Storytime: NITSCH x Schiit Magni Piety, Magni Pi, etc.

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by purr1n, Oct 29, 2022.

  1. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    [​IMG]
     
  2. Woland

    Woland Friend

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    Did it change or did I take a while to appreciate it? Piety is a marvel.

    I'd like to understand more about its magic. These explanations are a bit over my technical knowledge:

    Can someone explain a little more about output transfer functions and square law devices? What exactly is Piety doing compared to other amps?
     
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  3. Grattle

    Grattle Friend

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    Piety may like planers. Really. Enjoying the HE4xx with piety and Bf2OG.

     
    Last edited: Dec 31, 2022
  4. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    IDK if I just listen to really heavily compressed music (I mean... yeah hah) but I can't get past 9 o'clock on high gain without wincing. I have a regular, non-dark-mode LED unit (dammit).

    Chain is PC USB > Modi 3+ > Magni Piety > HD600

    P.S.
    With regard to listening impressions, tentatively: I don't much mind going from an EC Studio Jr. to this-- I'd say they were somewhat competitive (only when using the SE out of course) ;)

    [​IMG]

    P.P.S.
    The amp's top plate colour is a very beautiful thing to me. From what I can tell it's a bit like a deeply saturated Diamine Graphite but with more of a dusky purple undertone as opposed to mossy grey-greenish. Looks like a distant mountain shadow tone? Also love the texture of the undercarriage, very pleasantly tactile sandiness.
     
  5. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    I totally agree. Unfortunately, it makes for a much more usable stack if I put SYS (w/ chickenhead mod a la @philipmorgan) on top, as I'm reaching over blindly to adjust the volume most of the time. So unfortunately that beautiful (LED-free) cover is hidden in my stack.

    20230102_214646.jpg

    PS. Such a showoff posting that pic of EC Studio Jr. :D
     
  6. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    Was easy enough to carry the Piety home, but the Studio Jr. would have been a _bit_ harder to lug around I think. Shame about that :p


    Only tested high gain so far cuz tired and lazy, these are really early impressions (I spent most of my focus on listening to the Studio Jr at a friend's place yesterday):


    No but really my impressions of the Piety so far track with everyone else's; I love the added thickness and slam high gain offers the HD600s but there are moments when the treble grates on me almost immediately (see: Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart's intro). Could definitely be hearing fatigue because I did succumb to temptation to crank the stuff I got to try yesterday.

    My Magni 3+ took an indefinite vacation without notice (still haven't managed to find the correct gain switch to swap in, AAAAGH) but it was my main amp for a long while now since I hesitate to wear tubes out on the MCTH and going off recall it really is just a very "competent" amp relative to both the MCTH and the Piety: it's got globs more clarity and the staging is a bit more open, though front-to-back layering isn't as good as on the MCTH or the Piety (Piety is more upfront so there's a greater sense of depth contrast when elements are further out on the stage-- relative positioning). It does feel that things are slightly more hard-panned left and right vs the Magni 3+, actually slightly reminiscent of the Lake People G109A that way but without sounding nearly 3-blob-- this is pretty evident on Rodrigo y Gabriela - Hanuman.

    The 3+ has always been a very "dry" and deliberate-sounding amplifier to me, super well-controlled without sounding like its underwear is two sizes too small-- very matter-of-fact in conveyance with great but not excellent macrodynamics, good but not excellent room sense and trailing decays/microdynamics, surprisingly grand low-level detail retrieval.

    Directly comparing against the 3+ the Piety is a more reckless-sounding amplifier with how it presents details, and the warmth can actually be a bit too much with my not-stock HD600s (bit warmer, bit less upper-mid-aggressive than stock), burying certain voices. The Piety doesn't sound like it's conveying as much detail as the 3+, but it's just a more fun listen overall. Think of it like someone overextending a punch without proper leg and hip support; they lose their footing a bit and you might notice the fumble, but it's a pretty heavy punch.

    That said, the Piety might actually be a bit better at conveying vocal nuances than the 3+ e.g. inflections and vocal positions, though the 3+ seems a bit more able to interpret busy passages where there's a lot going on simultaneously-- the slight haze on the Piety sounds like it's gently obfuscating things. It's pretty evident on the Senns, like going from a modern OLED phone screen to an IPS monitor without local dimming zones (Blur - Song 2, or The Strokes - Reptilia). You'll still get great colours and nuance on the IPS, but the lack of contrast stands out by comparison. The fact that the Magni 3+ sounds like a straight-shooter with regard to voicing (other than some upper midrange/lower treble harshness) also helps its case, but it's definitely got tryhard vibes (to use @Hands's perfect analogy).

