[Runrunsmithfly]

Should have spent more and got an Asgard 3. Personally I think the Vahalla 2 is the way to go.

 

[Scrufboy]

If the Heretic sounded better, then it would be called the Magni+, and there wouldn't be 2 choices.

That's just wrongthink... It's subjective. Not about which sounds better... AND FYI - both are Magni+ one is Magni+ and the other is Magni+ Heretic.

 

[seanheis]

Hi guys, I want to connect a Magni + to my subwoofer single RCA line input using pre-out on Magni +....but Magni + pre-out is already going to Rekkr power amp....so can I just use a RCA splitter on my Magni + pre-out? If so, does it matter if I do the split on the left or right side of Magni + pre-out?

 

[Nick76]

The Magni+ is a great amp. I prefer it over the asgard 3 with my 6xx and 800S. While the asgard definitely has more low end impact/presence and a bit more stage width, the Magni+ has presence, detail and clarity up high for me. Asgard has been sold off and kept the smaller amp.

 

[BS5711]

I have just ordered a Magni + which will be paired with a Modi +

I know it will do a good job on normal or high gain with my headphones but I will use it reasonably often with IEM.

How is the lowest gain setting for normal sensitivity IEM ?

I am hoping to have a reasonable range of usable travel on the volume knob and not be stuck in a narrow range just off the stop.

 

[inventionlws]

Alright, I have now tried out both the Heretic and the Magni+ and only one has remained in my arsenal. The first thing I noticed with Heretic was the bass. It had a liquidity, almost tube-like quality to it. Coming from a Vali 2 this was nice. However, the longer I listened the more I started noticing the highs and after a while that’s all I could notice. These seemed to have an almost dry, on the edge of distortion, digital sound to them. I am primarily a Sennheiser HD6XX guy but I busted out my HIFIMAN HE-400I’s on this amp early on in my listening and was blown away how good these sounded and came to life. But again, the longer I listened the more those highs became grating and just too much.

I went and ordered a Magni+. Had to try one. I had a Magni 3 back in 2017 and never grew to love it but I heard the + was anticipated being the amp to get and thr possible endgame for those looking for the perfect headphone amp so they can put their funds into acquiring different headphones instead.

First time using the + - completely different feel than the Heretic. Highs are smooth, still detailed but not fatiguing. Soundstage is perfect with more noticeable depth than the Heretic. The bass jumps out a little less than it did on the Heretic but instead returns back to its intended place in the mix of the source. Old reviews of the Heresy and 3+ said the differences are too slim and that basically pick your model based on what color and look you want - but IMHO not true in this case.

I had similar experience as you. I was upgrading from Magni 3 since I wanted the negative gain for my IEM use. My only headphone is HD6XX and I also have the Vali 2 amp with the stock tube. My dac is the OG Modi multibit+Eitr.
I initially bought the Magni Heretic first since I thought it has lower noise floor thus beneficial to IEM use - which is true, the negative gain is dead silent and I cannot detect any noise even using the CA Ara and Andromeda. The heretic is powerful, clean and neutral sounding, but the main issue for me is that it is too dry. It drives everything cleanly and brings out excellent treble detail and air, but the music sounds sterile and a bit dead - not natural enough. Compared with my old Magni 3, definitely more detailed, but Magni 3 is much warmer and organic, although Magni 3 is a bit blunted. Compared with Vali 2, Vali 2 is just so much more natural sounding and pair greatly with HD6XX. I feel that the heretic has great control of the headphone driver - bass is tight, transient is fast, but it does not let the driver to kind of breath on its own a bit, making the sound too dry. When driving my BA iems, the bass is so tight and fast such that there is no reverberation down low and the sound becomes too lean and forward. It does pair up with Truthear Hexa very well and that is the only iem in my collection that I found sounds great with this amp.
A bit dissappointed in the sound, I went ahead and bought the Magni +. The Magni + is also a neutral sounding amp - more neutral and less dark than the Magni 3. So in terms of tonality it is similar with heretic, But the main difference is that the Magni+ is more natural sounding. Using HD6XX with both amps in high gain and volumn matched, I can sense that more mid bass bloom due to slower bass delay with Magni +, making the sound less dry than the heretic - the heretic drives the bass more authoratatively with more punch but the bass decay is too fast for my liking. The Magni + is also a bit softer in the treble than the heretic. When driving BA iems in negative gain, the Magni + is also more natural and less dry than the heretic. The downside is that the Magni+ has slightly higher noise floor which I can detect with my CA Ara. But it is still extremely quite and not distracting at all when music is playing. Keep in mind the Ara is like the one of the most sensitive IEM so the noise is a non issue.
In the end the clear winner for my taste is the Magni+ but ymmv. I am also happy that it is an upgrade in sound vs the Magni 3 I owned previously. It is still not as romantic and euphonic sounding as the Vali 2 but as a solid state neutral amp it is good enough. I also noticed that the volumn pot on both Magni + and heretic is quite well matched at low volume, however, when driving highly sensitive IEMs like CA stuff and for low volume listening, I found I still need to use the Schitt SYS to lower the amplitude of the DAC output to get more range with the volume pot. But with the negative gain it is already much more usable, and for most people with solid listen level and majority of IEMs the negative gain is good enough.

 

[BS5711]

My Magni + arrived in record fast time !

I am please to say that the low gain setting is perfect for IEM. Moderately sensitive sets at normal listening volume are right at 12 o'clock on the volume knob and even around to 3pm or as bit more is usable for loud listening or less sensitive sets.

