[Voxata]

Omg now I'm debating if I want to send back my Asgard 3 and swap it for the Magnius. I have a couple of headphones coming in with XLR terminators. It seems like the Magnius should pair well with the Bifrost 2.

I'll be letting you know how it goes. I've ordered mine and will be comparing it to my other amps using the Bifrost 2, Modius & iDSD BL.

Asgard 3 should be better than Magnius for use with low-impedance (~16 ohm) planars, especially the low-efficiency early designs from HFM, etc., provided that the single ended cable was designed right as a 4-wire cable (with two leads for each earpiece running the entire length of the cable, terminated right at the TRS plug)

Why do you think this wouldn't pair well with low-efficiency planars? It's less than 0.1ohm output impedence with gobs of power and a gain switch.

 

[Varejao17]

If Russian-made Tung-Sol's are shipped from Russia using regular post, then we could be waiting until the next Siberian winter passes, haha. The Russian post is completely fubar'd right now, so shipment times are on the scale of months rather than weeks.

Russia has FedEx. I saw it in that Tom Hanks movie.

 

[tincanear]

I'll be letting you know how it goes. I've ordered mine and will be comparing it to my other amps using the Bifrost 2, Modius & iDSD BL.



Why do you think this wouldn't pair well with low-efficiency planars? It's less than 0.1ohm impedence with gobs of power and a gain switch.

(corrected)
datasheet for the TPA chip has a fairly high intrinsic 13-ohm (open-loop) output impedance, plus junction-to-board thermal resistance for the HSOP package is listed at 36C/W. bias current is only a few mA, so AB crossover point (transconductance droop) will be in the audible range with low-z loads. loop feedback is needed to lower the output impedance. 250 or 300 ohm Beyers and Senns will draw less than 1/4 current (but 4 times the voltage needed) of a 16-ohm planar, assuming similar efficiency (dB/mW)

the real test, of course, is listening, and seeing if the circuit design differences can be heard by a given listener / source / headphones combo.

for myself, I prefer my Asgard 2 against Magni 3+ / Magni Heresy when running medium-efficiency planars. I have never listened to Asgard 3.

 

[Voxata]

datasheet for the TPA chip has a fairly high intrinsic 13-ohm (open-loop) output impedance, plus junction-to-board thermal resistance for the HSOP package is listed at 36C/W. bias current is only a few mA, so AB crossover point (transconductance droop) will be in the audible range with low-z loads. loop feedback is needed to lower the output impedance. 250 or 300 ohm Beyers and Senns will draw less than 1/10th current of a 16-ohm planar, assuming similar efficiency (dB/mW)

Interesting, though I'm curious if this would be an audible concern. Pretty sure it'd still have enough grunt to power it. I've got a friend with my old HE-560 that I could test with. I'm assuming this could be driven to ear shattering levels with the Magnius.

 

[tin-ear]

History of audio:
1880-1960s - everything was wood
1970s - silver metal became edgy (with wood grain endcaps), silver eventually became the norm
1980s - black was edgy and eventually became the norm
late1990s - silver was edgy, and eventually became the norm
late 2010s - black is edgy, and will eventually become the norm (again)
...

"Champaign" was coming in third all those years.
You reminded me of a small outfit, maybe one man, in the 1990's. In northern California? His first product was a pre-amp. It had wood sides, my memory may fail, but a black? face plate with some interesting highlights in green, magenta? It cost about $1200. I thought it looked cool, precisely because it was not black or silver. Cannot remember the name though of that company. I think he sold direct. Closed down after a decade or so.
Other gear of other color schemes I think I like (thanks to the late Art Dudley):
Leben: champaign with a green stripe at the top bottom of the face plate
Shindo: dark green
I would like to hear about more. Please exclude gaudy and bling if possible.

 

[NA Blur]

@Jason Stoddard

Congrats on the new release!

How much cost does it add to fix the 2nd harmonic at -94dB SINAD? It seems like a mistake to overlook that spike in the SE implementation. Sure it might be inaudible, but your competition will fix it and then what? I think it's worth fixing.

I mean you have these wonderful measurements and even the power outputs are sweet, but in the back of my mind I'm like "why didn't they fix that 2nd harmonic especially when they knew it was there?" You fix it and then you have true bragging rights and pressure on your competition.

 

[Rattle]

Maybe they thought it sounded better that way ? It's probably warmer sounding so it might have synergistic possibilities depending on gear and chain. It's not like -94db is bad LOL

 

[pinkfloyd4ever]

@Jason Stoddard

Congrats on the new release!

How much cost does it add to fix the 2nd harmonic at -94dB SINAD? It seems like a mistake to overlook that spike in the SE implementation. Sure it might be inaudible, but your competition will fix it and then what? I think it's worth fixing.

