[sunseeker888]

Addressing post#790, the ubiquitous loudness switch, as found on integrateds, receivers, and preamps, is more than just a sub-100Hz-boost circuit. It is a volume control tapered circuit which adds both bass and treble(usually 75Hz and 10kHz respectively) in order to counteract the inherent deficiency of the human ear to hear these frequency extremes at low volumes. Properly implemented, the loudness contour will have little to no effect on the audio band near the volume potentiometer(s) maximum position.

 

[ninjames]

So what does everyone have their PC volume at with magni + modi and HE-400 and how much does the volume pot give you with those specifically? How much does it give you with PC volume at 100%? How far does it give you and where does the imbalance go away?

 

[Johnson184]

Quote:

I was. Had a ground loop from my usb dac. What i finally did was plug my magni into a wallsocket all by itself and everything else into one on a different wall. Seems to have eliminated it.

I'm not really knowledgeable about ground loops. The only way to alleviate this issue is to plug it in separately into a wall socket? :*(  for me since it's too far!

 

[smellyfungus]

So what does everyone have their PC volume at with magni + modi and HE-400 and how much does the volume pot give you with those specifically? How much does it give you with PC volume at 100%? How far does it give you and where does the imbalance go away?

using wasapi volume control is disabled so I am at 100% thru the PC. for my typical listening I am around 8 o clock. zero volume is around 7 o clock if I recall. the imbalance is only at the very few first decibles then goes away pretty quick. half way between 7 and 8 at most.

if it matters my magni is dead silent when turned to the lowest. I know some peoples you can still hear sound.

 

[ninjames]

Quote:

using wasapi volume control is disabled so I am at 100% thru the PC. for my typical listening I am around 8 o clock. zero volume is around 7 o clock if I recall. the imbalance is only at the very few first decibles then goes away pretty quick. half way between 7 and 8 at most.

if it matters my magni is dead silent when turned to the lowest. I know some peoples you can still hear sound.

Using wasapi, is there any volume control PC-side?

 

[FlySweep]

 

 

 

[AtomicFrostX]

Quote:

 
Interesting that there's that much of a difference with the LPs, glad to hear that you appear to be enjoying the Magni.
 
The LCD-2s are excellent...of course, then you'll want a standalone DAC, then a better amp, then go balanced, etc.
I do feel that the cans typically make the most difference though, so that's probably the direction I'd go first.

It really was shocking how different the LP's sounded out of the Magni compared to the X-Fi Titanium. My Grado SR-80i's sound signature didn't change totally like that at all. They did gain a bit more detail, and the bass got a little bit punchier. However, the overall Grado sound is still there, just better.
 
I would be interested to hear if there is a similar difference with the V-Moda M-100 or M-80. 
 
That was the upgrade route I was thinking of taking. It seems that the Magni has enough power to drive a decent number of higher end headphones out there, and than I could upgrade my stack to something better. Maybe a Mjolnir and Gungnir or something similar. IMO not much point for me to make an incremental upgrade if saving for an extra year or so would get me to end game hardware.
 
 
Small review:
 
The Magni is built quite nicely. The metal case feels nice in the hand, and it's quite nice to see at the $99 price range. The included AC/AC adapter feels pretty solid in the hand. It's not too light, not too heavy, and the connector is of sufficient quality. The only problem I have with it is that the cable is a bit too short of my desk. The included stick on feet applied easily, and are of a nice height. The power switch has a nice click to it, but there is a bit of a hollow clunk when you flip it. The headphone jack feels good, and it's not too hard to plug in / unplug headphones from the Magni. However, due to its light weight you will have to use two hands to do so. Overall the build is more than adequate for the $99 price tag. 
 
Sound wise I have found the Magni to be a very clean sounding amp. When using it with low impedance headphones the Magni has way more than enough power to properly drive them. I don't own any orthos so I can't say how well the Magni can drive them. However, from what I have read it seems that it should do quite a good job on most of them. The Magni has really tamed the bass on my V-Moda LP's. As I described it in an earlier post. If anyone has a logical explanation as to why that is I'm all ears. 

 Overall though I find the sound to be very clean, precise, and a bit in your face.
 
The one main negative thing about the Magni's sound signature is that the sound stage is sort of closed in and intimate. I would say that the sound stage is smaller than the headphones out on my X-Fi Titanium HD by a small amount. However, the clarity I gained over the X-Fi is worth the trade off in the sound stage. Keep in mind that this might not be the perfect sound signature for everyone. People who love the warmth of a tube amp, or huge open sound stages might want to look for something else. However, I believe that you will have a problem finding an alternative that provides either of those at this $99 price point. 
 
