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Schiit Magni 3+ and Heresy Headphone Amp Reviews

So do I, not after that this Magni3+ literally went in smoke after less than a week due to "using a low quality 6.3->3.5mm jack adapter" as they said to me before refunding.
Now I'm using that same adpater on a Sabaj A10h that seems to accept it without problems, just like all other devices on witch I used it.
That's disappointing.
 
That's disappointing.
Surely it was, especially since in order to get refund I had to ship it back outside eu (uk) at my expense and i didn't lose that money just for a matter of luck thanks to a paypal clause of protection i was able to apply.
 
Quick question: I just went to the Schiit website and couldn't find the Heresy anywhere. Is the Magni Heresy not being produced anymore? :(
 
Quick question: I just went to the Schiit website and couldn't find the Heresy anywhere. Is the Magni Heresy not being produced anymore? :(
Don’t get the Heresy even if you can find it somewhere, it’s got no DC protection and has become rather notorious for blowing up headphones. The Magni Unity is the current low-cost Schiit amp.
 
I bought a Schiitt Magni Heresy on May 5, 2021, Is this amplifier safe to use ?
 
The Heresy does not have DC protection.
Not all amps have that.
This basically means that the amp is perfectly safe to use till it breaks in a specific way that causes DC at the output.
This could, in that rare case, blow up a connected low impedance headphone ... silently (after a loud 'tick' was heard)

Don't know if Schiit will pay for the damaged headphone unless you are the original buyer and the headphone is not screamingly expensive or old.
 
The Heresy does not have DC protection.
Not all amps have that.
This basically means that the amp is perfectly safe to use till it breaks in a specific way that causes DC at the output.
This could, in that rare case, blow up a connected low impedance headphone ... silently (after a loud 'tick' was heard)

Don't know if Schiit will pay for the damaged headphone unless you are the original buyer and the headphone is not screamingly expensive or old.

So it doesn't cause any loud sounds through the headphone ? it won't damage your hearing ?

Also, Do these amps have DC protection:

Creative X7
Creative G6
Creative X1
Monoprice Liquid Spark
SMSL SP200
Aune T1se
Little Dot I+
Objective2
Douk Audio U3 Mini
ZuperDAC
Asus Xonar U3
 
Also, Do these amps have DC protection:

Creative X7
Creative G6
Creative X1
Monoprice Liquid Spark
SMSL SP200
Aune T1se
Little Dot I+
Objective2
Douk Audio U3 Mini
ZuperDAC
Asus Xonar U3
You would have to ask the manufacturer/importer or check info/data sheets on those models if they mention this feature.
Not all amps have DC protection.
Chances of amps failing in this particular way are very, very small but technically spoken not 0%..
 
Do amps with no DC protection cause any loud sounds through the headphone ? it won't damage your hearing ?
 
Only at the exact moment they would fail in this particular way while using it (chances are really very very small of this ever happening) it will be audible as a loud pop, noise or weird sounds, hearing damage is not likely unless it is a really sensitive headphone but the driver will certainly be toast pretty quickly.
 
I bought a Schiitt Magni Heresy on May 5, 2021, Is this amplifier safe to use ?
I mean, I wouldn't be too worried in the grand scheme of things.

One guy apparently managed to damaged his and his cans with static discharge to the volume knob:

Looking at the teardown,
the pot mounting tabs are not connected to anything. I suppose grounding of the pot shaft is supposed to happen via the metal case and fastening nut? That doesn't exactly seem like the most reliable approach to me. The case is painted so may well be insulating, and then a static discharge could in fact damage one of the OPA1662 inputs. Some investigation with a multimeter may be warranted to confirm the issue (i.e. look for connection between pot shaft / case and RCA ground).

If the pot shaft is in fact floating in thin air with no connection to anything, I would consider either of two options to modify the unit:
1. Sand / grind a very narrow ring around the hole on both sides to expose bare metal, and reassemble using a tiny bit of light oil/grease or similar to prevent corrosion.
2. On the back side of the PCB, expose some bare copper next to the pot attachment points. That conveniently looks to be a ground plane, so all you have to do is connect one of the lugs to it.
Just don't do both, it may create an internal ground loop.
 
