[TsKen]

So I have the STX and recently I got a Magni 2 and hooked it up to my STX.
 
Everything sounded more transparent and neutral. I could pick up details more and the soundstage seems to increased by a little bit since the sound overall was more smooth and less aggressive compared to the STX.
 
I posted my impressions on reddit /r/headphones and there were a large majority of people who told me that what I perceived was largely psychological and that based on measurements, there are absolutely no change in the sound quality or signature from changing amps.
 
But everytime I switch back and forth, I can clearly tell the Magni 2 was more neutral and transparent while the STX was more bassy and aggressive.
 
Is this really a psychological effect?
 
How could this psychological phenomenon happen?
 
Edit: Recorded the differences.
 
For anyone interested in the results
 
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/4h2qxn/xonar_stx_and_magni_frequency_response_graphs_on/

 

[RRod]

  So I have the STX and recently I got a Magni 2 and hooked it up to my STX.
 
Everything sounded more transparent and neutral. I could pick up details more and the soundstage seems to increased by a little bit since the sound overall was more smooth and less aggressive compared to the STX.
 
I posted my impressions on reddit /r/headphones and there were a large majority of people who told me that what I perceived was largely psychological and that based on measurements, there are absolutely no change in the sound quality or signature from changing amps.
 
But everytime I switch back and forth, I can clearly tell the Magni 2 was more neutral and transparent while the STX was more bassy and aggressive.
 
Is this really a psychological effect?
 
How could this psychological phenomenon happen?

 
If you didn't match volumes then that alone can account for hearing differences. Depending upon the cans you are using you might be hitting impedance issues too.

 

[TsKen]

   
If you didn't match volumes then that alone can account for hearing differences. Depending upon the cans you are using you might be hitting impedance issues too.

Exact response I received from them as well.
 
Hmm maybe it is psychological I guess, though a lot of people recommended me to get the magni 2 to replace the STX for some reason....
 
>_>

 

[MindsMirror]

 
Is this really a psychological effect?
 
How could this psychological phenomenon happen?

Possibly. However there can commonly be a measurable and audible difference between amps with different output impedance. The Magni has close to zero output impedance, while the STX has 10 Ohms. The interaction of the output impedance with the rise in impedance of many dynamic driver headphones around their ~100 Ohm resonance causes an change in the balance of frequencies, which could very easily explain your impressions.

 

[TsKen]

  Possibly. However there can commonly be a measurable and audible difference between amps with different output impedance. The Magni has close to zero output impedance, while the STX has 10 Ohms. The interaction of the output impedance with the rise in impedance of many dynamic driver headphones around their ~100 Ohm resonance causes an change in the balance of frequencies, which could very easily explain your impressions.

Someone said since it's only 10ohms which is less than 1 db, there is no audible difference.
 
Could amps have different sound signatures which might explain this phenomenon?

 

[PurpleAngel]

  So I have the STX and recently I got a Magni 2 and hooked it up to my STX.
Everything sounded more transparent and neutral. I could pick up details more and the sound stage seems to increased by a little bit since the sound overall was more smooth and less aggressive compared to the STX.
I posted my impressions on reddit /r/headphones and there were a large majority of people who told me that what I perceived was largely psychological and that based on measurements, there are absolutely no change in the sound quality or signature from changing amps.
But every time I switch back and forth, I can clearly tell the Magni 2 was more neutral and transparent while the STX was more bassy and aggressive.
Is this really a psychological effect?
How could this psychological phenomenon happen?

 
I'm assuming the Magni is being connected to the STX's RCA output.
 
The STX's RCA output uses all three of the STX's op-amps and the headphone jack only 2, that might be a factor.
There might be differences in the control panel settings, RCA vs headphone jack.
Schiit is better at building a headphone amplifier, then Asus?
 
Which headphones are you using?
The Magni's low output impedance (>1-Ohm) should help with audio detail (damping control), over the STX's headphone jacks 10-Ohm output impedance, when it comes to lower impedance (Ohm) headphones.

 

[TsKen]

   
I'm assuming the Magni is being connected to the STX's RCA output.
 
The STX's RCA output uses all three of the STX's op-amps and the headphone jack only 2, that might be a factor.
There might be differences in the control panel settings, RCA vs headphone jack.
Schiit is better at building a headphone amplifier, then Asus?
 
Which headphones are you using?
The Magni's low output impedance (>1-Ohm) should help with audio detail (damping control), over the STX's headphone jacks 10-Ohm output impedance, when it comes to lower impedance (Ohm) headphones.

A headphone that doesn't really require a amp, the Sony MDR 1R.
 
I haven't tested with the Alpha Primes yet since I won't be getting them until later today.
 
