[treecloud]

Yes that is if you could ever listen to it at 90% volume, my ears will bled out till i get there. So far have not seen any headphones that don't love more power. I do think that you need a amp with alteast 4x headphone rating to make sure you can comfortably use it at 10-12 o clock without the need to ever go higher.
So far that spec seems BS to me, or rather not really explained properly. I have been driving my with ampo that have 4-30 times the power they need or are rated for and every time they sounded fantastic.
Fiio x7 mk2 is the source, my g5hp is the only amp I have, if I want to listen to HD 540 RG, that can drive those cans.

This is an interesting topic that belongs in the category "things that really matter". Compression distortion is the worst, whether it's mechanical transducers or amplification. It's why a line source speaker with 20 tweeters and 20 mids can be a relief after listening to conventional designs, the line source drivers never approaching non-linear behavior at any (reasonably sane) playback level.

And then there are the devices that are very low distortion, but with inadequate headroom for realistic playback levels. Electrostatic speakers for example can sound ravishing at lower levels, just don't turn them up

 

[audiobomber]

This is an interesting topic that belongs in the category "things that really matter". Compression distortion is the worst, whether it's mechanical transducers or amplification. It's why a line source speaker with 20 tweeters and 20 mids can be a relief after listening to conventional designs, the line source drivers never approaching non-linear behavior at any (reasonably sane) playback level.

This is a false analogy. The volume potentiometer setting on an amplifier does not compress the signal.

A volume pot on an amp controls (i.e. amplifies or attenuates) the level of the upstream signal. A very low pot setting can cause a channel imbalance (one channel louder than the other), especially on a low cost pot such as the one used in a Magni 3. Turning the pot higher, even all the way open, is not a problem, as long as the output does not cause clipping in the amp or overload the headphones.

You can test this easily for yourself. Use a source that allows you to control volume (e.g. foobar2000 or Chromecast Audio). Turn it down very low and turn your amp to max. Your will hear no distortion in the headphones. The music will sound the same if you set the source for max and control the volume with the amp pot.

 

[treecloud]

This is a false analogy. The volume potentiometer setting on an amplifier does not compress the signal.

Not talking about the volume control, talking about overdriving an amplifier beyond clipping. Or even driving into that region before clipping where behavior becomes less linear.

But yes your point is correct, volume controls can be implemented in many ways. An amplifier can be designed so that vol is maxed and behavior is still linear (commercial amps are rarely designed that way).

 

[Logistics]

Yes that is if you could ever listen to it at 90% volume, my ears will bled out till i get there. So far have not seen any headphones that don't love more power. I do think that you need a amp with alteast 4x headphone rating to make sure you can comfortably use it at 10-12 o clock without the need to ever go higher.
So far that spec seems BS to me, or rather not really explained properly. I have been driving my with ampo that have 4-30 times the power they need or are rated for and every time they sounded fantastic.
Fiio x7 mk2 is the source, my g5hp is the only amp I have, if I want to listen to HD 540 RG, that can drive those cans.

I'm not certain, but I'm concerned that while the Fiio is a dedicated DAP, it's line-level signal may not be the strongest point. While the Magni may be a pre-amp on the side, you might need a pre-amp to feed your Magni. I use headphones that can accept 3W, so my threshold is even lower than yours, as long as the nominal spec on your headphones is correct. The amps power output is one thing, but it's still at the mercy of the strength of your source signal, correct?

 

[lantian]

I'm not certain, but I'm concerned that while the Fiio is a dedicated DAP, it's line-level signal may not be the strongest point. While the Magni may be a pre-amp on the side, you might need a pre-amp to feed your Magni. I use headphones that can accept 3W, so my threshold is even lower than yours, as long as the nominal spec on your headphones is correct. The amps power output is one thing, but it's still at the mercy of the strength of your source signal, correct?

