Schiit Magni 3+ and Heresy Headphone Amp Reviews

[Deleted member 48086]

I still want the Modi 3+ more .. it looks way better paired with a silver 3E. If you did not notice a difference in sound and distortion in your AB tests, the better looks of the 3+ is what im going for… i think?

Unfortunately this review makes me feel bad for going with it instead of the heresy. Why would they make a better AMP within the same price class but in a color that doesnt really match any Schiit DAC. I dont get it.

 

[Veri]

I still want the Modi 3+ more .. it looks way better paired with a silver 3E DAC. If you did not notice a difference in sound and distortion in your AB tests, the better looks of the 3+ is what im going for… i think?

Unfortunately this review makes me feel bad for going with it instead of the heresy. Why would they make a better AMP with in the same price class but in a weird color that doesnt match any Schiit DAC. I dont get it..

What headphones? Something like the Heresy is just objectively better for IEMs but for full-size headphones you'll be very hard pressed to hear a difference really also aesthetics matter, more than a few dB of SINAD I'd say!

 

[iulianm]

The case on the silver one is much nicer.
I have the Modi 3+/Heresy combo and Modi 3E silver. (I use it for different application but tried an A/B test and can't tell the difference).

Focal Celestee and Sennheiser HD6XX.

 

[Deleted member 48086]

Thanks for the info. I will definitely pick up a 3+ than

 

[600_OHM]

Heh, my gen1 LOKI and red/black Heresy definitely clash. Fortunately I usually reach over and operate them both in the blind.

What I truly desired was that really gnarly 1930's era black-crinkle!

So many decades have passed that I think it would no longer be passe or cliche, but a fashion brought back to those who have never even used black-crinkle gear!

I guess it's why I don't work in the marketing departments.

 

[Doodski]

Received my new Schiit Magni Heresy amp today and connected it with my new JDS Labs Atom DAC+. The ASUS motherboard EQ did not work with USB digital output and so I installed EQ APO and Peace Equalizer. I had instant sound afterwards. EQ APO with Peace EQ sounds a bit better because it has more gain on the sliders and I like lotsa treble so added that I did. A bit of extra bass seems better than before with the ASUS EQ and the ASUS onboard sound amp was a bit boomy sounding with the bass turned up; either that or maybe the added Peace EQ bands allowed more accuracy in the adjustment for better sound. Overall with the additional Peace EQ adjustments and much more power in the headphone amp it goes louder and sounds better.

Total expense for the Schiit Magni Heresy bought from the USA and shipped to Canada.
CDN $182.85 including Fedex shipping + $17 customs fee and taxes = CDN $199.85

The components have been placed far back behind the monitor where the dust bunnies live near exhaust port of my desktop PC power supply and where I will never touch them from now on. The JDS Labs ATOM DAC+ has auto turn ON and OFF so no need to access them by hand.

NOTE: The Schiit Magni Heresy does not have a red power ON LED! I miss that.

*Packaging w/shipping time to delivery @ my door was July 15 to July 18. Spread over a weekend's time frame.

 

[Doodski]

Update on the Schiit Magni Heresy that I bought a few days ago. Much more power to crank it up a bit more than usual but not deafening. I think I can exceed the headphones physical abilities when really cranking it. Snappier mids/snares, more and better bass guitar and higher highs all around mostly due to the EQ APO and Peace EQ but with the extra power it's just icing on the cake. Seems to run at about room temperature when placed on top of the JDS Labs Atom DAC+. No more worries about a expensive motherboard audio output. Now I need to figure out how to get 2 sets of headphones connected. My headphones are 50 Ohm. No need to match headphones although I like that idea for cool factor and repair reasons and because it's one stop shopping.

 

[chilis]

Noob here. I'm a little confused by the review. What exactly is the problem with the volume control position with the Heresy and what does that mean? In the graph it says good performance until -40dB. How will that affect practical usage?

Then this part:

If the volume control is the same, and you have sensitive ears/headphones, then may have to sift through some units to get one with the right match.

This is one drawback of getting an external headphone amplifier versus a combo DAC and Headphone Amp. The latter almost always uses the volume control in the DAC and hence has near perfect channel match.

What does that mean "sift through some units to get one with the right match"? You mean keep buying and returning the same amp until you get one that doesn't have this problem?

He gives a strong recommendation for the Heresy but then says he personally wouldn't use it which makes it sound like it's not a good recommendation. How serious is this volume control/channel imbalance flaw?

I want an amp that can drive any headphone so I don't have to worry about power requirements. I was considering this or the JDS Atom+. This amp has twice the power of the JDS Atom+. But if it has this volume problem maybe I should get the Atom+? However, if any external non-combo amp can potentially have channel imbalance then it's possible the Atom+ could have it also?

Finally, how much better/worse would it be to use a home theater stereo receiver as your headphone dac+amp? I always see used stereo receivers for cheap. Is that a good budget way to go?

 

[Dana reed]

Noob here. I'm a little confused by the review. What exactly is the problem with the volume control position with the Heresy and what does that mean? In the graph it says good performance until -40dB. How will that affect practical usage?

