alright folks here is my first ever product review. I got the Magni in today.
First Impressions: Fit and finish is nice. Fairly hefty for its size. Only noticeable flaw is the volume pot is crooked as another member posted as well. Can only tell when looking straight down. One thing that is personal preference is the white/grey LED light is super bright. I use my computer to watch blurays and TV and I wish it wasn't so bright or that I could just disable it.
I hooked it up to my e7 through a basic 3.5mm to RCA cable. Setting computer volume at max and e7 at max, I did not notice hiss until around 1oclock on the pot. Keep in mind I am using sensitive D2000's and the Magni is known for having some strong gain. For volume reference, I am currently on spotify at max volume as well, and the Magni at probably 8 oclock. I do hear some static or something inbetween songs but nothing major. It tends to disappear. It is now gone since starting this review. I have been on the lookout for channel imbalance at low volumes like others have experienced and I have yet to notice it.
Ok onto the music. WOW! Huge improvement over my e7. People like to say the denons are so easy to drive and a portable dac/amp are "fine" for them, which is true, but you are missing so much going this route. Proper power is needed. With the Magni I am experiencing deep, tight bass and more importantly, much more mid-bass. I think what I noticed most however is vocals. They are very forward. I don't know if this falls into mid-range or not, but its exciting. Very clear and I am getting excellent instrument separation and soundstage compared to e7. I think a lot of this also depends on the song/record. Brown eyed girl is crazy good on this setup, whereas newer pop recordings don't benefit as much. It also tends to bring out imperfections on recordings much more than e7. I don't mind the analytical nature and I would say the treble is not fatiguing, at least so far. I really hate bright sounding setups and I sold my hd595's because they were way too bright. D2000 is a darker can and I love it. I also took someones advice and tested using The Dark Knight soundtrack. Sounds amazing. Killer bass sections.
Conclusion: best $100 I spent on head-fi so far. If I ever get higher end phones like lcd2 or even he-500 I think this would drive them well. I think with time the fit and finish will improve. I will also test this as an amp coming right out of my cable box to see what its like. If you have the D2000's, get this amp.
edit: I will be getting a L7 to bypass the e7 amp and will report soon.