1,8Vrms should be enough. Simply for my headphones the magni 3 is far to weak, only solution is another more powerfull amp...
To me once I plug my 600ohm hones in it is immidiatly noticable lack of power, while 300ohm ones seem happy with the amount it has. Even so they love the extra power that g5hp gives, they just don't need it to live like the 600ohm ones

 

[BrotherKathos]

I’ve personally run into the issue of the magni 3 being too powerful. Many days I prefer listening to music at soft levels more like you might find in a lounge setting. The magni 3 power rating coupled with its low gain setting does not allow me to do this as I do run into the channel imbalance problem close to or at my desired volume with the mimby and my Audeze lcd2c. This and the treble bias of the magni 3 is what led me to put an order in yesterday for an asgard 2. Its lower power rating and gain setting should allow me to listen at a more comfortable range to my preference as well as taming some of the highs. I’ll either be moving my magni 3 and loki setup to my other desktop with my he-400i or just sell them outright and continue to use the massdrop o2 desktop amp as it works just fine by itself with the hifiman planars.

 

[strooper]

I'm new to Schiit. Until now, all my gear has been truly portable (Calyx M, Onkyo DP-X1, Ibasso DX-150 and Concero HP). After selling off some IEMs and the Concero, I decided to dive into Schiit. I'd read the audio science reviews, I'd read the head-fi reviews, I'd read the independent reviews. In the end, having never heard a Schiit product, what sold me was two things: (1) evident confidence in their product and (2) made in the USA. The latter is not born of confidence that American-made products are necessarily better, but rather that I'm rewarding a company that keeps more of my money in the US. The former is maybe misguided. Anybody can express self-esteem that isn't warranted, but Schiit's pitch isn't braggadocio, but rather confidence that they know a lot (but not everything) and that they haven't closed their minds to anything. 16-bit multibit: can you hear the difference? I don't know. But I respect a company that sells delta-sigma and 16-bit multibit and lets you decide. Tube? OTL? Hybrid? Balanced? They provide affordable products that check each box. I respect that. And given that we live in a great era where lots of affordable gear sounds really damn good, I am happy to give my money to the people who embrace the ethos of choice, quality and economy.

I may be a sentimental fool. I may be a dope who doesn't buy the cheapest gear that tests well. I may be all sorts of stupid (odds are good...). But having listened for three or or more hours a day all this week to my new Schiit Multibit Modi and Magni 3 stack, I am DEFINITELY happy with my purchase.

 

[BrotherKathos]

I'm new to Schiit. Until now, all my gear has been truly portable (Calyx M, Onkyo DP-X1, Ibasso DX-150 and Concero HP). After selling off some IEMs and the Concero, I decided to dive into Schiit. I'd read the audio science reviews, I'd read the head-fi reviews, I'd read the independent reviews. In the end, having never heard a Schiit product, what sold me was two things: (1) evident confidence in their product and (2) made in the USA. The latter is not born of confidence that American-made products are necessarily better, but rather that I'm rewarding a company that keeps more of my money in the US. The former is maybe misguided. Anybody can express self-esteem that isn't warranted, but Schiit's pitch isn't braggadocio, but rather confidence that they know a lot (but not everything) and that they haven't closed their minds to anything. 16-bit multibit: can you hear the difference? I don't know. But I respect a company that sells delta-sigma and 16-bit multibit and lets you decide. Tube? OTL? Hybrid? Balanced? They provide affordable products that check each box. I respect that. And given that we live in a great era where lots of affordable gear sounds really damn good, I am happy to give my money to the people who embrace the ethos of choice, quality and economy.

I may be a sentimental fool. I may be a dope who doesn't buy the cheapest gear that tests well. I may be all sorts of stupid (odds are good...). But having listened for three or or more hours a day all this week to my new Schiit Multibit Modi and Magni 3 stack, I am DEFINITELY happy with my purchase.

Glad to hear you are enjoying your first taste of schiit

 

[BrotherKathos]

I switched my setup around a bit. I'm now using the magni 3 and loki with my SMSL SU-8 and my Hifiman he-400i with the fenestrated sheepskin pads. The magni 3 was a bit too powerful with all my other phones, but is perfect for driving the 400i since they are really inefficient planars. I've got the loki sub bass to 2:00 midrange to 11:30 and the treble to 10:00 and its a great sounding match. My he-400i has been my least favorite headphones next to my KEF M500 for a while since they were a bit down on bass heft and a bit too sparkly up top. The loki fixes all that and stacks nicely with the magni 3 to give a nice aesthetic. Now I've got to come up with a use for my o2 amp after my asgard 2 gets here in a couple of days assuming I like the asgard 2...