Then this part:


What does that mean "sift through some units to get one with the right match"? You mean keep buying and returning the same amp until you get one that doesn't have this problem?

He gives a strong recommendation for the Heresy but then says he personally wouldn't use it which makes it sound like it's not a good recommendation. How serious is this volume control/channel imbalance flaw?

I want an amp that can drive any headphone so I don't have to worry about power requirements. I was considering this or the JDS Atom+. This amp has twice the power of the JDS Atom+. But if it has this volume problem maybe I should get the Atom+? However, if any external non-combo amp can potentially have channel imbalance then it's possible the Atom+ could have it also?

Finally, how much better/worse would it be to use a home theater stereo receiver as your headphone dac+amp? I always see used stereo receivers for cheap. Is that a good budget way to go?

For me, the channel imbalance isn’t really an issue unless you’re trying to use IEMs or something really really sensitive with it.
Any amp with a small sized analog pot will have these imbalance issues at like 8-9 o’clock on the dial. Usually you just use the gain switch to avoid that area, but with really sensitive transducers you can’t. One option is to reduce the volume digitally if your source is a DAC. Another is an attenuator like the IEmatch that you put between the amp and IEMs to bring down the level in analog.
Amps like the (now discontinued) IEMagni have a third gain position that’s actually negative gain, for IEMs. The other amp I have with an IEM gain is the THX AAA 789. I don’t know what the cheapest current available product with three gain settings is. Generally, I use my Chord Mojo with a Poly when using my IEMs since the volume control is all digital and there are no imbalance issues.

For using a home theater amp’s headphone out, it’s probably fine if you’re using high impedance headphones like HD600 or 600 Ohm Beyerdynamics, but not if you’re using lower impedance dynamic headphones. The home theater headphone out is usually made using a resistor and the output impedance is really high.

 

[staticV3]

I don’t know what the cheapest current available product with three gain settings is.

The cheapest headphone amps with three gain settings including one negative gain are the Topping L30, L30 II, Sabaj A10h all at $150.
The latter having no channel imbalance at all, no matter the volume due to using a relay based volume control.

 

[Oscarilbo]

So wait. The Heresy has channel imbalance? How obvious is that and how can you tell?

 

[Jimbob54]

So wait. The Heresy has channel imbalance? How obvious is that and how can you tell?

These 2 charts in post no 1.

Assuming the volume pot is same in the Magni 3 and the heresy and how lucky you are in the one you receive, it could be pretty noticeable.

 

[Oscarilbo]

These 2 charts in post no 1.

Assuming the volume pot is same in the Magni 3 and the heresy and how lucky you are in the one you receive, it could be pretty noticeable.

So the recommendation would be to use preferably low gain in order to turn the volume way up?

 

[Jimbob54]

So the recommendation would be to use preferably low gain in order to turn the volume way up?

If the unit you had suffered from it, yes. Or attenuate before the amp (in player or dac)

 

[gitaarwerk]

New version is out. Schiit Heretic; (And modi)

Schiit Happened: The Story of the World's Most Improbable Start-Up

Makes me wonder where one would have to go to find mediocre audio equipment? I have to imagine that the flagship speaker from say Kef would be quite a bit better then the flagship speaker from say Dayton Audio

www.head-fi.org

Dunno how they measure, but they sure look nice!

 

[T.M.Noble]

New version is out. Schiit Heretic; (And modi)

Schiit Happened: The Story of the World's Most Improbable Start-Up

Makes me wonder where one would have to go to find mediocre audio equipment? I have to imagine that the flagship speaker from say Kef would be quite a bit better then the flagship speaker from say Dayton Audio

www.head-fi.org

Dunno how they measure, but they sure look nice!

Amir received his units last Friday. I imagine he will get to them when he has time.

 

[Doodski]

New version is out. Schiit Heretic; (And modi)

Schiit Happened: The Story of the World's Most Improbable Start-Up

Makes me wonder where one would have to go to find mediocre audio equipment? I have to imagine that the flagship speaker from say Kef would be quite a bit better then the flagship speaker from say Dayton Audio

www.head-fi.org

Dunno how they measure, but they sure look nice!

Yes, they moved the volume control and headphone jack to opposite sides so they are not too close to each other now. Great move on Schiit's part.

 

[Doodski]

Amir received his units last Friday. I imagine he will get to them when he has time.

I hope they have not improved too much because I will have to sell my Heresy and get the new model.

 

[T.M.Noble]

I hope they have not improved too much because I will have to sell my Heresy and get the new model.

Better performance, new chassis, better ergonomics, more protection for your headphones, negative gain for IEM's.

They are better products. We are really happy with the results.

 

[gitaarwerk]

Yhea! They look great! Sorry, I’m defintely also about the looks. If I may be upfront; this is an amazing stack. I would not buy them. I would love to get the Magnius and Modius with a newer chip; and Magnius with a relay based volume and 2 balanced outs and a single ended. And the both the height of the valhalla/bitfrost. Just for the looks of course.

Hard crowd to please, huh. But seriously, i can’t wait to see them or hear them irl.