As it happens the Magni and Asgard 2 sound very much alike. They are both SS amps and share the same clean sound. If one drives them both from the same source at the same volume and A/B switches a set of headhones between them, they will not be able to tell the difference. This has been done.
You appear to prefer the coloration that tube amps provide. Some prefer this others do not and prefer an accurate playback of what was recorded.. I do not agree with the remarks about "less suple or more harmonically homogenous," etc. This boils down to a matter of taste. I can listen to both, but prefer SS. The more expensive tube amps have less distortion and thus less of the "warm sound" and begin to sound more like an SS amp The distortion advantages of tubes when it comes to soft clipping are for guitarists, audiophiles on the other hand do not want any clipping, at all.
Much of the bias against SS amps are from decades ago when they first appeared where many were of a terrible Class B design which not only were riff with cross-over distortion but were underpowered and clipped miserably. Many were not even biased properly and as a result had other nonlinear disorders. That was in the distant past. Today the story is very different.
Yes, I do like tubes when they're done right, no doubt. But I also like good solid state.
I have a different experience with the Magni and Asgard 2. I have both, and I've never preferred the performance of the Magni to the Asgard 2. The A2 has always been significantly more musical to my ears.
Granted, I didn't match volume, but I did use the same sources (line out from FiiO X3, HTC One phone running Neutron Player, USB from computer to Modi, USB from computer to AQ Dragonfly 1.2) and the same range of phones (HE-400, HE-500, HD600, HD598, HD580, Q701, K612, K550, K545, K501, PSB M4U1, DT880, DT770 and a bunch of others). I simply turned the volume to a comfortable listening level, which tends to be more or less the same each time I listen. My preference for the Asgard 2 over the Magni wasn't gleaned from a critical shoot out type listening scenario, but from regular listening with the two amps over many months. I simply think the Asgard 2 has a sound that's of a much higher quality than the Magni.
That's not to say your impressions are not also correct. Folks have very different preferences, and those are right, too. Funny how they can be vastly different from what another may like. But you choose what brings you pleasure, and that's what it's all about.
So I'm just sharing what I'm hearing, and how these amps play out for me. Yes, all those things I described are things I hear. They're also the reasons I like the Vali over the Magni.
Incidentally, if I were to choose one amp out of the 3, my dollar would go to the Asgard 2. I've described the A2 in the past as smooth, controlled, with a hint of warmth. A very composed sound with nothing out of place. Definitely different than the Vali, but pretty great. To my ears, the Magni is the least of these three amps.
Lucky for us, we have some great choices. Three different amps, and chances are one or more will float your boat.