 

[DavidA]

I switched my setup around a bit. I'm now using the magni 3 and loki with my SMSL SU-8 and my Hifiman he-400i with the fenestrated sheepskin pads. The magni 3 was a bit too powerful with all my other phones, but is perfect for driving the 400i since they are really inefficient planars. I've got the loki sub bass to 2:00 midrange to 11:30 and the treble to 10:00 and its a great sounding match. My he-400i has been my least favorite headphones next to my KEF M500 for a while since they were a bit down on bass heft and a bit too sparkly up top. The loki fixes all that and stacks nicely with the magni 3 to give a nice aesthetic. Now I've got to come up with a use for my o2 amp after my asgard 2 gets here in a couple of days assuming I like the asgard 2...

After using a friends Magni3 for a few weeks I still prefer the sound of my Asgard2 over the Magni3 since it sounds a touch more dynamic and presents a better sound stage with most of my headphones, its subtle, but for me the Asgard2 is worth the cost difference and its also has smoother sounding pre-amp section with my speaker system.

 

[HiFiRebel]

Anyone uses Magni 3 with Argon Mk3 headphones? Will it be not only enough to drive this very power hungry set, but also make sure I get every last drop of goodness out of them?

 

[Robert Padgett]

I'm new to Schiit. ---snip--

I may be a sentimental fool. I may be a dope who doesn't buy the cheapest gear that tests well. I may be all sorts of stupid (odds are good...). But having listened for three or more hours a day all this week to my new Schiit Multibit Modi and Magni 3 stack, I am DEFINITELY happy with my purchase.

My only question/suggestion is if you are using USB as your feed, you will benefit from the Wyrd or (Eitr if you prefer SPDIF). Noise. caused by USB is not really evident --until it is gone. With B-stock, a Wyrd is $79...you will thank me later.

 

[echoplex]

I’ve personally run into the issue of the magni 3 being too powerful. Many days I prefer listening to music at soft levels more like you might find in a lounge setting. The magni 3 power rating coupled with its low gain setting does not allow me to do this as I do run into the channel imbalance problem close to or at my desired volume with the mimby and my Audeze lcd2c. This and the treble bias of the magni 3 is what led me to put an order in yesterday for an asgard 2. Its lower power rating and gain setting should allow me to listen at a more comfortable range to my preference as well as taming some of the highs. I’ll either be moving my magni 3 and loki setup to my other desktop with my he-400i or just sell them outright and continue to use the massdrop o2 desktop amp as it works just fine by itself with the hifiman planars.

Alternatively, you could get some higher impedance (e.g., 600 Ohm) phones and that will take care of the excessive volume problem. The Magni 3 just manages to drive my 600 Ohm AKG K240 DFs, which are real brutes for an amp to handle. It drives my 600 Ohm Beyerdynamic DT-880s more easily, but there too your not in any danger of making your ears bleed. On these cans I need to set the Magni volume at between 60-75% (between 1 and 3 o’clock) for decent reference levels. You should t run into any channel imbalance issues at your desired low volume setting.

 

[echoplex]

I received my Magni 3 yesterday and did some early comparisons before letting it run overnight and doing some more listening this morning. I did some A/Bs with the Jotunheim, using the Yggy as the DAC for both. Headphones used were Beyer T1s (original), Beyer DT880s (600 Ohm), Focal Elear, and Audeze LCD 2.2.

At this point, the Jotunheim still sounds better overall. It sounds slightly cleaner, with slightly clearer treble. I’ve seen the Magni 3 described as warmer, but it can also be characterized as slightly darker. I want to emphasize the differences are minor, and it is easy enough to just listen with the Magni 3 and not really miss anything.

To some of the listening I performed, noting that I listen extensively to classical music:

1. Lana Del Rey, Lust for Life: the Magni presents the singers’ voices extremely well, and is just as satisfying as the Jotunheim. Bass is basically the same, and fine details are present.
   