    I really f'ing love this thing, I'm just afraid to toggle gain settings now lmao.
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2023
  7. caute

    caute Lana Del Gayer than you

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    Incredible review! The more I listen to the Piety, these three things become more and more evident.
     
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  8. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    Be wary of the power of suggestion skewing your own perception! :D But yeah this is just my take on it after a day or so with one DAC, one pair of headphones, and no real critical listening done-- I've been busy with a few other things lately and I guess my focus is in short supply nowadays. I just wanna sit back and listen to Epica, Dire Straits, and Matsubara Miki lmao.

    Also I figure that many other members already posted excellent and comprehensive reviews meaning that this is all just supplementary data from one guy with weird taste in music.

    Just for the record, like with how a lot of things related to voicing work, while there are things that I've come to expect to be very evident from the Magni 3+ that are slightly harder to sus out on the Piety, other things are more alarmingly clear. Michael Jackson - Dirty Diana has what I think (could be very wrong hah) is a truncated wood block clap during the verses that sounds eerily "there" on the Piety.
     
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    Last edited: Jan 3, 2023
  9. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    I've developed a bit of static at around the noon-1 position. Would a little deoxit gold into the pot be the right product to use? (knob removed of course)
     
  10. Wilewarer

    Wilewarer Almost "Made"

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    When I had this issue with a Magni 3+, Schiit support told me that deoxit would handle it. I never did because it wasn't a problem when not turning the knob and I changed amps soon after anyway, but I'd guess it applies here too.
     
  11. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    Maybe.
    Also check for DC on your source output.
     
  12. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    I want to mention I also hear scratchiness when I change the volume

    There might be DC but I don’t think it’s the source. I swapped with a Magni 2U and I don’t detect any scratchiness in that case. Could be a slight imbalance at the input stage
     
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  13. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    Thanks guys - I might give it a squirt, but it's only in a pot position that I use as a pre-amp. Headphones I don't go that high.

    On a good note, I still enjoy the Piety as a pre-amp more than the IEMagni. There is a little more sense of depth. Nice imaging also.
     
  14. tranq

    tranq Friend

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    Has anyone tried Piety with DCA Ethers CX ? The ones sold on Drop? I see those cans are 92 db sensitivity and 23 ohm. On sale for 699.

    Im looking for a set of closed cans to pair with Piety and Modi Multibit that lets me get past 9-11 o clock for casual listening. I suppose I could add a sys, but I'm looking to create a portable schiit stack in a DIY case, and I'm not looking to add more components to the stack.
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2023
  15. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    This might not come to much praise coming from me, but the channel balance on the Piety is remarkably good down to nigh-silent levels (... yeah that doesn't mean much since I live in a fairly noisy spot). I do get some hiss operating the pot, but that never really bothers me.

    [​IMG]

     
  16. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

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    I don’t have the Ether CX’s anymore, but the Piety was decent with them. It added some low end warmth too them without taking away too much. The CX’s still benefit more with a higher output amp is terms of dynamics.
     
  17. ductrung3993

    ductrung3993 Facebook Friend

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    Has anyone tried the Go Bar with Piety?
     
  18. Ksaurav402

    Ksaurav402 Friend

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    I guess Go bar doesn’t have any line out .
     
  19. ductrung3993

    ductrung3993 Facebook Friend

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    Thanks! I just looked to confirm. Kinda made an assumption earlier...

    Maybe I will look at the Zen DAC V2 for a potential budget match!
     
  20. Stuff Jones

    Stuff Jones Friend

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    A few real quick impressions after listening for about a week. Go to chain is laptop to Hiby RS2 line out (R2R dac) to Piety to Moondrop Chaconne earbuds. Reference is to my Vali 2+ in the same chain.

    The first thing that stands out is the tube-like realistic sense of space and wideness to the sound. It sounds more realistic spatially than the Vali 2+. The second thing that stands out is the excellent textured and bodied bass, even with relatively bass-light earbuds. Also better than the Vali 2+ here. The third is the somewhat M-like sound signature, combining both warmth and presence. It makes acoustic guitars sound super-realistic. They have leading edge bite, but also fullness and body in the midbass. The combination is rare from my experience. The downside of the signature is that the amp can get a little hot in the upper mids/lower treble on some tracks. This hotnesss is noticeable despite the smooth R2R-ness of my source, and the Chaconne's lack of peakiness with other amps.

    With IEMs its quieter than the Vali 2+ and I can listen with little noise with the sensitive Zen Pros, something not possible with the Vali 2+.
     
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    Last edited: Feb 12, 2023

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