[sennsay]

Same here - not only the looks of the new volume knob, but the pot is supposed to have a better ramp up.

I'm REALLY enjoying my new Magni 3! No issues whatsoever, pot is great and has a nice ramp for sure. What I find so amazing is that unlike so much other gear I've owned, as I turn the volume up from quiet to ridiculous, the balance doesn't change ... until the headphones can't take much more anyway, HifiMAN HE-400s ... not that I run them hard as such. The bass doesn't disappear at low levels, all that's happening is that the level is either lower or higher, how refreshing!
Outrageously great little amp! I can hardly believe the top end detail and naturalness coming from the Magni 3, I keep coming across track after track that amazes me and I've been listening to headphone amps for donkey's years

 

[DavidA]

@bboris77, are you still using the stock tubes in the Valhalla2 when you compared it to the Magni3?

 

[sennsay]

I got my Magni 3 yesterday and here are my first impressions plus a question for other owners.

I also own a Valhalla 2 so I compared them head to head using HD600. Keep in mind that I do not have an A/B switch so I actually had to unplug/replug the headphones so it is not really a scientific comparison.

The Magni 3 sounds spectacular for the price. It has a sound signature that, to my ears, is quite similar to that of the Valhalla 2 with some key differences which I will attempt to highlight below:

Bass and Slam - this one goes to the Magni 3. It sounds meatier and it hits harder.
Speed and control - Magni 3 wins this one, which is not a large surprise considering it's a solid-state amp.
Headstage - The Valhalla 2 wins this one as it has a slightly wider soundstage. The Magni 3 is a bit more center forward but not really by much.
Plankton - Valhalla 2 wins this one. It simply has that tube magic.
Mids/Natural sounding timbre - Valhalla 2 by a very small margin - voices and instruments sound amazingly natural and relaxed on it.
Treble - a tie - Magni's extends more and it is not harsh, but Valhalla's treble has that tube liquidity and magic.

Basically, I think that the Magni 3 perfectly complements the Valhalla 2 as it really excels in the areas that most OTL tube amps do not do well in - speed and slam. At the same time, it does a very respectable job when it comes to soundstage, natural sounding mids and pleasant treble.

I am definitely keeping this amp since I need something that will do a stellar job with lower impedance headphones and give me that solid state slam and precision.
Side note - the Magni 3 supplied more than enough power to HD600, DT150 and Q701 even in low gain mode.

I do have a question for anyone that owns a Magni 3. Have you noticed any whooshing/scratchy sounds when turning the volume button in high gain mode, near the top of the volume range? I never use the amp at this volume level anyway, but I noticed that when I use more sensitive headphones there is a spot between 3 and 5 o'clock on the volume knob that makes this small "whooshing" sound when increasing or decreasing the volume in high gain mode. The noise is proportional to the volume level and it only happens when I have something plugged in the input jack. If there is nothing plugged in the back of the Magni 3, there is no noise. I suspect this is a quirk of the current feedback technology rather than a scratchy pot but would appreciate any insight. I emailed Schiit tech support as well and will report back when they get back to me.

I too have both of these amps and using my HifiMAN HE-400s cans the Magni 3 has it nearly every time. I'm always just slightly disappointed when using the V2 (stock tubes until the new Amperex Orange Globes arrive) with the HE-400s, good but not great. The Magni 3 is really good with them! Top end detail eats the stock tubes in the V2 and as you say, bass weight and focus is much better - it's got 'em by the balls, as they say The 400s needs that though! Only through my Questyle QP1R is the overall balance purer with them. No whooshing noise with my Magni's volume pot, can't fault anything with it at all. Love this amp!
The V2 is almost exclusively for my 28 year old Senn HD540 Reference cans now - new Amperex tubes on the way.
Heck, even my old Denon AH D1000 cans with damped capsules and Mogami cable sound so much fun with this amp, which can REALLY control the bass of the Denons, with their ability to soak up midrange energy meaning they stay listenable with over EQ'd tracks.