   
2. Air, Moon Safari: the warmer presentation of the Magni works fantastically well here, making it even more of an electronic dream, with Beth Hirsch’s voice as seductive as ever.
   
   
3. Róisín Murphy, Overpowered: Murphy’s voice sounds splendid, and the Magni generates headphone equivalents of thumping bass quite well. Again, some fine detail seems slightly less clear here than through the Jotunheim, and the Magni sounds slightly less spacious with some of the spatial and phase effects used in the recording.
   
   
4. Led Zeppelin III (newest remastering): I’ve listened to this in various forms (LP, cassette, CDs) hundreds of times for decades, and everything sounds just fine. Everything sounds just right, everything in the mix is there, and the vocals and instruments sound as natural as the new remastering allows.
   
   
5. Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonatas Opp 90, 101, 106 played by Steven Osborne on Hyperion: I selected this and the next recording to hear how well the Magni resolves fine details that are not musical in nature. Specifically, in this recording, the damper mechanism is audible throughout, as a soft ‘swish’ sound, and the Magni presents it just fine, if not quite as cleanly as the Jotunheim. This doesn’t lead directly to musical satisfaction, but it does render the upper registers of the piano a bit less crystalline, and slightly warmer sounding. I can envision some people preferring this type of sound. Dynamic range is superb and on par with the Jotunheim.
   
   
6. Gustave Samazeuilh, Piano Music played by Olivier Chauzu on Grand Piano: pretty much the same as above, but here, Chauzu’s pedal stomps might actually be slightly more prominent through the Magni.
   
   
7. Johannes Brahms, Piano Music played by Arcadi Volodos on Sony: this recording, one of the greatest recordings ever of any of Brahms’ piano music, sounds rich and dark and full, and the Magni slightly magnifies the richer and darker sound. The sound of Volodos’ fingernails hitting the keys is audible, demonstrating the fine detail is there. The Magni works exceedingly well here.
   
   
8. Richard Strauss, Don Quixote conducted by Lorin Maazel with Steven Isserlis playing cello on RCA. The slight diminution of clarity with the Magni is obvious here in the slightly less clear orchestral sections and slightly less distinctive wind trills. The sound is less spacious than the Jotunheim, as well. Again, the differences are minor, but they are there.
   
   Here I ran into a volume limitation using the DT 880s. The recording is low level, requiring near unity gain through a conventional stereo, and I actually maxxed out the volume control. It was loud, to be sure, with big dynamic swings and forte tuttis slightly louder than comfortable (which is what I was shooting for), but I have some recordings even lower in level than this, and they might not be able to be played at a satisfying volume with the 600 Ohm DT 880s. There is no such limitation with the other headphones mentioned

The Magni works well with all the headphones listed. I’m a big fan of the Beyer sound, which I know not everyone is, and I must say that when paired with the DT 880, the result is especially good. The T1s and LCD 2.2s benefit from the greater refinement of the Jotunheim, while the Elears sound best, to my taste, when paired with the original Asgard. (I did not do any A/Bs with my other headphone amps yet.) Overall, for a hundred bucks, the Magni 3 is the Schiit.

I received my Magni 3 yesterday and did some early comparisons before letting it run overnight and doing some more listening this morning. I did some A/Bs with the Jotunheim, using the Yggy as the DAC for both. Headphones used were Beyer T1s (original), Beyer DT880s (600 Ohm), Focal Elear, and Audeze LCD 2.2.

At this point, the Jotunheim still sounds better overall. It sounds slightly cleaner, with slightly clearer treble. I’ve seen the Magni 3 described as warmer, but it can also be characterized as slightly darker. I want to emphasize the differences are minor, and it is easy enough to just listen with the Magni 3 and not really miss anything.

To some of the listening I performed, noting that I listen extensively to classical music:

1. Lana Del Rey, Lust for Life: the Magni presents the singers’ voices extremely well, and is just as satisfying as the Jotunheim. Bass is basically the same, and fine details are present.
   
