[Jimmyblues1959]

I did the opposite.

I had the Piety in semi regular rotation with other gear but today took delivery of a Magni +

I bought the Magni + because I wanted the three step gain for better use with IEM and hoped the volume ramp was more linear than the Piety so in conjunction with the negative low gain option I would have more range on the pot with IEM. That proved to be the case and Magni + is definitely more IEM friendly, further assisted by the silent volume pot and slightly lower noise floor.

I have spent the last two hours back and forth between the two amps connected to a Modi + and using HD600 with both amps on high gain with a number of different songs streamed from Qobuz highlighting different vocals, instruments etc and to my ear the difference is quite slight. Slight enough where my faith in my auditory memory is significantly brought into question with the 10 seconds or so needed to swap amplifiers.

To my ear the Magni + is perhaps just a little dry by comparison, a little cleaner if you will. I noticed no glaring relative deficiency with the Magni + and just listening without thinking about the amplifier the Magni + is still very enjoyable to my ear, just marginally different.

I think perhaps the edge in detail goes to the Magni + it seems like that cleanliness comes off as a tad dry but enjoyable nonetheless.


EDITED TO ADD: The following day I listened with my DCA Aeon Noire. If anything the difference is even less pronounced, possibly due to the Magni + being fundamentally better suited to the higher current requirements of the low impedance and somewhat low sensitivity planars. The Magni + can drive the Aeon Noire to unsafe volume levels with no apparent distortion even on bass heavy tracks, the Piety would go into shut down protection long before a level that the Magni + can manage with apparent ease.

I still think the Piety is a great little amplifier but it isn't magic and for the moment it has lost its spot on my desk. It is in a cupboard nearby and is a 10 second swap so it will probably come out of retirement now and then.

Audio is a very subjective hobby. As long as the equipment you use allows you to enjoy music, that's what counts.

 

[Runrunsmithfly]

Audio is a very subjective hobby. As long as the equipment you use allows you to enjoy music, that's what counts.

I think about the early stereos I had as a teen before I bought my first good component system in 72 and they were LO-FI all the way. I still couldn't wait though for the next Stones or Zeppelin or Who or Beatles album, or any of the other great bands, to hit the shelves.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

I think about the early stereos I had as a teen before I bought my first good component system in 72 and they were LO-FI all the way. I still couldn't wait though for the next Stones or Zeppelin or Who or Beatles album, or any of the other great bands, to hit the shelves.

I know what you mean. I was a teenager in the 1970's and had my first system in 1975, received as a 16Th Birthday present
from my parents. A Technics SL1500 DD turntable, Marantz 2230 receiver and Infinity 1001A speakers. I really loved that audio system and I still have the Marantz nearly 50 years later! All the great bands we grew up with offering us more than enough music to last a lifetime.

 

[Runrunsmithfly]

I know what you mean. I was a teenager in the 1970's and had my first system in 1975, received as a 16Th Birthday present
from my parents. A Technics SL1500 DD turntable, Marantz 2230 receiver and Infinity 101 speakers. I really loved that audio system and I still have the Marantz nearly 50 years later! All the great bands we grew up with offering us more than enough music to last a lifetime.

I'm a little bit older than you, born in 52, so I was fortunate enough to experience Beatlemania and the whole British invasion. The great American bands that were responsible for so much wonderful music during that era. I was really lo-fi in 64 since I was 11, turning 12 in October of 64. You had a great stereo all those years ago.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

I'm a little bit older than you, born in 52, so I was fortunate enough to experience Beatlemania and the whole British invasion. The great American bands that were responsible for so much wonderful music during that era. I was really lo-fi in 64 since I was 11, turning 12 in October of 64. You had a great stereo all those years ago.

I remember my cousins who are about a decade older than myself going crazy when the Beetles appeared on Ed Sullivan in 1964.

It was like they came from another planet. At the time who knew they would have such an impact on the music world from then on?

I really enjoyed my stereo. In 1978 I bought a Kenwood KA 8100 integrated which I eventually gave to my folks. Now have it back
along with the the Marantz. 1970's Japanese audio gear was so well made back then. I've owned lots of gear over the years but finally settled in with good equipment that sounds great and is built to last. I stopped chasing gear years ago. My last audio purchase for quite awhile is a DNA Starlett on order that should be delivered within the next 6-8 weeks. Really looking forward to it after waiting a year and a half.

 

[Paul Moerman]

Nice. The Modi 3E should work well with the Piety. I had a 3E, Schiit did a good job implementing the ES9018 after their supply of the AK4490 ran out. Nice overcast day in the desert.

this has been quite a month for me, starting out with headphones, then discovering Schiit. somehow I now have 8 of their mini products in the house, and a modi multibit 1 on the way next week i scored today on ebay. that gives me lots of combinations to compare for synergy! I even got a couple of budget dongle dacs for comparison. too early to say what my favorite combo will be, altho I do like the new (12xx) Piety alot, esp with a modi 3 (not the "e") i got bundled with a vali 2.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

this has been quite a month for me, starting out with headphones, then discovering Schiit. somehow I now have 8 of their mini products in the house, and a modi mutibit 1 on the way next week i scored today on ebay. that gives me lots of combinations to compare for synergy! I even got a couple of budget dongle dacs for comparison. too early to say what my favorite combo will be, altho I do like the new (12xx) Piety alot, esp with a modi 3 (not the "e") i got bundled with a vali 2.

Welcome to the hobby! Sounds like you're off to a great start. Enjoy!

