[DJ The Rocket]

Which drive HD600 better, Magni 3 or Vali 2? Thanks

Both will drive the HD600 (along with almost any dynamic headphones) just fine. It's not about which can drive them well, but which sound signature you prefer. The Magni 3 is pretty much transparent, and I prefer the dynamics of an SS amp. But plenty of people love their Vali 2 so if you prefer tubes I'm sure that's a good choice too.

 

[DJ The Rocket]

My Magni 3 impressions after two weeks with it:

My first setup is a Modi Multibit -> Magni 3 -> HE500, Alpha Prime, Sennheiser MX985, iSine20, or RE272, so I'm using it for some very power hungry planars, as well as really sensitive 16 ohm earphones, and the Magni 3 sounds equally good with either, as expected.

It's probably the most transparent amp I've owned (the Fiio e11 is also transparent, but it's nowhere near the quality of the Magni 3, which is ultimately cleaner and more resolving. You need really revealing cans to tell though). The Magni 3 has plenty of power & headroom for anything I own at any volume I'm willing to try. It sounds just as good on low volume as it does turned up; the bass doesn't go away at lower levels.

I really like the volume control: the knob is solid and has just the right amount of resistance, and the way Schiit mapped how the amp responds to changes on the volume knob is perfect for me. I can switch between different headphones, and get the volume nearly matched without thinking about it, before I even plug the new ones in.

My second setup goes Modi Multibit -> Magni 3 preamp outs -> Stax SRM-727A -> Lambda Pros. I haven't been able to compare this setup to plugging the Modi into the Stax directly, but this might be a good test to see whether the Magni 3 has a "sound" or not, but I'd guess not.

What I *can* say is that it sounds great. I've found that at 100% volume on low gain, the Magni 3 spits out a line level signal, which is nice. I've tried it on high gain too, and I *think* it may sound even better that way. But until I'm certain the Stax can handle that kind of voltage I'm not willing to try it for very long.

Using the Magni 3 preamp outs for this purpose has made it easier than ever for me to switch from one headphone to another.

 

[protocol]

Couple of questions for those with more knowledge than me.

Is the Magni 3 the one to go for over the Vali 2? As the Vali 2 is £55 (71$) more. I currently have a Vali 1 so either will be a big upgrade I'd of thought.

I'm wanting to be able to switch between headphones and speakers and was looking at Magni 3 with a Modi 2 Uber. From what I understand I'd be able to switch between the two by either unplugging my headphones to play via speakers, or plug headphone in to play via headphones. Correct? This would require powered speakers but ideally I want passive speakers as they're cheaper and I'm running out of power sockets! Is there anyway of having the Schiit stack with passive speakers?

 

[yangian]

Both will drive the HD600 (along with almost any dynamic headphones) just fine. It's not about which can drive them well, but which sound signature you prefer. The Magni 3 is pretty much transparent, and I prefer the dynamics of an SS amp. But plenty of people love their Vali 2 so if you prefer tubes I'm sure that's a good choice too.

Thank you! I have two tube amplifiers for HD600. I also have a SS amplifier from Taobao, which has good sound when pairing with 600, but obviously smaller soundstage than my tube amplifiers. I want to try a better SS amplifier. Just curious about Magni 3's ability.

 

[niknik]

Anyone owning a Topping NX2 or NX2s and could compare? (Using NX2 or NX2s amp only).

 

[joe]

Hey guys, I just cleaned up a few off-topic posts. Let's stay on the Magni 3, gents.

 

[cyclops214]

If you have truly sensitive IEM'S Like the se846, You may have Audio Rattle Like I do I ordered the iFi Audio Ear Buddy It will be arriving on Sunday Hopefully that will fix My Hissing problem With this amp. I am currently using my dragonfly read In the meantime.

 

[cyclops214]

The ifi audio ear buddy Came in today But it only Reduces the noise slightly So I cannot use this amp With my se846 Which really sucks.

 

[DJ The Rocket]

The ifi audio ear buddy Came in today But it only Reduces the noise slightly So I cannot use this amp With my se846 Which really sucks.

What hissing problem? This doesn't make sense because you should be able to use those Shures no problem.

The Magni 3 output impedance is like a third of an ohm. Unless your shures are 2 ohms themselves I can't imagine what the problem is. Are you certain the hiss isn't on your recording? What other sensitive IEMs have you tried? Did they do the same?

You should try a wire with a resistor in it, like the P to S converter from Etymotic. I would have tried that before whatever that ifi thing is. If that doesn't fix it, and its not the recording, then you absolutely have faulty equipment somewhere along the chain.

I've used several 16 ohm IEMs with Magni 3 without even a hint of hiss

 

[Jimster480]

What hissing problem? This doesn't make sense because you should be able to use those Shures no problem.

The Magni 3 output impedance is like a third of an ohm. Unless your shures are 2 ohms themselves I can't imagine what the problem is. Are you certain the hiss isn't on your recording? What other sensitive IEMs have you tried? Did they do the same?

You should try a wire with a resistor in it, like the P to S converter from Etymotic. I would have tried that before whatever that ifi thing is. If that doesn't fix it, and its not the recording, then you absolutely have faulty equipment somewhere along the chain.

I've used several 16 ohm IEMs with Magni 3 without even a hint of hiss

Hiss doesn't have to do with output impedance FYI. It has to do with noise in the system and overall gain.

 

[cyclops214]

I was not having The noise In the se846 With any other amp So I turned off The eitr, dac and amp then back on And the noise went away Can't explain it Must Have been some kind of feedback Or something like it.

I feel pretty stupid Not power cycling everything first.

 

[Merkurio]

Anyone use the Magni 3 connected direct to the PC motherboard?

I like how the ALC1220 audio codec sounds on my PC, but the amplifier section is somewhat weak with my KNS-8400.

 

[MonoOno]

Anyone use the Magni 3 connected direct to the PC motherboard?

I like how the ALC1220 audio codec sounds on my PC, but the amplifier section is somewhat weak with my KNS-8400.

Yes, but with the ALC1150 codec, yours is a step up so it might be better. It is okay, but cant say I'm impressed coming from a ODAC which in itself was not the best but the drop in quality on my motherboard is huge though they touted it as having one of the best DACs you can get on a motherboard. To my ears, clarity and instrument separation took a nose dive. Cant wait have a dedicated DAC again.

 

[Merkurio]

Yes, but with the ALC1150 codec, yours is a step up so it might be better. It is okay, but cant say I'm impressed coming from a ODAC which in itself was not the best but the drop in quality on my motherboard is huge though they touted it as having one of the best DACs you can get on a motherboard. To my ears, clarity and instrument separation took a nose dive. Cant wait have a dedicated DAC again.

Thanks for the answer!

I would consider a DAC in the future too (maybe a Modi 2 Uber), but my main concern now is the low volume in some FLAC files.

It's good to see an opinion from someone that's actually using the integrated motherboard solution.

 

[MonoOno]

Yeah, it sounds good and your ALC1220 should be better. You can definitely get by on it. My ODAC was better but I do not really miss it. Was hoping to also get Uber or even multibit to go along with the Magni 3 but holding out in hopes a Modi 3 is announced soon.

Also very interested to hear that ALC1220. Motherboard audio has come a long way and that is currently the best you can get.