Magni 3 released

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by neogeosnk, Sep 19, 2017.

  1. defiant00

    defiant00 New

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    There isn't going to be a blanket answer for all amps since a manufacturer could certainly screw it up, but in general it makes very little (if any) difference with Schiit amps. Best approach is to just try both and see if one sounds better than the other to you, but if you find that too fiddly you can always stick with low gain (there's no harm in the pot being most of the way up) and rest easy knowing that it sounds good to you.
     
  2. TeskR

    TeskR New

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    Alright thanks, I figured this would be the case. I was not sure how the electronics behind the switch worked so wanted to be sure there wasn't one "obvious" choice if both modes work fine for a particular set of headphones.
     
  3. Gruss Gott

    Gruss Gott Almost "Made"

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    So are you saying that overall you'd select the iDSD BL over the Modi Multibit/M3 combo due to better sound (and portability, etc)?
     
  4. PTS

    PTS Friend

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    Got the Magni 3 in a loaner box (along with a Loki Mini and Klipsch HP3 headphones) so thought I'd give my brief impressions.

    Did a quick shootout between the Magni 3, a 45 SET tube amp with headphone out, and a solid state Dangerous Music Source amp with headphone out.

    Not an entirely fair fight because there's a big difference in price between the three amps, but safe to say I liked the Magni 3 the least. It's not that it's a bad amp, I just found it's sound very hard edged whether spinning vinyl or playing FLAC files. I tried EQing the Magni 3 by putting the Loki between it and the source, and certainly found something more pleasing to the ear, but ultimately not very satisfying. It's clear, dynamic, detailed, etc, but I couldn't entirely pull the it towards the less brittle edges of the 45 and DMS amps. Maybe it didn't have great synergy with the rest of my chain? I'm not sure.

    All said, not my cup of tea, but maybe good for someone starting out on a tight budget.
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2017
  5. Pillars

    Pillars Embarrassment to Colorado crew

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    Depends on synergy. The MM/M3 sounds much better than the iDSD using HD650. With K702, the opposite is true.
     
  6. Gruss Gott

    Gruss Gott Almost "Made"

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    Did you ever try it with the Th-x00 or have any thoughts on mm/m3 vs BL with them?
     
  7. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    Right now at work I run an M3 on low gain and Bifrost Multibit while I alternate between TH-X00 and HD650s. The sound is fantastic. My only comparison is that my previous amp was a MicroZotl 2. Even if they were the same price, I'd prefer the Magni 3.

    BTW, your profile pic reminds me of the people that would hang out in the Arcata square when I lived up in Humboldt Co.
     
  8. Gruss Gott

    Gruss Gott Almost "Made"

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    Ha! I've only been up there a few times but ... wow. It's the only town in the US where I've ever see real live troubadours, and they wander up the freeway with their guitars and dogs and such. One time I saw a pick up truck pull over and the guy walking refused the ride!

    Your pic reminds me of when I lived in Minnesota : ) although I know it's more canadian
     
  9. vtrinidad87

    vtrinidad87 New

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    Ha! Arcata (and Humboldt in general) is a special place.
     
  10. Jerry

    Jerry Friend

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    Anyone compared M3 vs iFi micro iCan SE? The iCan SE also punches well above its price imo.
     
  11. TIS100

    TIS100 New

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    This review left me thinking a couple things...
    1. There must have been something wrong with my NFB11
    2. If I fail at everything, I can always do reviews on youtube

    Some insights on the Magni 3 from the reviewer:
    "NFB11 sound is more detailed... NFB11 sounds less compressed...The NFB11 is at least 50% better."
    :confused:

     
  12. Pillars

    Pillars Embarrassment to Colorado crew

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    That review guy is...yeah, I stopped watching 1 minute in. Oh and, sorry I wasn't a big fan of the X00's.
     
  13. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    gawd the way it's edited, it's like watching a review by Max Headroom.
    nice shirt patten for a poser.
     
