Schiit Magni +

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by Azimuth, Dec 6, 2022.

  1. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

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    Magni has been around for 10 years. It has served as an entry point into the headphone hi-fi hobby for quite some time. Although many of us have moved on to other gear and have suggested even other gear, eg. Vali ams (1, 2, 2+, +), Magni still serves as this low cost small form factor solid state amp to use with an external DAC, and really the start of the small Schiit stack with the Modi

    Magni +.png

    Tldr; and improvement over all the other Magni’s from the past, but not a Piety killer



    (shameless self YT promotion)
    Sources: Theta DS Pro Basic II, Bifrost MB, Modi 2U
    Headphones: HD650/600, E-MU Teak, Moondrop Starfied.

    “Woah…headphone jack on the other side and a front facing gain switch.”

    And to match Heresy, it has three gains, -8, 0, and 5. That is it. Want more gain, get a bigger amp. At 300 ohms, it is nearly the same power as Piety (410mw for +, 400mW for Piety), but Piety in high gain is 6.3, and it has the lush sounding 1.8).

    Now right when the Magni + was released, there was already hype surrounding the Magni Piety through NITSCH’s limited run. And anyone who purchased a Piety can rest assured that the + I do not think is a Piety killer. However, I do think it is an improvement from all the other Magni’s, especially over Magni 2.

    I will briefly say I did hear a Magni 1 and a 3 and a 3+. To me, the first Magni had too much mid harshness going on and kind of greyish sounding. Still, and improvement to the op amp based amps in the same size and price range at the time. And 3 sounded cleaner, but just this wall of sound. It always sounded like it was mad at me - hitting me in the head to listen. And 3+ was a slight improvement, but 3 and 3+ still had this kind of artificial sound to it and a sheen I never liked.

    Now, Magni + (because 4 is unlucky?) is a huge improvement over any of those. It actually had some space in between the instruments. I.m in the 5th row instead of being front row center. It did not seem like this wall of sound. It had dynamics and better depth. It was not as harsh, and seemed to have speed and transients.

    magni plus internal 1920.jpg


    The mids seemed to be a bit more drooped than Piety, and it seemed to still sound like a solid state amp with all its speed and quickness. So it does have the advantage of sharp transients over the slightly blunted transients of Piety, but those will also cut sometimes, and not be the most pleasant to listen to. The Magi + also seemed to be slightly more congested during complicated passages, but not nearly as distracting as some other amps. This is was mostly noticeable when going to other bigger amps. It also has to do with the Magi + being slightly more closed in soundstage wise, but also having decent air and transients.

    Let’s talk about gain. Most of the time, I was on high gain. Mid gain was fine for my Moondrop Starfields, as high gain made my ears hurt. Low gain was still too low for these dynamic IEM’s. Same for the 7Hz Timeless. The E-MU Teaks I could go with Mid or High, depending on mood and loudness. I basically never used Low, and likely because I don’t have high sensitive IEM’s, eg. Campfire Andromeda.

    For long listening sessions, I still preferred Piety, just because it seemed more natural, smoother, and lusher mids, but I can see how Magni + can bring out sparkly details that the Piety could not. And the + had a pushier and more dynamic low end. The Piety is more forgiving and gave me less fatigue.

    Width, improved. Harshness, improved. Overall SQ, improved. Now I still have my big boy amps, like Black Widow and Ragnarock, that do overall speed, depth, and transients WAY better than Magni +. So for me, it kind of does not make sense in my lineup. However, as a starter, or an amp to have around that does not impart a lot of color, I can see Magni + fitting in there. It is after all a jumping off point. But if you put this in anyone 's hands 10 years ago, they would be blown away.
     
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  2. mitochondrium

    mitochondrium Friend

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    Nice voice
     
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  3. bengo

    bengo Friend

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  4. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

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    Thanks. Fixed.
     
  5. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

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    Thank you! My dad was a radio man. That was almost my path.
     
  6. Chicagorob

    Chicagorob New

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    The Magni+ has a clean, detailed delivery, but I can detect some glare in the 4 KHz - 6 KHz region. To my ears, the Piety is more relaxed and less fatiguing.
     
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  7. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    My very weak contribution relative to @Azimuth :

    Piety (bottom) vs Magni+ (top).
    [​IMG]
    Magni+’s on/off switch isnt as long. I had trouble locating it my first time not unlike clitoris.

    The negative gain switch is wonderful. For the first time Ive not had to use the preamp (Apple music -> Macbook) digital volume sliders. At max preamp the usable range on Magni+ is still only 9-12 o’clock on the volume knob with HE500 or T50RP. And I could finally listen to Youtube without having to switch to Macbook analogue headphone out and a Porta Pro.

    Subjectively? I didnt listen that intently and with a/b notes because I dont care that much, sorry. Sounded good to me! And Piety I am lending out so there wont be any more comparisons in the near future.

    I do want to buy a high powered amp for T50RP and HE6se. If I can use Magni+ as a negative gain preamp that would be cool. Would that be a problem or cause of signal degradation?

    edit: clock adjustment
     
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    Last edited: Dec 12, 2022
  8. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    I noticed the included manual’s gain specs (-10) didnt match the website exactly (-8). Fwir Schitt’s APx report matches -8. Manual has typo then, who cares?
    [​IMG]
     
  9. Baten

    Baten Friend

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    Hahaah. Well what can you say, schiitty design
     

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