Schiit Magni Unity Review and Measurements

I dislike overly high gain as well, but part of it can be explained by input stages that can't handle a lot of voltage. Some discrete FET inputs can't handle more than about 300 mV, some tubes about the same, some older OPAMPs are a few volts, newer OPAMPs can handle rail to rail on +/-30 V.

 

Sure but not every damn headamp on the market. A random guess is that the above scenario occurs in less than half.

 

I have gone on record saying to friends that I think most headamps nowadays have way too much gain... but then I realise that I mainly listen to a lot of really compressed metal, pop punk, decades worth of weird music, and anime OSTs (which is even weirder ), and that when I'm listening to a more carefully mixed orchestral work I can actually benefit from going from just barely within channel balance zone to noonish, or a bit further above.

A sample of something that I tend to boost volumes for (I'm on the Piety at the moment and have it set to maybe 10:00 with the HD600s):



That said, I still often have a LOT of headroom left over. That'd be for the far less efficient planar designs, IMO.

I have at many points over the years grown accustomed to being stuck listening to very compressed tracks at higher SPLs than I'm strictly comfortable with and just getting used to it; this goes back to me running the Garage1217 Sunrise with caps bypassed and medium OI into the Klipsch HP-3-- I actually chose to engage up to -12dB of digital attenuation instead and was VERY seriously looking at a JBL Nano Patch at the time even though that comes off as rather wasteful.

Basically, I REALLY like having more granularity to volume adjustment even in high gain. Keep in mind the Unity still is powerful enough to likely murder both my headphones and my ears if I were to be careless setting volume.

(Before anyone reading this without context might ask: different gain settings tend to sound different, and while not always as exaggeratedly different on the Piety or Unity [differences seemed more minute by far on the Magni 3+], there appear to always be tradeoffs when changing settings).

 

Well sure. But I mean don't give me options of +12, +18, +24 wtf. Give me unity, +6, +12.

 

Not to derail the thread but yeah I agree it's kinda dumb. I lack any sort of real familiarity with amp design so am unsure what the tradeoffs could be when you just implement a lower power design to begin with. Are you fighting more electronic noise? Shrug.

Oh I'm gonna edit the impressions post cuz it may be important but I should note that I only used the Magni 3+ wallwart because this one came with a 120V (I did not buy this from Schiit so that's on me). Not sure if that'll have any effect on things because spec matches, but who knows.

Another edit added to impressions, please keep in mind that while I am very impressed at what US$119 or equivalent can get you nowadays, it is still an entry level amp. Entry level now is leagues more competent (if somewhat less interesting) than mid-fi was a few years ago IMO, but that still stands.

Third big edit to replace some photos. Really didn't like the first set.

 

My impression from reading what designers have written about this (Cavalli somewhere in the Liquid Platinum thread, the recent Schiit Happened feedback chapter, etc) is that the parts they have available to use in designs tend to inherently create way more gain in the circuit than is needed for these applications, and a lot of the art of amp design revolves around finding ways to lower the gain without making the circuit sound bad.

So it's not like they're doing this because they hate us or something. Now, that raises the question of why there aren't parts that can generate lower gain... maybe the answer is just "you can apply feedback to lower it, so why bother"?

Anyway, at least there are some options like this.

 

What I'm getting out of this really is that there's apparently a good reason for very nice stepped attenuators and volume pots with exacting tolerances to exist, never mind that those tend to cost ludicrous amounts of money.

This next bit is in part me joking, but also based on my limited experience with various amps it's somewhat sincere: eww feedback

 

I just have to ask... Anyone here ever had time to compare this latest magni to the vali 3

 

@Lyander: Any specific impressions with more sensitive IEMs, e.g., CFA Andro?

 

Actually don't have that many specific impressions of this pairing out, I HAVE tried it before but that was a while back (I spend much more time with the Piety still, haha, the Unity doesn't get enough use outside of measurements and when I want to peek "into" recordings). Will be following up with impressions in a couple days to let the Unity warm up.

INITIAL impressions right after switching the unit on though, really murky and rather slow. Very cosy background listening, but this IS with that Tripowin cable that does this to the FR [BLUE is stock cable, ORANGE is the Tripowin thing]-- the stock Litz cable is being difficult, as I think I mentioned before. There's a hotspot in the treble, bit hashy sounding, and bass is just thuddy and muddy. Hollow, diffuse headstage. There's a lot of room for play on the volume knob. Very much not a fan of this combo I think, but could be much better with the stock cable.