   
2. Air, Moon Safari: the warmer presentation of the Magni works fantastically well here, making it even more of an electronic dream, with Beth Hirsch’s voice as seductive as ever.
   
   
3. Róisín Murphy, Overpowered: Murphy’s voice sounds splendid, and the Magni generates headphone equivalents of thumping bass quite well. Again, some fine detail seems slightly less clear here than through the Jotunheim, and the Magni sounds slightly less spacious with some of the spatial and phase effects used in the recording.
   
   
4. Led Zeppelin III (newest remastering): I’ve listened to this in various forms (LP, cassette, CDs) hundreds of times for decades, and everything sounds just fine. Everything sounds just right, everything in the mix is there, and the vocals and instruments sound as natural as the new remastering allows.
   
   
5. Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonatas Opp 90, 101, 106 played by Steven Osborne on Hyperion: I selected this and the next recording to hear how well the Magni resolves fine details that are not musical in nature. Specifically, in this recording, the damper mechanism is audible throughout, as a soft ‘swish’ sound, and the Magni presents it just fine, if not quite as cleanly as the Jotunheim. This doesn’t lead directly to musical satisfaction, but it does render the upper registers of the piano a bit less crystalline, and slightly warmer sounding. I can envision some people preferring this type of sound. Dynamic range is superb and on par with the Jotunheim.
   
   
6. Gustave Samazeuilh, Piano Music played by Olivier Chauzu on Grand Piano: pretty much the same as above, but here, Chauzu’s pedal stomps might actually be slightly more prominent through the Magni.
   
   
7. Johannes Brahms, Piano Music played by Arcadi Volodos on Sony: this recording, one of the greatest recordings ever of any of Brahms’ piano music, sounds rich and dark and full, and the Magni slightly magnifies the richer and darker sound. The sound of Volodos’ fingernails hitting the keys is audible, demonstrating the fine detail is there. The Magni works exceedingly well here.
   
   
8. Richard Strauss, Don Quixote conducted by Lorin Maazel with Steven Isserlis playing cello on RCA. The slight diminution of clarity with the Magni is obvious here in the slightly less clear orchestral sections and slightly less distinctive wind trills. The sound is less spacious than the Jotunheim, as well. Again, the differences are minor, but they are there.
   
   Here I ran into a volume limitation using the DT 880s. The recording is low level, requiring near unity gain through a conventional stereo, and I actually maxxed out the volume control. It was loud, to be sure, with big dynamic swings and forte tuttis slightly louder than comfortable (which is what I was shooting for), but I have some recordings even lower in level than this, and they might not be able to be played at a satisfying volume with the 600 Ohm DT 880s. There is no such limitation with the other headphones mentioned

The Magni works well with all the headphones listed. I’m a big fan of the Beyer sound, which I know not everyone is, and I must say that when paired with the DT 880, the result is especially good. The T1s and LCD 2.2s benefit from the greater refinement of the Jotunheim, while the Elears sound best, to my taste, when paired with the original Asgard. (I did not do any A/Bs with my other headphone amps yet.) Overall, for a hundred bucks, the Magni 3 is the Schiit.

“The Magni works well with all the headphones listed. I’m a big fan of the Beyer sound, which I know not everyone is, and I must say that when paired with the DT 880, the result is especially good.”
Agreed! I’ve got the 600 Ohm DT 880s and the cans and Magni 3 complement each other very well.

I also agree that 600 ohm cans start to challenge the limits of the Magni 3. That hasn’t been a problem with the DT 880s, but my AKG K240 DFs are also 600 Ohm and noticeably harder to drive. I has maxed out on particularly quiet recordings of classical music.

But overall, this little amp is generally wonderful, and ridiculously good for the money.

 

[Logistics]

1,8Vrms should be enough. Simply for my headphones the magni 3 is far to weak, only solution is another more powerfull amp...

Enough? Usually, 2Vrms is a minimum on even consumer-grade products. McIntosh even has units that do in upwards of 8Vrms. I understand that your combo doesn't allow your 600-Ohm jobbers to shine, but I just hope you will experiment with a source that has better line-level abilities to see if that improves matters. I'm curious, too!