 

[Runrunsmithfly]

this has been quite a month for me, starting out with headphones, then discovering Schiit. somehow I now have 8 of their mini products in the house, and a modi mutibit 1 on the way next week i scored today on ebay. that gives me lots of combinations to compare for synergy! I even got a couple of budget dongle dacs for comparison. too early to say what my favorite combo will be, altho I do like the new (12xx) Piety alot, esp with a modi 3 (not the "e") i got bundled with a vali 2.

I think that you're going to be really surprised by the difference between the Modi 3 and the Modi multibit. I still remember my first multibit listen after using the Modi 3. I've owned a AK4493 Modius too and still preferred the Modi Multibit. I have a Modi Multibit 2 now and it's really amazing but I hung on to my MM1 also. The Piety is a great match with the MM1 or MM2.

 

[Richsvt]

I just purchased a Piety. So happy to see these available. I was sad that I missed out on the first batch. Hopefully will see it soon. It will join my Heresy and Vali 2++. Love the form of these little magic boxes. Glad I happened upon this forum.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

I just purchased a Piety. So happy to see these available. I was sad that I missed out on the first batch. Hopefully will see it soon. It will join my Heresy and Vali 2++. Love the form of these little magic boxes. Glad I happened upon this forum.

Congrat's! I have my Piety running via an ifi Zen Dac Signature V1, Schiit Lokius into a pair of Hifiman HE4XX and the sound is
quite nice. The Piety is a little gem!

 

[Reputator]

Just received my MagPie today, and did some quick listening. It's not an amp I'll be using for myself, it's going into my wife's setup, but that was really an excuse for me to buy a limited edition cool amp to play with.

And the quality for the size is ASTONISHING. Plugged into my Bifrost 2 (not a commonplace combo but it gives it a chance to show its best stuff) and it was immediately apparent this amp has LAYERS. The soundscape throws pretty far forward, giving surprisingly depth for such a small amp. It's warm and enveloping, dynamic and engaging. Really the only thing missing compared to my highend SS amp was a teensie bit of top-end air and detail, and soundstage width. But staging depth is harder to do, so that's honestly more impressive to me.

It even powered my Hungry Hungry HEDDphones surprisingly well with good dynamics. With my Arya Stealth I got even more dynamics (tested everything in high gain), and again, ALL you're missing compared to a higher-end amp seems to be just a touch of detail and width, but it's crazy how close it is! This is really all most people would ever need.

Here it is paired with my original Modi Multibit that I had leftover from 2017. It's WAY overkill for my wife's Meze 99 Classics.

 

[Runrunsmithfly]

Just received my MagPie today, and did some quick listening. It's not an amp I'll be using for myself, it's going into my wife's setup, but that was really an excuse for me to buy a limited edition cool amp to play with.

And the quality for the size is ASTONISHING. Plugged into my Bifrost 2 (not a commonplace combo but it gives it a chance to show its best stuff) and it was immediately apparent this amp has LAYERS. The soundscape throws pretty far forward, giving surprisingly depth for such a small amp. It's warm and enveloping, dynamic and engaging. Really the only thing missing compared to my highend SS amp was a teensie bit of top-end air and detail, and soundstage width. But staging depth is harder to do, so that's honestly more impressive to me.

It even powered my Hungry Hungry HEDDphones surprisingly well with good dynamics. With my Arya Stealth I got even more dynamics (tested everything in high gain), and again, ALL you're missing compared to a higher-end amp seems to be just a touch of detail and width, but it's crazy how close it is! This is really all most people would ever need.

Here it is paired with my original Modi Multibit that I had leftover from 2017. It's WAY overkill for my wife's Meze 99 Classics.

It's hard to beat for the $$$$.

 

[twigfarm]

I hope this project and the next help CEE TEE with whatever his follow up project is. I feel like there are quite a few folks who have been pretty loyal followers of all the projects he's been part of.

CEETEE has a history of bringing insanely high value audio products, so it's always exciting to see what he comes up with next. His next product is already announced, a collab with ECP audio for the DSHA-3F.

Hey folks! Just purchased a Piety & Meze 99 Noir as my first amp/headphone combo (55+ years listening to speaker-based systems) and was curious to know what other projects Christian (CEE TEE) has been involved in.

Thanks!

Dave

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

Hey folks! Just purchased a Piety & Meze 99 Noir as my first amp/headphone combo (55+ years listening to speaker-based systems) and was curious to know what other projects Christian (CEE TEE) has been involved in.

Thanks!

Dave

Before Cee Tee started Nitsch Audio he worked for Drop.com (formerly Massdrop), bringing some really good audio products
to market at very reasonable prices. I'm not certain if he was responsible for bringing the Massdrop version of the Sennheiser HD650
to market (the HD6XX) which to date is the most successful audio product drop.com has ever sold, but he may very well have been.
Congrat's on your new Piety and Meze 99; two excellent products!

 

[twigfarm]

Before Cee Tee started Nitsch Audio he worked for Drop.com (formerly Massdrop), bringing some really good audio products
to market at very reasonable prices. I'm not certain if he was responsible for bringing the Massdrop version of the Sennheiser HD650
to market (the HD6XX) which to date is the most successful audio product drop.com has ever sold, but he may very well have been.
Congrat's on your new Piety and Meze 99; two excellent products!

Based on emails I exchanged with Christian when I purchased the Piety, it does look like he had a hand in at least the Drop HD58X. So maybe the 6XX? I know he worked directly with Anton Meze on the Noirs when he was at Massdrop working as the Audiophile Custom Products Product Manager. It was at his recommendation that I decided on the Noirs.

From emails I received:

".........headphones I was working on when I was at Massdrop working on Sennheiser HD58X and others."

"The 99 Noir were a product that I worked with Anton Meze to do just for Massdrop....."

BTW, VERY nice guy who is very willing to help & share info. Thanks Christian!

Dave