Might also be better with something e.g. the crinacle Zero 2 but I gave that to my one brother so don't have it on hand.

 

@yotacowboy

I'm revisiting the Modi MB2 > Magni Unity chain with the Andro 2020s using the stock Smoky Litz cable and the large-size generic stiff Penon tips after the amp's been left on for a full day at this point. All impressions on low gain because I don't want to risk going deaf. The Andros are shoved in as deep as they can go with the inner side of the Andros resting on my concha.

There is no hiss that I can detect until I set the volume knob to near maximum. I have the volume set to just shy of 9 o'clock for "immersive" listening, but with how good the channel balance on the Unity is on top of its having lower gain, as I mentioned earlier on, I can get it down to quiet, but still not background listening, levels at around 8 o'clock.

Bass is definitely more taut, less muddy and slow than I heard it yesterday. Part of that is definitely the cable swap, but I was listening to the amp with the Tripowin cable for a few hours after my post above and I could hear things cleaning up a bit so it was definitely the amp warming up, at least in part. The low end is still present in earnest and I can see this being too much for some folks, but you get more of a sense of openness to the midrange as well as just a hint of much-needed upper midrange bite to offset all that bass. Ultimate low-bass extension is still not present here but I doubt that's something anyone can reasonably expect of an all-BA design.

Whatever bit of hashy harshness the treble had right after powering the amp on is very much remedied, but it's not as if it's fully untextured; things that I know ought be harsh and/or sizzly remain so. I feel like the Unity sort of matches what the Andro 2020 does well instead of making up for its shortcomings; headstage size aside the imaging is diffuse, and while the midrange clarity's improved with amp warm-up there's still a very very slight haze to things.

Going back to headstage, the amp's character of having greater lateral extension than depth comes through here, but with how diffuse the imaging is it doesn't stand out to me as much with the Andros as it does on the HD600s. I kinda wish my Solarises were still alive because I feel like they'd be a remarkable pairing with the Unity.

 

This was a problem I had with my balanced Grado Hemp and Jot 2 -- even on low gain, there was too much power for those (admittedly highly efficient) headphones. I enjoyed the pairing for a while, but I always felt it was a rather extreme pairing, for those who liked "hot sauce on their hot sauce."

 

From what I've heard from Vali 3 owners, it seems that the potentiometer does a similar sort of thing where it has a more gradual ramp up early on before getting *painfully* loud, so more similar to the Magni Unity and very much unlike the Magni Piety and Magni 3+ I have here where things get VERY loud VERY fast just past where channel balance gets sorted. Hopefully Schiit keeps on with this direction since I don't think very many headphones will be able to take advantage of higher volume positions.

 

I used to own a magni+ (and magni piety as well), and to me the magni unity truly is dramatically better than both of those, particularly in regards to what I'm going to call "temporal resolution/plankton".

I can't explain it well, but great temporal resolution to me is what makes the subtle expression/nuance in how instruments are played and vocals are sung more clear and noticeable, and the ambient environemntal/foley sounds more immediate and lifelike-- it's the proper micro timing (emphasis on "timing") that gives timbre its texture and various sounds its lifelike immediacy and musicality to me. I've found this "transient resolve", or speed at keeping up with micro-timings, to be greatly improved with the magni unity over the magni+ which allows for all the timbre, texture, "temporal plankton" to be better resolved to my ears. "Temporal resolution/speed" is one of those things I've felt the ECP 3F did exceptionally well and every other amp I've heard since hasn't quite been able to keep-up with (tube amps such as starlett and the andix hpa-45, solid state amps like the magni+, black widow, and the xrk altoids amp). The magni+ in particular was interesting in that, while it felt like it was really-fast speed-wise on a macro-level, it really lacked micro-level speed making feel "homogenized" (to steal purr1n's wording). The magni unity is the first amp where I'm really hearing that timbral and "temporal plankton" goodness again that I've missed since the 3F, and I've been able to listen to it for hours and hours with zero listening fatigue. It just sounds very musical and addicting.

While this temporal resolution is noticeable even with the internal dac card, it does scale noticeably with the bifrost 2/64, which makes me feel it's the magni unity amp itself and not the DAC.

FWIW, basing this directly on my experience using the 32ohm ETA mini open (first version), which I was able to use with all the amps above except the black widow, and indirectly based on long-term experience comparing various of these amps side-by-side with different headphones (mainly utopia, JAR800) over the years. So I feel the above impressions still hold, but may still be worth taking with a grain of salt as I haven't literally had all these amps side by side at the same time, and my auditory memory may be flawed.