  14. zhouharvey

    zhouharvey PayPal’s $2 Sensible Enforcer

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    No comments on what he said in the video, what I can comment is that his ear drill is somehow disgusting.
     
  15. Abhishek Chowdhary

    Abhishek Chowdhary Friend

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    Had a chance yesterday to listen to magni 3 and Jot side by side:
    - I didn't find the M3 warm, it's just that the low end is bit uncontrolled and hence ends up sounding less effortless. By itself it's alright but Jot definitely has better control and authority.
    - bass and low mid-range sound little uneven on the M3, sometimes it sounds dark in those areas, weird, because the treble is almost neutral.
    - Grainy upper treble but also less steely than the jot. In fact the treble is neutral and not offensive. Grainy but well done
    - Both have poor depth. Magni 3 has vocals even more in your face. But this can be mostly due to lack of authority in bass while driving the HD650.
    - Jot gets fatiguing over time, magni not as much but lack of bass authority can be bothersome over long run.
    - At $99 M3 is vastly better VFM. Jot does offer some refinement and drive but it's not worth $300 extra.
     
  16. Ringingears

    Ringingears Honorary BFF

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    Spent some time with the Magni 3 loaner. Some quick impressions. Didn’t think it was fair to compare with BW or Horizon 3 w/LPS. So I borrowed a friends Magni 1 and the ex-loaner pair of the modded Monoprice M1060’s. Also his Modi 1 DAC. I was very impressed with the synergy the Magni 3 brought to the table. I switched DAC’s to my Modi Multibit. Great combo. M1060’s sounded very good. Seems to have helped with the ringing issue. To be honest as my friend has listened to the M1060’s more and more we have both noticed the ringing to be lowering. Some tracks it’s gone. Weird.

    In short. If I owned a Magni 1, and had $99 bucks free to spend, I’d be on Schiit’s website right now ordering a Magni 3 and saving up for a Modi Multibit. That’s what my friend is doing. Then Eitr later as we used mine and it was a further improvement with USB.

    I’m going to see if I can grab his M1060’s and check them out on the BW. Check out this ringing deal.
     
  17. compoopers

    compoopers New

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    Schiit! My Magni 2 Uber stopped working, the power button is messed up. I thought it would be a great opportunity to get a Magni 3, but they're backordered past christmas... no music for me this december :(. I sent them a mail regardless but I'm not too hopeful. Don't know if the Magni 2 uber wall wart can be used with the MAgni 3, or should be used with it for that matter.
     
  18. Daveheart

    Daveheart Friend

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    I didn't spend a ton of time with this loaner as I was trying to get more headtime with the HP-3 on my usual setups. My main goal was to see whether it sounded okay with a T50RP (enough gain, authority, and some level of synergy). I'd planned to get one for my dad for Christmas as I'd previously given him my other older T50RP mod. It sounded fine and had just enough gain and power for it. He's been using a power amp with a pigtail adapter, but he needs something smaller as his use case is a closed can to use while practicing the drums (the little stand he uses barely fits a Parasound Zamp).

    While I prefer my TIII at home and don't particularly think it's a gain over the amp section of the Sokris 1541 I use at work, it's certainly an improvement for my dad's use case. As it seemed to pair well enough with the HD650k and a modded T50RP, it makes a pretty easy recommendation for anyone on a budget who may need or want some flexibility.
     
  19. compoopers

    compoopers New

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    I ordered the Magni 3 not expecting anything for the holidays. They sent it to me, along with a free transformer as they ran out of wall warts which was why they were backordered, and I received it within days! Schiit really is the schiit, best company.
     
  20. allegro

    allegro Friend

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    I have owned two Magnis: the original which lasted two years before it lost a channel and a three month old Magni 3 which is already getting intermittent drop outs on the right channel. I also agree with previous comments about a hard edge to the sound. If you are building a budget system I would go for the Vali 2 which I also own. Better sound looks like better build quality also. It is worth the extra $50.
     

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