I mean you have these wonderful measurements and even the power outputs are sweet, but in the back of my mind I'm like "why didn't they fix that 2nd harmonic especially when they knew it was there?" You fix it and then you have true bragging rights and pressure on your competition.

"fix" it?!? 2nd harmonic distortion brings all the boys to the yard! Just ask Nelson Pass. He designs and tweaks his amps to increase 2nd harmonic distortion.

 

[JohnnyCanuck]

@Jason Stoddard

Congrats on the new release!

How much cost does it add to fix the 2nd harmonic at -94dB SINAD? It seems like a mistake to overlook that spike in the SE implementation. Sure it might be inaudible, but your competition will fix it and then what? I think it's worth fixing.

I mean you have these wonderful measurements and even the power outputs are sweet, but in the back of my mind I'm like "why didn't they fix that 2nd harmonic especially when they knew it was there?" You fix it and then you have true bragging rights and pressure on your competition.

I'm guessing that you don't appreciate a 12-string guitar

JC

 

[Varejao17]

"Champaign" was coming in third all those years.

Luxman is still trying.

And McIntosh is from the late renaissance AFAIK.

 

[adydula]

One question I forgot to ask is this a Class AB amp? I am assuming so??

Thanks
Alex

 

[Jason Stoddard]

@Jason Stoddard

Congrats on the new release!

How much cost does it add to fix the 2nd harmonic at -94dB SINAD? It seems like a mistake to overlook that spike in the SE implementation. Sure it might be inaudible, but your competition will fix it and then what? I think it's worth fixing.

I mean you have these wonderful measurements and even the power outputs are sweet, but in the back of my mind I'm like "why didn't they fix that 2nd harmonic especially when they knew it was there?" You fix it and then you have true bragging rights and pressure on your competition.

The decision to take the SE output from one phase of the balanced output (and thus forego the distortion cancellation from differential phases) is deliberate:

(a) It is the same thing we do with Jotunheim, Ragnarok 2, Freya S, and Freya+, because listeners have told us they prefer that approach to summed, single-ended outputs (like we have done on some of the the DACs)
(b) Summing adds complexity and cost--we would have to have a separate output stage for SE, in addition to the summing op-amp, so the SE output would end up going through much more circuitry
(c) We were concentrating on making the best balanced amp and preamp we could for an industry-leading price, so this decision is congruent with that approach
(d) If you want superb SE performance, it's better to build around SE and save $100 with Magni Heresy.

In short, I don't see anything to fix. We simply made a design decision. We delivered the highest-value measurement-focused balanced amp out there, with by far the best potentiometer of any amp anywhere near its price, we did it the way our customers say they prefer, and we're making it in the USA, the same way we're making everything else. To us, those are the bragging rights. That doesn't mean Magnius will be for everyone. Sorry if it doesn't work for you.

One question I forgot to ask is this a Class AB amp? I am assuming so??

Thanks
Alex

Yep, Class AB.

 

[NA Blur]

@Jason Stoddard

Thanks for your response. I indeed have x2 Heresy and a Modius.

 

[Ableza]

(corrected)
datasheet for the TPA chip has a fairly high intrinsic 13-ohm (open-loop) output impedance, plus junction-to-board thermal resistance for the HSOP package is listed at 36C/W. bias current is only a few mA, so AB crossover point (transconductance droop) will be in the audible range with low-z loads. loop feedback is needed to lower the output impedance. 250 or 300 ohm Beyers and Senns will draw less than 1/4 current (but 4 times the voltage needed) of a 16-ohm planar, assuming similar efficiency (dB/mW)

the real test, of course, is listening, and seeing if the circuit design differences can be heard by a given listener / source / headphones combo.

for myself, I prefer my Asgard 2 against Magni 3+ / Magni Heresy when running medium-efficiency planars. I have never listened to Asgard 3.

Reading the IC spec sheet is one thing, but Jason said he did not employ the cookbook solution. So it is likely not implemented in such a way to behave exactly as predicted by the specs.

 

[bboris77]

In short, I don't see anything to fix. We simply made a design decision. We delivered the highest-value measurement-focused balanced amp out there, with by far the best potentiometer of any amp anywhere near its price, we did it the way our customers say they prefer, and we're making it in the USA, the same way we're making everything else. To us, those are the bragging rights. That doesn't mean Magnius will be for everyone. Sorry if it doesn't work for you.

I really like this approach at excelling at specific things rather than being mediocre at everything. Jack of all trades, master of none. Plus now I don't have to upgrade since my setup is all single-ended.

And if people really need an amp that measures even better single-ended and balanced, there’s the Jotunheim. Considering the fact that the Jot is an all-discrete amp, can take a DAC card and has a built-in power supply, it definitely still has a place in your lineup.