(also for total clarity I should mention that nowadays I've been using the OAE1 as my only headphones for the past many many months with the magni unity and bifrost 2/64. I've been hesitant to post any impressions because I know the OAE1 has received a very mixed, somewhat negative reception with many groups, but I still love the OAE1 nonetheless for its amazing layered soundstage--best I've heard. And the magni unity is excellent enough I feel like I should post something, so screw it haha)

 

Big talk from the "Pure One"

I had a short listen with it at a meet and was really impressed. It sounded mature for its size.

 

Impressions of the OAE1! I know that lots of folks e.g. the headphonesdotcom sorts have been rather antagonistic towards it, but meh the world's a boring place if everyone agreed about what constitutes good sound-- the original Campfire Solaris remains one of the best IEMs I've ever heard, nevermind what prolific IEM folks have said

 

Well, it sounds like a Magni, and the DAC card sounds like a Modi. I'd have to spend a lot more time back-to-back to see if I can distinguish between the Modi+ / Magni+ stack and the Magni Unity, but the changes are incremental at best. The really, really big improvement is that the scratchy volume pot is gone: no more loud burst of static in the right ear when adjusting volume, hooray. The change to a red LED is welcome, though I really wish there was an LED kill switch or at least a dim mode. The chassis doesn't even need to change; just go for SP3T on the power switch with the middle position being the LED off mode.

Sound-wise, unless I needed the extra power or the analog input, I'd take the iBasso DC07 Pro over the Magni Unity, and depending on the headphones I'd take the Questyle M15C as well. I'm not sure what I'd need the extra power for either. The only thing that really seems to need it is the HE6se V2, and that's good enough that it doesn't pair well with the Magni Unity at all.

Imaging and separation remain the weak point of both the DAC card and the amp. Chamber music really shows this: when one instrument is playing, the imaging is OK, but as soon there's more than one, everything starts to compress together into one flat plane. That said, if you're using something like the 6XX this doesn't matter, since it's not going to give you enough three-dimensionality to really notice.

Detail isn't great either, particularly decays and echoes in busy passages, which tend to disappear early or get smothered. In doing so it lends everything a sense of exaggerated dynamics. When coupled with the inconsistent and flat spatial presentation, the overall sound is very "budget". That said, it leans away from the harsh sound of a lot of measurement-focused cheap gear, so in that way it has an air of refinement. Is that "budget endgame"? I wouldn't go that far. It's better than the overly-smoothed FiiO K11 R2R, but the MMB2 + Vali 3 stack is a substantial step forward in all dimensions. The real issue I see is that dongles like the DC07 Pro are getting really good. Unless you absolutely need the additional power (especially single-ended), you really want a box on your desk with RCA inputs, or you're really invested in the made-in-the-US factor, that'd be my default recommendation over a budget desktop DAC/amp.

I did try the Unity with a couple of external DACs briefly and it scaled up to some degree, but not as much as I'd hoped. Mojo 2 as a DAC through the Unity was worse than just using it as a DAC/amp. The line out on the Cayin N3 Ultra through the Unity was on par with its built in amp, and the Unity's amp was good enough to reveal the differences in tube timbres and the solid state mode on the Cayin. In short, it's decent, but except for the lack of negative gain mode the Vali 3 is an easy recommendation over the Unity. I'd need to spend more time back to back with the Piety to compare, but I suspect I'll prefer the presentation of the Piety to the Unity as well.

 

Here's a nice sample track for this: Weinberg's lovely and lively piano quintet performed by the Silesian Quartet on CD Accord (Apple Music link), third movement (Presto), starting at about 2m20s. How far away is the cello? Is it staying in one place or moving around? I'm primarily using the Focal Clear OGs for evaluating this, though the Meze 109 Pros and DT 1990 Pro OGs also do a good enough job with the imaging to reveal the differences here.

Another good test: Pēteris Vasks' piano trio "Episodi e canto perpetuo" as performed by Trio Parnassus (Apple Music link), fourth section (Burlesca I). The iBasso dongle does a pretty good job of keeping the instruments in place during the interplay in this section, where the Magni Unity's built in DAC has instruments smearing across the stage when things get busy. It's not alone here: every ESS DAC I have on hand struggles with this. And while this is a very unfair comparison on price, the Mojo 2 absolutely nails it when used as a DAC/amp. Using it as just a DAC with the Unity as the amp, it takes a step back; with the Vali 3, everything is as it should be.