It's kind of weird that it'd sound different on a headphone like the 1R

 

[PurpleAngel]

  A headphone that doesn't really require a amp, the Sony MDR 1R.
 
I haven't tested with the Alpha Primes yet since I won't be getting them until later today.
 
It's kind of weird that it'd sound different on a headphone like the 1R

 
The Sony MDR-1R has a 24-Ohm impedance.
Technically, for best damping control, you would want to plug the MDR-1R into a headphone amplifier with an output impedance of around 3-Ohms or less.
The STX's headphone jack has a 10-Ohm output impedance, the Magni less then 1-Ohm output impedance.
 
I always thought my 40-Ohm ATH-A900X headphones sounded a little better plugged into my O2 (>1-Ohm) headphone amplifier (using my STX as the DAC),
then plugging the 40-Ohm headphones into the STX's headphone jack (10-Ohm output impedance).

 

[RRod]

  A headphone that doesn't really require a amp, the Sony MDR 1R.
 
I haven't tested with the Alpha Primes yet since I won't be getting them until later today.
 
It's kind of weird that it'd sound different on a headphone like the 1R

 
The MDR1R are 24ohm (listed, probably varies a bit), so indeed a 10ohm output impedance from the STX could affect the sound, esp. around 100Hz as MM suggested. I would bet the difference could be easily picked up by recording the headphone output, but that's probably more techy than you want to get. I'd totally believe you hear a bit of difference as it is.

 

[TsKen]

   
The MDR1R are 24ohm (listed, probably varies a bit), so indeed a 10ohm output impedance from the STX could affect the sound, esp. around 100Hz as MM suggested. I would bet the difference could be easily picked up by recording the headphone output, but that's probably more techy than you want to get. I'd totally believe you hear a bit of difference as it is.

Interesting.. I plan on recording the output later today.. Will find out!

 

[PurpleAngel]

   
The MDR1R are 24ohm (listed, probably varies a bit), so indeed a 10ohm output impedance from the STX could affect the sound, esp. around 100Hz as MM suggested. I would bet the difference could be easily picked up by recording the headphone output, but that's probably more techy than you want to get. I'd totally believe you hear a bit of difference as it is.

 
Oops, 24-Ohm, guess I misread about the MDR-R1 being 48-Ohm.
(corrected my previous post)

 

[Me x3]

Personal experience and general consensus lead to think that you can find audible differences among amplifiers that measure very similar.
Measurements can be useful but also can be tricky if you trust them blindly. Different measuring setups and different procedures can yield different results for a single amplifier.
More so, there's plenty of tests to do (things to measure) and you normally get the few (main measurements), useful for sure, but maybe not the full story.
More so (2) some measurements are easy to interpret and relate to our perception but this is not always the case.
 
If you read about amplifiers you'll find that no one is saying that the O2 is warm, smooth and laid back.
On the other hand there's plenty of people saying that it is neutralish and almost bright.
 
You'll find that no one is saying that Asgard 2 is brighter than Magni.
But many people say that Asgard 2 is a tiny bit warmer, and many people say that Magni is smooth in the mids but a bit splashy in the treble.
 
You'll find that no one is saying that Violectric V200 is bright and lean, but you'll find plenty of people saying that V200 is warm sounding among SS amps.
 
... And these are all perfectly flat amplifiers amplifiers with low output impedance and very little distortion.
 
You get the idea.
 
As previously stated 10 Ohm output impedance is a bit high for MDR-1R and that could play a role here anyway.

 

[TsKen]

For anyone interested....
 
I recorded the audio through the Blue Yeti and had someone analyze it.
 
Here are the results.
 
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/4h2qxn/xonar_stx_and_magni_frequency_response_graphs_on/

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
Could amps have different sound signatures which might explain this phenomenon?

 
This is a misunderstanding and misapplication of what amps really do. What audiophiles describe as "sond signature" is in reality distortion. There isn't a single kind of distortion, and amps pile on distortion at varying rates relative to output level.
 
The problem with this? They take to a warmifying boombasticator as a "signature" rather than a flaw. Sure, in some cases, piling on a little bit more of a preferred kind of distortion to smooth out rough edges in badly recorded music, but in many cases they prefer to do a lot more than that. On top of which some amps actually get a rep on forums as "lifeless" just because they don't warmify and boombasticate, as when another amp skews the treble vs midrange+bass balance which allows them to tolerate a higher output at which point the upper bass/low midrange sounds more dynamic.

 

[cel4145]

For anyone interested....

I recorded the audio through the Blue Yeti and had someone analyze it.

Here are the results.

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/4h2qxn/xonar_stx_and_magni_frequency_response_graphs_on/

I tried. But I couldn't understand from the explanation which graphs were showing what. Sorry.