 

[sennsay]

Sound is neutral, not tube warm and definitely not bright. Grado SR325e are already bright enough and if it was a bright amp it would probably make the SR325e even brighter. Soundstage is average width. In my experience, soundstage is more affected by the headphone than the amp. It has good clarity. Instruments sound like they should and don't sound artificial.

Agreed. Very natural and balanced. Amazing value far beyond it's price.

 

[DavidA]

I too have both of these amps and using my HifiMAN HE-400s cans the Magni 3 has it nearly every time. I'm always just slightly disappointed when using the V2 with the HE-400s, good but not great. The Magni 3 is really good with them! Top end detail eats the stock tubes in the V2 and as you say, bass weight and focus is much better - it's got 'em by the balls, as they say The 400s needs that though! Only through my Questyle QP1R is the overall balance purer with them. No whooshing noise with my Magni's volume pot, can't fault anything with it at all. Love this amp!
The V2 is almost exclusively for my 28 year old Senn HD540 Reference cans now - new Amperex tubes on the way.

The Valhalla2 is a poor choice for the HE400S since its a high output impedance OTL amp designed for high impedance headphones like the HD600/HD650. I would have been shocked if the Magni3 didn't out perform the Valhalla2 with the HE400S.

 

[bboris77]

@bboris77, are you still using the stock tubes in the Valhalla2 when you compared it to the Magni3?

Yes, I tried a couple of different preamp tubes and went back to the stock ones as they had a bit more treble. I find that the stock tubes are really a perfect match for the Valhalla 2.

 

[DavidA]

Yes, I tried a couple of different preamp tubes and went back to the stock ones as they had a bit more treble. I find that the stock tubes are really a perfect match for the Valhalla 2.

Thanks for the reply, most that have/had the Valhalla2 noted that changing the driver tubes seems to have little to no effect on the sound unlike the Lyr2 and Mjolnir2 where rolling the driver tubes has a more noticeable effect on the sound. Another trait was that the Valhalla2 was a bit on the dry side and this is where the Magni3 has it beat but it will also depend on the headphones used.

 

[sennsay]

The Valhalla2 is a poor choice for the HE400S since its a high output impedance OTL amp designed for high impedance headphones like the HD600/HD650. I would have been shocked if the Magni3 didn't out perform the Valhalla2 with the HE400S.

Don't I know it! Driven ok, but the results are a bit bland and unexciting. I bought the V2 mainly for my Senn HD540 Reference cans I've had for so long and they really sing with V2. Mid forward, yes, but play something like Ricki Lee Jones' Naked Songs and the performance is absolutely riveting! Looking forward to the Amperex Orange Globes which may tame some of the mid forwardness and fill out the bottom end some more. The brighter Gold Lions will certainly not match.

 

[bboris77]

Just tried it out. Seems like my Magni 3 has the same "whooshing" sound when adjusting volume quickly during that test track. If I recall correctly, this is the same pot noise that was present on the Fulla 2 I used to own and it is common with those too.

What puzzles me is that I had the original Vali and the Vali 2 and had absolutely zero issues with the volume pot on these. I believe they use the same Alps RK09 pot as the Magni 3 and the Fulla 2. I contacted the Schiit tech support yesterday and they told me that they consider it a defect and that they would exchange it for a new Magni 3.

I have a feeling that it is not as simple as a bunch of subpar quality Alps pots that Schiit decided to install in their product - I think that the technology that Schiit utilizes in the Magni 3 and the Fulla 2 simply exposes and magnifies any small imperfections in these pots that would be masked if they were used in the Vali 2 for example. I have never ever heard anyone ever complain about the Vali 2 volume pot.

Anyway, I will post when I get a replacement unit, but I do have a feeling that in time, the new unit may develop this whooshing sound. Unless they found the actual issue that is causing this and took care of it - the tech guy seemed very confident that this should not be happening even when I pointed out that there are a few people that have the same issue. It would be really nice if someone from Schiit could publicly explain the reason why there have been numerous complaints about whooshing/scratchy volume pots with the Fulla 2 and the Magni 3.