Overall I would say the Schiit Magni is a very clean sounding amp, has a nice clarity about it, and is quite balanced across all frequencies. Is it the end all of amps? Heck no. Is this a great amp for most people who are looking for a cheap clean amp? Yes. At $99 the Magni is a great deal, and I have a feeling that for many this will be a Schiit gateway drug. I know that I wouldn't mind trying out some of their high end gear now that I have my Magni. It makes you ask yourself, if this little Schiit can do this much for $99, what will their statement amp sound like? 

 
 
I haven't heard their Modi, but I'm tempted to buy it and some PYST just to compare that against the X-Fi. I'll have to think about that some more though, seeing how I'm quite happy with this set up. 

 

 

[smellyfungus]

Using wasapi, is there any volume control PC-side?

nope. you can slide the volume up and down all you want but its always gonna output 100% that's with my settings though for "bit perfect" playback. I'm not really a fan of software volume control. dunno why just don't care for it.

:tongue_smile:

lol don't remember when or how I thought this handle up. a good looking girl once told me it was a cute handle back in highschool. maybe that's why I've stuck to it all these years.

 

[tdockweiler]

Can't figure out how anyone can think the soundstage of the Magni is small.
With the Magni+ODAC it's made improvements in the soundstage size of the HD-650, Sextett and DJ100.
 
I'll annoy people and say that it was much worse when I had it connected to a massive surge protector.
Why? Your guess is as good as mine. I just bought a high quality one (Isobar) to see if that helps.
 
My first impression with the DJ100 was like... "Why is the soundstage so much smaller..."
 
NOTE: This seems to not have as much effect on open headphones, but more with bassy ones. No clue why.
It seems that my surge protector would almost bloated the bass slightly and make the headphone seem warmer. What the heck?
Feel free to claim it's impossible..

 

[adamlr]

Quote:

Can't figure out how anyone can think the soundstage of the Magni is small.
With the Magni+ODAC it's made improvements in the soundstage size of the HD-650, Sextett and DJ100.
 
I'll annoy people and say that it was much worse when I had it connected to a massive surge protector.
Why? Your guess is as good as mine. I just bought a high quality one (Isobar) to see if that helps.
 
My first impression with the DJ100 was like... "Why is the soundstage so much smaller..."
 
NOTE: This seems to not have as much effect on open headphones, but more with bassy ones. No clue why.
It seems that my surge protector would almost bloated the bass slightly and make the headphone seem warmer. What the heck?
Feel free to claim it's impossible..

sorry for the ignorance, whats a surge protector?

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

sorry for the ignorance, whats a surge protector?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surge_protector
 
As long as it doesn't have any noise filtering, I think i'm OK. Actually..maybe that's not it.
Most people won't hear much difference and it only occurs with specific headphones I think.

 

[MrMateoHead]

Quote:

nope. you can slide the volume up and down all you want but its always gonna output 100% that's with my settings though for "bit perfect" playback. I'm not really a fan of software volume control. dunno why just don't care for it.
lol don't remember when or how I thought this handle up. a good looking girl once told me it was a cute handle back in highschool. maybe that's why I've stuck to it all these years.

Dude, if you listen to good looking girls, take their advice, etc: You will end up alone, poor, dressed like Bieber, in a dark room listening to Radiohead.
 
Just like me!

 

[ninjames]

Quote:

using wasapi volume control is disabled so I am at 100% thru the PC. for my typical listening I am around 8 o clock. zero volume is around 7 o clock if I recall. the imbalance is only at the very few first decibles then goes away pretty quick. half way between 7 and 8 at most.

if it matters my magni is dead silent when turned to the lowest. I know some peoples you can still hear sound.

So there's no imbalance at your comfortable volume with the HE-400? Do you feel at all like you don't have enough control or are you satisfied?

 

[smellyfungus]

So there's no imbalance at your comfortable volume with the HE-400? Do you feel at all like you don't have enough control or are you satisfied?

no imbalance for me even at my quieter listening levels. I have three levels. loud (songs I like a lot) normal (what I have it set to while playing games/listening to music) and then low (to lay down/relax/nap) none exhibit any imbalance that I notice.

as for volume control when turning the nob on the magni I'm very careful of doing a very light twist so it doesn't jump up too much. not a big deal I don't adjust volume very often once its set. it is extremely sensitive though.

 

[wolfetan44]

Quote:

Quote:

nope. you can slide the volume up and down all you want but its always gonna output 100% that's with my settings though for "bit perfect" playback. I'm not really a fan of software volume control. dunno why just don't care for it.
lol don't remember when or how I thought this handle up. a good looking girl once told me it was a cute handle back in highschool. maybe that's why I've stuck to it all these years.

Dude, if you listen to good looking girls, take their advice, etc: You will end up alone, poor, dressed like Bieber, in a dark room listening to Radiohead.
 
Just like me!

So well-dressed?