No noise floor at all with somewhat sensitive IEM on low and medium gain and only a slight bit of hiss on high gain with the volume wound right up with no music playing.

Another nice plus is the volume pot is quiet, not scratchy like the one on my Nitsch Piety.

I have only had a brief listen but of course the mid and high gain do a nice job with my DCA Noire low impedance planars and 300 ohm HD600.

 

[Wekhrlin]

I had similar experience as you.

That is really very interesting that exactly the same experiences with the Magni+ and the Heretic are reported here. To make it short, as it has already been described in detail by Grado Diesel and inventionlws: The Heretic was absolutely tiring after a while. The treble on the Magni+ is much more pleasant and not so harsh or cutting. Especially with headphones that already emphasise the treble (like my DT 1990 Pro), the Heretic could be too treble-heavy. Even though it is written elsewhere on the internet that they do not differ in sound, in the end they definitely do. It probably depends on the final setup, but there is undoubtedly a small difference that can have a huge effect.

 

[Scrufboy]

That is really very interesting that exactly the same experiences with the Magni+ and the Heretic are reported here. To make it short, as it has already been described in detail by Grado Diesel and inventionlws: The Heretic was absolutely tiring after a while. The treble on the Magni+ is much more pleasant and not so harsh or cutting. Especially with headphones that already emphasise the treble (like my DT 1990 Pro), the Heretic could be too treble-heavy. Even though it is written elsewhere on the internet that they do not differ in sound, in the end they definitely do. It probably depends on the final setup, but there is undoubtedly a small difference that can have a huge effect.

Loki Mini+ and now the Lokius FTW. The Dekoni Pads on my DT-1990's helped as well.

 

[Wekhrlin]

Loki Mini+ and now the Lokius FTW. The Dekoni Pads on my DT-1990's helped as well.

That the 1990’s have their Beyer peak doesn't bother me. I even like it a lot. With the Heretic it was just too extreme.

 

[HWB3]

I had similar experience as you. I was upgrading from Magni 3 since I wanted the negative gain for my IEM use. My only headphone is HD6XX and I also have the Vali 2 amp with the stock tube. My dac is the OG Modi multibit+Eitr.
I initially bought the Magni Heretic first since I thought it has lower noise floor thus beneficial to IEM use - which is true, the negative gain is dead silent and I cannot detect any noise even using the CA Ara and Andromeda. The heretic is powerful, clean and neutral sounding, but the main issue for me is that it is too dry. It drives everything cleanly and brings out excellent treble detail and air, but the music sounds sterile and a bit dead - not natural enough. Compared with my old Magni 3, definitely more detailed, but Magni 3 is much warmer and organic, although Magni 3 is a bit blunted. Compared with Vali 2, Vali 2 is just so much more natural sounding and pair greatly with HD6XX. I feel that the heretic has great control of the headphone driver - bass is tight, transient is fast, but it does not let the driver to kind of breath on its own a bit, making the sound too dry. When driving my BA iems, the bass is so tight and fast such that there is no reverberation down low and the sound becomes too lean and forward. It does pair up with Truthear Hexa very well and that is the only iem in my collection that I found sounds great with this amp.
A bit dissappointed in the sound, I went ahead and bought the Magni +. The Magni + is also a neutral sounding amp - more neutral and less dark than the Magni 3. So in terms of tonality it is similar with heretic, But the main difference is that the Magni+ is more natural sounding. Using HD6XX with both amps in high gain and volumn matched, I can sense that more mid bass bloom due to slower bass delay with Magni +, making the sound less dry than the heretic - the heretic drives the bass more authoratatively with more punch but the bass decay is too fast for my liking. The Magni + is also a bit softer in the treble than the heretic. When driving BA iems in negative gain, the Magni + is also more natural and less dry than the heretic. The downside is that the Magni+ has slightly higher noise floor which I can detect with my CA Ara. But it is still extremely quite and not distracting at all when music is playing. Keep in mind the Ara is like the one of the most sensitive IEM so the noise is a non issue.
In the end the clear winner for my taste is the Magni+ but ymmv. I am also happy that it is an upgrade in sound vs the Magni 3 I owned previously. It is still not as romantic and euphonic sounding as the Vali 2 but as a solid state neutral amp it is good enough. I also noticed that the volumn pot on both Magni + and heretic is quite well matched at low volume, however, when driving highly sensitive IEMs like CA stuff and for low volume listening, I found I still need to use the Schitt SYS to lower the amplitude of the DAC output to get more range with the volume pot. But with the negative gain it is already much more usable, and for most people with solid listen level and majority of IEMs the negative gain is good enough.

I have a Magni 3+ that I was considering moving into my speaker set up and using it as a preamp for my Emotiva BasX A-100. I was going to replace it with a Magni + and your impressions have me thinking that would be a good move. I too have a Vali amp (2++) that I pair with my 6XX's and find it very enjoyable. You were very descriptive with your findings.

 

[amigastar]

Does anyones Schiit Magni 3 gets really hot in these summerdays? Is there a risk of catching fire?

 

[schmalgausen]

Warm a little bit, nothing special.

 

[Runrunsmithfly]

Does anyones Schiit Magni 3 gets really hot in these summerdays? Is there a risk of catching fire?

Fire risk? You're thinking of the Asgard 2. I've owned a Magni 3 and it got warm. My Asgard 3 was warm. I have a Vahalla 2 and with tube risers and taller feet it stays cooler than my Asgard 2 did. I've never owned a headphone amp made by any company that I ever worried about catching fire.

 

[amigastar]

I've noticed i have to turn the magni 3 off for a few minutes then the temperature goes down. Will have to do it from time to time.