 

[RiflemanFirst]

What puzzles me is that I had the original Vali and the Vali 2 and had absolutely zero issues with the volume pot on these.
...
Anyway, I will post when I get a replacement unit, but I do have a feeling that in time, the new unit may develop this whooshing sound. Unless they found the actual issue that is causing this and took care of it - the tech guy seemed very confident that this should not be happening even when I pointed out that there are a few people that have the same issue. It would be really nice if someone from Schiit could publicly explain the reason why there have been numerous complaints about whooshing/scratchy volume pots with the Fulla 2 and the Magni 3.

Good luck with the return. I'm curious to see if the replacement unit doesn't have or develop a scratchy pot.

 

[malteasers]

Forgive me if this has been asked, but as I recently got in on the 6XX drop, I had a question for anyone who has used both the Magni 3 and the Magni 2 Uber. Is the 3 worth the 30 dollar price difference? The 2U is on amazon for $80 and while I'm not on a super strict budget, any cost saving would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Jimster480]

I was at a friends house today and got to listen with his Magni3 + MHDT Pagoda and Metrum Musette DACs (also O2, A30, Asgard2 and Liquid Carbon), for the price its a really good deal but it not something I would suggest for those with HD800, T1, HE560, HD700 or K812. It seems to shrink or not present the wide sound stages of these headphones known for wide sound stages. The Magni3 was a better than the O2 and A30 when used with the HD600, HE400i, DT-990, Ether, GS1000e and RS2e since it brought out a bit more bass/sub-bass along with slightly smoothing out the highs on these otherwise slightly bright headphones. Compared to the Asgard2 its a touch warmer but the sound stage of the Asgard2 is better and the LC while 6 times the cost is a better amp for all the headphones we tried with it over the Magni3. It is a slightly warm amp to my friend and I (like the LC and HA-501) but nothing like a really warm tube amp and aside from the small sound stage issue quite good and better than the Magni and Magni2 that came before it based on our memory. Music was mostly FLAC / WAV: classical, jazz, pop, Kpop, new age, alternative, rock, and R&B; listening level 65-75dB, volume matched at 1khz between headphones/amp pairings.
My friend and I were impressed with the Magni3 and he decided that he will keep the Magni3 until his CTH and LC-X arrive and then sell Magni3 since he wouldn't need it anymore, he decided to finally sell his O2 and will return the A30 to Amazon, I'll still keep my Asgard2 (I was thinking of replacing it with Magni3 but the Asgard2 is still a better amp IMO for my gear) and the Liquid Carbon will be returned to our other friend.

I'm not sure how you could have the exact opposite experience of what I had. basically for me the magni 3 had less sub-bass and was definitely brighter with all my headphones even a 150ohm vintage planar magnetic.
Its definitely brighter than the o2 which sounds identical to the A30.
Its also so overpowered that there is no volume control at all with more sensitive headphones since it's already so loud at 9 o'clock.
Only the YH-2 had volume control and it was still bright with a sharp frequency response in the top end.
But since you were testing it with a NOS DAC those have basically no resolution up high and have a very warm sound so maybe the pairing was better for your tastes.

 

[JP Lamachine]

Hello guys. I recently ordered this AMP aswell as a massdrop k7xx. I cureently own a e10k. Is there a DAC (or even soundcard) that would be a better fit to get the best out if those cans? For around 100 $ id say. Thanks

 

[Jimster480]

Hello guys. I recently ordered this AMP aswell as a massdrop k7xx. I cureently own a e10k. Is there a DAC (or even soundcard) that would be a better fit to get the best out if those cans? For around 100 $ id say. Thanks

Topping D30 is your best bet.

 

[JP Lamachine]

Topping D30 is your best bet.

What about the modi? People keep going on about the schiit stack. Also wondering about the dacs currently on massdrop. Any clue for what specs i should be looking for? Thanks