Hey, AnalogSteph....I provided a list of my amplifers above...can you check to see if they have DC protection and are safe to use ?

It seems like the O2 amplifier doesn't have DC protection but it is a very highly regarded amplifier in the audiophile world...Am Overthinking this whole DC protection issue ?

I mean like things like the apple dongle or the Creative X1, Do these even have this DC protection issues ?
 
Hey, AnalogSteph....I provided a list of my amplifers above...can you check to see if they have DC protection and are safe to use ?

It seems like the O2 amplifier doesn't have DC protection but it is a very highly regarded amplifier in the audiophile world...Am Overthinking this whole DC protection issue ?

I mean like things like the apple dongle or the Creative X1, Do these even have this DC protection issues ?
I have the Heresy and have been using it for ~2 years'ish. I crank it very loud most of the time and never have I unplugged the 50 Ohms headphones from the Heresy. I have had no issues and no weird noises from the amp. So I guess mileage varies but my mileage has been good. Yes, I would like to have the DC protection but it's not seemingly required in my case thus far.
 
Hey, AnalogSteph....I provided a list of my amplifers above...can you check to see if they have DC protection and are safe to use ?

It seems like the O2 amplifier doesn't have DC protection but it is a very highly regarded amplifier in the audiophile world...Am Overthinking this whole DC protection issue ?

I mean like things like the apple dongle or the Creative X1, Do these even have this DC protection issues ?
As solderdude pointed out, manufacturers rarely elaborate on the protection circuits they employ.
Generally speaking, with a robust design it shouldn't be something to lose sleep over, but for whatever reason, the Heresy seems to be particularly prone to a headphone-destructive failure mode. Only Schiit knows the statistics for customer complains (and they saw fit to add dedicated protection in their subsequent models), but anecdotally the number of reports of blown headphones I've seen for the Heresy over the years seems to be well above just bad luck. I used a Heresy daily for a year and change without any problems before I replaced it with something else and it was OK, but personally I'm uneasy plugging my expensive headphones into it.
 
Are there any external DC protection devices ? that could solve this problem ?
 
Aliexpress item: 1005006425226240 or 1005002375289722
needs an external 12V AC supply (transformer) or 15VDC power supply (wall wart).
 
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So I wasn't aware of the lack of DC Protection in the Heresy. I've been using mine for 3-4 years now without a problem. But reading about this made me extremely paranoid. Especially because I paid 1300€ for the headphones I'm using them with.

Maybe I'm just being too paranoid and the cases are actually just extremely rare but with headphones this expensive I don't want to risk anything at all. So I immediately started looking for an amp to replace my Heresy with.
I plan to eventually buy an RME ADI 2 some day but don't have the spare money for it atm. So I guess I'll just buy a 100-150€ Amp (with DC protection) until I have spare money for an ADI 2.
Can someone recommend me an alternative with DC protection that's in the quality and price range of the Heresy? I thought about the JDS Labs Atom Amp 2 but unfortunately it's not available in Europe. (I'm from Germany.)
 
So I wasn't aware of the lack of DC Protection in the Heresy. I've been using mine for 3-4 years now without a problem. But reading about this made me extremely paranoid. Especially because I paid 1300€ for the headphones I'm using them with.

Maybe I'm just being too paranoid and the cases are actually just extremely rare but with headphones this expensive I don't want to risk anything at all. So I immediately started looking for an amp to replace my Heresy with.
I plan to eventually buy an RME ADI 2 some day but don't have the spare money for it atm. So I guess I'll just buy a 100-150€ Amp (with DC protection) until I have spare money for an ADI 2.
Can someone recommend me an alternative with DC protection that's in the quality and price range of the Heresy? I thought about the JDS Labs Atom Amp 2 but unfortunately it's not available in Europe. (I'm from Germany.)
I too have used a Heresy for years with no issue and I use most of the power output because I like it loud. For a replacement there is the Schiit MAGNI with an all discreet design and DC protection.
 
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