an upgrade to a high quality wire like Mogami etc is worth it. Doesn't cost much at all. It's not a huge difference. Silver plated copper or silver would sound awful on the Magni. Go ahead and try that! What would sound best is a higher capacitance wire like Canare or Mogami. The difference is how thin/bright and full/warm everything sounds.

I also use the finest USB cables. This one for $2000 sounds great. Only kidding..

Oh and FYI $30 at retail for a USB cable is VERY common. You know..not everyone buys cables online. Local stores carry USB cables for $20-$30. I prefer using ones without Ferrite beads.

If anyone has a Magni they should connect up a bunch of different sources and see if it's easy to tell the difference. On some amps it's stupid easy. One time I was reviewing my Micro Amp and I almost accidentally described it's sound signature when in fact it was just the DAC (which was fairly colored, yet people claim it's neutral). Even with the ODAC the Magni is still fairly bright. Maybe the Magni is just more revealing of what's connected to it than the Micro. Very unlikely.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdockweiler 

 

Where did you get this idea? Tons of good (and high quality) amps have rolled off bass. I would say that could "take it away".

This includes the Fiio E9, E5, Ipod 5.5's amp, Total Airhead and a few others. My crappy Nuforce Icon Mobile rolls off at 100hz or something(!!!).

I probably couldn't hear much low bass at all. That fits your description of a "s***" amp though, but the others don't.

 

The reviewer claims it doesn't roll off the bass, yet it's bad for anything bass heavy. Makes no sense. Since he labels it as "smooth sounding" theres no reason i should be bad for a bass heavy headphone. When I first head the Magni I felt it possibly had some rolled off low-bass. But for $99 some minor roll off is OK.

 

The Magni's soundstage is great. It's very large and almost seem artificially huge but that's impossible right? Some background details on my Q701 are so distant that it's almost like they're at the point of going missing. I have a few good tracks for testing soundstage size. It's probably as good as the Asgard if not better in this area. It improved my HD-650 so much in this area, same with the Sextett. The DAC plays a huge role too of course.

 

Oh and FYI $30 at retail for a USB cable is VERY common. You know..not everyone buys cables online. Local stores carry USB cables for $20-$30. I prefer using ones without Ferrite beads.

 

If anyone has a Magni they should connect up a bunch of different sources and see if it's easy to tell the difference. On some amps it's stupid easy. One time I was reviewing my Micro Amp and I almost accidentally described it's sound signature when in fact it was just the DAC (which was fairly colored, yet people claim it's neutral). Even with the ODAC the Magni is still fairly bright. Maybe the Magni is just more revealing of what's connected to it than the Micro. Very unlikely.

Rolled off, or rolled up bass, coming from a source, amp, CD Player, whatever, is distortion, IMHO, NOT an endearing characteristic. A flat frequency response within the audible range is a good frequency response, plain and simple. You wouldn't buy a brand new car that "pulls to the left on the highway" would you? For me its the same with audio - my amps should amplify the sound, not alter it.

On that note, now I am wondering if the Magni rolls off the bass within the audible range, or, being rated for headphones as low as 32 Ohms, may have a high output impedance. If it is bad for "bassy phones", because it will sound sloppy or bass light, this could be a real issue that shows up in actual testing.

I still like the review best that just simply said something like "couldn't tell the difference, Schiit is cheaper, get the Schiit".

wrong post!

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGame21x 

Eh, that doesn't concern me. I plan on using it exclusively with headphones from one computer or the line in from my iPhone or whatever.

If you ever do want to go from a combo to the separate stand-alones I would love to trade.